Episode 108
Navigating the World of Tiny Homes: Essential Insights and Tips
In this discourse, we delve into the burgeoning phenomenon of tiny homes, spotlighting the insights of Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes. The primary focus centers on the myriad possibilities these diminutive dwellings offer, including their capacity to promote sustainable living and address housing shortages. Through our conversation, we explore the distinctions between traditional tiny homes and container homes, elucidating their respective advantages and applications in contemporary society. Gail elucidates the logistical considerations essential for potential homeowners, emphasizing the importance of understanding local regulations and the infrastructure necessary for successful integration of these homes into existing environments. As we traverse this dialogue, we invite listeners to contemplate the profound implications of adopting a tiny home lifestyle, illustrating how such choices can foster both personal freedom and community resilience.
In an era where housing affordability is increasingly elusive, the conversation surrounding tiny homes emerges as a beacon of hope. Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes provides a thorough examination of the tiny home movement, illustrating how these compact living spaces can serve as practical solutions to contemporary housing dilemmas. The episode initiates a historical context regarding human habitation, exploring how our sheltering needs have evolved over millennia. As the discussion unfolds, Kingsbury delineates the various types of tiny homes that United Tiny Homes offers, contrasting them with traditional residences and elucidating the benefits inherent to both container homes and mobile tiny homes. The dialogue expands to encompass the societal impacts of tiny homes, particularly in the context of their potential to alleviate homelessness and provide temporary housing solutions for those affected by catastrophic events such as wildfires. Listeners are equipped with valuable insights into the logistical considerations of tiny home living, including the significance of understanding local zoning laws and the financial implications of purchasing and installing a tiny home. Ultimately, this episode serves not only as a guide for prospective tiny home buyers but also as a call to rethink our approach to housing and community living in a rapidly changing world.
Takeaways:
- The evolution of human shelters has transitioned from primitive structures to modern tiny homes.
- Tiny homes on wheels offer unparalleled flexibility compared to traditional housing solutions.
- Gail Kingsbury emphasizes the growing acceptance of tiny homes as a sustainable living option.
- Understanding local regulations is crucial when considering the placement of a tiny home.
- The increasing demand for tiny homes highlights a significant shift in housing preferences across America.
- Tiny homes provide a viable solution for first-time home buyers in today's challenging housing market.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- United Tiny Homes
- Ideal Home Improvement
- Legacy Custom Homes AZ.
- Stardust Building Supplies
- IFoam
- Mr. Electric of Phoenix
- Landishome
Transcript
Big dreams come in small packages.
Speaker A:Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes joins me to share how you can get the tiny home you've always wanted.
Speaker A:Freedom, flexibility, and huge possibilities.
Speaker A:Let's dive right in.
Speaker A:Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.
Speaker A:Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.
Speaker A:Last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.
Speaker A:Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?
Speaker A:Look no further.
Speaker A:You're about to enter the adventures of container home living.
Speaker A:And now, contractor, radio and TV personality, and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.
Speaker A:Hi, this is Steve Dubell, host of Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:And here's what we're talking about today on the show.
Speaker A:Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes is with us, and we're going to be diving into the different types of tiny homes that her company actually makes and some of the different types of housing solutions that she is providing to different areas of the population here in the state of Arizona.
Speaker A:So I want everybody to hang tight because we've got a lot of information to cover all that and more on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe, your source for remodeling and renovating your home.
Speaker A:And we want to welcome all our listeners to Boxcar Universe today.
Speaker A:And one of the hot topics that I've been talking with a lot of people about, not just in the state of Arizona and around the country, is talking about different types of tiny homes.
Speaker A:Not just container homes, but tiny homes.
Speaker A:And I want to bring Gail into the mix here because I want to get her opinion on this, too.
Speaker A:But Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes.
Speaker A:Gail, welcome to Boxcar Universe again.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker B:I'm great.
Speaker B:Thanks for having me today.
Speaker A:Great, great.
Speaker A:You know, one of the things I wanted to say was, you know, a lot of people, when they hear and talk about, I think because the industry is getting to be more, what could say, educated, is that they start to understand the difference between a container home and a tiny home.
Speaker A:And I think at the, you know, a year or two ago, a lot of people couldn't make the differentiation between them.
