The small construction team at this veteran-owned Ventura County-based business is putting the finishing touches on one of the three models of tiny homes on wheels.
"This is our manufacturing floor here," explains Ben Davis, the man behind the Piccola (meaning 'small' in Italian) Tiny Homes, which opened 12 months ago.
"We have two models right now in the shop," said Davis. "The outside is cedar—which is flame resistant, it's rot resistant, it's bug resistant. Then the metal is steel. We have to keep these light because they are on wheels, and so we have to make sure we keep weight into consideration for all of the materials that we choose. These can be used in a number of different ways, one as additional dwelling units for people in their backyard who either want a passive income, or for their kids. And then the other one is for aging parents."
Davis saw the need for the tiny homes even before thousands of families were displaced by the recent Mountain, Palisades, and Eaton Fires. Thanks to the home’s small footprint and portability, many burnt-out properties have room to accommodate homeowners who want to move back to their land plot while rebuilding their homes lost to fire.
"It's such an unfortunate situation, and I really feel for all those people who have lost their homes. It just so happens that this can be a really good solution for them, so that they can put these on their properties. In the Palisades, Camarillo, and Altadena, they're able to actually live in these permitted on their properties while they're rebuilding their homes," he said.
"I've talked to insurance agents, and the insurance will use the loss of use coverage so that they can actually buy these, put them on their property, and not have to pay for them themselves. All you need is a few simple utility hookups, and these can be set up in about 20 minutes," he said.
And the small footprint doesn’t mean a lack of storage or luxury, said Davis.
"One thing that I've not seen in a lot of tiny homes is storage and efficient use of space. So we start all of our designs with storage in mind."
As well as being ready for habitation, the homes are movable, so they don’t raise property taxes, but they do have a yearly DMV registration fee. They’ll debut at the Conejo Valley Home and Remodeling Show starting Friday.
