Got the tiny house bug? Who is not intrigued by the thought of simplifying housing to the Nth degree by pairing down living space to the minimum? Contemplate that at the White Rock Local Market, Saturday, April 7, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a gander at two tiny house models. Builder Indigo River Tiny Homes will be on site at the farmers market located on the campus of Lake Pointe Church, 9150 Garland Road.
Indigo River Tiny Homes currently offers tiny houses in two sizes (eight feet by 24 feet or 32 feet) and a variety of one- and two-bedroom floor plans, partially-built shells of tiny houses for those who want to do their own finish out, and custom-built tiny homes.
The start-up Garland-based company has a great back story. It’s a partnership of five veterans (among them representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force) who have pooled their construction industry and project management expertise to champion the tiny house movement. Co-founder Peter Huggler came up with the idea about a year ago after discussions with his sister, a resident of Salida, Colorado, where tiny homes have taken off as vacation properties after local government began restricting vacation rentals due to a shortage of affordable housing. Huggler decided to transition his construction business towards the tiny home space for the Dallas/Fort Worth market. His partners joined him in the venture.
“We have two homes completed, one custom order under construction, all registered as travel trailers, and will be starting a new spec house next week that will be on a permanent foundation,” said Huggler of Indigo River Tiny Homes’ progress since construction commenced six months ago in Garland.
This fall, they expect to open a co-working studio, rental space and equipment for DIY construction of tiny homes on site with building experts on hand for consultation. “There’s a lot of interest in tiny homes from people who want to build their own, but they have no place to store their tools and supplies during the construction process,” said Huggler. The proposed space will rent space and equipment to facilitate DIY building.
Future plans include a tiny house village offering personal parking space for tiny home owners in a community with garden plots they hope to open in Fall, 2019; and, a tiny house hotel projected for Spring, 2019 with units available for short term rental for those who’d like to try out the tiny home lifestyle before making the plunge to their own tiny home ownership or just experience a weekend in tiny quarters. The biggest challenge? Convincing city management to allow tiny home permitting. Some cities allow tiny homes as secondary structures on residential lots, but in others, tiny homes are classified as recreational vehicles and are restricted to trailer and mobile home parks. Indigo River’s approach to getting approval to establish a tiny home community is to build a quality structure that will be a benefit, rather than a blight. In the meantime, info on the Indigo River Tiny Home website includes a list of tiny-home friendly RV parks in the area.
Bonus to visiting White Rock Farmers Market April 7: The Texas Tree Foundation, who is sponsoring the event in honor of Earth Day, will be offering free native pecan trees to take home and plant for those who purchase $50 worth of tokens or more at the market. The White Rock market is hosted by Good Local Markets every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and features produce, artisanal foods, and handcrafted goods, all grown or made within 150 miles of Dallas. A second location, Good Local Markets at Paul Quinn College, is open every Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m. and hosts farm tours during business hours.
