Non-profit Moves Towards Tiny Homes to Solve A
258 views · Published 8 May 2015 · 2:34 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: WLOS News 13 · 2015 · News & Politics
TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY, N.C. -- A non-profit in Transylvania County hopes tiny houses are a realistic solution to help people find affordable housing. The homes are rapidly gaining popularity in the mountains, and would be 800 square feet or less. "Welcome to my little house," Robin Echols, a tiny home owner, said as she opened the door to her 400 square foot home. She says that living in the economically and environmentally-friendly home makes her life simplified. "It's plenty for us. It really is. We're delighted to be downsized. It takes a lot of the stres sout of your life." Robin is one of about 20 others living in the Village of Wildflowers in Henderson County. The former mobile home park has been converted to a community of tiny homes. It's one of the few pieces of land in the country that is correctly zoned for the homes. Tricky building permits and zoning regulations hold most people up from building the tiny homes. That's why the United Way of Transylvania County came up with a guide called "How to Build a Tiny House in Brevard." "We're hoping we can encourage something like that to happen here," Don Roger, United Way Housing Director, said of the tiny home community. Rogers believes the model will work well to address the county's need for affordable housing. He says the number of service workers in Brevard is growing fast than any other industry. Now, they need a place to live. "There's a real lack of that in Brevard. Our vacancy rate on apartments that would rent to people in that income range is less than one-percent," Rogers said. The building codes in many counties can make living in tiny homes nearly illegal. But, Rogers says Transylvania County is perfectly suited for a community like the one in Henderson County. There is no minimum size requirement for a home in Brevard. Rogers plans to present his building guide to the Brevard City Council Monday night. He hopes they'll endorse it and share it on the city's web site, encouraging more people to build them or rent them out. To learn more about building tiny homes in Brevard, click here. To learn more about the Village of Wildflowers in Henderson County, click here. _______________ Follow WLOS on social media: WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/News13/ WLOS ABC 13 News on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WLOS_13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram: https://instagram.com/wlos_13 Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Channel/?sub_confirmation=1 Listen to AnchorMOMS, the Podcast: https://wlos.com/news/anchormoms/anchormoms-the-podcast Watch more top local news stories: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8Ge6UXHJs&list=PLkVbaoT-aYbIvnEpR0Ct5QQQqYaORUSUH For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit http://www.wlos.com Watch our live newscasts and other live video at https://wlos.com/watch Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340 WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.
