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Tiny house movement growing in Minnesota

People downsizing to tiny homes are motivated by financial freedom, sustainability, and energy efficiency.
The Ravenlore by Tiny Green Cabins

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – A minuscule movement has arrived in Minnesota as more homeowners embrace a counter trend towards small-scale living by moving into tiny homes.

One Twin Cities family has already taken up residence in a tiny house in the south metro area, while several Minnesota companies build pint-size dwellings. Soon, a tiny home community will launch north of the Twin Cities in Ogilvie, Minn.

Many who consider themselves part of the architectural and social movement define a tiny home as a structure less than 500 square feet, although a majority are much smaller, under 300 square feet and often on wheels. According to the 2010 Census figures the average square footage of single family home in the U. S. was 2,392 square feet.

People downsizing to a fraction of that space are motivated by financial freedom, sustainability, and energy efficiency.

"TINY KASL"

The Kasl family believes they are the first Minnesota family to take the teeny plunge, moving into a 207 square foot prairie cottage south of the Twin Cities. Their home, nicknamed the "Tiny Kasl" extends a few more feet when you add in a sleeping loft for the couple and their two children, Sully, 6, and Story, 5, plus their small dog, Brinkley.

"People often compare…that many square feet? That's as big as my closet!" said Kim Kasl.

The Kasls lived in a nearly 2,000 square foot home in Shakopee up until last fall. They had already been considering tiny homes when a sermon inspired them to take small steps.

"We had our mortgage and we were paying it fine, but we just felt we were constantly trying to keep up, maintain the property, and keep up with the mortgage. We didn't feel like we were able to give in the way we wanted to give," said Ryan Kasl.

First the family practiced living small by moving into their basement to see what they could live without. They parted with most of their belongings, then moved back into their upstairs part of their home to see if they could survive even less. Kim Kasl said she even tried living small in her kitchen by using half a sink.

"God started to really change our hearts towards minimalism and helped us view our stuff in a new way," said Kim Kasl. "We just said, 'we gotta pray for something big, something big is happening.'"

Something big came when the family was chosen to be a part of the first season of "Tiny House Nation" on the FYI Network. As part of the show, Kim Kasl's uncle built the home, as the crew helped the family adapt the cottage for a family of four. Features include plenty of storage, a wine barrel bathtub, composting toilet, wood burning stove, a kitchen that doubles as a craft and learning area for the kids, and a catwalk connecting two sleeping lofts.

"You have to be able to kind of let go, and at first that's challenging, but then there gets to be a point where that's really freeing and exciting," said Kim Kasl.

BUILDING BLOCKS

Excitement fuels a father-son team based in White Bear Lake as they gain worldwide interest in their custom tiny homes.

Jim Wilkins and his son Caleb Wilkins are behind Tiny Green Cabins, where Wilkins custom crafts 11 different tiny home models in great detail.

"It's a child, it's a child, that's the only way to describe it," he said.

Wilkins started the company in 2008 after the recession ended his construction job. As a lifelong carpenter, he started to build tiny homes while pursuing a new career in ministry, but along the way found tiny homes were his calling instead.

"Instead of the house owning you, you own the house so you can live small, live tiny, and yet you can run with the giants. You can take the vacations they take. Rather than have 300,000 going toward a mortgage," said Wilkins. "You live small to live large."

Wilkins built and lived in his own tiny home for two years and said the financial freedom allowed him a trip to Peru last year.

He's also modifying his business after learning tiny lessons living in his home, which was too narrow to comfortably sit in a chair or couch. He now tells customers one of the biggest adjustments to living in a tiny house is spatial awareness, and points to a woman who wanted to move her piano into her tiny home.

"She thought she could put in a grand piano in the great room. She had to rethink it once she got it and get a keyboard instead," said Wilkins.

Today, his diminutive designs have far reach. Tiny Green Cabins now fields worldwide interest as more people seek sustainable, non-toxic, and eye catching models , especially after one of his Victorian designs went viral. The Ravenlore was designed for a firefighter in Savannah, Ga. and caught global attention for its purple siding and pink trim. He said he is booked through the year and is talking to customers from as far as Israel and Australia. Most of his customers tend to be women.

"As they say with a tiny house, you had your one famous one, now let somebody else have one," he laughed.

