This is such a complicated subject that we devoted a whole class to it during IRTH University. In the class we cover all types of tiny homes. You can register for that class or the whole series here. Once you register you'll have instant access to the video(s):

Below you'll find particulars about parking a home build by Indigo River:

The short answer for homes on wheels or on foundation:

You can park one of our Tiny Homes on Wheels (THOWs) anywhere you can park an RV or "travel trailer."

New parking places for rent are opening up every month as cities and RV parks become more tiny house friendly.

Parking in the Dallas/Fort Worth area: A local Tiny Home Enthusiast has put together a map of Tiny House Villages and Tiny House friendly RV parks in & around the metroplex.

Find the map at this site: www.dfwtiny.com and consider purchasing some of her Tiny Living merchandise to support the website maintenance!

Tiny Homes on a Foundation:

Indigo River can build a tiny home that is delivered on skids and placed on a prepared foundation on your property. Check the local zoning restrictions for your property (consult a Realtor or Lawyer for assistance reading & interpreting the zoning for your property) and then Contact Us to discuss your project.

The long answer for homes on wheels: Indigo River's Tiny Homes on Wheels are legally considered Travel Trailers with a VIN and license tag, so they fall into the Travel Trailer category for parking laws.

In Texas, the laws are such that you can generally live fulltime in Tiny Homes on Wheels on any private property that is outside of city limits.

(As well as the above spots for rent in existing Tiny House or RV developments.)

Inside the city limits in Texas you may generally park your THOW on your property and use it as a guest house or office as long as nobody is living in it full time.

(Check your local ordinances & any homeowners' associations to be sure. This information should NOT be considered legal advice.)

Despite these restrictions some THOW owners are parking in back yards "under the radar" as long as their neighbors are amenable or their back yard is private enough.

Exceptions to these rules are cities like Austin and the city of Lake Dallas (a suburb of Dallas). These municipalities have changed their laws to allow full-time living in Tiny Homes on Wheels inside the city limits. More TX cities are looking at this option, so we expect this list of cities to grow.

Other cities across the US (like Los Angeles & many towns in California) are also slowly revising their laws to allow for THOWs so we recommend reading the zoning laws for your property or consulting a realtor to help determine the legal status of Tiny Home Dwelling for any property you are considering purchasing.

For more private parking options & grass roots organizing of real-estate co-ops, join your local Tiny House networking groups to get the latest crowd-sourced information on the topic and join with other Tiny Homeowners to create parking spaces and petition your local government to change restrictions.

The DFW networking groups we recommend are:

DFW Tiny House Community on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DFWTinyHouseGroup

and

DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts on MeetUp.com

https://www.meetup.com/DFW-Tiny-House-Enthusiasts/

For THOW parking resources across the U.S. this is a great article full of links:

https://www.treehugger.com/where-to-park-tiny-house-4858770

In Person: Indigo River builds custom homes in Athens, TX. We are a small, family-run business so we don't have a huge inventory of models like the large factories.

On average, we will have 3 - 4 homes on-site with 1 - 2 homes in various stages of construction that visitors can tour to get a feel for the quality of our work. Often we have move-in-ready homes on site that are FOR SALE by owner. Sometimes these were built by Indigo River & sometimes they were built by other reputable builders:

You are welcome to make an appointment at your convenience to stop by our Athens, TX location to view the home(s) we are working on before they are delivered to the homeowner.

Click on our CONTACT page to schedule a visit to Indigo River.

Call, text or email & we'll get you on our calendar ASAP!

Virtual Tours:

Indigo River's homes on YouTube:

Our online Portfolio of Tiny Homes:

We build high-quality, custom homes that can be NOAH certified to "ANSI A119.5 Plus" standards. We build to a higher standard than what RVIA requires, so our homes can be certified by NOAH (National Organization of Alternative Housing). All of our homes are built to this higher standard (ANSI A119.5 - the American National Standards Institute Building Codes) + NOAH's additional standards. If you want to add the NOAH seal to your build, there is an additional fee for the inspection process that NOAH will perform on your home.

We recommend NOAH Certification as it increases your options on where you can place your Tiny Home and also helps to maintain a higher resale value for your home if you decide to sell it. NOAH will inspect your home at 5 different stages of construction and will keep videos of the inspections on file on their website. Potential buyers can view these video inspections to see the high quality of the build and to verify that everything was built to NOAH's high standards.

