What you Need for a Successful Installation

•  My experience can help shortcut the cumbersome system of permitting and installing your home. Please read about my services and feel free to set an appointment for a FREE 15 minute phone consultation to further help you understand the permitting process and how I can help

Facts you need to know:

When it comes to permitting a Tiny House on your property, understand that  there are numerous variables between local municipalities and what they can stipulate within their jurisdictions in regard to building code, zoning code and placement of the Tiny House on property. There are indeed too many variables to list here,  but finding out exactly what your property requires, and what your local jurisdiction allows, is part the service I provide for you. 

In addition to the local jurisdiction requirements, parcels can vary dramatically even within that jurisdiction.  Additionally the unique situation of your parcel can be very different from the neighboring city's parcels, the neighboring county's parcels and even your next door neighbor's parcel. I tell folks all the time that I wish there was a cookie cutter solution to Tiny House permitting and installations but there isn't, period. For instance your parcel could be in a flood zone and your neighbor's is not, your grade could be different than your neighbor's, your parcel may reside in the county and across the street the parcels may reside within city limits, therefore you have different jurisdictions with different municipal codes in effect. You can see how this can be very difficult to decipher. 

Even as the Tiny House codes and acceptance becomes more Tiny House "friendly" in the coming years, the local zoning codes will still remain in effect. Think of it as building a new home on a parcel, well, really that's what you're doing and the municipality will always have control of that aspect of building. 

The fact is, the system can be very difficult to transverse through on your own, but we are here for you!  

The good news is that several cities and counties have adopted the ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) or Tiny House codes & statutes to accept Tiny Homes but are in many ways still regulating the installation of the Tiny Homes.  

However, we have found that there is still much misunderstanding and misinterpretation of implementing Tiny Homes as ADU’s (Accessory Dwellings Units) even in those counties and cities that have adopted ADU statutes. We are working diligently every day and we have held several meetings with LEA officials and hundreds of emails and phone calls to help streamline the process and help LEA’s make this process easier for the property owner. Some of the most difficult challenges we face are when permitting a Movable Tiny House (MTH). However, we have overcome those challenges as well. 

What You Need to Know About Permitting

Once the LEA (Local Enforcement Agency) has adopted the codes/laws and gained State Approval for their ordinances, they will produce the guidelines available to the public usually in print form via the LEA’s website. However, this guideline is not necessarily all inclusive of what the LEA requires.

Most LEA’s still require detailed to-scale drawings of the site plans, foundation plans, infrastructure and utility plans and require the entire process be submitted as one project. 

My services :

I provide services that will assure the success of your Tiny house installation project.  

Here's how it works:

The first step is to research the site or parcel where you intend to install your Tiny House. Many key points are identified in this first stage. We look at the site, and the jurisdiction’s specific building and zoning codes for ADU's - Most jurisdictions don't readily accept a MOVABLE TINY HOUSE (MTH), but we often have ways to accommodate the municipal codes

Please understand:

I need your Address or Parcel Number! If you don't have an address or parcel number then let's wait until you do, after reading the facts above (& below), you can obviously see why I need that. If you are shopping for property or just curious about where you can land a Tiny House or you're just in the beginning stages of going Tiny, consider visiting Lindsay -The Tiny Home Lady's website to continue your education: TheTinyHomeLady

Ok, lets move on because you DO have an address or parcel number! 

To determine the feasibility of the project we begin with: 

COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY RESEARCH (CPR)

Step 1:  COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY RESEARCH (CPR)

The process:

1) We begin by performing a Google Earth view of the property:

• We measure for proper space to accommodate the Tiny House
• We measure the setbacks for the local zoning requirements
• We evaluate site access for the Tiny House

We perform Local Governmental Agency research of the municipal codes for your Tiny House installation 

We perform an Assessor’s Parcel Map research study to determine zoning laws and acceptance policies of your full project 

We produce a concise & clear interpretation of the requirements for the you in our Comprehensive Property Research Report (CPRR)

2) In addition to the basic research mentioned above, we do the research on the following line items below to fully confirm the legal installation of your new Tiny House. in most cases, these requirements must be identified and listed in the permitting application and on the working plans of your project. These requirements are stipulated by both local and state ordinances. They are as follows:

• Foundation requirements
• Soil type for the area
• Ground load bearing capacities
• Seismic zone compliance
• Flood zone compliance
• Wind load compliance
• Roof live load compliance
• Building code compliance
• Parcel Zoning compliance (all aspects)
• Solar compliance or exemption
• Parking requirements
• Density considerations
• Waste Management Plan
• Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF)
• Property Owner Covenant requirement
• Construction General plan requirements 
• Site plan requirements 
• Infrastructure and utility plan requirements 
• Foundation plan requirements 

As you can see this deeper research into the jurisdiction's acceptance policy is extensive. This research often requires hours of research and communications with the local jurisdiction. 

Our team will dig deep for you. Whatever it takes, we have people to get you answers. We will make all the phone calls and emails with the appropriate officials to get solid answers for you. We will get to the bottom line of all the requirements to install the Tiny House on your parcel. That’s our promise to you. 

