I work as a structural engineer and write a newsletter about, among other things, technology for lowering construction costs. A tiny house will be cheaper than

I work as a structural engineer and write a newsletter about, among other things, technology for lowering construction costs. A tiny house will be cheaper than conventional housing by virtue of being a lot smaller (building costs are usually expressed per square foot or square meter). But as the article points out, these are usually built with fairly high end finishes (wood paneling, granite counters, etc) - their cost per unit area is actually somewhat high. Actual low-cost construction, like the sort used on mobile homes, eliminates most of these expensive finishes, because they’re a major cost driver. And in the US at least, a house not permanently attached to land has to be financed as property, like a car, rather than real estate, which means the tiny houses attached to trailers will be financed at a much higher interest rate than a traditional mortgage. Generally I think these are more of a niche lifestyle product, a mobile home for people who don’t want to buy a mobile home, more than any sort of affordable housing solution.