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Measure Twice, Cut Once: Sound advice, and not just for those working with lumber.
Building a tiny house means a lot of work and you will want to make sure you have every step planned out in detail before you begin. This includes the money you’ll need, the tools involved and the materials you’ll purchase.

Look for Recycled Materials: Talk about going green(backs). Recycled materials are a great place to start when you’re looking at building a tiny house and not only because they keep costs down. While a green lifestyle isn’t always part of the reason people get into tiny houses, minimalism and the idea of reducing waste usually are. In this case, conservation begins at home.

Rent the Tools You Need: Suffice it to say, you will need a variety of tools for this project. Just as apparent, however, is the fact that while it’s good to have a number on hand in case you need to do repairs or basic maintenance, many of said tools you will never be used again. Renting is the way to go, particularly with many such outlets also providing the hands-on instruction you need to use the tools safely and effectively.

Handle the Designs on Your Own: Many people have a professional design their tiny house but that can run into a lot of extra overhead you might not be able to afford. Fortunately, software like Google Sketchup, ProArchitect and others can make designing your dream tiny house easy. There are also a number of online tutorials to assist you in using the software, making the process easier still.

Shop Around: When you do turn to outside assistance to complete your project, be sure to shop around. One of the luxuries of many tiny houses is that they sit on a trailer and can go anywhere. If that’s the case, drive to wherever the most affordable builder is and have them get to work on the trailer instead of simply assuming a local professional is your only option.

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Tips to Save Money Building a Tiny House appeared first on Other CMS.

On the coast of Oregon in a town called Lincoln Beach sits the stunning beachside community known as Holiday Hills. From her home inside the community, Holiday Hills’ Community Manager Katy Eckman can watch whales, pelicans, baby seals, and more on the harbor, Depoe Bay. Baby sand dollars wash up on their beach. “It’s the most amazing place to live,” Eckman says. “When the tides are high, the waves will crash against the sea wall and over Highway 101 in Depoe Bay. The view is breath-taking.”

Located two-and-a-half hours from Portland, Lincoln Beach draws 10,000 visitors in the winter months and 30,000-40,000 visitors during the summer. “It’s definitely a tourist town,” says Eckman. “We can watch the Coast Guard practice their drills. Storm watching is amazing. People visit Depoe Bay to go deep-sea fishing, crabbing, or take a boat out to see the whales up close.”

She offers this word of warning for first-time whale-watchers who venture out to view these magnificent species by boat: “When they greet you, they stink!”

Holiday Hills: A History

Although Harmony Communities has only owned Holiday Hills since 2018, the park and many of its residents have lived there for far longer – some for twenty years or longer. Holiday Hills was first established by the Bodeker family in 1960, and at that time was primarily used for tent camping. Over the years, visitors began bringing camper trailers. When the park was passed to the next generation, Andy Bodeker’s daughter introduced RVs and mobile homes.

Andy Bodeker’s grandson took over the park in 2017 and though it had been his dream to own and operate the park, health reasons prohibited him from continuing to do so. He maintained ownership for one year before selling the park to Harmony Communities.

Community Improvements

Upon acquiring Holiday Hills, Harmony Communities quickly went to work making needed improvements. “They put new water lines in,” says Eckman. “And since the ground was already dug up for the water lines, they had our cable and power lines placed underground as well. Now there are no more wires all over the park.”

Holiday Hills, which receives rain as much as 300 days out of the year, had loose rock roads, so Harmony Communities paved the park’s roadways and installed driveway pads for all its residents as well.

“Harmony has done amazing things to the park,” Eckman says. “Everything they’ve done has improved our community.”

Full-time resident Cathy Richway-Roberts adds, “I feel very secure and safe here, and that’s important to me.” Originally from southern California, Richway-Roberts moved to Holiday Hills from Idaho two years ago. “I can’t think of a better place to live,” she says. “It feels like a little community, my home, and where I’m supposed to be.”

A Community That Looks Out for One Another

As in much of the country and world, 2020 brought its share of difficulties to the residents of Holiday Hills, not only with the Covid-19 pandemic but with the wildfires as well. The property was thankfully spared from any damage from the wildfires, which impacted areas about 15-20 miles away. Still, “we all pulled together,” Eckman says. “When we woke up, it was pitch red and hard to breathe. We were all ready to help each other.