Speaker A:What, what's your opinion on that?
Speaker B:Well, I mean, they're both tiny homes, right?
Speaker B:They're both small in size.
Speaker B:One's got, you know, some have wheels and some don't.
Speaker B:And containers have their own, their own virtues.
Speaker B:They can be, they can be connected where tiny homes typically are.
Speaker B:Not.
Speaker A:True, True.
Speaker A:I think a lot of times people, you know, to make it easy for them to understand that unless of course, there, there are exceptions to every circumstance.
Speaker A:But I tell them that it's the tiny homes are, are on wheels, really are on wheels, containers are not.
Speaker A:And that kind of like separates them apart so they have a little clear idea of what's what, what's different and why one works better.
Speaker A:And everybody's situation is different because sometimes, like you say, some people like the idea of a tiny home where, I mean, container homes could be moved, but tiny homes could be moved a lot easier because they are on wheels.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:You can pull them out.
Speaker B:You don't have to get a crane involved.
Speaker A:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker A:Tell our listeners a little bit about United Tiny Homes and get them up to speed.
Speaker B:Well, this, this coming April, we are celebrating our fourth anniversary and I know you've kind of been following our adventure.
Speaker B:Along the way.
Speaker B:We've gone from building in a dirt lot to now we're in 68,000 square feet and working with developers and doing a lot more to help communities with worker housing and adus in the backyard, moms putting them in for kids, kids putting them for parents and working with a lot of municipalities.
Speaker B:So United Tiny Homes has grown up quite a bit in the last four.
Speaker A:Years and that's for sure.
Speaker A:And for this, and like I said, I've probably only seen that and experienced a little bit, a little fraction of what you've gone through.
Speaker A:But I mean, thinking about starting from a dirt lot, going to a 68,000 square foot building, that says a lot about what you're doing.
Speaker A:And obviously like everybody says, you know, you must be doing something right.
Speaker B:So we are.
Speaker B:Right now we're working with a lot of the local municipalities here in Arizona, but, but we've actually delivered homes as far east as New York all the way to Hawaii.
Speaker B:So we've got three homes in Hawaii, one in Maui for one of the fire victims, two on the Big island for people who lost their homes there and more on the way.
Speaker B:We're working right now as well to do some ship some over to Puerto Rico, which is where I just got back from last night.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:But yeah, that must have been, was that a red eye?
Speaker B:Yeah, it was.
Speaker B:It didn't start that way.
Speaker A:I know I had one of those when I was in Miami a few weeks ago.
Speaker A:I, I actually left Miami at 9:30.
Speaker A: I got into Phoenix about: Speaker A:There's much in the concourses were like empty, empty, empty.
Speaker B:It was lovely.
Speaker A:It was lovely.
Speaker A:Is Right, I believe we're on the same page with that.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:But have you had any communication with anyone related to the Los Angeles fires?
Speaker B:We're back and forth and we actually have a meeting later this afternoon with someone who's coming in from California to see if we're able to help them.
Speaker B:But you know, one of the really great things I think about tiny homes, especially tiny homes on wheels, is that they can be placed anywhere.
Speaker B:So for situations like what's happening in Los Angeles, we have an above ground septic system, we have solar, so our homes can be completely self contained and put anywhere.
Speaker B:So even, you know, we're in la, one of these tiny homes could go right in their driveway and they could be living in that while they're rebuilding their home and while they're cleaning the lots and all of the things that have to go on there.
Speaker B:We did a lot of work in Maui and found out a lot about, you know, how some of this stuff has to go.
Speaker B:And I think LA's got a long, a long hard road ahead.
Speaker B:Oh yeah, but, but being able to put a temporary structure in, even if it's, I mean, temporary.
Speaker B:They're saying that they're going to give tiny home permits for three years because it's going to take that long to be able to get things cleaned up and, and rebuild.
Speaker B:Even the start of rebuilding and it's just such a tragedy.
Speaker B:So we're, we're working on how we can help in that situation.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, I, yeah, we've had some people on from Los Angeles.
Speaker A:In fact they had one lady on a few weeks ago, she was a reporter and she was report during the course of the fires back in January where she was actually reporting on one set of fires and her home was in another area of Los Angeles.
