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Temecula/ Sage Off Grid Tiny House

 
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We are looking to start up a small tiny house intentional community on our 10 acres of mostly usable pasture. We are 20 minutes outside Temecula/ French Valley/ Hemet / Aguanga. We were wanting to keep it off grid and we're thinking of charging a monthly rate that would include a personal organic garden area. Farm animals would also be an option. Would this be the best way to keep it legal and earn revenue? I am new to permaculture and would like to learn and introduce permaculture aspects over time.
 
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Kyle Shears wrote:We are looking to start up a small tiny house intentional community on our 10 acres of mostly usable pasture. We are 20 minutes outside Temecula/ French Valley/ Hemet / Aguanga. We were wanting to keep it off grid and we're thinking of charging a monthly rate that would include a personal organic garden area. Farm animals would also be an option. Would this be the best way to keep it legal and earn revenue? I am new to permaculture and would like to learn and introduce permaculture aspects over time.



I'm not sure what you mean by "best way to keep it legal". Could you explain that in more detail? I'm trying to understand what part of the plan you are concerned about perhaps NOT being legal -- tiny houses, gardens, farm animals or charging rent? I suggest that you consult with someone at your local Planning & Zoning department and ask them what sort of restrictions, if any, may be in place on your property.

Where we live in SW Missouri, there are no restrictions whatever on what you can build or how you build it as long as it falls within the broad category of single-family housing, (or agriculture if you have a registered farm number) but if you decide to open up a business or build apartments, etc. they require you to submit a plan. After that you pay a fee (to cover costs) and the county board meets to discuss it, followed by an open meeting for anyone living within a certain distant of you to question/comment, followed by a final meeting to say yea or nay. After that, you're on your own.

Every state, and even individual counties within states, varies in its rules and regulations, so it would definitely pay to find out what the local law allows before putting any money or work into a project such as yours even if it would be fine for someone else in another place.
 
Kyle Shears
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So by keep it legal I just meant with the Tiny houses as opposed to other structures that the country would take issue with. I don't want marijuana grown/ smoked or other drugs on the property but that is a separate issue. As far as I know both tiny houses and solar panels that are not connected to the grid do not require permits.
 
Deb Stephens
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Kyle Shears wrote:So by keep it legal I just meant with the Tiny houses as opposed to other structures that the country would take issue with. I don't want marijuana grown/ smoked or other drugs on the property but that is a separate issue. As far as I know both tiny houses and solar panels that are not connected to the grid do not require permits.



One thing to keep in mind though is that in some places just the fact that a building is on wheels (or skids) versus sitting on a permanent foundation makes all the difference in how it is coded and controlled. Another thing is that taxes come into play in different ways for different kinds of structures. I don't know about California, but here in Missouri, any building over 100 square feet is taxable as real estate property, whereas a wheeled building like a small trailer or RV -- even if it doesn't run and is permanently parked -- is considered a vehicle for tax purposes, so long as it still has its wheels on it (even if they are completely flat and unusable). I know a lot of people who get really creative with their building -- like constructing several 100 ft. sq. buildings next to each other, but not touching so they don't have to pay real estate property taxes; or making larger structures like hunting and fishing cabins, sheds and whatnot on skids or a trailer (such as the tiny houses) so they can be taxed at a lower rate as temporary structures or vehicles.

Again, I recommend you find out exactly what the local laws and ordinances say.
 
Kyle Shears
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Yeah I'm going to try to find out all I can from the county first. What do you think would be the best way to find people that would want to be a part of this type of community? I've already posted some information on a couple different websites.
 
Deb Stephens
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Kyle Shears wrote:Yeah I'm going to try to find out all I can from the county first. What do you think would be the best way to find people that would want to be a part of this type of community? I've already posted some information on a couple different websites.



If I were you, I would try commenting on one of the tiny house websites. You could also ask here, but I would open up another post for that to avoid confusion -- maybe under "Regional" or "Intentional communities".
 
