Home building group unveils tiny home designer series

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Clayton home building group showed off its entry into the tiny home market with the debut of its "Low Country" tiny home prototype at a designer showcase in North Carolina last month.

The Cashiers Designer Showcase attracted interior designers and builders from around the region to explore new trends.

"People were very excited," said Jeffrey Dungan, whose company designed the prototype. "It was almost like a childlike response, even with people who are 70 years old. I don't know quite what it is, there's this youthful exuberance when you talk about tiny homes and when they get to actually stand in one."

Most people were surprised it did not feel like a "playhouse" and that it was actually really comfortable, Dungan said.

"I could have sold it 15 times. People pulled out their checkbooks and offered money on the spot," said Dungan of the response to the low country-inspired tiny house.

Dungan, a renowned Birmingham, Ala.-based architect, has partnered with Clayton building group, a division of Clayton Homes and one of America's largest homebuilders, to bring luxury tiny homes to the housing market that the architect would not ordinarily reach.

Tiny homes aren't traditional, and neither is their financing

The "Low Country" model tiny home, which was showcased in Cashiers, is 396 square feet and retails for $96,000.

"Clayton approached us to design a series of five homes and this is the first one that they've actually constructed," he said.

In addition to the "Low Country" there are four different models in the series: Adirondak, Saltbox, Marseille and Cloudbreak. They range in size from 386-399 square feet.

The designers looked at different styles of architecture across the country and in Europe. "We looked at the low country in South Carolina, the Saltbox in New England, the Adirondacks in upstate New York, the French countryside, and beach huts in the Bahamas, Cape Cod or Malibu."

For Dungan, who is more accustomed to designing high-end residences with a minimum of 7,000-8,000 square feet, "It's more about designing much more meticulously, designing by the cubic inch rather than by the square foot."

Planning and then manufacturing a small home off-site comes with its unique set of challenges, Dungan said. "Everything was a little different," he said. "There were the restraints of working within 400 square feet — it couldn't be more than 12 ½ feet wide to get them down the road or more than 12 feet tall to go under bridges." This led to the modification of roof pitch in some cases.

Dungan admits to never watching shows like Tiny House Nation.

"When I started this study, what I reacted to was how DIY they looked," he said. "There was a lack of overall elegance and sophistication in a lot of what I saw."

Dungan hoped to bring the elegance and sophistication of his firm's work into a tiny place. "I wanted the quality of the Faberge egg with details and wonderful materials," he said. "Because you are doing something small you can afford to work with better materials. I was very impressed with Clayton's joinery, the craftsmanship and just the materials themselves. I didn't feel like I was in a less nice space than I was accustomed to."

Tiny lifestyle meets super-sized challenges in Vermont

Inside the prototype they opted for reclaimed materials such as the ceiling beams and the hardwood floors, and used wood for the ceilings and vertical ship lap for the walls so there is no Sheetrock at all.

The exterior is clad in poplar bark siding with cedar shake on the roof.

Dungan said it is economical to heat and cool and the windows have the highest insulation value.

"In all of the designs we were very mindful of the 3-D space," said Dungan. "The vaulted ceiling created wall space for additional storage and sleeping space. It can sleep up to six or eight people and that totally blows my mind."

They may be small in stature, but do not lack for amenities. The "Low Country" accommodates eight — two in the bedroom, two in the loft area, two on a fold-out couch and two bunks. There are large French doors that open out onto a covered front porch, a full-height pantry, as well as a dishwasher and stack washer and dryer.

Gary Hollingsworth, general manager at the Clayton home building facility in Alabama, said that they had been watching the tiny house movement for some time.

"Being a builder, we saw that it was a bona fide market," he said. "Whether it's millennials looking for less expensive homes or folks looking to downsize, people are interested in tiny houses."

Lower-cost option

The Clayton home building group actually has two series of tiny homes in the works in addition to the one created by Jeffrey Dungan. A campground series — an entry level tiny house in the $40,000 range and a Lakeside series in the $60,000 range. Although, Hollingsworth said these are just ballpark prices, they will vary due to transportation.

Recession-scarred Millennials fuel growing interest in tiny homes

"We thought the campground series might be our core business," said Hollingsworth. "However after we partnered with Jeffrey and we saw the designs that came out of it, as well as the reaction in Cashiers, the luxury series might become our core business."

Clayton home building group is currently taking pre-orders for their luxury tiny homes and plans to offer its expanded collection for sale by the end of the year. The Designer Series will be built in the Clayton home building facility in Addison, Ala., which is dedicated exclusively to tiny home construction.

The entire luxury tiny home series, including floor plans can be seen here.

Follow Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel on Twitter: @knoxnews