NOAH also certifies Tiny House Shells

(RVIA will not certify a partial build.)

For a shell, NOAH will perform some of the inspections with Indigo River during our portion of the build. Once you take over construction, you will contact NOAH to perform the remaining inspections at your location.

More info on NOAH's website:

Indigo River's homes on wheels are built like "regular homes” PLUS they have additional structural reinforcements so they hold up to the stress of being moved. They have normal home finishes so they hold up to the wear & tear that comes with daily living better than other Tiny options. The interiors, exteriors & the trailers of our homes are built to last much longer than a typical RV Travel Trailer or Factory Built "Park Model." Our homes are built to be moved as often as you like and we build on one of the best Tiny House Trailer designs in the business.

RVs are made for occasional weekend use like camping, hunting & vacations. They are built to be moved often, but they are not made to be lived in full time, so the interior will deteriorate more quickly with everyday usage. The exterior prioritizes light weight - mobility above durability. There's a reason you often see RVs with tarps or carports over them. Similarly the trailer of an RV is very light weight.

Factory Built Park Models are usually built like "single wide" mobile homes you would see in a "trailer park." The materials & building practices used in these homes are lower quality and not as structurally sound. They are built to be moved only once during the lifetime of the home - from the factory to your land.

They are also built on single wide mobile home trailers with "single use axles." These axles are often not rated for the full weight of the home. These homes are made to stay put once the home is placed - not made for the wear and tear of traveling.

This is why these homes often have a large porch. This brings the interior square footage down to 399 sq. ft. (Under 400 air conditioned sq. ft. is the legal definition of a tiny home.)

With very few exceptions, the factory built (assembly line) homes have interiors, exteriors & trailers that prioritize profit margins for the company rather than quality, durability or longevity.

Indigo River Homes:

In contrast Indigo River builds on the highest quality, most heavy duty, structurally reinforced, custom tiny house trailers available in the U.S.

We use the strongest building materials & longest lasting construction practices known in the building sciences to build a home on the heavy duty trailer foundation.

Our homes are craftsman quality & custom built to order so the price reflects the durability, longevity & one of a kind nature of our product.

If you're planning to move more often than once a year, we recommend upgrading to our Structural Insulated Panels which provide the sturdiest structures available with current technology.

We NEVER sacrifice quality by rushing the process or cutting corners on materials.

The hyperinflation of building materials is an unfortunate side effect of world events, but we will continue to use high-quality, long-lasting components even if they cost more.

ESTIMATES for a custom Tiny Home or DIY Shell:

Click on the link below to choose from our most popular sizes, floor plans & customizations. We will email you an estimate for a Move-In-Ready Home plus a document that includes "Everything you need to know about building with Indigo River."

Click here to see pricing for a Tiny House Shell that you complete yourself:

On these forms you can request a Free Phone Consult with a Tiny Home Specialist or a Design Appointment with Indigo River's Lead Builder & Designer.

If you check one of these boxes under NEXT STEPS, we will get back with you to schedule your consultation.

After submitting the above forms, you will also receive a document titled "Everything you need to know about building with Indigo River." Please check spam if you don't see this email in your inbox within a few minutes of clicking submit.

**We are NOT a manufactured home factory building "single wide" tiny homes with smaller interiors & a big porch. We do NOT use mobile home quality materials or mobile home building practices that are common with factory-built homes. We can build Park Model RVs that size & style, but we will build with a higher quality trailer & better materials, so it will cost more but it will last longer. Our Park Model RVs can also be moved many times during the life of the home - unlike factory built homes.

With all things considered in our current world we do NOT expect to see materials prices going down significantly any time soon.

Unfortunately costs just keep rising, so if you wait to place your tiny home order, the price is more likely to be higher rather than lower.

Even when lumber prices take a dip, other materials like steel or windows are still going up so overall home prices are continuing to go up each month.

Hyper-inflation isn't skipping over the tiny home construction industry. We've seen some materials increase by 300%-500%!

Historically speaking the inflation we've see during similar economic crises does not return to pre-crisis levels.

