Hannah Manlief’s idea of the American dream is different.
The Columbus Signature Academy – New Tech senior envisions the typical American dream — an ideal where the opportunity for prosperity and success is available to all — merged with her idea of eco-friendly, simplistic, minimalist housing.
"It’s unconventional, but one thing I do want to do in life is lead an unconventional life," Manlief said. "My personal American dream is to be a tiny home owner."
The local Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department defines a tiny home as "a single-family home, significantly smaller than typical homes, that can be equipped with wheels to facilitate movement from place to place."
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To be a permanent, primary home, the structure must have a minimum living area of 1,000 square-feet, be placed on a permanent foundation and be the main or only home on a lot.
In her senior project presentation on March 23, Manlief offered the tiny home movement’s definition of a tiny home: a structure on a trailer that is 250-square-feet or less, 13.5 feet or less tall, 8.5 feet or less wide and up to 40 feet long.
"Tiny houses are a diverse solution to the prevalent housing crisis," Manlief said in her presentation, titled "Tiny Homes as a Solution." More than 50 people attended the presentation at the Bartholomew County Public Library Red Room in conjunction with tiny home developer Daniel Weddle’s presentation.
"We are a leader for our state in diversity, design and we aspire to lead by example. Cities in Indiana with a comparable population size do not have as much diversity as we have and their economy is not as diversified."
Columbus is not immune to the housing crisis facing the nation, Manlief said. In Indiana alone, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported more than 5,200 individuals were homeless in 2018.
Manlief suggests that tiny homes could be a solution to the epidemic.
"This would allow the American dream to be shared by a larger percentage of the population, just on a smaller, less expensive scale," she said. "Consumers want both cheaper and more personalized homes."
Manlief said the tiny house market is a niche market, meaning it’s an uncommon product that can only be found in a certain place, but it is full of opportunity.
Compared to the privatized housing sector, driven by the consumer market, Manlief said tiny homes have less competition from other dominant house prefabrication companies and construction corporations.
"Currently the tiny house market is unsaturated across the nation and open for business," Manlief said. "Communities of concerned homeowners have searched for many tiny home locations to place their mobile home but yet their American dream is illegal in most states."
The Republic reported in May 2018 that no one had approached the Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department about locating a tiny house in the county, planning director Jeff Bergman said. Nearly one year later, Bergman said that remains true.
Although Bartholomew County currently has a minimum 1,000-square-foot housing standard, Bergman said in May that advocates of the small homes in other communities have made valid points about energy efficiency and sustainability.
Several people in attendance at Manlief’s presentation said they would support tiny houses in the county. Terri Robbins of Columbus asked Manlief to create a sign-up sheet for anyone interested in creating a group that could kick-start the movement in Columbus.
Diane Paris said Bartholomew County — specifically Columbus — is architecturally correct where a county such as Brown County is more accepting of the tiny home movement.
"I feel people who appreciate the architecture here, including myself, are a little bit hesitant because it’s not architecturally correct," Paris said. "There are people that I think would frown, thinking (tiny homes) were lower class or don’t know enough to accept it and maybe some don’t want to."
Manlief said it is a civic responsibility to be good stewards of the nation’s economy, and if tiny houses are not included, it would limit the economy rather than benefit it.
Tiny houses, she said, also offer an ecologically-friendly benefit by reducing construction waste that would typically be disposed of in a landfill.
Manlief said the nationwide tiny house movement has empowered people to take a step toward a more modern and luxurious home by downsizing.
"Many tiny homeowners have discussed their new found freedom and financial liberties," she said. "This is a huge opportunity for economic growth as a nation. Competition can drive housing industries to produce better products at a better price."
Popularized by developers, social media and shows such as HGTV’s "Tiny House Nation," Manlief said tiny homes are becoming one of the most well-known alternative designs of the decade.
"Because there is a need, there obviously should be no limit to the afflictions in life so we should be able to live in a home as we please," Manlief said.
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Hannah Manlief
Age: 18
Hometown: Columbus
High school: Columbus Signature Academy – New Tech
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The tiny house movement is an architectural and social movement that encourages living a simpler life in a smaller space.
The general definition of a tiny home is a structure on a trailer that is 250-square-feet or less, 13.5 feet or less tall, 8.5 feet or less wide and up to 40 feet long.
The Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department defines a tiny home as "a single-family home, significantly smaller than typical homes, that can be equipped with wheels to facilitate movement from place to place."
To be a permanent, primary home, it must have a minimum living area of 1,000 square-feet, be placed on a permanent foundation and be the main or only home on a lot.
Source: Tiny Home Builders
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For more information on the city of Columbus and Bartholomew County zoning ordinances, visit columbus.in.gov/planning/zoning-subdivision-regulations.
Contact the Bartholomew County Code Enforcement Department at 812-379-1535, or the city of Columbus-Bartholomew County Planning Department at 812-376-2550.
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