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Building Over 700 Tiny Homes and a Tiny House Village


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Randy, the owner of Incredible Tiny Homes and three communities built on his property, started out with nothing. He lost his business with the 2008 crash and was trying to make ends meet when his wife had the idea to start building tiny homes at an affordable price. Using borrowed tools, he built his first THOW for a friend seven years ago.

To date, ITH has built more than 700 homes and developed two tiny house communities, with the third on the way. Randy’s goal has been to support his family while also building affordable homes and creating affordable tiny house communities so others can also live comfortably. Watch the video about his journey below thanks to Tiny House Giant Journey on YouTube!

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His Incredible Tiny Home Empire Built from Nothing

This is the “Forest” Community, built on part of his 34 acres.

The newer “Beach” community will have semi-tropical plants soon.

Here are some of the tiny homes being finished.

This Hobbit THOW shows you the range of Randy’s abilities.

Here’s the inside of one of their steel-panel homes.

They use this one as an Airbnb on the property.

Inside their huge warehouse!

He purchased another 160 acres to develop for more tiny home villages.

VIDEO: The Largest Tiny Home Community EVER?

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Natalie C. McKee

Natalie C. McKee is a contributor for Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter. She's a wife, and mama of three little kids. She and her family are homesteaders with sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and quail on their happy little acre.

Latest posts by Natalie C. McKee (see all)

{ 33 comments… add one }
  • January 31, 2022, 11:31 am

    No doubt Randy has been doing great things, a real shame he can’t be cloned and moved west to a needed area as almost nothing like his system is on the Left Coast. I would like to see the same system applied to a Mobile Home Recycle center where older units are pulled in and scrapped and new units built on the old frame rails. It could be done near most larger cities as there are always 60s-90s units that need to be remodeled or scrapped. A great source of job skills training and Craft apprenticeship opportunity.

    • James D.
      January 31, 2022, 1:53 pm

      Well, they are working with some partners in other states, teaching them how they do the build efficiently, etc and using them to help push out more production per year of total number of homes they can deliver… They’re only working with a specific number but as the business continues to grows they may develop more partnerships.

      One of Randy’s ideas is to eventually have a network of ITH communities across the country…

    • Kim Smith
      January 31, 2022, 7:39 pm

      I love the idea of rehabbing mobile homes. There are so many dilapidated ones out there. They tend to be looked down upon, but without them, homelessness would be an even greater problem than it is. Who could spearhead such a thing? What kind of investment or development background is needed?

    • B
      February 3, 2022, 12:38 pm

      This HAS to be the WAVE if the future.

      Affordable housing for blue collar workers, older people, disabled, young families, young people that are moving from their parents home for the first time…

      NOT TO MENTION, those of us severely affected by the pandemic, we need affordable housing.

      Corporations are stripping away budget housing in favor of high rent apartment communities for the “upwardly mobile tech people” & forgetting about us & we’re ending up living in TINY, TINY houses called cars.

      GO RANDY! Build those communities, don’t forget the East & West Coasts. WE NEED YOU!!!

    • Mike Fernandez
      February 6, 2022, 7:46 am

      We’re looking for a tiny home builder our self just wondering if anyone could contact us back Thanks. And God Bless.

  • Linda Baker
    January 31, 2022, 3:38 pm

    wonderful guy doing wonderful things – this is so needed!

  • January 31, 2022, 7:07 pm

    Good on ya for keeping the homes affordable.

    The prices some places are trying to get for a tiny home is outrageous.

    You may already be doing this but perhaps you can also let people help with the construction to pay for their home.

    Keep up the good work and the reward is much more than money.

    • ed
      September 21, 2022, 1:05 am

      He is doing the solution I’ve always dreamt of, for the vast amount of people being shuffled around by a poor centrally planned economy! The Solar/offgrid option solves so many headaches at once. No frills, honest solid product (if that’s what they are) should be the truly green revolution instead of the corporate marketing misdirection.

