For the next 2 days, Austin area tiny house fans will have a chance to bid on a beautiful tiny home built by the Austin Community College and the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin. Proceeds will go towards endowing the construction education program at Austin Community College. Tiny houses are single-family dwellings featuring less than 500 square feet of living space.
While most American could never see themselves living in a house smaller than 1,500 square feet, a growing number of people are drawn to tiny house living. Within the last decade, the tiny house movement has really taken off. Increased mobility, low environmental impact, energy saving features, miniscule utility bills, liberation from the power grid, and the desire to downsize to property which is owned outright are just a few of the reasons tiny house fans say they embrace living the small life.
The Building Technology Department at Austin Community College sees the tiny home as a way for students to gain valuable experience while helping their department grow financially. The home was designed and built by students enrolled in the Building Technology Department of ACC’s Red Rock campus. A number of Austin organizations and businesses helped in the venture, especially the Austin Energy Green Building Program and Barley Pfeiffer Architecture.
The tiny home is very much a work of sustainable architecture, featureing certifiedgreen build cabinets and floors, Energy Star appliances and windows, foam insulation, water efficient plumbing and fixtures, all of which are maximized by the home’s passive solar design. Bidding in the eBay auction for the 288-square foot modular home starts at $37,800, with a buy-it-now price of $49,800. Students will begin a new project next term.
The project benefited from the incredible generosity of many Austin businesses. Mary Dewalt Design Group, Architectural Tile & Stone, Stan’s Heating and Air Conditioning, BMC Building Materials, Ferguson Enterprises, Kidd Roofing, PSW Real Estate, Spring Builders, McCoy’s Building Supply, Executive Cabinetry, Buffalo Framing, Circle RB Drywall,Legend Lighting, Tri-Supply, ProSource, Dupont Tyvek/Weatherization Partners, Tex Truss, Valspar, In-Charge Electric, TreeHouse, David Weekley Homes, Casa Plumbing, MLAW Engineering, Robert Madden Industries, Sappington Construction, and BLS Painting also participated in the project.