In a state known for its wide-open spaces, living smaller is an idea that is beginning to take root. 

Although tiny homes (which national building guidelines define as a living space that is 400 square feet or less) are still considered a housing novelty in Wyoming, landowners and builders in the state say there is a growing market for these miniature houses.

The Tiny Home Dream

If you spend any time on social media, at some point you’ll run across an ad or an influencer touting the benefits of tiny living: lower cost, less upkeep, easier cleaning, and a faster path to home ownership, if you’ve already got the land.

Adrian Troyer owns Big Horn Cabins, a company based in Byron that sells sheds and tiny homes. Troyer said inquiries for tiny houses have increased significantly in the last few years from customers looking for mother-in-law suites, short term rental housing, or just a simpler living situation.

“A lot of them are downsizing, and some of them are just simply upgrading or they want a home that’s easier to heat,” said Troyer. “I hear a lot of different variations from one person to the next on what they like about them.”

Tiny homes typically cost between $30,000-$100,000, far less than a traditional home. Troyer pointed out that with less space to heat, cool and maintain, a tiny home is desirable, especially for empty nesters or young people just starting out.

“They simply find they don’t need a lot of space, and it’s easier to get rid of your clutter in a smaller area,” he said. “It’s an efficient way to live. You don’t need to heat 2,000 square feet if you only have 500.” 

Stephen DeFord is co-owner of DeFord Timber Services in Greybull, which has built a couple of custom tiny homes in recent years. He said one of the draws for people is expediency.

“It would depend on size, and the level of finishes,” he said. “Like, a smaller one that we did, it was 16’ x 8’, and doesn’t have plumbing in it, but we were able to do that in a month.”

Easy To Set Up

For some, part of the appeal of a tiny home is the simplicity of moving the building from place to place. Kimberlee Miller owns a mobile home park in Pinedale, and said tiny homes were the answer to an issue she was facing as a new business owner.

“I couldn’t find any movers for the big trailers, but I had a truck that I could pull tiny homes,” said Miller. “I have a double wide on that property, and by the time they brought it in and set it, it’s probably 1800 square feet, I want to say it cost $15,000. With the tiny homes, all it cost me is gas.”

Troyer also touted the ease of setup for the tiny houses.

“If they put them on a monolithic pad, it’s as easy as 1-2-3,” Troyer said. “We have a tilt deck trailer that can get in pretty tight places, and we put them right on the slab. Our prices actually include delivery and setup within 100 miles.” 

Miller said she has actually had tenants who have brought their own tiny homes and parked them at her park.

“I think she parked it at my property for maybe a year,” she said. “She loves to travel, so she hauls it from place to place. Like, she’s in Moab right now.”

Be Aware Of Zoning Rules

Miller’s park is already zoned for mobile homes, but if someone is planning to put a tiny home on their own property, it’s important to pay attention to zoning regulations.

Ben Hubbard is the building official for the City of Powell. He said in September, the city passed an accessory dwelling unit ordinance zoning ordinance to increase housing options. Hubbard pointed out that tiny homes are regulated the same as other permanent structures.

“We have setbacks, which are all determined by which zone you’re in, and those exist whether the house is what you call a tiny home or not,” he said. “The city does adopt the current edition of the International Residential Code like most communities do, so everything that you do in a tiny home (on a permanent foundation) is the same as if you do it in a regular home.” 

Miller, though, pointed out that she is now running into concerns with her insurance company regarding how to classify the tiny homes in her park.

“I’m having to find a new company to insure them because they’re saying they’re not mobile homes, which they are,” she said. 

DeFord also noted that he has had customers who have had to negotiate regulatory hurdles.

“For one that we did in Billings, I know the customer did end up going through some stuff with the City of Billings, just to make sure it met some of their municipal standards,” he said. “So we did have to end up providing some blueprints and that information for the city. But a lot of municipalities that I am aware of are friendly to it.”

Troyer said his company hasn’t run into any financing or zoning issues with the tiny homes they’ve sold.

“We have never had an issue where insurance companies don’t want to cover them, or where banks don’t finance them,” he said.

Not Everyone Is Sold

Tiny houses come with their downsides, though. Storage is minimal, and when it’s 20 below zero and dark at
5 p.m., 300 sq. ft. can feel a lot smaller. Extreme cold also brings higher heating demands, along with the risk of frozen pipes.

That’s why Troyer said he only sells high-quality buildings.

“You can buy cheaper cabins, but we don’t put our name on a cheap cabin,” he said. “A smaller building that’s very well insulated is so efficient.”

Those complications may be why the tiny home movement is taking a little longer to sweep into the Cowboy State than other parts of the country. DeFord said that while their company experienced an uptick in interest after displaying a tiny house at last year’s Home and Garden Show at the fairgrounds, they haven’t received very many inquiries since.

“We haven’t had a lot of people come in and ask too many questions about it,” he said. “We get a lot of questions for a short period of time, and then it kind of slows down.”

Hubbard also noted that there have been no inquiries or applications to the City offices to put up a tiny home within the city limits as of yet.

“Land is one of the largest driving costs,” he said. “Land, and the cost of improvements.”

The Appeal Of A Tiny Home

DeFord said some of the people they talked to who expressed interest in their tiny homes said part of the appeal was the convenience of the structures.

“Their interest was, ‘Hey, this is something that I could have move-in-ready for a short term rental,’” he said. “We had one that was interested in it for employee housing or possible rental as well. And there were a couple of people who were interested in the possibility of it for a starter home.”

Miller said she actually dreams of living in one of her tiny homes someday.

“For me, being a single person, eventually retiring, it would be perfect to have one as my home base,” she said. “The cost is so low to upkeep, it’s so inexpensive.”