3) We provide you with the answers you need - CPR Report:

Once all the research is complete, we’ll produce for you a detailed report of the primary municipal requirements to install your Tiny House successfully. This report will be assembled for you based on the criteria and information gathered in our COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY RESEARCH (CPR)

(The Site Walk)

As we progress into the project development phase, each location (Address/Parcel) will require a site walk to determine dozens of variations of your property to prepare you for the permitting stage of your project. There are many factors that can hinder or re-route a good installation plan and we point them out for you in this final phase of the process. We do this to avoid problems with the project. We call this the Site Walk or;  “BOOTS ON THE GROUND”

STEP 2:

“BOOTS ON THE GROUND”

We mean it when we say, "Boots on the Ground" we literally walk your property to find out what your needs are. The site walk reveals much need information for the site plan, site design and feasibility of your Tiny House installation project. We take all the required measurements for the project, we identify utility location and specifications, we evaluate ground conditions, we look at grades and watershed variations, we look at vehicle access for the delivery of your Tiny House and much more. From the information gathered on the site walk, we are able to produce an accurate site plan for the permitting process. In detail this is what the is involved in the site walk:

1) Provide on-site measuring and photographs/videos of all structures, 

2) Measure property line setbacks

3) Measure Primary Residence (if applicable) separations

4) Utility locations identified and marked

5) Electrical Load Center values evaluated and noted

6) Identify sewer & water pipe sizing, location and type of material

7) Identify gas supply availability, sizing and location

8) Measure and note local grade and watershed features

9) Verify soil types and topical materials

10) Observe site access for delivery and set up procedures

11) We’ll sketch a rough drawing of the property for site plan creation

12) We’ll Recommend site clearing and preparation when required

13) We’ll recommend the type & size of home suited for the site

And of course, I’ll be there for the property owner’s 

Q&A on site consultation!

Once all the research is complete, we;ll produce for you a detailed report of the requirements to install your Tiny House. This report will be assembled based on ALL the criteria and information gathered in our:

- COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY RESEARCH (CPR)

- BOOTS ON THE GROUND - Site walk

Once steps 1 & 2 are complete, we'll produce a report that you can submit to local contractors and vendors to begin your project!  We call this the 

“COMPLETE PROPERTY RESEARCH REPORT” (CPRR)

What’s included in the CPRR?

CPRR Report Includes:

1) Utility Permitting and Contracting Specifications and Advice:

a) Electrical – We will advise on existing service on site and advise if an upgrade will be necessary

b) Plumbing – We will assess the current water and sewer system and provide you with an underground plumbing design plan to bring these services to the Tiny House

c) Gas Service (if needed) - We will assess the current gas system and provide you with an underground plumbing design plan to bring gas service to the Tiny House

2) Ground or Site preparation - We will design the site plan and recommend the best plan for your needs with advice on ground preparation, location of the Tiny House, access to the job site for delivery, new utility locations. 

3) Delivery & Crane Services (when required) -We will provide recommendations on the best delivery method for you. We can help you devise and implement a plan to gain access to the desired location on the property for the home and inform you of any fencing, landscape and structural removals or relocations you will need to allow access for the delivery. When necessary, we will contact a crane and rigging contractor for you and recommend a traffic control company if the Tiny House needs to be lifted and set into place with a crane. We'll advise you if reparations of landscaping, fencing and other items removed for the installation process will be required

4) Permit and Local Building Department Services: 

We will work with the building and planning department’s requirements for the placement of the Tiny House including:

(a) Clarification of LEA documents and requirements and how to deal with those requirements

(b) Correspondence with your LEA to effectively overcome obstacles and quickly remedy situations that would hinder the project such as building code compliance

(c) Provide expert knowledge and provide the required CA State Law interpretation when necessary to conform to LEA requirements and restrictions

(d) Decipher Local Enforcement Agency requirements for the installation of the home on the property

(e) Decipher California Dept of Forestry (CDF Fire) requirements for the property 

5) Provide the LEA the required construction documents which include:

a) Foundation engineering and specifications

b) California State law articles pertaining specifically to Tiny Homes when needed 

 6) Your Custom-Made Site Plan:

We provide you with a to-scale Site Plan created to for your project and the installation of your Tiny House. This site plan is key to procuring your local contractors for the work that will be required for your project. 

The Site Plan will include:

a) Two-Dimensional to-scale drawings of the existing property

b) Depiction and location of relevant existing structures

c) Footprint or site location on the parcel of the proposed Tiny House with set backs

d) Proposed utility locations (water, sewer, gas & electrical) with run lengths

e) Utility size requirements and materials to be used 

When installing your new home onto your existing property, we want to ensure that the entire process is facilitated in accordance with state law and city/county ordinances that are enforced by the LEA.

If you’re still not quite sure how it all works, please schedule your free consultation phone call (link below)

Other Services Provided on a limited Basis

Labor Force Help:

We can help steer you in the right direction when it comes to getting the labor force. We'll advise you on the type of contractor needed for each phase of your project. 

For the DIY’ers, you can simply google the local guys or go through Lowes or Home Depot contracting services. AnGI (Angie’s List) is another great resource for reviewed and rated local contractors to help out. 

Northgate Construction our California licensed construction firm will provide contracting and sub-contracting services on occasion based on certain criteria.   

NorthGate Construction can Always provide the installation of the Tiny House on it’s foundation if desired. Unfortunately, other construction processes out of our general service will not be provide by Northgate Construction 

Project management:

Occasionally Northgate Construction may provide project management services for you to assure the project is run properly and efficiently at the most competitive costs. We Highly recommend if you are hiring your own contractor's that you acquire our services in this arena. There are several code compliance issues that not all contractors are aware of, and we can help them and you through those issues as they arise. 

(Pricing determined after Step 2 is completed)

I hope this helps, 

ContractorDave

Make an appointment for a Free 15 minute phone consultation