New York Tiny House Builders - The Tiny Life (2024)

QUICK FACTS:

Are Tiny Houses Legal In New York: YES*

Tiny House Costs In New York: $50,000 – $140,000

Tiny House Friendly Cities: Buffalo, Long Island, Saugerties (the Catskill Mountains and Hudson Valley), Woodgate (Adirondack Mountains)

Tiny House Builders In New York

Willowbee Tiny Homes Saugerties, NY

Based in Saugerties, NY, this family-owned and operated small business focuses on fine craftsmanship and unique personalization for each of its custom-built tiny homes. Since founding the company in 2017, the husband and wife team live the tiny life with their kids, so they understand the challenges of small spaces. They aim to design and build the tiny house of your dreams.With 15 years of building and design experience, the couple draws inspiration from the beauty of nature around their home in the Catskills.

Tiny Hampton Homes Southampton, NY

Mark and Jessica Dunkirk have specialized in designing and building tiny homes since 2016. Based in Southampton, these New York tiny house builders plan each tiny house to be energy efficient and maximize the space. You can buy a completed tiny home with luxurious upgrades like wood flooring and quartz countertops or a basic shell you can finish on your own. Whatever your needs, they’ll make your perfect Long Island tiny house both functional and beautiful.

Bear Creek Tiny Houses Woodgate, NY

Located in the Adirondacks, New York tiny house builders, Bear Creek Tiny Houses offers a full range of services. They will not only build your tiny house, but they will also develop your land, install a septic tank, and build a road if you need one. Their impressive carpentry skills also include creating rustic furniture and custom log work for a unique finish to your tiny house. Are you interested in learning how to build your own tiny house? Bear Creek’s resident expert, Bill Rockhill, offers educational programs where students learn all kinds of valuable skills, from plumbing to shingles.

East End Tiny Homes Long Island, NY

Another married team, Jackie and Mart, are passionate about designing and building tiny homes that are high quality yet affordable and environmentally friendly, cozy and comfortable, with a lot of elegance built-in. These New York tiny house builders ensure that every home is as unique as their customers. Together, they bring more than 30 years of combined experience in design, woodworking, and construction to their business. They make their Long Island tiny homes eco-friendly by repurposing reclaimed aviation metals and sustainable sourcing of wood and other materials.

NEW YORK TINY HOUSE BUILDER RESOURCES

Tiny House Trailer Dealers In New York

Headquartered in Olathe, Colorado, Trailer Made has locations around the U.S. They build three types of trailers and will customize your trailer to meet your needs. All of their tiny house trailers have heavy-duty construction with welded tubular chassis, two or three axles for stability, and electric brakes on each wheel. Their customers rave about excellent customer service.

One of the largest tiny house trailer manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada, PJ Trailers has 300 retail locations across the country. The company was established in 1991 and has earned a reputation for high-end, superbly constructed trailers, ideal for transporting tiny homes.

NEW YORK TRAILER RESOURCES

Tiny Houses For Sale In New York

Looking For Pre-Built Tiny Homes In New York? Here Are Tiny Homes For Sale in N.Y.

Custom building isn’t your only option for tiny houses in New York. With plenty of real estate listings on sites like Tiny House Listings and Zillow, you can explore a wide array of options in the tiny house market. Don’t limit your search to just New York, either—there are often great options in neighboring states like Connecticut and New Jersey that you can easily transport to NY.

TINY HOUSES FOR SALE IN NEW YORK RESOURCES

Tiny Houses For Rent In New York

THOW RENTALS IN NEW YORK RESOURCES

Tiny Houses Communities In New York

The Empire State is filled with attractions to suit all interests. With famous sights such as the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls, the Adirondacks, the Catskills, State parks, and a whole lot more, New York has a whole lot to offer. Whether you intend to vacation there or reside permanently in your tiny home, you’ll find plenty to see and do.

Tiny home communities are becoming increasingly popular throughout New York. The lower costs of smaller housing combined with a greener, more environmentally sustainable lifestyle make tiny living communities attractive to a wide demographic. Offering shared facilities and utilities, community gardens, and more, tiny living communities offer a lifestyle that extends well past just new friends and neighbors. Staying engaged with local tiny communities is a great way to keep up with the latest developments in local laws regarding tiny houses.

Some of the most popular New York tiny house communities maintain their secluded, serene atmospheres by nestling amongst mountains or lakes, with space between each lot, so it feels like you’re alone in the world. Others are bustling hives of activity offering regular opportunities for socializing and community gatherings. New York’s tiny living movement gains strength, and spaces in these communities are more in demand than ever.

New York tiny house enthusiasts will find plenty of parking opportunities throughout the state. Ithaca is most beautiful in spring, but the area is breathtaking year-round with spectacular views and stunning hiking trails. Greene County has the Chenango River Theatre, the Kaaterskill Falls, and the Bobell State Forest. There’s so much to see and do in New York!

Think Big! A Tiny House Resort

Think Big! A Tiny House Resort is a family-run tiny house vacation rental resort located in the Catskill Mountain region, just a couple of hours north of NYC in South Cairo. There’s an inground heated pool open from May to October, with year-round hiking trails, a waterfall, kayaks, tubing, a floating raft, and animal lovers will love the goats, bunnies, and ducks. Their gardens abound with fresh, seasonal vegetables, and guests receive complimentary eggs from the chickens year-round.

Upstate Tiny Homes at Long Lakes

Nestled in the heart of the Adirondack Lakes, this exclusive year-round park model community offers services and amenities which leave you with more time to enjoy your lakeside lifestyle. They take care of lawn mowing in summer, snow removal in winter, regular trash removal, water and sewer connections, and community maintenance. Gorgeous, serene surroundings with plenty of space, beautifully made unique tiny houses with individual fire pits, and garden areas are just some of the things that make living at Long Lake enticing.