Speaker A:And then she was obviously working probably almost 247 and the next morning she got an alert that her house had burnt down.
Speaker B:Oh my goodness.
Speaker A:Oh yeah, it was, it was, it was devastating.
Speaker A:In fact, when we had her on the podcast, she actually called from the burnt home site so I could see what the back of it looked like.
Speaker A:And she had a very interesting, I call it a human interest story, which I'm sure there are plenty of them in Los Angeles because every family's got something that I'm sure that they held dear that they lost during the fire.
Speaker A:This lady's house was built by her father years earlier when he was alive and he was a custom jewelry maker and he made her an infinity ring with about three diamonds in it and that was her heirloom.
Speaker A:That was the only remembrance of her father that she had.
Speaker A:And it was in her house.
Speaker A:It was in a bedroom, probably in a dresser.
Speaker A:The house burnt down in about eight days after the fire.
Speaker A:She got, you know, I think she must have been praying about it and all of a sudden she, she must have got, I mean, there's no other way to describe it.
Speaker A:At least I can't think there is, that she got a message from God, says, go back and look for your ring.
Speaker A:So she went back to look for the ring and while she was there sifting through that area of the house where the fire was, that two other firemen came and asked her what, you know, what she was doing.
Speaker A:And she says, yeah, I'm looking for this ring.
Speaker A:It's very special.
Speaker A:And they started helping her look for it.
Speaker A:And then all of a sud.
Speaker A:They found some other pieces of jewelry and then I don't know which one found it, but they found her ring.
Speaker A:And she says it was the first smile she had on her face since the smile since the fire.
Speaker A:I mean, it was pretty amazing kind of story, but these kind of stories being able to go back out there and yeah, three to five years.
Speaker A:She said, yeah, she agrees with you and so do I.
Speaker A:About.
Speaker A:That's how long it's going to take to kind of put, put life in the area back together again.
Speaker A:And tiny homes.
Speaker A:I mean, Lord knows, here we are in, in Arizona.
Speaker A:We get there in five hours, right.
Speaker A:And then you could, you could, you know, you probably can get, keep shipping them over as fast as you could finish them.
Speaker B:Mm.
Speaker B:Well, and we've got, you know, there's, I mean, there's a lot of solutions and there's a lot of builders out there.
Speaker B:You know, we're, we're totally looking to collaborate with as many other tiny home builders as we can because none of us are going to be able to fulfill the need out there, you know, so we're really looking at, you know, who can we collaborate with to be able to do more good and get people homes and not just helping the, with the, with these disasters, but, you know, we also are helping first time home buyers.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:There hasn't been a, there hasn't been a starter home program since the 60s and tiny homes really fill that solution as well.
Speaker B:And working with all these different municipalities, you know, Prescott is now allowing tiny homes.
Speaker B:We just got notification two weeks ago that Scottsdale is going to approve a permit for one of our homes.
Speaker B:Phoenix.
Speaker B:Of course, you know, now they're saying put two ADUs in your backyard because there's no housing.
Speaker B:We have a short and we need long term rentals and we're actually just got approved up in Camp Verde and we're putting in a 65 unit rental community for Camp Verde because this developer also has a business up there.
Speaker B:But he can't, he can't find workers because there's nowhere for them to live.
Speaker B:So he said, screw it, I've got this piece of property.
Speaker B:He worked with the city and we've worked with the city and they've approved everything down.
Speaker B:So we're putting in 65 homes that, so they can have worker housing.
Speaker B:There's nobody to work at.
Speaker B:The Jeep rentals and the restaurants, they have to go too far because it's just too expensive to live well.
Speaker A:So when they put, they build a community, are they going to obviously have other amenities within the community which, other than the housing so they don't have to go like drive, you know, 100 miles to get to a Circle K or something.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So they're, he's creating, it's right at the edge of town, so it's close to, it's close to all the amenities that you need.
Speaker B:But they are putting in a pool and they're putting in grass areas and they're putting in a dog park in there.
Speaker B:So it's not like a, like you would think of.
Speaker B:There's been, you know, some tiny home communities are just regurgitated RV parks.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And, but this has been really created with, you know, grassy areas and space so that people have a home, they have a place to park.
