INTRODUCING THE NOT QUITE TINY HOME (NQTH) CONCEPT
I’d like to introduce myself. I’m the developer of The Enclave at Winding Brook, a small subdivision about ten miles outside Blue Ridge, GA. I made a strategic decision to position The Enclave as a small home community, and the story of how that happened is a long, strange, and interesting journey. I’ll share that story in a future article. This post is about what I believe to be an under-served market in real estate and why I decided to invest a substantial amount of money to meet a previously unmet demand.
Like many others, I’ve become inspired by TV shows, blogs, articles, and social media accounts surrounding the tiny house movement. If you’ve become enamored with the movement, you’re probably like me. Intrigued, but maybe just a little skeptical. You watch and wonder how long you could live in such small quarters. It’s interesting to contemplate why the tiny house movement has inspired so many people. I have my own theories, but they’re based purely on my own perceptions.
SO WHAT’S ALL THIS HOOPLA ABOUT TINY HOMES?
I think much of it is based on our desire to simplify our lives in a complicated and busy world and do so on a limited budget. The lure of tiny house living is also based on lower cost and the time it takes to build or acquire one. And for many, the tiny houses on wheels give a sense of mobility you can’t find with traditional housing. You can actually move somewhere and take your home with you. But then there’s the reality of trying to live in very cramped living quarters. While the other benefits are enticing, that part is something I know I couldn’t adjust to in a meaningful way. I certainly don’t want to criticize those that can make that adjustment. I truly admire those that do, but for some, it’s just not a good fit. It’s clear to me however, that the tiny house movement isn’t just a fad. It’s caught on, and caught on big. The evidence is everywhere. Just do a quick search on Google or Facebook, then prepare yourself to go down a rabbit hole that will keep you as busy as your time will allow.
This leads me to why I decided to build small homes instead of tiny homes. And thanks to some friends who are helping me with this project, I’ve come to call them Not Quite Tiny Houses (NQTH) and why we started an entire Facebook group dedicated to the concept. So, what exactly is a NQTH and how are they different than tiny houses? For purposes of this article, I’ll define tiny houses as those that range from 200 to 500 square feet. Some will disagree with that, but it’s just a way to define them for me. I define a NQTH as homes built on a foundation with square footage between 500 and 1,000. I know, it’s arbitrary, but since this is my article and my subdivision, I get to do that.
THE UNDER-SERVED MARKET PROPOSITION
The Enclave is a gamble, but in my opinion, a safe one. All homes will have a minimum of 500 square feet. The community will also have a few other common sense restrictions, all of which are to protect the community. You know, to make sure your new next door neighbor doesn’t decide to start a pig farm. In the case of The Enclave, it’s going to have a theme of sorts. I’ll be approving all homes built there. The houses won’t be your standard, cookie-cutter boxes typically found in spec home communities. No, each home will be unique and will focus on a reduced footprint, but designed to fit within the nature that surrounds it.
The reason I decided to go down this path is because I believe there is a substantial under-served market for these homes. In this area, a typical new construction home will cost you at least $350,000. That would of course be a larger home – say one with three bedrooms, 1,800 square feet, etc. The area is also known as a retreat area for those seeking the beautiful outdoors. Some are looking for weekend or vacation homes – ones they can offer up for rent when they’re not there. But the price tag is just too high to take that plunge for many people. What we’re offering is a well designed and well built home, with two bedrooms, and a nice living and dining area. You won’t have to turn sideways to get to the bathroom nor will you have to climb a ladder and duck your head to get to the sleeping area. And our target pricing will be below $150,000. Some substantially less than that.
Each lot is heavily wooded with both old hardwoods and evergreens. Trees cannot be removed except for the purpose of clearing a lot for the dwelling built on it. The featured image shown in this article is the model home. You’ll notice it has character and presents a natural image with both rock and wood siding, along with external beams. It is not a stereotypical log cabin, which is popular in this area. For those that want the standard log or log siding, there is plenty of inventory in the local area to serve your needs. Just not in the Enclave and not in our price range. This is not to say, that a creative application of logs wouldn’t be suitable for The Enclave. We’ll be open to ideas and suggestions. Couple the homes with an acre and a half or more of property, a gated entrance, and fresh air, and you have the perfect NQTH. And attainable with a much smaller budget than your typical home.
IT HAS BEGUN
We began construction on the model home this week. The one pictured here was built by someone else at another location, but our goal is to replicate it as much as possible. We’ll soon be building others and will contract with anyone that wants us to build them one in The Enclave. We have a total of 21 lots and three of them are sold. We hope to have the model finished by the end of June. As I mentioned, it’s a gamble, but I’m confident many will find what we’re building both attractive and affordable. Only time will tell, but if nothing else, I’ll have my own little NQTH in one of the most beautiful and charming areas in this area of the country. If you’re interested, check out our contact section on our website and drop us a line. We’ll be happy to discuss your dreams.
I would also like to thank my friends Edd and Marla for helping me build this dream. Edd is a retired contractor with a passion for downsized living. Marla is an imagineer with a love of the outdoors and living a simple life. They are living onsite now in their RV and overseeing the development.