Boiceville Cottages

Bruno Schickel designed and started building Boiceville Cottages in 1996, inspired by the illustrations in a children’s book he read to his daughter. Today, it’s a lively community in Brooktondale made up of 140 tiny houses, two separate dog walking parks (well-behaved dogs and cats are welcome), and a busy community meeting house with a gym and a full-sized kitchen. A short drive, bus trip, or cycle to Cornell University and Ithaca College, Boiceville is ideal for students.

The community is multigenerational, with a real neighborhood vibe; everyone knows and cares about each other. All apartments are wheelchair accessible, and if any special modifications are required, they’ll take care of it. The tiny houses are designed to be efficient and low cost, making them an attractively affordable option for anyone interested in a greener, more energy-efficient, and low-cost lifestyle. Oh, and they take care of the grass, snow, trash, and grounds.

Boiceville Cottages’ second location, La Bourgade On Seneca, opened recently. Situated on the hillside of Seneca Lake, La Bourgade has only 40 tiny houses, so it offers a more intimate, village-style living experience.

TINY HOUSE COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK RESOURCES

Tiny House Laws & Building Codes New York

Provided you adhere to facility regulations, you can park your tiny home on wheels in R.V. parks and campgrounds in New York. However, many have maximum stay times, which means moving your THOW periodically.

Although the New York City metro area doesn’t allow permanent dwelling in R.V.s or THOWs, many more rural locations welcome THOW living, and many will be happy to rent land. N.Y. state requires water and sewer connections to all permanent residences, which can be costly to set up.

In most New York counties, tiny houses are allowed as backyard additional dwelling units (ADUs). In many areas, you can build a tiny home on your property. Some NY counties allow for the development of tiny house communities on a single lot.

The state laws and guidelines regarding tiny houses are regularly debated and updated, so check with your local municipality to ensure you’re following the rules and keeping your tiny houselegal.

State-Wide Tiny House Building Codes

New York state adopted the (ICCBC) International Code Council Building Codes. In March, Tiny House Appendix Q (relating to safety construction codes) took effect in New York. Here are some basics for potential New York tiny house builders:

• No habitable room except the kitchen may be less than 7 feet in length and width in floor space.
• Each house must include at least one separate bathroom.
• The ceiling must be at least 6’8” high, except the bathroom, which may be 6’4” inches.
• Bedrooms or lofts must have a large window to escape in case of fire and a smoke alarm.
• The unit must have at least one bathroom with a toilet and bathtub or shower with required space between fixtures, plus a kitchen with a sink.
• Homes must have hot and cold water and a heating system.
• Lofts must have a ladder or stairs.
• There’s no minimum size for tiny houses, and the maximum size to be considered a tiny house in New York is 400 square feet.
• Tiny Houses on Wheels (THOWs) must be registered as R.V.s with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and can be up to 400 sq. ft.

Here are sample tiny home laws in a few key N.Y. counties:

Tiny House Building Codes in The Hamptons

Tiny houses are considered ADUs and are not allowed in Southampton.In Easthampton and Northampton, zoning laws allow tiny homes.

Tiny House Building Codes in Buffalo

As the laws change in Buffalo, some builders have successfully lobbied to build tiny houses on narrow lots within city limits. It’s a case-by-case legal situation, but the precedent is set. With the state-wide adoption of IRC safety standards (Appendix Q), obtaining a permit to build a tiny house should be easier.

Tiny House Building Codes in New York City

Full-time residence in your THOW is not allowed in the NYC metro area. You can’t live in a house on wheels anywhere within city limits, even if you could find a place to park one.

Micro Apartments in NYC

Urban New York areas are densely populated, and the cost of building a tiny home in Manhattan would be astronomical (not to mention impossible to place). Seeking new solutions to affordable housing, New Yorkers love the idea of micro-apartments—stripped-down living spaces designed for a busy, on-the-go lifestyle.

Much like a tiny home, micro-apartments are tiny, functional spaces with room for only the necessities of life. These could be a traditional small apartment, a condo, or a micro-apartment. Now keep in mind that almost all real estate in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens is quite high-priced, but micro-apartments allow some wiggle room for city living.

To save money and make the most of a small space, some micro-apartment buildings are arranged around communal features, such as a single large community kitchen and shared living room spaces. There may be a bedroom with a private bath, but with a shared kitchen, living room, storage spaces, and so on. Others may feature a small kitchenette but larger shared spaces. The concept is similar to the tiny life—eliminate what you don’t need and maximize your use of small-but-functional space.

Typically, apartments under 400 square feet are considered micro-apartments, but in NYC, the spaces for sale or rent are as small as 55 square feet (although the NYC building code requires at least one room with a minimum square footage of 150 square feet or 80 square feet for a bedroom). In the tiniest apartments, everything is scaled down, and a loft is often provided to serve as an elevated platform for a bed.

The NYC Building Classifications can be found here, and the NYC Codes are here.

Living in these small spaces within a large urban area requires organization, a careful selection of belongings, and a prioritization of activities in the apartment—very similar to living in a tiny house. A minimalist lifestyle and mindset can help you make the most of your space.

*Disclaimer: The information provided on this website should not be taken as an expert opinion, consultation, or advisem*nt of any kind. Building codes, home building, zoning, local laws etc are complicated and ultimately your responsibility to execute legally and safely. You must do your own research, consult with and verify with all applicable authorities, local officials, regulatory bodies, code and zoning officials, and city/state/federal governments. See our full legal page for further information here: https://thetinylife.com/about-us/legal/