The tiny house movement is proof that bigger isn’t always better. In fact, modern tiny homes have come a long way from the cramped caravan of the “flower power” age. The latest designs come with high ceilings, luxury fittings and ingenious architecture that puts regular-sized homes to shame.
However, what makes tiny homes so unique is the fact that they allow you to trade space for simplicity. They’re also affordable, energy-efficient and mobile. These and other qualities are the inspiration behind the growing trend of tiny house communities that is sweeping across the U.S.
In the following article, we’re going to explore some of the most popular tiny house communities in Arizona, an area that has fully embraced the tiny house movement.
The Village on 13 by Build Us Hope
Build us Hope is a non-profit tiny house community developer in Arizona. The organization is responsible for building Village on 13, Arizona’s first tiny house village for veterans. Currently, there are a handful of tiny houses within the village and each unit measures roughly 288 square feet.
The great thing about V13 is that there’s plenty of outdoor gardening space for unit owners who’re interested in growing their own food. The developers also plan on expanding to a larger portion of the neighborhood in the near future.
The goal behind Build us Hope is to provide quality affordable housing to veterans in need and it’s a proactive approach to acknowledging veterans for their service. Some of these units are rentals while others are rent to own, and there are flexible options to keep the community accessible.
Tiny Camp Sedona
According to the founder Darin Dinsmore, Tiny Camp Sedona is a demonstration project for sustainable living using tiny houses. Because of Sedona’s international reputation as a health and wellness destination, the houses are built into a hillside and the community follows the retreat-style design.
The community is built according to an interesting development plan. There are three houses on skids while others are built into a mobile home foundation. There’s even a unit that serves as a model for sustainable off-grid living. It’s a battery-powered model that functions on solar energy and it’s fully mobile.
Some of these homes are available to rent, while others were built as part of the Sedona Charter School’s project to provide affordable housing for teachers.
Fun Fact! Most of the houses in Tiny Camp Sedona were purchased at auction from the Construction Careers Academy in Texas. This is a high school program that’s focused on building tiny houses and it’s been working successfully for the last couple of years.
LuxTiny Community
As the name implies, the LuxTiny community is made up of luxury tiny homes that measure 162 to 399sq ft. each. This means you can still enjoy comfortable living with all the extravagant finishes and amenities you’d get with a regular-sized home.
The community’s located on the White Mountains of Lakeview, one of the most exquisite locations in all of magical Arizona, providing unit owners with breath-taking views and 19,000 sq. ft. of green walking space.
The LuxTiny community is the brainchild of LuxTiny Manufacturing, one of the first companies to build custom made tiny homes in Arizona. They design new models every day with the option to create a unique design depending on the owner’s preference.
The community is also dedicated to providing low-cost housing with prices starting from $64,900. Unit owners are encouraged to live green and everyone is welcome to install solar panels, greenhouses, chicken coops, and other green living features. The goal is to achieve net-zero emissions in a short amount of time and LuxTiny is currently developing a community garden to promote sustainability.
Conclusion
Tiny houses have been around for about a decade but they’ve truly blown up over the last couple of years. That’s because most modern-day tiny houses combine the security and structure of a full-sized house and the mobility of a trailer. This means they look and function like a regular-sized home that you can drive around and park anywhere.
Tiny homes are particularly attractive to millennials and retirees because they allow you to really stretch your dollar. You can buy a customized tiny house with all the trimmings for about $40,000 to $70,000 depending on the size. Plus, nothing beats the freedom of owning your house outright without worrying about mortgage loans, maintenance costs, and other expenses that come with a regular-sized home.
