Hi Sarah
Most of them here are single inhabitants where some are seniors and others are young people.
Those in between those age groups generally have kids and want a sticks & bricks home.
Many of the seniors are widows/widowers or divorced later in life. They are often on the property of one of their kids. Still some are out away from zoning laws where they can have a simple cistern for water and a septic tank with leach field. If they can connect to the electric grid they tend to install a mini-split heat pump heating system for heat and a/c.
Some are original builds and others are purchased wooden utility buildings converted to a living quarters. Most have metal roofs with rain gutters that have pipes that lead to the cistern.
The cisterns are usually 500+ gallon plastic tanks suitable for water storage. There is a submersible electric pump to supply on demand water for kitchen or bathroom needs.
The layout is generally a bathroom kitchen computer nook, a bedroom, and a living area where the living area and bedroom are separated by the bathroom & kitchen. The younger folks may have a loft with a bed but the seniors want all one floor.
It should also be mentioned that some of these "Tiny Homes" aren't the built as a house variety. Some own Class C or even A type RV's parked on their kids property a few months of the year when they aren't traveling. It serves as a tiny home in that time.
But that's what I can tell you from my part of the world here in southern Ohio.