Speaker B:They have, they can put a fence up for their dog, you know, and, and really turning it into a community where people, you know, want to live.
Speaker B:We're working with Bisbee Arizona to do the same thing.
Speaker B:Bisbee's changed their ordinances to allow tiny homes on wheels as with full time livable.
Speaker B:And you know, everybody's seeing it's.
Speaker B:I don't think it's just a fad anymore.
Speaker A:No, it's becoming more mainstream as each day passes.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's a solution.
Speaker A:Yep, absolutely.
Speaker B:It's a solution.
Speaker B:We've got lots of young couples buying them, you know, for their first home and you can still get a 25 year mortgage on a tiny home on wheels.
Speaker B:So it works for people.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:All right, we're going to take a short break.
Speaker A:When we're going to come back, we could have more.
Speaker A:With Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes.
Speaker A:We're going to be talking about some different other aspects.
Speaker A:And if you have any interest in getting one, Gail's going to be able to give you some information so you can cut through all that red tape which you know, both of us have seen over the last few years as this becomes a more mainstream way of affordable housing.
Speaker A:So everybody stay tuned.
Speaker A:We are going to be right back.
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Speaker A:All right, and we are back and you listening to Boxcar Universe and I am speaking with Gail Kingsbury from United Tiny Homes right here in Goodyear, Arizona.
Speaker A:And Gail, I would have to say based on our talk in the previous segment that you are on a mission.
Speaker A:There's no other way to put it.
Speaker A:You've got a lot of homes and probably a short time to get there.
Speaker A:As they say, you've got to get a lot of homes done and it's such for such great cause.
Speaker A:But tell our listeners a little bit about logistically what it takes to actually not do a massive community like you're working on, but some of the things that you need to go through when you are interested in getting a tiny home.
Speaker A:Where do they start well, you know.
Speaker B:We created a thing called.
Speaker B:We call it a turnkey system to tiny home living.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Through everything.
Speaker B:And we've got some free downloads on our website as well.
Speaker B:That's kind of like.
Speaker B:You have to look at where it's going.
Speaker B:Is it permittable?
Speaker B:You know, what are your setbacks?
Speaker B:And things are changing so quickly right now as far as putting these in backyards, whether it's in a backyard or a park, and they're changing setbacks.
Speaker B:So it used to be 10 or 15ft.
Speaker B:Now it's three.
Speaker B:And, you know, so it's really important when you're looking for a tiny home to decide, you know, what, what are you going to use it for?
Speaker B:Is it just a guest house for guests that you don't want to stay for too long?
Speaker B:So it's going to be more of a studio.
Speaker B:Is it something for mom?
Speaker B:Because you don't want to have to put them in an assisted living facility.
Speaker B:And they can be closer and thrive a lot more.
Speaker B:Not waiting for somebody to come and visit.
Speaker B:You know, there's.
Speaker B:So you really have to think about what is the home for, who's going to be utilizing it, and then how are you going to get it there.
Speaker A:That's true.
Speaker A:How you get it there, once you build it, that's another thing to take into consideration.
Speaker A:Obviously, no low overhanging bridges.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:I mean, we took one to New York, and once you cross the Mississippi.
Speaker B:Mississippi, it gets tricky.
Speaker B:That's over 13ft tall.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, all the signs are like 136 on the.
Speaker A:Hot.
Speaker A:On the.
Speaker A:On on the main interstate.
Speaker A:So you got to be.
Speaker A:You got to be careful.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:So, you know, knowing what you want, how you're going to get it there, whether it's a tiny home on wheels or.
Speaker B:Or if it's a container home, you know, you're gonna have to lift it over the house.
Speaker B:Can somebody wheel it in?
Speaker B:Can it be scooched in?
Speaker B:There's a lot of different methods to get it in there.
Speaker B:But then, you know, the other big piece I think that people don't really think about is, oh, I can get a tiny home for 100 or $125,000, but it might cost you anywhere from 10 to $40,000 to connect it to all the utilities.
Speaker B:So if it's not going in a park where it just plugs in like an RV and you're going to put it in your backyard or your, you know, these one at a time, you really need to make sure that you're using professionals and you know, licensed electrician plumbers that are, that know what they're doing so that they're not just putting a hose into your clean out and telling you that you're connected to the sewer.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:And an extension cord from your house to the, to the tiny home.