  • Jacqui Owen
    January 31, 2022, 10:27 pm

    This addresses one problem, and that is fantastic. It would also be easy to implement a “care for our planet” philosophy as well, with looking after the soil.

    It would be wonderful to take this idea and marry it with care for the soil and the environment and create a truly sustainable option. If humans are going to occupy all of the earth, then this needs to be a consideration.

  • Donna Rae
    February 1, 2022, 1:06 am

    Kudos for doing something to help people get into affordable housing. Honestly, these tiny homes would be a real boon to areas hit by disasters, too. Instant, very livable homes for those who have lost everything with no need to suffer in crowded shelters for long periods or in tents in uncomfortable circumstances like very cold or too hot weather. I would like to see one thing done to improve the atmosphere in the “villages” that have already been created. I know that they are fairly new but somehow arranging the small houses so large trees could be grown and people could grow bushes and flowers. It would feel more like home. The starkness is too much like a mobile home park. Developers of such “villages” should take a lesson from those who built such places at the turn of the last century when small Craftsman homes were built as small neighborhoods…pocket neighborhoods that seemed closer in how they felt like regular neighborhoods. Large trees and each home had a small amount of yard to garden. There was a park like area in the middle that all the houses faced where families could have picnics and kids could run around and play. There was very little concrete and a road that curved around so each home had access to their home around the back, maybe even a garage. I grew up in mobile home parks and know that the starkness is what makes if feel different than other neighborhoods. Unfortunately, they are much maligned and wouldn’t it be fabulous if others who live in small houses on small plots could still feel that they were accepted or acceptable? Let’s not create situations where those who live in those “villages” come to be known as trailer trash. Do what it takes to make it feel normal. Again, kudos for this effort and I hope it can evolve to be something truly spectacular rather than merely affordable. Trees, grass, walkways that aren’t asphalt, a park. Sounds like home to me.

    • Tom carone
      February 2, 2022, 3:00 pm

      What a great idea I am really really interested and how to do something like this in Ohio I live in Toledo housing is terrible I know of one church that build a small community I would like to know how to do that same thing can you help me

  • Sheila Hemphill
    February 1, 2022, 12:11 pm

    I think this is Wonderful, something like this is much needed in Michigan where I live. Corporation come in and by up the mobile parks and jack up the lot rent on an already small budget or set income. This is just what we need. Congrats to you for caring.

  • Claire Gourlie
    February 1, 2022, 12:36 pm

    I am fascinated with tiny homes. What Randy has done in 7 short years is both miraculous and very much needed. Not only building tiny homes but building communities…….he needs to be cloned.

  • Randall Boggs
    February 1, 2022, 6:06 pm

    I’m interested in building a Tiny home for my property in Redmond Washington.
    I’m just not sure where to start.
    Buy a frame kit, Buy a Tiny Home that I can rebuild, buy a finished unit that doesn’t meet my needs and live with it. Buy a unit and remodel it. not sure where to go.
    Randy, My name is also Randy also / can give me some ideas on where to start. (books, Video’s, etc)

    • James D.
      February 2, 2022, 12:29 pm

      Well, start by checking what’s allowed and can be required for your property. Zoning, permit requirements, etc.

      Along with outlining your needs the home will have to meet. You can then see which options will work to accomplish what you need and will work for all the rules and regulation that may effect you…

      Tiny House Expedition is a good general resource, they run multiple sights and have a good database on just about everything involved with tiny living.

    • Lara
      February 2, 2022, 10:03 pm

      I’d live there. Have been wanting to go back out west since I left and now we’re looking to do just that! I watch tiny home videos and read about them every day. I’m totally in with this movement, it’s only a matter of time for me.

