Todd Krainin on Washington’s Beautiful, Illegal Tiny Houses

“I got driven down the tiny house
road because of affordability, simplicity, sustainability, and then
mobility,” says Jay Austin, who designed a custom 140-square-foot
house, which is part of a showcase community of minuscule homes
located in an alley lot in Washington, D.C.

Despite its size, Austin’s house—The Matchbox—is stylish, well
built, and it includes all of life’s necessities (and some of its
luxuries): a bathroom, a shower, a modest kitchen, office space,
and a bedroom loft. There is even a hot tub outside.

But tiny houses violate several city regulations, notes Reason
TV’s Todd Krainin. Until those rules change, creative solutions
like The Matchbox won’t be widely available to people seeking
affordable housing—or even to its owner.

View this article.