Georgia Magazine - July 2017 - 28

MUSTARD SEED TINY HOMES

Stairs lead to the bedroom loft in the
285-square-foot Sprout model built by
Mustard Seed Tiny Homes.

derstand that, performance-wise,
it's actually more dangerous to build
a small space than to build a big
space, because there's much less
room for error.
"My daughter is a year old, and if
I had built this house without thinking about air quality, then I would
not have selected formaldehyde-free
plywood, which you have to specifically ask for. All plywood has
formaldehyde in the glue. And so, I

would have potentially poisoned my
daughter by now if I had not had the
forethought and really researched
what it is."
For a closer look at the #TinyLab
and the Proof Is Possible tour, visit
proofispossible.com.
Tiny houses also can fill the need
for on-farm housing for young farmers, interns and apprentices.
"When you live as I do, which
is [being] outside pretty much until
dark, you really don't need a big
space to live in," says farmer Terri
Jagger Blincoe of Ladybug Farms
in Clayton, who was awarded a
175-square-foot house in April. Blincoe intends to offer an adult farm
camp as a way to promote and expand sustainable farming in Georgia.
"I hope to have teachers, nutritionists,
second-career corporate folks and
more staying in the tiny farmhouse,
so it won't just be 'younger' farmers."
The tiny house was funded by
Georgia Organics and built by University of Georgia (UGA) students
taking a course called "Green Building and the Tiny-House Movement,"
offered jointly through the UGA
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the College of
Family and Consumer Sciences. It is
the second UGA tiny house donated
to a Georgia farmer who pledges to
use the house to help train a younger
farmer. To learn more about UGA's

tiny-house program, visit tinydawg
house.com.
Another factor to consider
before building a tiny home is cost.
According to Johnston, tiny houses
on wheels typically range from
$30,000 to $100,000.
Moreover, living small is not the
answer for everyone.
"A lot of people love their stuff,"
Gooch says. "There's a reason the
storage industry is one of the biggest
industries in the United States right
now."
A lot goes into building a tiny
house. For anyone seeking advice
on how to get started, Tiny House
Atlanta is a good resource. Gooch
also recommends calling different
builders, especially those who have
been in the industry for a few years.
"Firsthand experience really
helps with builders," he says. And,
most importantly, Gooch adds: "You
have to talk to your city commissioner or city zoning [office]. Honestly,
the last thing I want to do is build a
house for somebody and then find
out we can't build it on their land.
Talk to your city and your county
about what you want to do, and
be clear about what you're putting
there."
Victoria Scharf DeCastro is a
freelance writer based in Winder.

Decatur Tiny House Festival returns

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

J&D IMAGES

address (details to be announced later in the
year); approximately 20 tiny houses to tour;
vendors offering information about products
that promote sustainable practices in the tinyhouse industry; and industry experts giving
advice on sustainability, minimalism, architecture, urban planning, zoning and downsizing.
"Over 5,000 people attended last year,"
Johnston says. "This fall, we're going to be
bumping up the number of tiny houses and
the number of speakers."
Several ticket options are available. For
more information, visit tinyhouseatlanta.com.

J&D IMAGES

Want to know more about tiny houses
and small-space living? Then don't miss the
second annual Decatur Tiny House Festival,
Sept. 29-Oct. 1 in downtown Decatur.
Sponsored by Tiny House Atlanta in partnership with the city of Decatur, the festival will
open with VIP night on Friday.
"It will be an evening of beer, wine
and food," says Will Johnston of Tiny House
Atlanta, a Georgia nonprofit dedicated to
promoting education about and advocacy
for the tiny-house movement.
Other highlights include a keynote

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

http://www.tinydawghouse.com http://www.tinydawghouse.com http://www.proofispossible.com http://www.tinyhouseatlanta.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - July 2017