Tim Snyder
About 10 years ago, contractor Kris Angstadt wanted to provide high-end features and still build affordable homes. His solution? Go small. He realized he could buy unused side lots in Fredericksburg and build small houses on them. After he sold his first home in three weeks for $400,000, he knew he was onto something. He had no idea there would be such a huge market for something so small.
After watching HGTV’s “Tiny Home Nation” he discovered there was nobody building tiny homes on the East Coast. For a year, he researched how to provide financing and insurance for tiny homes and how to build the best product for his customers. He started Tiny House Building Company, LLC and has since built homes for customers nationwide. All homes are custom-built, have a one-year warranty, and include just about every feature of a standard-sized home. On average, the homes range from $25,000 to $75,000, with financing available.
Richmonders can tour two models from Tiny House Building Company at the Richmond Home and Garden Show this weekend, March 3 to 5.
“No two homes have ever been built the exact same,” Angstadt says. “You dream it, I’ll build it.” He’s built homes with features ranging from whiskey barrel floors and custom libraries to wood shake exterior and granite countertops. The narrowest home he’s built was 11-feet wide.
Why do people want to live in a house that averages about 400 square feet? “There are at least a dozen benefits,” Angstadt says. Price is the main draw. Tiny homes are energy efficient: They use green building methods, are well insulated and put little demand on the environment.
“We like to think that it’s about noting the enjoyment of life,” Angstadt says. “What kept you from going on that vacation? What kept you from enjoying yourself?” Often, people attribute their lack of mobility and their worries to their home. But according to Angstadt, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to get up and go whenever you please without having to think about where you’ll lodge on vacation or who will watch over your home — simply tow your tiny home behind your truck. (You will need a 3/4 ton vehicle or larger to comfortably tow your Tiny House.) Tiny homes provide the ability to have everything you need with you and nothing more.
