Thousands of people across the globe are buzzing about the tiny house movement. With the rise in housing costs and the reduction of land availability, downsizing has become a viable option for many who are keenly aware of the benefits of simplified living.
Movable Roots offers their clients a custom build experience that is unmatched to many other contractors who are selling pre-fab modular builds, spec model homes, or park models. While those are properly suited for some buyers, Movable Roots seeks to outfit their customers with an individually customized home that suits their every need to ensure that it will be their forever tiny.
What many fail to realize, however, is that the tiny house community is known by contractors as one of the most well-researched group of home buyers on the market. Doing your research up front can dispel rumors and squelch fears associated with zoning for tiny living, the size of a road-worthy THOW (Tiny House On Wheels), and how to finance and insure such homes.
Mike, the lead designer/ co-owner and builder for Movable Roots’ said, “Before starting the custom build process with any potential client here at Movable Roots we like to ensure that all clients have done their due diligence with research on their own, researching within their own city and state. Clients need to find a place to park their THOW. Many places have THOW restrictions based on land size, etc. We would not want to sell someone their forever THOW without a place to park it.”
Movable Roots also seeks to, “ensure [clients] have financing options and can point them in the right direction for these options.” This sets them apart from many other builders in the tiny house market as finding financing can be what makes or breaks a build for many potential clients.
Before starting a build, Movable Roots uses a lengthy questionnaire to discuss with potential new clients. Mike says, “Not every flagship model that Movable Roots has will fit every potential client’s needs. Movable Roots has found that offering customization better fits each customers space needs. For this reason, we need to understand their needs so we have created a questionnaire that asks in depth questions about their space requirements—what is a ‘must’ and what really isn’t that important.”
For example, do you absolutely love to cook? Maybe you need the 4-burner gas stove rather than two. If your hobby is sewing, then maybe we need to rethink that loft and make it into a sewing area. There are so many different ways to utilize the space. The questionnaire is only given to the client once they have entered into the design phase.
Once a client has contacted Movable Roots for a FREE consultation and they are ready to move forward and enter the design process, they can look forward to, “about forty 3D renderings of their future home based off of the questionnaire that was previously provided.”
Designers like Mike start with a floor plan and ensure that they have “the flow” of the space nailed down. From there, they turn the single dimension floor plan into full 3D renderings of the space, both exterior and interior, so the customer can get a real visual experience of their home.
“The 3D renderings also help us on the build side to detect and possibly avoid possible issues in the build prior to even starting. This process will take about 4 weeks depending on how many revisions we have to make to ensure the customer is getting the home of their dreams.
Getting a custom build in the tiny house world isn't common. The benefits that come from a custom build over a prefab model are endless. Mike says, “This is going to be your home so you should be able to make it how you want it and not have to conform to a specific floor plan. A custom built tiny home means it is built to your specs. You pick everything from the flooring, tile, cabinetry, lighting and placement of everything. Just because you are going tiny doesn’t mean you can’t have a custom home. There are so many ways to tweak different things to make it your own and it does not have to be cookie cutter.”
This ability to customize the tiny home of your dreams is appealing to many seeking to make this their forever home. Additionally, many looking to simplify and downsize choose tiny houses over RVs for the ability to customize and not have a house that looks like all of the others and one that sincerely feels like a home.
With any custom build, clients can expect to be able to adjust their price and build timeline based on the choices they make during customization. Lead designer and builder, Mike, says, “Build timelines can vary depending on size and customization, but the average build time is running about 15-16 weeks.”
Movable Roots is a, “higher-end fit and finish builder. We have chosen to use some products that may cost more but will ensure your investment will be around for years to come. We build our trailers in-house specifically for the customer’s home. We use Cold Form Steel for our walls because it is stronger, lighter, and won’t succumb to rot, insects or mold. We also use spray foam insulation to ensure our homes can be transported to multiple climate ranges. For these reasons and the benefit of customization our homes, our fit and finish will start at $330 a square foot (based on main floor square footage).”
Like any large investment, hiring a professional who doesn’t take shortcuts is the best decision for the long-term happiness of the buyer. Buying your forever tiny isn’t a process the passionate professionals at Movable Roots take lightly and neither should you. Customize your tiny to meet your needs and hire a builder who will exceed your expectations.