Local home builder Kristopher Angstadt has had a busy spring, building homes for FYI Network’s “Tiny House Nation” and HGTV’s “Tiny House Big Living.”
The Class A licensed contractor had been building and renovating homes in the Fredericksburg area for more than 13 years. Last year he expanded into the tiny house market — a growing movement of downsizing for reasons that include financial and environmental.
Angstadt’s Spotsylvania-based Tiny House Building Company, LLC, designs and custom builds tiny houses. Angstadt believes his is the first tiny house company in Virginia; one of the first on the East Coast.
The first television opportunity came when two Northern Virginia residents contacted Angstadt. “They’d been chosen through a casting call for the show “Tiny House Nation,” and then contacted me to build. They liked that my website said, ‘We build your dreams.’”
The two came to Angstadt with their ideas sketched on a piece of paper. “I’ve never been afraid to take a risk, but daily it was, “how are we going to do this,” Angstadt said. The 365-square-foot custom tiny home features a kegerator, a built-in library, a Murphy bed, a five-burner cooktop, a full-size refrigerator, a full-size shower with a rainfall shower head, pocket barn doors, and bourbon barrel wood floors.
Angstadt had just two weeks to build the house — it’s the way the show works. “The network had no materials list, no lumber dimensions, no building set or plan,” Angstadt said. “We started with the pencil drawing, and a lot of the design was up to us.” Angstadt and his crew did all the construction, show hosts John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin did interior design features.
Angstadt, who coincidentally started his tiny house business after watching an episode of “Tiny House Nation,” said he and his crew spent their busiest ever two weeks building one of their smallest homes.
Angstadt was also contact by HGTV for “Tiny House Big Living.”
“The network contacted me to see if we had any builds in the works, and if we had any good buyers that would be a great fit for the show,” he said. “I put Matt and Meghan Tanner in contact with them.”
Tiny House Big Living does not give a build deadline, but Angstadt and his team completed the build in about 45 days. The 365-square-foot home features a bathtub, a full-size kitchen with a full-size, side-by-side refrigerator, and a wood stove. “Another super cool feature is the catwalk that connects the two lofts, so the kids can go back-and-forth between the two bedrooms,” Angstadt said.
“The only difference between these television builds and other builds is the cameras are with you the entire time,” Angstadt said. “But whether doing a show or not, we take great pride in our craftsmanship, and we have a keen eye for a great fit and finish.”
“I love building these houses,” Angstadt said. “Our clients are always blown away with their home once it’s complete, and that’s what really motivates me. I strive to do a great job for each of our clients, and and I really have a great time building tiny homes.”
Exact show dates have not yet been released, but both networks expect to air the episodes this summer.
Tiny House Building Company, LLC, is located at 2706 Lafayette Blvd. Visit their open house from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016.
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