The company behind these luxurious hurricane-proof prefab tiny homes is seeing a boom in sales — see inside its most popular $150,000 unit

Tue, 03/07/2023 - 05:00

Tech Insider

• Utah-based Wheelhaus is building luxurious prefab tiny homes on wheels starting at almost $150,000.
• The company has seen a rise in sales as people seek out ADUs and more affordable homes.
• Take a look around its most popular unit, the 400-square-foot Wedge.

Amid a fraught housing market and rising mortgage rates, one nontraditional home builder has come out a winner with rising sales: Wheelhaus.

Source: Insider

But don't except your typical two-bedroom, two-bathroom family homes.

The Utah-based company is building luxurious prefab tiny homes on wheels starting at almost $150,000.

And according to its founder Jamie Mackay, these units have sparked the interest and pockets of both accessory dwelling unit (ADU) fans and buyers who are waiting to purchase larger homes.

Tiny home builders have seen plenty of success since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Wheelhaus isn't new to this growing market.

Mackay — who has a background in real estate and RV camps — founded the company in 2006 after realizing he could build homes atop platforms on wheels, similar to a tricked-out RV.

Wheelhaus' homes qualify as both recreational vehicles and modular homes, according to Mackay.

The company's first 20 builds were for Fireside Resort, a luxury camping site in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Since then, sales have taken off.

According to Mackay, his units have been "selling like crazy" to customers in the US and Canada.

"I always think there's a recession coming and then we're gonna sell less units," Mackay said. "But it seems like it just turns up the knob. Sales go up every year."

At first, Wheelhaus was building around 10 to 15 units a year. But in the last five years, interest has begun picking up.

Last year, Mackay said they delivered 175 units.

And in 2023, he predicts the company will produce between 225 to 250 tiny homes.

If it weren't for Wheelhaus' quality control, Mackay says the company could "sell as many units as he wanted."

These tiny homes were designed to withstand hurricane winds and heavy snow loads.

Source: Wheelhaus

Its general uses can be as creative as the owner.

These homes can go wherever RVs can go.

Some buyers are using them as a home gym or office. Others are using them as a guest house for the pesky in-laws they might not want in their larger home.

There's also the option to use them as a short-term vacation home on another property.

No matter the use, Wheelhaus' insulated builds all share several attributes: small square footage, high ceilings, eight-foot-tall doors, and large windows.

Source: Wheelhaus

The company currently has several models ranging from $149,500 to $174,000.

Source: Wheelhaus

According to Mackay, the 400-square-foot Wedge is its best seller.

Let's take a look around this $149,500 tiny home on wheels.

Wheelhaus' built-to-order homes were designed to have the comforts of a larger house within a smaller square footage.

The 10-foot-wide Wedge is no exception.

Its 17-foot-tall ceilings and long rows of windows, including a glass sliding door, flood the tiny home with natural light.

When you first step through the front door, you're immediately greeted by the living room and kitchen.

The latter comes with appliances like a refrigerator and freezer, microwave, and dishwasher.

The bathroom — furnished like any typical home bathroom — is just behind the kitchen.

The bedroom, which has enough space for a king bed, is then at the end of the 38-foot-long home.

There's even space for a washer and dryer here as well.

Source: Wheelhaus

To sleep up to four people, a pull-out couch can be added in the living room.

Buyers can customize certain features of the home, such as the color and flooring.

For those who don't need the home to be mounted on wheels, the units can be moved onto a foundation instead.

But they all come with wheels as the home has to be towed by a truck to its buyer.

After delivery, the unit needs to be hooked up to utilities, leveled out, and finished with a skirt before the owners can move in.

Wheelhaus' manufacturing site is currently in Utah.

But in the next two years, Mackay says it'll build another factory to further service the East Coast, maybe in Atlanta.

And within the next few years, Wheelhaus will likely roll out two larger tiny homes for the "naysayers" of tiny living, Mackay said.

And if the industry pans out the way he hopes it will, the new factory and models could be a great investment.

He believes this tiny home trend is "guaranteed" to continue upwards over the next few years.

Read the original article on Business Insider

Tags

Real Estate, Wheelhaus, tiny home, prefab home, Business Visual Features, Luxury real estate

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