Dallas-based custom homebuilder Rudy Rivas is joining the tiny house trend, but with an added twist.
In his latest venture, he has built one that he says is inspired by Harry Potter.
Rivas normally builds 2,700 square feet homes, and even larger homes worth almost $1 million. But now his first set of tiny houses, while still under construction in the far North Dallas suburb of Lucas, Texas, is starting off at around $40,000.
Only $40,000? That's less than a year at Hogwarts.
“I guess I’ve gotten bored building the big ones,” Rivas was quoted in the Dallas Morning News.
“It’s going to have something of a whimsical design — sort of Harry Potter-looking,” Rivas said. “The kitchen will be fully functional with a stove and fridge. The bathroom will have a shower and standard commode — it’s not going to be airline or RV sized.”
It's not unusual for tiny houses to be built with a background story.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Brad Kittel, who has a company near San Antonio called Tiny Texas Houses, has sold about 75 miniature homes to residents across the state.
His smallest house was only 63 square feet, but he also uses an unique approach.
“The biggest one was about 340 square feet downstairs with the potential for about 280 square feet more upstairs in the attic,” Kittel said. “I’ve had one as expensive as $160,000 that was very elaborate.”
They are mostly built of reclaimed lumber and building materials from old structures.
“I do house art,” he said. “It’s 95% pure salvage.
“People use them as guest houses,” Kittel said. “I have people who live in them full time as well — they’ve decided to unplug and simplify.”
The tiny house movement is also gaining supporters among traditional homebuilders.
The Dallas Morning News states that National Association of Homebuilders top researcher Rose Quint is one of them.
“It’s very creative what they are doing but it’s not related to what we are seeing in the overall market,” Quint said. “There’s a lot of desire to simplify and those little houses sound so awesome,” Quint said.
The Dallas Morning News also states that Rivas’ tiny home is the first small house is being built as part of a ‘community development’ that’ll include a farmer's market and a nursery.
Let’s hope it doesn’t disappear like this tiny house in San Antonio.
