AT AN OPEN house this past spring, guests enjoy inspecting and learning about a tiny home built by
Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center students.
Photo courtesy of Homes First VT

ADDISON COUNTY — Hundreds of Vermonters are in desperate need of permanent housing and have been for a long time.

“Saying it’s been a challenge to find housing would be an understatement. I’ve been in Vermont for about 13 years and we’ve moved 15 or 16 times,” Kate Bentley told the Independent in August.

The Bristol resident is one of many Vermonters who has been affected by the housing crisis.

Frustrated by being in a constant state of limbo and at the mercy of landlords and the prospect of eviction, Bentley sought a more permanent and affordable solution for her problem: a tiny house. Tiny houses, an idea that has gained traction over the last few years amid rising costs of homeownership, is a small, stick-built mobile home that is typically smaller than 500 square feet.

The tiny house idea came about locally after a group of community members founded an organization called Home First VT in an attempt to address the issue on a grassroots level. Members include Mary Simons, Andrea Galiano, Ingrid Pixley, Jean Terwilliger, Nick Cantrick and Dutton Smith.

“It’s just sad to know that people in your community don’t have access to housing, shelter, and just the comfort and safety of having your own home. If you care enough, you’ll figure out a way to help,” Simons said.

Once they decided that tiny homes were a viable solution, Cantrick, a Construction Technology Instructor at Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center, assigned building tiny houses as a project to his students. After two school years, the first house was complete this past school year.

“The students loved it because it was a meaningful way to practice their skills. It’s one thing to build something for a class just to build it, but it’s another to know that what you did changed someone’s life. Some students even volunteered time on the weekends to build the house,” Simons said.

This first tiny home was designed by local architects Jean Terwilliger and Shelly Pottorf. It was built on a trailer as a traditional tiny house. Once the home is situated at its permanent site, the wheels will be removed and the home will be connected to a cement foundation.

Dimensions of first home was 30 feet long by 8.5-feet wide by 13 feet high. This size was determined by highway regulations, in order to move this to its permanent site.

Upon completion, Home First found five serious potential buyers. Various obstacles that buyers encountered prolonged the process of closing the deal. The most common barriers were finding land and financing. As of a month ago, Home First was in the process of finalizing the sale to a local 75-year-old woman who hoped to situate the house on her daughter’s property.

“The hardest thing right now, other than finding people with money for the project, is finding land and places we can do septic and other things you need to place a house,” Simons said.

HANNAFORD CAREER CENTER students who learned practical carpentry skills proudly show off the
tiny house they were helping build.
Photo courtesy of Homes First VT

The team hopes to begin Bentley’s tiny house soon and estimates it will take about two school years to complete. While student labor is instrumental to the process, the team is seeking other volunteers to work on weekends to speed up the building process. The team also hopes to attract local partners to help find land for future builds.

“We are looking for people with land and who are interested in building an accessory dwelling unit on their property. We will do the labor of building the house and only charge material cost. They’ll take on a more landlord role once the property is finished,” Simmons said. “We’re also looking for more volunteers. We value carpentry skills, but we can really truly find something for anyone who wants to help.”

For those in need of housing, a solution can’t come soon enough.

“I don’t know what it’s like to not have to think about housing. Will my rent increase? Would I be able to afford it? Do I need to get a second job? It’s in the back of my mind every day,” Bentley said.

Look for more information online at homesfirstvt.org.

About Home First VT

Homes First is a grassroots, no-profit, all-volunteer collaboration between individuals who believe that housing is a basic human need, and that our responsibility in being good neighbors is doing our best in helping to find secure housing for all members of our community.

Specifically, the 501c3 organization seeks to provide economically and environmentally sustainable, “right sized” homes to Addison County residents that are designed and funded, fully or in large part, by the community that resides alongside them. Home First participants are a cohort of community members who cultivate partnerships in order to fund, build and site right-sized, single-occupancy homes for those who cannot afford market rates, so that we all may live in Addison County.

Members are motivated by community, not profit. This is not paid work for any participants.