Prospective renters of a "sweet [and] quiet space in a little house," also known as some guy's shed on Paseo de la Conquistador, will be disappointed to find the ad has now been removed from Craigslist.
Doug Conwell, who has headed a local eco-tourism group for the last 17 years, was contacted by the city's land use department after SFR reported on the ad for the rental.
In addition to hitting on certain Santa Fe cliches, like requiring tenants engage in "meditation/mindfulness/contemplative daily practice" and refrain from eating red meat, smoking and drinking, the dwelling appeared to be illegal.
According to city spokesman Matt Ross, the Land Use Department agreed.
"Once [SFR's report] was published, we had city councilors hear from people who were concerned and wanted us to take a look," Ross says.
New Mexico's residential building code says any "tiny house" for one person should provide "complete independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and sanitation and placed on a permanent foundation."
Besides sleeping, Conwell's shed didn't appear to meet any of those standards.
Ross says Conwell later called the land use department to say he would take the ad down, eliminating the need for an inspection.
"Mr. Conwell … informed me that he was unaware that his proposed rental unit was not allowed by code," Land Use Director Mike Purdy wrote in a city filing Wednesday morning. Conwell "apologized and informed me that he would stop all advertisement and continue using the structure as a storage shed."
We can't imagine who would have wanted to live in that for $575 a month. We've reached out to Conwell again, and will update this story if and when he responds.
And if you're still committed to living in a shed, you can always stop by this place, which appeared on Craigslist a few days later in jest.
