Frequently Asked Questions
In 2011, Ed was introduced to the concept of tiny houses. Having recently developed an active retirement community in nearby Rome, GA, he saw value in creating a rustic downsized community for pre-retirement and vacationing. Below are some frequently asked questions we and others in the tiny house industry have addressed since the concept was reintroduced in 1999. After reviewing these FAQs, please fill out the Contact Us form and give us a little more detail about your plans for tiny living. We look forward to meeting to you!
Location
The age range of our communities is all over the map. We have couples in their 50s with teenage kids. Pre-retirees have adult children who might bring babies for visits.
However, leased lot communities is not Accessible. We use river rock and gravel for roads and pathways so neither strollers nor wheelchairs are currently possible. If you want to include Accessible features, we can work with you regarding lot location, as well as materials used for your own driveway, walkways, and entry.
Here is a sample of total costs:
House: $115,000
Tax (7%): $8050
Site Prep: $4000 (for unsited homes)
3 month lot lease deposit: $1485
Year 1 Lot Lease (5% discount for prepay): $5445
Tag and title for trailer: Based off of the value of the home + milage rat + %
Total Move In: $134,000
Annual Cost Estimate:
Year 1 Lot Lease (5% discount for prepay): $5445
Tag and title for trailer: Based off of the value of the home + milage rat + %
Utilities per month: $60-$150 /month
We allow up to 2 domestic pets per household.
Pets are not allowed in the rental cabins or common area buildings due to visitors who may have allergies.
BEFORE you purchase a house, you need to confirm you will have a place to put it. You can’t just park it in your driveway or on a piece of property you own without first clarifying the zoning laws for the property it is on.
This is not about aesthetics or mobile homes, it’s about property values and taxes so don’t assume this is unnecessary in rural areas.
- What are your minimum regulations for full time residence?
- What is minimum Square Footage?
- What is minimum wall length?
- What is maximum residence per year?
- Is a foundation required?
- Do you allow sustainability options like solar power or composting toilets?
- What is the annual tax calculation?
- Do you accept RVIA or ANSI 119.5 building standards?
You may call us once you have this information and we can give you some ideas if there are any conflicts.
You can build your house on the lot you’ve designated and paid for if you have access to electricity and maybe water, depending on your construction needs.
PMRV (Park Model RV): These can be 14′ wide and 40′ long but require a tractor-trailer truck and special Wide Load permitting for routes and roads. PMRVs are designed to stay in one place for longer amounts of time, but be moved if needed to a new location.”
You want to secure the location before you order the house since most builders will not deliver to a unsecured location. THOWs generally cannot be parked in your driveway like a motor home. The property must be zoned for the size tiny house you have.
You can start by checking your State regulations here http://www.rvia.org/UniPop.cfm?v=2&OID=3531&CC=7616
Then call the County Zoning Agent for your target location to be sure of your particular property. See FAQ: What do I ask my County Zoning Agent?
If wanting to put a tiny house in our leased lot communities, we do require the home to be purchased from us. However, if you are buying a lot in our “purchase lot communities” you can buy from us, bring you own (must be approved by developer first), or stick build a home under 1200sqft.
Yes, we have many tiny home communities that offer lots for lease in a private & gated community with amenities or we also have communities with lots for purchase. In any of our communities, the lots size is no smaller than half an acre.
Often tiny house communities are RV parks that have been rezoned for tiny houses. When choosing your community, consider the layout: How big are the lots? Are there trees between for privacy? Is there private and public outdoor space? What are the rules on noise, pets, etc.?
We had many waterfront properties, but currently they are all sold. Water front property is a hard gem to find atop Lookout Mountain, but we are always searching and looking for more.
Closest larger towns with hospitals are Fort Payne, AL, 20 minutes away, and Rome, GA, 40 minutes away.
Nearest ambulance service is in Menlo, 4 miles away.
Harbin Clinic satellite office is in Summerville, 15 minutes away.
All of our tiny home communities are located on our near Lookout Mountain. Nearby townships include Menlo, Cloudland, Summerville and Mentone, AL. Closest larger towns are Fort Payne, AL, and Rome, GA.
We strongly recommend that you not only tour them, but spend some time in one to determine just how tiny you can comfortably go before you throw out all your stuff! You can find many tiny homes that are available to rent through AirBnB under the visit tab on our website.
We also have tiny homes at our dealership that are available to tour Mon-Fri 10:00am-5:00pm EST. We are located at 8021 HWY 48, Menlo, GA 30731.
When purchasing a lot, you would be responsible for your own site prep. Site prep includes installing septic, water, and electrical; driveway and walkways, tree removal, grading, and landscaping etc.
If you are wanting to lease a lot, we charge the customer a 1 time site prep fee of $4000. This covers the delivery, hooking up of the utilities to the house, underpinning and building steps to the house. River Ridge Escapes covers all of the other site preparation needed prior to having the house delivered. In addition to RRE covering the site prep & installation of all utilities, included in your monthly lot lease is: water, septic, garbage service landscape maintenance, property tax for you lot and access/upkeep of the amenities within the community.
So purchasing or leasing is a personal preference in what you are looking for and what your needs are.