That sense of community helped set the stage for what was to come when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Although community-wide events have come to a halt for now – events like the annual potlucks Holiday Hills typically holds each summer were canceled in order to comply with guidelines concerning gatherings with people outside the home – people in the community still look out for one another. “It’s a family here,” says Eckman. “If someone is in trouble, we’re right there with meals and rides and whatever they need.”

The People Who Call Holiday Hills Home

An “eclectic group” of residents call Holiday Hills home, Eckman says, including many retirees and several families as well. Those who do work do so at one of the many hospitality jobs in the area, including the local gift shops and a nearby casino. During the winter, it’s difficult to find jobs, Eckman says.

Of the 94 spaces in the park, 83 are occupied and one-third of those by residents who consider their property in Holiday Hills a vacation home. Approximately 10-15 spaces are occupied by RVs, while the remaining spaces have double- or even triple-wide mobile homes. Holiday Hills doesn’t accept overnight guests, instead offering only month-to-month leases. “We don’t have a high turnover,” Eckman says.

A Typical Day for an Anything-But-Typical Community Manager

On a typical day, Katy Eckman begins her morning with a walk around the park to check for downed tree limbs. “It gets windy here,” she explains. Then she responds to her emails or gets a space ready to show as needed.

Mostly, she’s there for her residents and they know that well.

“During open deck time last summer, one of the residents gave Katy a crown,” recalls Richway-Roberts. “She’s very caring and if there’s something she can do to make the park a better place, she’s all over it. She’s taken people to doctor visits, has gone to their homes in the middle of the night. She’s our go-to girl.”

“I love my job,” Eckman says. “I am the perfect manager for this park because my heart and soul is in this park. No matter what kind of day you’re having, when you look through the window and see the ocean or go for a walk, it makes everything better.”

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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Harmony Speaks: A Conversation with Holiday Hills’ Community Manager, Katy Eckman appeared first on Other CMS.

This acquisition takes a big step in fulfilling Harmony Communities’ mission to provide the opportunity for homeownership to people who otherwise could not afford it in this costly area and “will bring the largest influx of affordable homes the area has seen in the last twenty years,” says Harmony Communities’ president and founder Matthew Davies.

Here’s how:

• According to a study by McKinsey Global Institute, the state of California needs to increase its housing supply by 3.5 million homes by the year 2025. Nationwide, our country has a shortage of 7.2 million affordable and available homes for families in need.
• The median home price is over $600,000 in California and over $800,000 in the Bay Area, a home price that is unaffordable for most families. By contrast, a tiny home in The Garlic Farm RV Park has a target starting price of $89,950. 
• About one-quarter of Garlic Farm RV Park’s residents work in the garlic industry and Gilroy, California is known as “the Garlic Capital of the World,” producing a large portion of the nation’s garlic and home to the annual Garlic Festival each summer. The Garlic Farm RV Park provides an affordable place for these workers to live.
• Teachers, firefighters, skilled tradesmen and women, and commuters priced out of San Jose also call The Garlic Farm RV Park home. The park is located twenty-five miles from San Jose Proper, a reasonable driving distance from the city.

Tiny home communities maximize available land to provide housing for more people. Whereas a typical single-family home subdivision requires on average about an acre for every 4-5 homes, a community of tiny homes holds up to 25 or even 30 residences per acre.  

Furthermore, Harmony Communities is working to cut costs and benefit the environment by installing solar power to the park by the end of 2021. The new solar system will supply 95 percent of the energy that the park’s residents require.

Harmony Communities began installing solar panels in its California communities in 2012, eight years before the enactment of state legislation requiring solar panels on newly constructed homes. While the legislation doesn’t apply to manufactured homes, Davies has seen firsthand the benefits of installing solar panels in terms of saving money and helping the environment – a move he calls a “win-win.”

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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post What Harmony Communities’ Latest Acquisition Means for Affordable Housing in California appeared first on Other CMS.

“This was a trailer park when Harmony bought it. Now they are turning it into a tiny home park,” says John – known as Johnny to his friends. “When they’re finished, it will be a community in every sense of the word.”