      • Jadupersad Sagram
        February 4, 2022, 6:11 pm

        I am interested in a tiny, do you have any development in British Columbia

      • James D.
        February 6, 2022, 2:18 am

        @Jadupersad Sagram – They’re still only in Newport, TN… They eventually want to branch out and create a national network of communities that any of their customers can interchangeably move their homes to but don’t have the resources to do that yet.

        So, for now it’s just the Forest, Beach, and Prairie communities around their factory facility area and the nearby mountain/resort area that is still under development…

        Though, they do have a number of partnerships with other builders in other states and that holds the potential to start developments in those other states and while that number is limited for now they eventually are open to expanding further once their business grows a bit and they can handle more…

        Demand is just high and they can only do so much for now. Mind, with low profit margins they have to be careful not to go under, which is especially hard with rising material prices that even a budget builder like them have to raise prices, something they resisted for nearly two years…

        However, they’re not charging those who have already ordered homes any additional charges, despite it costing them more now. So their margins are pretty razor tight but they’re still getting it done. The future is just always uncertain but their hard work has taken them farther than most others and should, hopefully ,continue to do so…

  • Diana
    February 2, 2022, 5:05 pm

    I have been watching Randy since he started out. He is a great guy! He deserves where he has gotten to because he never became greedy. He is humble and hard working and honest. Three H’s needed to really get somewhere. Boy do we need people like this NOW! Anyway, I love what he is doing and I bet you that Randy doesn’t raise the rent on his villages like these other places do bc why would he need to? He is not greedy! Thanks for showcasing Randy. He is an unsung hero and true American!

  • Robert Van Pelt
    February 4, 2022, 5:52 am

    Randy! You’re my hero! How do I get in contact w you? I’m a Native American w alot of land that has alot of fellow Natives that need homes. I just need the guidance, steps, etc to do what you do. I have the collateral, the business skills as well as the construction skills. I guess I just need a mentor. If you can please take some time and get ahold of me let’s create a somewhat Franchise of your awesome dream come true business here in NE Oregon on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. My email is [email protected]…. Please contact me. You’re awesome Randy…

    • James D.
      February 4, 2022, 2:53 pm

      Under the “learn more” there’s links, go to their website to find their phone and email contacts. They also have a youtube and facebook page, all under their name…

  • Gina Gold
    February 6, 2022, 8:44 am

    I WOULD LIKE TO POSSIBLY TRY TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE TINY HOMES NEAREST TO MODESTO,CA95354

  • Deborah Clark
    February 7, 2022, 8:26 pm

    Tiny homes are a great idea, but from where I am, Northern California, it seems they are priced far beyond what someone like me can afford. What is “someone like me”? I am disabled. I was living with my elderly parents as their caretaker until our home was destroyed in the Dixie Fire in 2021. There is a large number of us displaced people who can’t afford to rebuild or move away. We live in FEMA provided travel trailers or mobile homes until we can find housing, or they tell us time is up. The problem is, there is no housing. There are no rentals, no money to rebuild and if you have the money, the amount of time it takes to rebuild is absurd. If tiny homes were an affordable option, I am sure many of us would be in tiny homes, happily living in our communities. Like everything else that is such a cool idea, it’s totally out of the realm of possibilities due to financial limitations. When FEMA tells me time is up, I’ll be living in my car. What iv wouldn’t give for a tiny home of my own.

    • James D.
      February 8, 2022, 12:43 pm

      Unfortunately, affordability is relative and for some being more affordable isn’t enough to make it an option for them. Especially, now with the cost of just about everything going up and the minimum cost of housing can only go down so far…

      However, when times are tough people often have to just come together and come up with their own solutions. Like forming a cooperative where groups of people can work together to rebuild homes, share resources, tools, materials, labor, etc.

