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Work Less, Live More

At WheelLife, we believe in living large with less

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Owning Your Land

When we build your tiny house on a foundation, you will need to purchase a piece of land through us or on your own. Depending on how big or small the land is, you can possibly get a great deal. Some cities will sell small vacant lots that are not suitable for normal size homes for a lot less.  If you ever need to sell your tiny home, the land would be included and leads us into the next benefit….

Your Property Will Appreciate In Value

By owning a piece of land and having us build a structure on it, the property will most likely appreciate in value. Unlike a tiny house on wheels, which may depreciate over the years, a home built on a foundation is always considered a solid investment based on the location of the real estate.  Since 2012, homes less than 1,200 square feet have appreciated nearly 7.5% a year.

Easier to Get a Loan

Many banks will not consider lending on a tiny house on wheels, since like most wheeled investments they may depreciate in value or deteriorate after years of use. Banks want to invest in the construction of homes that they can resell if the loan is not paid back.

The Benefits of Tiny Houses on Foundations

Choosing to build on a foundation is not only a preference for some people, but it comes with a number of benefits as well.  What can you look forward to?

Less Maintenance

Since people who build tiny homes on trailers are traveling frequently, the house will experience a lot of wear and tear. The wheels and trailer alone will require regular attention. None of this is an issue when building a home on a foundation. Instead, your areas of maintenance revolve more around taking care of your property such as mowing your lawn and trimming your bushes.

Use Traditional Utility Hookups

When you live in a tiny house on wheels, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems are based on RV style hookups and systems and can offer seasonal challenges depending on area climates. Building a tiny house on a foundation gives the buyer the option to tap into local and city utilities, so that you can have traditional plumbing, electricity, heating and air conditioning, cable and WiFi.

Structural Stability

One of the biggest advantages of tiny houses on foundation is long term structural stability. Whether you choose to build on a concrete slab, a crawl space, or a full basement, tiny houses on foundations are incredibly secure and stable for withstanding harsh weather and even natural disasters.

 
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Natalie Gregory of RealLife Homes sees micro homes as one of the answers to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky’s affordable housing problem.

RealLife Homes dream is to develop a “micro-village” of tiny houses on foundations in the Cincinnati market.

They will start in the $150s  – roughly $60,000 less than the average for new home construction in Hamilton County.

Tiny homes are popping up in dense cities across the country as young professional singles prioritize living in hip, walkable communities over spacious accommodations, according to nonprofit research firm Urban Land Institute.

Already, downtown Cincinnati apartment developers are building smaller units with more communal amenities to cater to singles.

Charlie Pond, VP of Construction of RealLife talks about their 700 square foot model and the organization’s latest strategy for dealing with the affordable housing crisis.

Pond is placing the first of hopefully 2 models on display in one of the city’s trendiest locales – The Wiedemann Hill neighborhood of Newport, on a vacant infill lot partially overlooking the Cincinnati skyline.

“Our goal is to help Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky discover tools to start replacing the affordable housing we’re losing to rentals,” Pond said. “You could put four or five of these on a normal size lot.”

Tiny homes have been popularized on shows like HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters where creative design elements are used to get the most out of the space.

Cincinnati’s development boom has caused new home prices to nearly double in the past six years, when the average new home price jumped from $140,000 to $260,000.

Meanwhile, low-income residents have been pushed farther from the city’s core in search of a fast-dwindling supply of affordable housing.

Luxury tiny homes aren’t a solution to the affordable housing crisis for extremely low-income residents, but they could deliver more options in the workforce housing market.

At about $150,000 each, they could also make home ownership a reality for many people who can’t afford new construction or are stuck renting now, Pond said.

Cutting edge design elements are used to maximize the minimal spaces. Broad expanses of glass, lofty vaulted ceilings, and multiple outdoor spaces are critical components of the most popular tiny houses. Architectural series cabinets and doors, faux wood floors, stainless steel appliances, and quartz or granite countertops all combine for a luxurious finish.

RealLife knows the nation’s growing number of single-person households, also fueled by a rising senior population, is encouraging developers to invest in tinier apartments and houses.

“Millennials particularly are very serious about reducing their carbon footprint and they don’t really care about big houses,” Pond said. “The city has a lot of small lots where you could put these.”

Even smaller micro-apartments less than 400 square feet are popular in dense cities like New York, San Francisco, Austin, and Chicago. High-priced housing markets are the epicenter of this trend. Developers say higher land and construction costs in popular areas prevents them from building affordable housing.  “A lot of people are coming from big, hectic cities and like the idea of living in a smaller community,” Pond said.

Like many midsized cities, Cincinnati’s rising housing costs have displaced tens of thousands of low-income residents from the downtown core in recent years, according to Metro reports. There’s unbelievable demand for affordable housing. Cincinnati Affordable Housing has about 400 people on their waiting list and they don’t have that much turnover. To help quell the problem, RealLife is working on plans to bring micro-home communities to Cincinnati/NKY on a large scale.

With over 12 years of commercial real estate experience, Natalie brings a proven record of accomplishment in planning and leading comprehensive marketing strategies in support of business goals and objectives as it relates to real estate.  With an expertise in the creation of marketing initiatives, tools and identifying and measuring target markets, Natalie runs the day-to-day operations of WheelLife Homes at our model home, including all interior design planning, marketing, advertising and business development.  With a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, Natalie is also a licensed Realtor.

Natalie Gregory

Charlie Pond has over 17 years of experience in the development and construction industry, managing all phases of development and construction for industrial, office, medical, and retail projects.  His roles have included site selection, due diligence, feasibility analyses, client representation, design, value engineering, bidding, and construction phases.  Charlie has led the development and redevelopment
of over $200 million of land and building value, along with over $25 million of LEED certified projects.
From a construction standpoint, Charlie has extensive experience in managing the entire design and construction process, from initial design development, value engineering, estimating, and bidding, continuing through the construction scheduling, safety, quality and budget management, and extending to the closeout, warranty, and beyond.  A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Charlie holds his Masters degree in Civil Engineering.

Charlie Pond

Hap Pendleton is the principal of Pendleton & Sears Architects (PSA). Hap is a graduate of the prestigious University of Cincinnati School of Architecture and has provided architectural design and planning services.
Hap is talented both as a creative architectural designer as well as a comprehensive architectural planner, serving clients both in the tri-state area and nationally. His impressive client list covers a broad spectrum of commercial building projects, from medical facilities, governmental agencies, restaurants, churches, realty offices, shopping centers and a variety of small businesses.  Hap is the architect for all WheelLife Home designs.

Hap Pendleton
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With the ever growing desire of always wanting more, we strive to redefine “Luxury” by encouraging the act of learning to want less of what you don’t need so you can better enjoy what you have.

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