Kristopher Angstadt has brought the latest craze in home building and home buying to Fredericksburg. His new company, Tiny House Building Company, LLC, designs and custom builds self-sufficient homes that are permanently attached to trailers for mobility. He believes his is the first tiny house company in Virginia; one of the first on the East Coast.
The idea was born when Angstadt watched an episode of Tiny House Nation.
The Class A licensed contractor has been building and renovating homes in the Fredericksburg area for more than 13 years. Now he’s expanded into the tiny house market — a growing movement of downsizing for reasons that include financial and environmental.
Most Americans spend from one-third to half their income on housing, and 76 percent are living paycheck to paycheck,” reported The Tiny Life. “This translates to 15 years of working over your lifetime just to pay for it [a roof over their head]. Tiny Houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms, and they focus on smaller spaces and simplified living.” The movement distinguishes between small (400 to 1,000 square feet) and tiny (less than 400 square feet) houses.
Angstadt’s tiny houses are eight-feet wide and either 18, 20 or 24 feet long. They’re unique in the industry in that they are manufactured as RV’s. His is one of the first tiny house companies to build this way. By permanently attaching the home to the trailer, Angstadt’s tiny houses are certified RV’s, making them easier to finance and insure. “Recreational vehicles are handled as personal property,” he said.
The tiny house is attached on steel beams welded to the sides of the trailer, providing a flat foundation with no overhang and increasing the secure base of the home. It also reduces the total weight of the trailer, Angstadt said.
Each of Angstadt’s complete tiny homes come standard with the custom trailer, choice of siding, shingle or metal roof, laminate flooring, white stained or polyurethane interior, queen bed loft with ladder, kitchen cabinets, granite countertops, a 4.5 cubic foot refrigerator, a 15″ by 15″ bar sink, a portable two-burner propane stove, a 24 by 30 shower stall, a composting toilet, an on-demand tankless propane water heater, a split unit heat pump system with remote and Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) certification. Electric is provided by AC/DC extension and generator. Solar panels are optional.
There are 16 models to choose from. Cost ranges from about $52,500 to $65,000. You can also purchase less complete packages.
“My team and I will work personally with our clients to make sure they get exactly what they want, at the price they expect,” Angstadt said. “We believe in creating a collaborative process, so that it is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.” Contact Angstadt at 540-322-0355for more information and to tour a model. “Like” the company’s facebook page for information about the tiny house movement: Tiny House Building Company, LLC.
Editor’s Note: If you’d like to know more about the tiny house movement, consider reading “The Big Tiny: A Build-It-Myself Memoir” by Dee Williams. The book is available from Central Rappahannock Regional Library. The author was featured by The New York Times in Square Feet: 84. Possessions: 305
What do you think? Could you live in a tiny house? Would you want to? Why? Tell us in the comments section.
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