Wilkins said options can be as little as $19,000 and as small as 64 square feet or decked out to six figures. His top creations cost $150,000 and are as large as 320 square feet. He's has found a niche in chemical-free homes for people with extreme sensitivities. Wilkins is also working on a design that could house people experiencing homelessness. In recent months, Madison, Wis. has gained national headlines as the Occupy Madison group built a tiny home village complete with community spaces for people who are currently homeless.

"I just love building small. I think it's sustainable and the way of the future for a lot of people," said Wilkins.

Learn more about his models here.

TINY TOGETHER

The same philosophy is embraced in Ogilvie, Minn. where Bill and Brenda Campbell own a hidden 80 acres a little over an hour north of the Twin Cities.

They call their beloved land "The Sanctuary Minnesota" and are launching a tiny home community.

"Our little motto is, come share in our solitude," said Bill Campbell.

The Campbells initially were bit by the "tiny bug" when they built a 240 square foot yoga and writing retreat for a friend. They used found and reclaimed items and kept the budget under $9,000 total, an experience so rewarding, the Campbells had another sizable idea.

They are launching a tiny home village, a community compromised of six to ten tiny homes, with shared community space. Residents would have access to the Campbell's lodge and event center.

"We still want the balance of people in tiny houses with the nature, said Brenda Campbell.

Lots would be private and surrounded by nature. Residents who own their own tiny homes would pay $300 a month for a lot, discounted by $100 if they contribute to labor on the property. People also have the option to stay in a bunkhouse and build their own tiny homes on the property, paying $400 a month, discounted to $300 again if they contribute to helping out the community.

"Living simply, trying to be debt free and work together to be that way," said the couple. "We are trying to keep the rent low and even lower if they want to help out."

The Campbells will host a tiny home workshop over the Fourth of July weekend. From July 1 through July 5, 2015 people have the opportunity to learn from tiny house pioneer Jay Shafer, tiny house consultant B.A. Norrgard, and Daniel Bell, who does tiny home construction. People who sign up receive a $200 discount until May 15.

"MINI-SOTA"

Only a few Minnesota cities have taken steps to recognize tiny home as the legal landscape for these dwellings is largely uncharted.

"We did not go tiny, but we went small," said Mark Ostgarden, Brainerd City Planner.

In June of 2014, the city of Brainerd passed a law allowing structures of 500 square feet or less, basically the size of a small apartment. The city says the tiny structures cannot be on wheels but must be on a foundation.

In December of 2014, the city of Minneapolis passed a zoning amendment allowing accessory dwelling units on citywide lots. In Minneapolis, a dwelling unit can be as small as 500 square feet or as small as 300 square feet for an efficiency. The City of Minneapolis said also cannot be on wheels. All homes must have a foundation or footings that are compliant with the building code.

The City of St. Paul points out while the city is aware of this movement in pockets around the country and is open to considering how tiny homes might be useful from a city planning perspective, the city focuses its homelessness efforts on the renovation of the Dorothy Day Center. To date, no one has tried to move a tiny home into St. Paul city limits, where the minimum building size for a single family dwelling and duplex is 22 feet by 22 feet, or 484 square feet.

Other area companies building tiny homes include St. Paul's Alchemy Architects, a company launching weeHouse.

The owners of Canoe Bay resort in Chetek, Wis. have launched ESCAPE homes.

It's estimated several hundred people live in tiny homes across the United States, but it's a number hard to estimate as many people prefer to live off the grid and off the beaten path. However, a tiny house map website attempts to track the trend geographically.

TEENY ADJUSTMENTS

Six months in, the Kasls have already survived their first Minnesota winter in their home and came through with more perspective, believing their home now reflects their true values. Kim Kasl can now stay home and homeschool their two children, while Ryan Kasl works as a special education teacher. They are now searching for land as Ryan Kasl expected to land a new position in another district. The family says the move has allowed them to comfortably live on one income.

"People think of minimalism as kind of an extreme but I almost feel the extreme is, we have kind of turned excess into a norm and maybe that's the extreme, because I don't feel like what we are doing is extreme, it feels very easy, and normal," said Kasl. "There's a happiness here."

Follow the Kasl's journey on Kim Kasl's blog, Bless This Tiny House.

The Twin Cities will also be home to another tiny home workshop June 6-7 at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott at 2020 American Boulevard East in Bloomington. The Dream Big Live Tiny workshop will be hosted by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.

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