Bayshore Commons offers forty home lots – or spaces – and is slowly filling those spaces with new tiny homes. Currently, they have 21 tiny home units installed and eight of those are for sale.

Little House, Big Appeal.

What makes them appealing, Johnny says, is “they’re brand spanking new.” Many of the homes have a second floor loft, which appeals to many buyers. The homes have modern kitchen appliances, including mini stainless steel dishwashers, double door stainless steel refrigerators, and a stainless steel four-burner stove.

“The main office calls them ‘tiny homes,’ but I think they’re bigger,” says Johnny. “They feel like cottages.”

Community Improvements

“One of Harmony’s main priorities is cleanliness, keeping the park clean and safe,” Johnny explains. Since purchasing the property, Harmony made many improvements, including the installation of cameras and lights. “It feels nice, safe, and peaceful,” says Johnny.

Harmony Communities has plans to install an area for overflow parking and, upon acquisition, gave the community a makeover with a fresh coat of paint. “There used to be yellow homes everywhere. Now, there are different colors,” Johnny explains. “It’s bright and cheerful.”

The People Who Call Bayshore Commons ‘Home’

Residents of this growing community include a mix of working people and retirees. They enjoy proximity to shopping, restaurants, and Lake Chabot, which offers fishing, swimming, and twelve miles of hiking/biking trails.

A Manager Who Cares

Johnny is committed to maintaining a clean community and to serving both current and future residents by taking his time to assist them. He performs smaller, lightweight repairs as well as weeding and gardening, and says Harmony has a maintenance crew for bigger repairs. He also enjoys taking the time to show future residents the homes and apartments for rent. “I’m a friendly person,” he says. “I like talking with people.”

Bayshore Commons also has an apartment complex inside the park which includes eleven apartment units. “I grew up in apartments,” Johnny says. “I had a few landlords that were mean. I didn’t want to be like that. I wanted to be nice, friendly, understanding, and respectful.”  

And that he is, affirms Harmony Community’s Manager Sherrie Johnston. “John cares so much,” says Sherrie. “He goes above and beyond in everything he does.”

To learn more about Bayshore Commons or to arrange for a tour of one of the homes for sale, contact Harmony Community’s office at (209) 932-8747 or email info@harmonycom.com.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Harmony Speaks: A Conversation with Bayshore Commons’ Community Manager, John Medieros appeared first on Other CMS.

• Plan Ahead

Owning a tiny house can limit the amount of space and appliances in the kitchen. With that in mind, think well ahead of time about what meals will be possible to make before hosting guests. It’s also important to consider how many dishes will be used with each meal and how the food will be stored afterward. For example, chili or soup makes a perfect meal to prepare ahead. This dish typically only requires one pot to make cleaning up easier. Also, chili and soup can easily be reheated for another meal. 

• Create Multifunctional Furniture

When not in use, furniture should store easily or be multifunctional. When hosting company, the two major pieces of furniture to consider are the dining table and guest sleeping accommodations. A table that can fit 2-6 people can take up a lot of space, so finding or making a table that can fold up against the wall is a great way to create more space when not in use. A couch that can fold out into a bed is a great option when hosting family or friends for an overnight stay.

• Utilize Decorations

In small houses, maximizing the space you have is key. However, every house needs decorations to contribute to the aesthetic. When decorating, consider every inch of your space. Decorations should not clutter countertops or tables but should be hung on walls and even the ceiling. For the holidays, consider decorating with hanging mistletoe and string lights. 

• Stay Clean and Organized

Tiny homes can get dirty much faster than larger houses. With limited space, clutter should be minimized as much as possible. Utilizing storage space and containers is vital to keep clutter off furniture and tables. To minimize clutter, keep only items that serve a purpose. Cleaning can be reduced if a little is done each day. Creating a scheduled time at the end of the day to put things back in place can go a long way in reducing overall cleaning efforts. 

Hosting people in a tiny home doesn’t have to be a hassle. Following these tips can help make holiday seasons more enjoyable, even with less space.

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At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.

The post Four Tips for Hosting Company in Your Tiny Home this Holiday Season appeared first on Other CMS.