Norske Mikrohus

Tiny Houses are finding their way all over Europe and every country has its own peculiarities. Daniel Christoffersen, Marketing Director at Norske Mikrohus (Norway) gives us an insight into the Norwegian Tiny House market.

Daniel sees the market for Tiny Houses growing steadily: ‘Norske Mikrohus was one of the first companies to introduce the Tiny House concept to the Norwegian market. The growth has been significant since the start of the first project and there is a lot of interest from both the media and potential customers. As with any new concept, it takes time to inform and educate the market, but we experience a continuous upward trend. Tiny Houses in Norway are still a niche market, but are becoming increasingly prominent.’

Adjusted regulations

Developing real estate in Norway is strictly regulated. In addition to building Tiny Houses and promoting the market, Norske Mikrohus has also invested energy in political lobbying to establish Tiny Houses as a recognized form of housing: ‘We started Norske Mikrohus in 2018 and on July 1, 2023, there was an amendment to the “Planning and Building Act” that now also clearly defines Tiny Houses.’

This was an important milestone for the developer and supplier: ‘But most importantly, it has become easier for our customers to own and live in tiny houses. Norway’s largest marketplace for real estate, cars and other items, www.finn.no, recently reported that searches for tiny houses are at an all-time high.’

Holiday home or Tiny House

Norske Mikrohus’ Tiny Houses are both used as permanent homes and holiday homes: ‘The majority of the houses we have in the market are used as homes. In addition to being a supplier, Norske Mikrohus is a project developer focusing on Tiny House projects for residence. Our portfolio includes both residential and holiday projects. From a market perspective, we are more interested in residential projects than holiday homes.’

Off-grid or on-grid

There are examples of off-grid Tiny Houses in Norway and Norske Mikrohus has delivered a few in the past. ‘In cases where off-grid solutions were relevant, we have delivered a complete house with gas solutions, which the customer has supplemented with solar panels to achieve the desired end result, but we no longer offer off-grid solutions for our Tiny Houses at this time.’

According to the new amendment to the Planning and Building Act, effective 1 July 2023, a Tiny House, if used as a residential home, must be connected to the municipal water and sewage systems: ‘Therefore, off-grid tiny houses are only found in the holiday home segment.’

Collective or stand-alone

‘Historically, stand-alone Tiny Houses have been in the majority, but we also see that several Tiny House buyers have gathered in clusters. We are developing what we call Tiny House villages. These are plots of land that have been developed with multiple Tiny Houses and shared facilities such as a community center, vegetable garden, parking and playground. We notice that many of our clients have common interests, and as social beings, people look for a sense of community. These projects have generated a lot of interest.’

‘When we develop such residential projects, we base them on a concept. A project like this is currently being realized at the end of the Sognefjord. This project is named “Eplehagen” (The apple garden). This project got 11 Tiny Houses on the same plot, together with the cultivation of 1,200 apple trees, creating a living environment in an apple orchard with a beautiful view of biggest fjord in Norway – Sognefjorden. A local farmer manages the apple production and all residents are welcome to pick as many apples as they want for personal use. This has been a very successful project. Within a few months, more than 80% of the project was sold.’

Norske Mikrohus’ role

‘We have noticed that the market finds it difficult to independently manage land, a Tiny House, building applications with the municipality, groundwork, connection to municipal water and sewage and everything that goes with a construction process. That is why we are now focusing on our role as a real estate developer, while at the same time being a supplier of Tiny Houses for those who want to manage the process themselves.

Our own website, norskemikrohus.no, is probably the most accurate source of information about Tiny Houses in Norway.’