Speaker B:Uh, there's, you know, there's things that you need to do that to just to make sure that you're things are done properly and that you're in a safe environment, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah, I could see somebody doing, doing exactly what you said.
Speaker A:You know, a homeowner who wants to just take shortcuts and then they're, they'd be stupid enough to put it on YouTube.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, I got, I got a hundred foot extension cord.
Speaker A:I have power to my tiny home now.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, it, you know, suddenly everything's flickering, so.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker B:Or why does it st.
Speaker B:Decide?
Speaker B:Oh yeah, well, because your, your sewer pipe didn't actually connect.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You know, you stayed inside for three days and now you got a problem.
Speaker B:So I mean, those are the biggest things is, you know, make sure that you're utilizing contractors that know what they're doing and, and aren't taking advantage of you either.
Speaker B:So get, get a couple quotes.
Speaker B:Don't, don't just go with.
Speaker B:I mean, we do everything for our customers, but there's a lot of other companies out there that don't.
Speaker B:And so, and, but they're also really great builders.
Speaker B:They just don't do the installation process.
Speaker B:So I think customers really need to be aware.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:See, there's a lot of, you know, much like container homes, there's a lot of other moving parts that you have to take into consideration before the actual structure gets there.
Speaker A:You know, all the infrastructure work that needs to be done, any other permits that need to be pulled, all that other stuff needs to be figured in.
Speaker A:And it's nothing that any one company can actually say it cost x amount of dollars to do because every person's home is, you know, is different and the lots are different, the cities are different, regulations are different.
Speaker A:You know, where you want to put it on your property is going to be important.
Speaker A:So, you know, there's one company out.
Speaker B:There that says, you know, you can have a house for $86,000 and it includes installation.
Speaker B:But what they don't tell you is that that includes installation if they only have to go 10ft.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:You're pulling my leg now, right?
Speaker B:I am not.
Speaker A:Okay, 10ft.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Speaker A:10ft is.
Speaker A:Where are they measuring 10ft?
Speaker A:From off the trailer or.
Speaker B:Yeah, so like if they have to, but if you have to be hooked up farther than 10ft, you know, to the utility.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:All of these extra charges come in.
Speaker B:So suddenly your $86,000 home becomes $130,000 home and you didn't even know it was going to happen.
Speaker B:So oh my God, you know, you got to be just going with your eyes wide open.
Speaker B:Yeah, we help a lot of people.
Speaker B:You know, people call me like I'm buying a tiny home and I don't know about this and we just doesn't have to be ours.
Speaker B:You know, we'll always be, we'll always give as much information as we can to help you.
Speaker A:Right now.
Speaker A:What about for instance, okay, when you build them?
Speaker A:Okay, obviously it has a warranty.
Speaker A:What's the warranty look like?
Speaker B:Right now we have a one year builder warranty and we're looking at extending that.
Speaker B:Our homes all have, you know, standing seam steel roofs and it's all two by four construction.
Speaker B:So it's a, it's a fully built home, just has wheels underneath it to get it where it needs to be.
Speaker B:And we, we add, you know, we have a year on there just because sometimes things settle, you know, you never know.
Speaker B:But you also have all of your appliances and everything else has all of the manufacturer warranties on them as well.
Speaker A:Now in again for all our listeners, you have to remember now a lot of people have misconceptions about tiny homes and container homes because they don't think that it is.
Speaker A:Well, you know, saying it, I'd say more like commonly saying that it's not like a real home.
Speaker A:But yes, it's a real home.
Speaker A:It's just configured differently.
Speaker A:Not every home like a container home, you have a lot more metal in it.
Speaker A:Even though it could be either wood framed inside or metal framed, tiny homes are a little bit different.
Speaker A:You know, a lot of them are, are wood framed and they go through the same thing.
Speaker A:You know, you put the plumbing in, the electric, the insulation.
Speaker A:Again, you know, these things are energy efficient and again, very sustainable.
Speaker A:Much more than some of the old mobile homes that people used to move in and buy.
Speaker B:Our homes have, you know, 40, 50 year lifespans, not six.
Speaker A:Go ahead.
Speaker B:No, well, even though they're, they still have a Department of Motor Vehicle registration on them.