      There are house kits that can give a good starting point for more easily erecting structures that then just have to be finished out and properly equipped… For some, communal living arrangements can help offset the cost of duplicating everything for each and every home when some things can be instead shared and for those in more need can get assistance from others in the group…

      FEMA shelters can be purchased as well as mobile homes, and groups of people could establish places to place them and fund raise for any needed development to support such communities…

      Developing a community can also be community funded by those who wish to live there, which is how ITH was able to create their tiny home villages and is a great demonstration of what can be done when people simply work together for a common goal…

      Mind, this is a company that started from nothing. Randy had lost everything thanks to the housing bubble crash, he was essentially broke and homeless, but he never gave up and with a little help from his friends, he started over and what you see he accomplished in just a few years…

      So the old idiom of, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” is still very much true today. The struggle is real, but there is always hope…

  • Sabrina Hickman
    February 10, 2022, 8:54 pm

    I love the tiny houses I wish that I could actually have one me and my boyfriend but we live here in Nashville Tennessee and no one is trying to help anybody with those like they have them here but when we went to go check on them they said they are four the homeless and people being released from the hospital I told my boyfriend and said I guess we have to be homeless before we could even get one we then living in our apartment now for 3 years they want from 1190 to 1300 a month they don’t fix anything won’t even come in to check anything and we’re trying to actually plan on moving next month but we have to find a place we wish there was a way that you could buy property here and build a tiny village it will be wonderful

    • James D.
      February 12, 2022, 7:20 pm

      I take it you need it to be in Nashville?

      Because there’s a number of other Tiny House communities in other parts of TN, besides just the one shown in this article… But, it is possible to have a Tiny House in Nashville. Just have to follow strict rules they place there. THOWs are not allowed outside of an RV park but you can have a tiny house on foundation as long as it meets all the requirements of zoning and the IRC. Though, getting approval may be the biggest hurdle but it’s technically an option there if you can meet the following…

      Be built on a minimum of 320 sq ft of land.
      Be a minimum size of 120 sq ft.
      Have at least one habitable room which contains a closet and an openable window.
      Have a ceiling height of at least 6’8”.
      Be at least 70 sq ft. in rooms not intended for sleeping.

      Kitchens and bathrooms don’t have a minimum floor space requirement, and the ceiling has a lower threshold and must be at least 6’4″ high… Along with the normal IRC code requirements as outlined by Appendix Q from the 2018 IRC update…

      While some other counties may offer more options because some Tennessee Municipalities and Counties have chosen to opt out of the Building Codes and Zoning Regulations. You can do a search to get a list of which counties this applies to… Though, state septic and electrical requirements will still apply.

      An DADU may also be an option to consider, it just has to be behind the primary home and meet all the local requirements…

      So mainly an issue if you prefer a Tiny House On Wheels (THOWs) but some communities, as mentioned, are available in other parts of TN…

      Though, it seems the one thing prohibited is shed conversions… Living in them is not allowed in the state…

  • Elizabeth Ragas
    February 12, 2022, 2:35 pm

    Y’all need to watch Randy & Amanda’s videos of the homes & communities. Those two are sooo funny. Randy makes you feel like he’s just one of us—regular people!
    I’m going to go to Tennessee to check out his company after I sell my home here in Louisiana.

  • Monica Mitchell
    February 25, 2022, 6:15 pm

    Did he put in septic and water systems for his community? Or was he able to connect to city services. Very curious

    • February 26, 2022, 7:47 pm

      They are connected to city water and sewer. Underground electric.

  • March 8, 2022, 11:39 pm

    Really amazing to see how successful the tiny homes became over the years. My passion started a couple of years ago where I set up my office on wheels and started living in a tiny home. Since 2020 we are expanding our production and can deliver 240 houses per year. The first US location will be in Texas, Water Stone Park. If anyone is interested in a partnership for the US (production/distribution) we are happy to get in touch. You can find us here at http://www.RA1SE.com.

  • Carrie Steffen
    August 10, 2022, 9:57 am

    Are the villages connected to a single septic system?

    • James D.
      August 10, 2022, 10:32 pm

      As Reyne Tallents already pointed out, they’re connected to city water and sewer. It’s an on-grid community…

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