Let’s see, how many single-car garages per square block in a suburban neighborhood with small homes? (32?) How many double garages in a suburban square block with large homes? (8?) And, what kind of zoning antiquities must be rubbed up against and, ultimately, changed, in order to experience the beautiful results of the voluntary diminution of personal space (which allows for population increase, expanding the number of human exchanges, thereby building resilience)?
And then, of course, if young people live in the garage, us old ones in the big house can call on their energy and vision to convert our small or massive lawns into permaculture paradises, and, as we age, to assist or partner in other ways. Alternatively, if old ones live in the garage, we can grandparent the neighborhood children in the big houses. I envisage a community in which everyone feels useful — to each other, to the land, to the whole; mutually indebted, creating with our mutual gifting, a thick web of nourishing interconnectedness, spilling from this cornucopia of gratitude and safety.
(P.S. My motto as a permaculturist: “Unless you’re rubbing up against existing laws, you’re probably not doing anything. My solution to this dilemma: get to know the real live persons who work in the city departments of my town. Learn how to see myself as one player in a gracious drama of give and take; work together to forge a common way forward. It can be done. We are doing it.)
How this couple lives in a 200-square foot garage
0 thoughts on “YES! Convert garages into tiny homes!”
Actually there is plenty of motivation to illegally convert you garage. If you do it, do it in a fashion that otherwise meets local building codes or better. Most likely you can do a beautiful, healthy, safe conversion and make it look like a function garage from the outside. So when you sell the house decide then weather to convert it back.
Moral and ethical justification?
Well do you drive over the speed limit? Where shall we start? How about civic duty?
Civic What?
Cities refuse to deliver afordabe housing. If you get caught with your illegal unit, you get caught. In the mean time provide clean, affordable, safe shelter to the market place.
San Francisco under pressure to actually deliver affordable housing, two years ago pretended to deliver 110,000 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS to the marker BY LEGALIZING THE 110,000 Illegally converted garages.
Most of the S F Peninsula is heading into the same housing strategy even as they all deny it…even Carmel, Ca. Sometimes you just have to take the risk of taking the law into your own hands and hope it works. It’s you civic duty.
And if my neighbor converts his garage illegally, I would do him the kindness of offering to keep an eye on things so the property does get unsafely overloaded with occupants and give him the benefit of a heads up if I sense problems.