A tiny home village in northern Texas offers renters the opportunity to build their own home on a piece of land for as little as $700 a month.
The monthly land rent at the Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village includes utilities such as water and sewer, as well as shared amenities such as a laundry room, yard, and fire pit.
The Village currently has 13 rentable lots for people to park their tiny houses – unmortgaged homes or cabins under 600 square feet.
The residential community was created after real estate developer Terry Lantrip purchased a farm on the village’s acres of Lake Dallas land as an investment in 2002.
Lantrip told Insider that he felt stuck about what to do with the land because he had agreed with the previous owners not to demolish the house and trees.
The Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village in Texas offers tiny home spots for $700 a month
The monthly payment includes utilities such as water and sewage, as well as shared amenities such as a fire pit (pictured)
The residential community also features a laundry room at no additional cost
The residential community was created after real estate developer Terry Lantrip purchased a ranch on the village’s acres of land in Lake Dallas as an investment.
That was until he went to the annual Earth Day expo in Dallas in 2016 and learned about tiny houses, which allowed him to use the land without tearing down the farm.
The City of Lake Dallas initially did not approve his proposal, but eventually allowed it to pass after several hearings and an infrastructure plan.
After installing new water, sewer and drainage lines and building other amenities, Lantrip opened the village to tenants in 2018.
The small houses in the village range in price from $50,000 to $125,000 and must be eight feet wide, up to 40 feet long, and about 15 feet high.
In addition, a maximum of two adults and two children are allowed per Tiny House. A surcharge applies for each additional occupant.
According to the rules of the community, cigarettes, cigars, pipes and electronic cigarettes are not allowed. All drugs are also prohibited except medically prescribed marijuana – and “only with Community Management approval.”
Twelve of the village’s 13 plots are currently occupied and a new tenant is expected soon.
The City of Lake Dallas initially did not approve his proposal, but eventually allowed it to pass after several hearings and an infrastructure plan
The small houses in the village range in price from $50,000 to $125,000 and must be eight feet wide, no more than 40 feet long, and about 15 feet high
The residents of the village have created a tight-knit community that includes writers, teachers and health workers. One of the tiny home’s kitchens is pictured above
A maximum of two adults and two children are allowed in each Tiny House (one is pictured above)
Twelve of the village’s 13 plots are currently occupied and a new tenant is expected soon. One of the small house’s toilets is depicted
The villagers have created a tight-knit community of writers, teachers and health workers, according to Lantrip, who said his tenants share flowers and vegetables from their communal garden.
Those who want to try the Village will have to join a waiting list, which currently contains nearly a dozen names.
Tiny houses have become a popular housing alternative for many in recent years.
“We have people here who feel like a regular house is almost unaffordable right now,” Lantrip told Insider. ‘I want people to have their own house. These little houses are their homes and they have real value.’
The houses are about 40 m² or less in size and are often built on wheels so that they can be towed from one location to another. Their mobile status means owners can get around some planning laws as their homes are seen in the same category as caravans.
With mortgage rates and rents skyrocketing, Americans are increasingly looking for creative ways to get up the property ladder.
On TikTok, the so-called “tiny home” movement has become extremely popular with hundreds of users professing the values of their mortgage-free lifestyle.