Speaker B:So that, that is kind of one of the sticking points when you're looking at tiny homes on wheels.
Speaker B:They're still considered an rv.
Speaker B:And that's one of the things that becomes a sticking point during permitting so you can't live in an RV full time.
Speaker B:So, you know, we work with people to understand, you know, what are the differences and help the municipality or the HOA understand, you know, it's not really an rv, but that's how they're registered right now.
Speaker A:True.
Speaker A:Now do you, do you have, do you find that when people come to you, do they need to go and find separate financing to purchase a tiny home from you or do you provide it?
Speaker B:We don't have in house financing, but we do work with a couple of different lenders and you can do as long as a 25 year mortgage with as little as 5% down on our home.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because I mean, I think again, like you said, it's a process that Gail can help you through to be able to go back and purchase it, give you the points that you need to be aware of to be able to put it on your property.
Speaker A:But obviously that's got to be one of the first things you want to be able to do is if you don't have a piece of land or even if you do have a piece of land, again, check with the municipalities first to see where you can put it.
Speaker A:If they have any restrictions on where you could put it on your property.
Speaker A:If it's going to property that already has an existing home on again, then that could be an issue where you be able to put it on the property again, dealing with setbacks and utilities and things like that.
Speaker A:But any other obstacles that you did you've come across, Gail, that we should let our listeners know about?
Speaker B:No, I think the only other one is, you know, we do have a lot of people who are, who are out looking to buy property, put their tiny home on.
Speaker B:And one of the things to really be aware of when you're looking for that property, you might find the perfect property.
Speaker B:Oh, this is it.
Speaker B: hey don't know that there's a: Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:So tiny homes are typically 400 square feet or less.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And so sometimes they don't meet the square footage requirement of a piece of property.
Speaker B:So that's another piece to make sure you're looking at again.
Speaker A:Again, you know, you have to contact, you know, not just here in Arizona, but anywhere in the country, make sure if you're looking for, for a tiny home, reach out to reputable companies that can actually guide you through the whole entire process, much like you would do if you were buying A traditional, you know, stick built home because you know, you'd contact a realtor to find a piece of property and then before you sign on the dotted line and obviously give them whoever money for that piece of land to make sure that the land is secure and don't.
Speaker A:And don't go out, don't put the cart before the horse because yeah, there's.
Speaker B:You know, there's an.
Speaker B:The Tiny Home Industry association, it's called thea.
Speaker B:You go to their website, they've got, they list builders in all the different states around the country.
Speaker B:They're constantly updating what, what municipalities are allowing as far as tiny homes.
Speaker B:And it's a great resource and you can just go there and find tons and tons of great information.
Speaker A:By the way, how's our old friends up at the Whistle Stop up in Prescott doing?
Speaker B:They have a lot of RVs up there.
Speaker A:I know we were up there when they had the grand opening and yeah, everybody ready but everybody was very excited about that to be able to go up there.
Speaker A:But do you find that there's.
Speaker A:Are they still.
Speaker A:Did I know there were some up there when I was up there that were signed up or already there that were more permanent tiny homes and other people were just maybe like snowbirds just passing through.
Speaker B:They have a lot of RVs.
Speaker B:They would still love to have more tiny homes.
Speaker B:So if anybody's looking for a place to put a tiny home and you want to be up in Prescott Valley, it's a great spot.
Speaker B:We have a couple of homes up there.
Speaker A:That's a great.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is a great spot.
Speaker A:It's a great place in the, especially in the summertime when it starts to get hot down here in the valley.
Speaker A:Just go up on as we like to say, go up the hill and higher elevation.
Speaker A:It's much cooler temperatures up there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it's well located and reasonable.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean in fact next week I've got a project, a short, small project I've got to do for a good client of mine up in Prescott who owns a couple of rental properties up there.
Speaker A:I'll have to stop into, into Whistle Stop and say hi and see.
Speaker A:See how they've grown over the years since that grand opening day.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Took a lot.
Speaker B:It took them quite a while.
Speaker B:They have, they did a lot of work to create a cool park.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:And that whole area is just so, you know, Prescott Valley, I like to say is more.
Speaker A:Is more traditional than Prescott themselves because of a lot of the different housing, just the types of homes and other things.
