Field of Interest

Alternative Owner Builders (AOB) Ordinance (PDF)

Aug 13, 2014

To permit under specified circumstances, the use, ingenuity and preference of the individual builder of dwellings,  intended for occupancy by the builder, in designated areas of Humboldt county

https://humboldtgov.org/documentcenter/view/195

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Kitchen Counter tops, a more careful selection!

Some stone counter tops will emit radon and or radioactive material, some granite from what I understand will not be healthy to be around while most may be less risky. Getting the stone you are wanting to use tested before you commit it to be cut, or purchased may be a wise course of action.

There are a wide number of other materials that are often used most with complications of their own, here are a couple of article exploring this issue more deeply.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/24/garden/24granite.html

https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-non-toxic-kitchen-countertops-for-project-111/

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 DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DIVISION OF CODES AND STANDARDS

2020 \lV. El Camino Avenue, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95833

TINY HOMES

February 4, 2016

INFORMATION BULLETIN 2016-01 (MH, FBH, SHL, MP/SOP, RT, OL)

City and County Building Officials

Mobilehome and Special Occupancy Park Enforcement Agencies
Division Staff

 SUBJECT:

TINY HOMES

This Information Bulletin is intended to clarify the legality of use, design and construction of any residential structure that may be commonly referred to as a tiny home.
Click link for full document

tiny home memo from Ca Housing and community development

 


A discussion forum on Waterless toilets will be held on Thursday November 17th 2016 from 1:30 – 4pm at the
Trinidad Town Hall
409 Trinity St
Trinidad CA

As a real estate broker, I have seen many parcels of land that would be great place to build a home except that there is no affordable way to deal with sewage.

Likewise as an advocate for housing the homeless I know there are a number of affordable ways to bring housing within reach of homeless that are often not practical using conventional sewage systems. Composting toilets may be key to addressing these issues as well.

In Humboldt County we are fortunate that Composting toilets are also an issue that has come to the attention of the Humboldt County Department of Environmental Health as well, on August 5 of this year DHHS has opened discussions on waterless toilet regulations. Here is a link to the current on site sewage regulations.

http://www.humboldtgov.org/DocumentCenter/View/1261

From what I understand a public meeting was held in Southern Humboldt to discuss waterless toilet regulations recently, if anyone has information on how it went please let me know.

There is to be one held in Northern Humboldt some time soon, last I heard a date has not yet been set, I will post an up date on this when I know more.

I have been looking around to see if any jurisdiction has approved composting toilets as a primary means of dealing with on site sewage. What I have found so far is that the city of Austin Texas appears to have done just that, at least to a point. Here is a link to what I am referencing:

https://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning/Code_Interpretations/installation_composting_toilets_2012_003.pdf

Additionally, here is a state by state description of composting toilet regulations, I have no idea yet if any of this is accurate however if it is, many states have codes dealing with composting toilets and some appear to allow them as a primary system even if there is already a public sewage system available nearby. Here is a link to what I am referencing:

https://boldandadventurous.com/regulations/

I was wondering what some of the currently available composting toilets might be like and how much they cost. I located some at Real Goods in Hopland Ca., here is a link:

http://realgoods.com/homesteading-off-grid/appliances/composting-toilets

Just a bit south of Real Goods in Hopland California is Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, and yes its near Occidental California. They have partnered with a number of other private and public entities to research and advocate for composting toilets. Hear is a link to their work.

https://oaec.org/our-work/projects-and-partnerships/compost-toilet-project/

As I was researching composting toilets I found an organization that tests composting toilets called NSF International, according to Wikipedia they are an accredited, independent third-party certification body. Here is a link to their work:

http://www.nsf.org/consumer-resources/green-living/wastewater-treatment-system-alternatives/composting-toilets

There is so much to learn about this I am going to leave it here for now. All in all I am pleased at the progress that has been made in the field of waterless toilets. I hope to hear how you feel about this issue and what you know about the subject as well.

Thanks,
Jayme Delson
Broker/Owner
North Country Real Estate
HumboldtRealProperty.com
Fall 2016