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Howdy Kyle, welcome to permies, I just added your post to our tiny house and intentional community forums. Hope you get more responses!
 
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We would love to connect with you and discuss what we have to offer your budding community.  Currently, my husband is finishing an internship with Quail Springs Permaculture located east of Santa Barbara.  He has gained extensive valuable knowledge in both animal and land stewardship including caring for and milking goats, raising chickens as well as composting and organic traditional and hydroponic gardening and earth structures and compost toilet construction.
Our initial interest in permaculture and organic living came after my medical diagnosis 9 months after my husband retired from the Marine Corps.  We turned to food as medicine changing our entire lifestyle to accommodate our new ideology.  Since that revelation almost three years ago, we spent a year in Vermont raising chickens, goats and alpacas and growing the most fantastic organic garden while expanding our understanding of permaculture and community through local permaculture organizations and seed saving groups.  
When the opportunity presented itself to join the team at Quail Springs it just made sense to say yes.  Our family made the trek back to California.  It has been nothing short of transformational and has further strengthened our resolve to commit to this lifestyle.  
Last night, while contemplating our next steps, I found this and hope you will see the value in our allowing us to become part of your community.  
We are very familiar with the area as we lived in San Jacinto for two years while my husband was stationed aboard Camp Pendleton as an air traffic control officer.
Please feel free to also contact me via text or phone 480 231-7058.  We will be in your area on Saturday late morning or early afternoon.  We would love to come meet with you in person.  

Thank you so much...hope to hear from you soon

Jef and Shannon Barker

 
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Location: Clayton, CA
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I am currently working as a volunteer host for the California State Parks, so I have been living in my 27' trailer since 2005. I've been looking for land to live on, garden organically and live a peaceful life. Every County has it's zoning and building codes. And California is one of the most restricted. I looked into Modoc Co. And they wouldn't even talk to me about alternative construction. Most County building Dept. Are really up tight about alternative living. I worked as a paralegal in an attorneys office that specialize in Real Estate. So I dealt with them alot. You have a great idea, it may be costly and alot of legal rangling. Most people are intimidated by all the paperwork and dealing with County inspectors. The state and county have a website that you can look up any codes and laws. Just alot of work if you don't have an attorney.
If you need any help, let me know and I'll see what I can do. I've been thinking about starting  a forum on legal issues and code problems.
Good luck and maybe see you if I get down that way.
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My front yard
 
Posts: 88
Location: Los Angeles for now, Maybe Idaho soon...
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Kyle Shears wrote:So by keep it legal I just meant with the Tiny houses as opposed to other structures that the country would take issue with. I don't want marijuana grown/ smoked or other drugs on the property but that is a separate issue. As far as I know both tiny houses and solar panels that are not connected to the grid do not require permits.



You're in the people's republik of Kalifornia... as am I.  THE MOST restrictive building departments IN THE WORLD.  It varies greatly from county to county and city to city.  Los Angeles?  FORGET IT.

Central Cali is much more open minded.  I think in Temecula, you're in the Inland empire.  Not sure about their codes.  I do know the city of Hesperia did eventually allow sandbag homes (calearth.org) but they spent YEARS battling with them to get approval, and had to do a TON of testing, etc.

"off grid" is actually ILLEGAL in some areas.  You HAVE to hook up to the grid, if it's available.  

My suggestion, BEFORE you spend money and time, and dig yourself an expensive proverbial hole, is to find out about the codes.  Don't ASK, get COPIES of the codes.  

Officials often "creatively interpret" the codes to mean whatever the heck they want, but the ACTUAL WORDING of the code is often ignored... The actual wording is where you often find the 'wiggle room" you need to get that which you want, approved.

Good luck!
 
Eddie Conna
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Kathy Pratt wrote: I've been thinking about starting  a forum on legal issues and code problems.



Please do.  IF you do, I'd be happy to be a regular contributor.  I've battled with code officials in LA city and LA county MANY times, and WON every single battle, sometimes using their own codes against them.

I have a system in place I always use which has YET to fail me.  Often times, they will simply drop the matter and disappear, never to be heard from again.