Speaker A:That they have, you know, if you're, if like for me, when I went up there and I had worked up there for in three months in Prescott, it was like, you know, it's to me growing up in New York, it was like the world of difference between Prescott in Prescott Valley.
Speaker A:Lord knows, I mean after 9 o'clock I got to be able to find a restaurant open and you can't find one in Prescott.
Speaker A:I mean it's amazing.
Speaker A:Everybody go to Prescott Valley and there's always anybody listening in the sound of my voice that's up there.
Speaker A:Don't forget, in n out is open.
Speaker A:That's what we were, that's what we had to resort to.
Speaker A:One night we couldn't get, you know, it was amazing.
Speaker A:Everything was closed, we worked late.
Speaker A:And the only thing we could do is find, find in and out.
Speaker A:But you know, going to different types of communities where you could have them may be a little off the grid, but that's another thing you need to think about when you're considering where am I going to put my tiny home, right.
Speaker A:You know, and where are the, what amenities do I still need to be connected to and be able to go do?
Speaker A: you know, for a lot of us in: Speaker A:You should be just fine.
Speaker A:But any other things that you could think of that, you know, prospective buyer might be interested in that, you know, financing is one thing.
Speaker A:What about mortgages?
Speaker B:Well, I mean you can get a.
Speaker A:25 year mortgage and they're viewing it.
Speaker A:Last I heard, they're viewing it.
Speaker A:Are they taking a look at as a tiny home?
Speaker A:Because I know a lot of, a lot of mortgage companies, you know, who are working with people trying to build container homes.
Speaker A:They have to look at it as a modular home.
Speaker A:You can't say that word, container.
Speaker A:They get all freaked out.
Speaker A:But modular home and different than a.
Speaker B:Tiny home on wheels.
Speaker B:Tiny home on wheels is actually considered chattel, like an rv.
Speaker B:So it has a different, there's not, not as many lenders, but two of the largest mobile home actured housing lenders also loan on tiny homes.
Speaker B:So, you know, like I said, you can do a 25 year mortgage with 21st mortgage or triad mortgage with as little as 5% down.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So it makes it affordable and really an attainable goal for a lot of people from a housing perspective.
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean when you think about it, you want to be able to have the, all the resources that you can have to be able to do that, you know, the mortgages, everything else, the land.
Speaker A:And you know, like I said, if you are in an area of the country that you're looking to buy a piece of land, if you are a follower of Boxcar Universe, you will remember that we did a show with a company called landishome.
Speaker A:And landishome actually will research your area of the country and tell you what land are available based on the criteria of what you're working, what you're looking for.
Speaker A:So reach out to them if you're looking for a piece of land, and they should be able to help you throughout the country.
Speaker A:So that's one thing.
Speaker A:You should check out any other thing as far as the interior parts of the tiny home.
Speaker A:Gail, which you say, do you get a lot of your appliances and cabinets and things of that nature, the things that, you know, normally would be on the interior of a home from any specialized contractors, companies.
Speaker B:We actually made a company decision.
Speaker B:So most.
Speaker B:Our biggest vendor is actually Home Depot.
Speaker B:We work with them hand in hand from an efficiency standpoint, from pricing.
Speaker B:And that way, if there's something, you know, you're.
Speaker B:We didn't get it all on Amazon.
Speaker A:You didn't get it.
Speaker A:Why not A little bit cheaper.
Speaker B:But when you need a part to fix a sink.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Find the part you got to wait for.
Speaker B:You either have to buy a whole nother sink or you have to wait six months for the little piece to come from China.
Speaker B:We find that by having things that are readily available at your local hardware store makes your home a lot simpler and more livable.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, yeah, it's.
Speaker A:Yeah, it's a whole lot easier to go to Home Depot when you need something like that.
Speaker A:We would do that normally.
Speaker A:I mean, I went and did a bathroom remodel a few weeks ago and the manufacturer forgot a couple of parts to put the toilet together.
Speaker A:Well, you know, what was I going to do?
Speaker A:Wait to get the part or go to Home Depot?
Speaker A:And yeah, it was.
Speaker A:Home Depot was a choice.
Speaker A:Well, but.
