Terry Lantrip bought a North Texas farmhouse on an acre of land in Lake Dallas, a small settlement of approximately 7,000 inhabitants on the shores of Lewisville Lake, in 2002. Lantrip, the creator of Urban-Retro and a mom-and-pop real-estate investor, initially had no plans for the huge property other than holding it as a real-estate investment.
The previous owners’ contingency limited his ability to develop the site.”The family I bought the property from asked that I not take down the house and its trees,” Lantrip, 61, explained to Insider, adding that he felt “stuck.” Lantrip’s perspective changed drastically years after the purchase. He went to the annual Earth Day event in Dallas in 2016. He came across a variety of tiny residences – non-mortgaged houses or cabins that are typically less than 600 square feet.
Lantrip had an epiphany after seeing their design and affordability: he could build a tiny home community on his Lake Dallas property without demolishing the farmhouse or damaging the surrounding vegetation.Lantrip proposed the concept to Lake Dallas city officials six months later. They remained unfazed. “The city didn’t really understand the concept and was afraid to do anything,” Lantrip explained. “But I knew we had to make it happen.”
Lantrip worked with various members of the Dallas-Fort Worth and North Texas Tiny House Community to establish an infrastructure plan for the village. After “numerous hearings” with the city, the project was finally approved.Lantrip started working on the property in 2017. He developed a common washing area for his future inhabitants and installed new water, sewer, and drainage connections.
Lantrip was the property manager when the Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village ultimately opened in 2018. There are 13 rentable spots on the property where residents can park their non-RV tiny homes. Twelve of the village’s lots are currently inhabited, and a new tenant is on the way. There are about a dozen people on the waitlist for a seat in Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village.
Residents pay approximately $700 per month for the property and shared amenities such as a washing room, a fire pit, and a garden. Tiny houses are becoming more popular as Americans rethink the standards of homeownership and community. Because of the country’s scarcity of cheap single-family homes, they have become an appealing alternative to traditional housing.
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Tiny houses are now being employed as affordable housing alternatives in a number of places, including Chicago, Bridgeton, New Jersey, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.Lantrip stated that he thought about cost when designing his small home village because traditional “homeownership is becoming extremely difficult.”
“We have people here who feel that a regular home is almost unaffordable at this point,” he explained.
“I want people to be able to buy a home.” These are their houses, and they have actual value.”Lantrip stated that the tiny residences brought to the town by renters ranged in price from $50,000 to $125,000. While each resident’s house is unique, several were made by Indigo River Tiny Homes or Decathlon Tiny Homes. Each residence must be no wider than 8 12 feet, no longer than 40 feet, and no taller than 13 12 feet to be allowed for the community.
According to Lantrip, they must also be examined by the National Organization of Alternative Housing or a Texas-certified inspector. Residents of the town include writers, teachers, and healthcare workers from a variety of backgrounds, according to Lantrip. They all watch out for one another, despite their differences. “Being a small community, residents are able to get to know their neighbors and help each other out when needed,” Lantrip explained.
“There’s lots of socializing.” The village’s social aspect is intentional. Many people raise and share flowers, veggies, and fruits in the complex’s shared garden.”The Lake Dallas Tiny Home Village provides a nice, quiet, and safe environment for people,” Lantrip said, adding that the village has made the American ideal of homeownership more accessible to more people.