It's amazing to me what officials will often try, sometimes violating property owner rights, civil rights, violating trespass law, etc.  Some officials are great.  Others are power hungry bureaucrats who simply want to wield power over another.  

This site SHOULD have a legal forum.  That is a great suggestion...
 
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Hi Kyle.  I hope this reply reaches you.  It's been a year since you posted it.  Anyway, I'm very interested in see what you have accomplished so far.  I live in Romoland on an acre, but it's totally on-grid.  I just found a ten acre parcel with an existing well and a shop and trailer ready to go for an amazing price, but it's on top of a mountain and there's a pretty rough road to get to it.  But the views are amazing and it is fairly flat and ready to start permaculture.  I would sell my place in romoland, but its a big step.  I'm 60 and unmarried.  I don't have anyone to help me.  Maybe I could sell, buy a tiny house, and come help you and yours on your place.  let me know.  I'd love to come see it!  Write me at meem38@hotmail.com.  Thanks!
 
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Location: Aguanga, California
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Hi Kyle,

I've been working on a permaculture home/farm/homestead on 20 acres in Aguanga for the past three years. There aren't many like-minded folks up here so I'd love to get in touch if you're still following this thread. It would be great to trade notes and share resources!
 
Kyle Shears
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We have made some progress on our property and now have chickens, pigs, and a sheep. I installed a 5,000 gal. water tank and hope to install 800 feet of main gravity fed irrigation and 3,500 feet of drip line.

We are still looking for a couple like minded people who would like to farm and live in the country while being close to the city. We have some off grid/ on grid solutions. Please email me with any questions kshears@outlook.com
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My husbanad and I would be interested if you have some kind of Lease to Purchase arrangement. I would not build anything permanent on rented land, but would want to put in a greenhouse or hoop house and small barn/shop. We have an RV to live in while building a house. Being involved in building tiny houses as a business sounds very intriguing. We know a lot about re-purposing reclaimed parts and materials in house construction. Keep us posted.
 
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Hi guys, I know this was a year ago, but I was Googling Tiny Homes Temecula and this popped up.

I'm new to all this and I'm looking to find people that are knowledgeable about where I can build a tiny home or put an r.v. on a piece of land.


Preferably I'd like to get enough land where it's away form anyone where people or the city won't complain about anything. I'd love to have an r.v. or tiny home hooked up to solar and have a very nice setup that doesn't include a huge price tag.

I've been calling different cities and speaking to building and safety and I think I might be taking the wrong approach at this because there's probably already people that have done the research and know all the laws on where I can have an r.v./tiny home.
 
Kyle Shears
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Timothy Magner wrote:Hi guys, I know this was a year ago, but I was Googling Tiny Homes Temecula and this popped up.

I'm new to all this and I'm looking to find people that are knowledgeable about where I can build a tiny home or put an r.v. on a piece of land.



It's quite challenging. An actual tiny house should be certified as an "RV", so buying a normal RV is definitely an easier way to go about it. You can legally live in an RV in any permitted RV park. But you can also legally park your RV on any rural residential properties in Riverside county. Cities have their own rules about parking RV's.

It would be challenging to be fully off grid with only solar  panels during our 100+ degree summer weather. If you could find a property that already has a functional well and grid connection you would save yourself a lot of hassle, and money on full battery storage. Maybe just as an emergency backup?
 
Timothy Magner
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Kyle Shears wrote:

Timothy Magner wrote:Hi guys, I know this was a year ago, but I was Googling Tiny Homes Temecula and this popped up.

I'm new to all this and I'm looking to find people that are knowledgeable about where I can build a tiny home or put an r.v. on a piece of land.



It's quite challenging. An actual tiny house should be certified as an "RV", so buying a normal RV is definitely an easier way to go about it. You can legally live in an RV in any permitted RV park. But you can also legally park your RV on any rural residential properties in Riverside county. Cities have their own rules about parking RV's.