Speaker B:And one of the things is if you've got those parts that came from somewhere else, when you go to Home Depot to get the part, you'll find that, you know, that little plumbing piece is just an eighth of an inch off and you just have to.
Speaker B:You end up with a little tiny leaf or you got to wrap a bunch of extra plumbers tape around it or.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:You've got to MacGyver a little bit.
Speaker A:Yes, right.
Speaker A:You gotta MacGyver in a little bit.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker A:Yeah, so that, that's interesting.
Speaker A:But you know, again, thinking about, you know, we're coming into the spring now, I think people are going to start thinking about traveling it.
Speaker A:So if you want to travel and get your tiny home and either travel and find a place to, to enjoy several months of this going to be gorgeous weather throughout the country.
Speaker A:Enjoy what this country has to be able to travel in comfort and that's pretty much all it is.
Speaker A:But again, I think a lot of people are being cost conscious and thinking about going to get a tiny home but have it as a multi use type of, you know, home, not just park it and leave it, you know, but you can get a tiny home and put it in a fluent area that possibly could be made out, used as a vrbo, you know, and then have it make money for you.
Speaker A:So there's a lot of different things to do and again, depending on what you want to do, check with your local municipality.
Speaker A:That's the best thing to do.
Speaker A:Or you could always call Gail.
Speaker B:Yeah, call us.
Speaker B:We're happy to help.
Speaker A:That's great.
Speaker A:Gail, Tell our listeners a little bit about how they could contact you.
Speaker B:Well, you can contact us just go to UnitedTinyHomes with an S.com and we've got a form on there.
Speaker B: -: Speaker A:All right, that's great.
Speaker A:And then again we'll keep you posted here on Boxcar Universe the next time when Gail has an open house because that's a great time to go back and see different sizes of contain of tiny homes and all the different styles that she has.
Speaker A:And you go on her website, united tiny homes.com you'll see a lot of the different models that they make.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:And our factory is always open as well.
Speaker B:So if you're in, if you're in Goodyear and you'd like to stop by and see what we're doing, you're welcome anytime.
Speaker A:All right, great.
Speaker A:Gail, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker A:I really appreciate it and we will, we will be back in touch and we'll keep you posted on all things happening here.
Speaker A:And please keep us posted on those two container.
Speaker A:Those two.
Speaker A:Keep seeing container.
Speaker A:It's a force of habit.
Speaker A:Please forgive me the tiny home communities that you're building in Bisbee and Casa Grande because we want to be able to cover those as they progress so that this way we can let our listeners know, they can go check them out.
Speaker B:You got it.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:That sounds great.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:And I want to thank all our listeners for listening to Boxcar Universe today.
Speaker A:I also want to let everybody know who is in we'll say Maricopa county, that yours truly will be at this year's Electrify Expo, which is going to be held over at State Farm Stadium where the Cardinals play over on the west side of Phoenix on April 12th and 13th.
Speaker A:We're also going to be showcasing my company, Ideal Home Improvement, and we're going to be showcasing our solar systems that we're going to be able to have for different types of homes here and around the valley, different ones that could save you money and stop feeding the utility companies and put it towards something that will add value to your house in the way of whether you buy a system on your own or if you put it towards an installment payment, at least it's going towards something that your home can use.
Speaker A:And the rate will always stay the same.
Speaker A:And as you know, utility rates keep going up and up and up.
Speaker A:So I want to invite all our listeners in the sound of my voice in Maricopa county in Arizona.
Speaker A:Come by and see us.
Speaker A:We're going to be in the solar zone at the electrify Expo come April 12th and 13th at State Farm Stadium.
Speaker A:So make sure you come out, say hi, we'll, we'll be there.
Speaker A:And remember, you could always find Boxcar Universe on any podcast player.
Speaker A:And if you are interested in a container home or container pool, which our good friend Matt from Contain youn Pools will be with us next month talking about the uptick on people interested in container pools.
Speaker A:So it's a great time to get one because it is getting hot.
Speaker A:So another thing to consider in way of sustainable lifestyle living.
Speaker A:And just remember, let us remodel and renovate your world and we'll see you next time on Boxcar Universe.
Speaker A:Have a great weekend.
Speaker A:You're a great American.
Speaker B:I love it.
