I Built the First Tiny Home in My Mountain Town

Christy McPherson describes Hailey, Idaho, as her little slice of heaven. She loves her life there. She owns a three-bedroom house on the outskirts of town and a small accounting business on Hailey’s Main Street, but it doesn’t come cheap.

In the last four years alone, an influx of the wealthy elite has driven housing prices in Hailey up nearly 50 percent, creating an affordable housing crisis. People like teachers and police officers can no longer afford to live in the community where they work. Christy was searching for a way to help others who were struggling to find an affordable place to live, when she got an idea to build an ADU in her backyard, live in it and rent out her house to a local family at a reduced rate. The solution: Snake River Tiny Homes.

Her new home was delivered on wheels and anchored into place for long-term use, but it’s also totally portable, giving her flexibility for the future. A young couple, both of whom work in town, and their daughter are now renting her main house at a rate that’s reasonable for them. Christy acknowledges her ADU journey is just a small step in a bigger housing problem, but she hopes that others in town will follow her tiny home example.

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[heidibarrett]

Bravo Christy & all those who support your vision & efforts!

[bkof]

The house seems pricey, but I really like the layout of the house, and Christy seems so genuinely kind and thoughtful. Good luck for your future.

[joyannesloan]

To my way of thinking that is just an insane amount of money to pay for utility hookups. Spending over $200, 000 for a cute house that is so small that it doesn't have a living room just doesn't equate in my mind. At the end of the day my opinion doesn't matter as much as the fact that she is happy with her decision.

[alinapatricia]

So, you bought a house in 2001 for almost $150K (cheap really), you're a CPA, and you're still paying mortgage for the house 23 years later? It doesn't sound right. Be honest.

[tahnibobonnie]

Those stairs to the loft are going to wind up on a “death stairs” Facebook group.

[seascape]

Yes but her house wouldn’t sell for 600k . The homes in that price range were much bigger and newer.