It would be challenging to be fully off grid with only solar  panels during our 100+ degree summer weather. If you could find a property that already has a functional well and grid connection you would save yourself a lot of hassle, and money on full battery storage. Maybe just as an emergency backup?




Rural residential property? Now do I need a home on the property? Because many places require a home and then one can live in an R.V., but I rarely hear someone can just park an r.v. on vacant land that they own.

My idea is trying to go pretty cheap. I'm trying to find the best value and what works for me.

I'm considering an r.v. so I don't have to pay high property tax. Also, I was just going to shower at the gym and have a solar system for power. I don't plan on being in Temecula during the summer. I'm deciding to live in different places for weather conditions and enjoy moving around.

I'd like to get a cheap piece of land where I can park my r.v. somewhere between Lake Elsinore and Escondido, so Temecula, Pala and all that works. I've called building and safety and it's been hard to figure this all out.

I just want an r.v., tiny home, or something inexpensive.
 
Kyle Shears
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Timothy Magner wrote:
I'm considering an r.v. so I don't have to pay high property tax. Also, I was just going to shower at the gym and have a solar system for power. I don't plan on being in Temecula during the summer. I'm deciding to live in different places for weather conditions and enjoy moving around.

I'd like to get a cheap piece of land where I can park my r.v. somewhere between Lake Elsinore and Escondido, so Temecula, Pala and all that works. I've called building and safety and it's been hard to figure this all out.

I just want an r.v., tiny home, or something inexpensive.



I don't think the county or any city will want you to "live" in it outside of a trailer park, only allow you to  "park" it on your property. Although cities will probably be strict and the county would be hard pressed to cite you for "living" in it and not just "parking/ storing" it and a waste of the counties time. Especially Riverside county which has bigger issues with all of the large scale illegal pot growing and budget constraints.
 
Timothy Magner
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Kyle Shears wrote:

Timothy Magner wrote:
I'm considering an r.v. so I don't have to pay high property tax. Also, I was just going to shower at the gym and have a solar system for power. I don't plan on being in Temecula during the summer. I'm deciding to live in different places for weather conditions and enjoy moving around.

I'd like to get a cheap piece of land where I can park my r.v. somewhere between Lake Elsinore and Escondido, so Temecula, Pala and all that works. I've called building and safety and it's been hard to figure this all out.

I just want an r.v., tiny home, or something inexpensive.



I don't think the county or any city will want you to "live" in it outside of a trailer park, only allow you to  "park" it on your property. Although cities will probably be strict and the county would be hard pressed to cite you for "living" in it and not just "parking/ storing" it and a waste of the counties time. Especially Riverside county which has bigger issues with all of the large scale illegal pot growing and budget constraints.





Yea, I guess they might not want me to, but I was wondering if it was legal or not, so in Riverside they have bigger fish to fry than a nice tiny home surrounded by good neighbors that wouldn't complain?
 
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Hi I was wondering Kyle if you still had any open spots available for tiny homes to be moved there I live in the area and am purchasing a tiny home soon
Email me
Rivaskailani@gmail.com
 
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Me Me Me. !!! My name is Carol Surprise, yup that's my last name. I just found & read your post & finding a plot of land, renting it if not too expensive would be my dream come true! I have followed the tiny house community for years praying someone would build a community with neighbours, organic gardens, farm animals, living amongst nature, making new friends & family has become an affordable, economical choice for so many of us. Choosing minimalism enjoying oneโ€™s own privacy in a tiny house answers my prayers. So pick me, want me, I'm in! Thanks to whomever reads this & recommends me as a choice on their property which I do not have would make me very very uncontrollably happy. The End ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ’•โ˜บ๏ธ
 
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Hi Carol, Welcome to Permies! The home of all sorts of people building a better world!
This is quite an old thread (but you never know!) so I'd suggest keeping an eye on the community category and maybe experiences too. Actually I think you need to put a watch on a forum inside the categories - there should be a 'watch settings' button at the top of the forum view that you can press and choose what to watch for - you would get an email when something new is posted there.
 
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