FAQ’s - Sunshine Tiny Houses

Tiny houses on wheels symbolize freedom and flexibility in modern living. Designed for those who cherish a mobile lifestyle, these compact homes offer the convenience of mobility without compromising comfort. The smaller footprint of tiny houses makes them ideal for relocation, ensuring adventures are always within reach. Additionally, the unique design circumvents certain zoning regulations, providing a creative solution for those seeking a sustainable, minimalist lifestyle. Embracing a tiny house on wheels means embracing a life of simplicity, freedom, and endless possibilities for exploration and connection with diverse communities and environments.

Tiny houses on wheels, also known as THOWs, are compact, fully-functional dwellings built on a trailer chassis, allowing them to be mobile and easily transported. These ingenious homes typically range from 9 to 37 square meters in size and are designed to maximise space utilisation and efficiency. Despite their small footprint, they offer all the essential features of a traditional home, including a living area, kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping quarters. Tiny houses on wheels provide a unique living experience, enabling individuals to embrace a minimalist lifestyle, reduce their environmental impact, and enjoy the freedom of mobility. They offer the flexibility to be parked on various types of land or even moved to different locations, providing homeowners with the opportunity to explore different communities or live off-grid. With their clever designs, customisable options, and emphasis on sustainability, tiny houses on wheels have gained popularity as a practical and alternative housing solution for those seeking simplicity, affordability, and the freedom to live life on their own terms.

Tiny houses often have a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom, all within the same small space. They are designed to maximize space, with features such as built-in furniture, multi-purpose rooms, and clever storage solutions. Despite their small size, many tiny houses are equipped with modern amenities like solar power, composting toilets, and high-efficiency appliances.

Tiny houses have become increasingly popular in recent years, with many people seeking a simpler and more sustainable lifestyle. They can be used as a primary residence, a vacation home, or a guest house. Some people even use tiny houses as mobile offices or studios. Overall, the tiny house movement is about living with less, focusing on what's truly important, and creating a more sustainable future.

While a tiny house can be used as a secondary dwelling, the two terms are not exactly the same. A secondary dwelling is a self-contained living space that is located on the same property as a primary residence. It is usually larger than a tiny house, and can be a separate unit attached to the main house or a completely separate structure on the property.

On the other hand, a tiny house is typically a smaller standalone structure that can be placed on a variety of different properties. It can be on wheels or on a foundation, and can be used as a primary residence, vacation home, or even a mobile office or studio.

That being said, there are many similarities between the two concepts. Both tiny houses and secondary dwellings are designed to provide affordable housing options and can be used as additional living spaces on a property. They are often built with energy-efficient features and designed to make the most of limited space. Ultimately, whether you choose to build a tiny house or a secondary dwelling will depend on your specific needs and circumstances.

According to the Planning Act 2016 and Building Act 1975, tiny houses are considered "assessable development," which means that they require a building and plumbing permit, just like a normal dwelling house. As class 1a single dwellings, tiny houses must comply with the Building Code of Australia (BCA).

Typically, a planning approval is not needed for a tiny house if the dwelling house code requirements are always met. However, if the tiny house fails to comply with any of these requirements, a planning approval from the council is required. This is also known as a development permit for material change of use or a development permit for building work assessable against the planning scheme.

If the tiny house is proposed on land that is subject to certain mapped planning scheme overlays (such as biodiversity, bushfire, cultural heritage, or flooding), additional requirements will be triggered as part of a building permit or planning approval. It is important to check the planning scheme overlay information for your property, which can be found on council's MyMaps or Development.i websites.

It is highly recommended to speak with a private building certifier or planning consultant to discuss your specific proposal and determine what building and planning requirements apply to your property. This will help ensure that you comply with all relevant regulations and can build your tiny house without any issues.

Sunshine Coast Council subordinate local law no. 1 (administration) 2016 regulates the use of a vehicle for temporary accommodation. To use a vehicle for temporary accommodation, a council local law permit is required, and the use will be subject to time limits.

However, if the temporary home is to be occupied for less than 2 weeks in any 52 week period on a vacant property, or for less than 4 weeks in any 52 week period on a property with an existing dwelling, and if no waste materials, including effluent or grey water are deposited on the property during occupation or left on site after departure, and the temporary home is not a class 10a building under the BCA, then no approval under the local law is necessary.

It is important to note that exceeding the time limits or failing to comply with any of the aforementioned requirements will result in the need for a local law permit. It is recommended that individuals seek guidance from the Sunshine Coast Council to ensure that they adhere to all relevant regulations and obtain any necessary permits before using a vehicle for temporary accommodation.

Proposing to have more than one tiny house on your property may require a development application, as this could constitute a dual occupancy or multiple dwelling under the planning scheme. Additionally, if the intention is to use the property for any form of short-term tourist accommodation, it could be considered short-term accommodation, tourist park, or nature-based tourism use.

It is essential to be aware that these types of land uses can trigger a development application, so it is important to understand the relevant regulations and requirements before making any proposals. Seeking guidance from a private building certifier or planning consultant can be beneficial to ensure that you comply with all relevant regulations and obtain any necessary approvals.

To power up your grid powered tiny house it is as simple as plugging a 15amp lead into the 15amp input under your trailer and the other end of the lead into a nearby 15amp outlet. For off-grid tiny houses, obviously you can skip this step.

Connecting water to your tiny house is as simple as connecting a garden hose (preferably food grade hose) to the 1/4 turn ball valve water input on your draw bar. You can draw the water from a nearby mains connected tap or from a tap supplied by a water pump from a tank. This connection can also be hard plumbed if you prefer.

If your tiny house requires gas, you will need bottled gas known as LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas).

We utilise a dual connection regulator which means you can have up to two bottles connected at anyone time. If one runs out, just flip the lever on the regulator to draw from the spare bottle.

We recommend using 9kg or 4kg barbecue sized bottles.