We hope & pray that we are wrong about this, but at the moment, we expect the current inflation to follow historical trends and continue to increase.

We currently know of several lenders approving Tiny Home loans. You can get more information and apply online by clicking on the FINANCING tab of our website.

The Financing Page also has tips for approaching your favorite bank or credit union about a Tiny House Loan. And there is a link to our class Financial Prep for Tiny Home Ownership.

YES! We offer a fully custom experience from the beginning of the design process to the completion of your build.

We have standard features that are included in our base prices:

Each home we design reflects the lifestyle & unique needs of its owner as well as their aesthetic tastes & values.

You can begin the process of designing your home with Indigo River by clicking here:

For a more personalized floor plan and quote, you can make a design appointment with Peter, our Lead Designer, Builder & Indigo River's Founder.

Peter will design for your personal priorities & lifestyle, balanced with important structural & technical considerations as well as meeting code requirements. This ensures your home designs will maximize ideal function as well as durability.

It's $1250 for the Design Consult and the resulting custom Tiny House Plans. *You can take the plans to another builder, DIY the build, or, if you decide to build with Indigo River, we will deduct the design fees already paid from your overall home price.

The initial meeting (over Zoom or at our location in Athens) usually lasts about 1.5 - 2 hours. You will receive your floor plan at the end of your appointment & you'll have a few days to "sleep on it" before submitting your first round of revisions.

Next you'll receive the revised 2D Floor Plans & after the 2nd round of revisions, we will deliver 3D Elevations of the interior & exterior of your Tiny Home.

Once those are approved, Peter will work on your personalized budget for IRTH to build your home with all of the features and finishes you chose during this process.

To get on Peter's schedule please fill out the Tiny Home Planning Tool and select Schedule a Floor Plan Design Appointment under NEXT STEPS.

If you already have some plans that you would like for us to build, Contact Us to begin discussing your project.

We can build most Tiny Home designs that folks bring us from the internet. Sometimes modifications are required if the home was designed in/for another country's codes & requirements.

YES! Here are some homes we've built that fit that criteria:

Pioneer Floor Plans:

These all have the master bedroom on the main floor. Some have optional storage lofts, but those are easy to remove if you want us to build something similar with zero climbing.

Bunkhouse Floor Plan: The Bunkhouse is designed for families that need 3 - 4 distinct bedrooms. Often in the Bunkhouse it's one of the secondary bedrooms that is downstairs, but it can be made bigger if you'd rather make it the Master. We've designed dozens of Bunkhouses and built a few that you'll see at the following link. Just remember that there are many creative ways to use the Bunkhouse layout to customize a downstairs bedroom or dedicated office space.

IndigoGo! Floor Plan:

The IndigoGo! was designed to be our most mobile unit. It's only 10' - 11' tall (as opposed to 13.5' tall on our standard designs) so the layout is always all-one-level. The IndigoGo! pictured at the link is 24' long & it goes up to 40' long!

We are a custom builder so we can build you a home of any size! (Keep scrolling for size parameters on Tiny Homes on Wheels) For a Small Home delivered & placed permanently on your prepared foundation, contact us to discuss your project and the size you are needing to fit your space. Click for more info on building a Tiny Home on Foundation or Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU).

For Tiny Homes on Wheels the sizes are as follows.

Width:

Maximum width is 14 feet and here are the specifics about different widths:

Tiny Home RVs are 8'6" wide. (Legally considered a Travel Trailer for both tax & moving purposes)

Park Model Tiny Homes intended to move more often will be 10'4" wide for easier towing & fewer "oversized load" regulations & costs. For example there is no pilot car required for this width. Park Model Tiny Homes that will mostly stay put can go up to 14' wide.

Length: Our homes generally come in 4' increments from 12' up to 44' long.

Common sizes for a Bumper-pull Trailer are: 12' 16' 20' 24' 28' 32' 36' or 40' long. We can also add bump-outs to extend the length by a couple of feet on each end.

If you really need an odd length, we can price that for you after your Floor Plan Design Consult. If you want a larger porch attached to a bumper-pull home, the trailer can be longer as long as the interior of the home is under 400 square feet. You can also upgrade to a Gooseneck Trailer extension on the 20' - 36' long base which adds 7' - 8' to each bumper-pull length above, so generally the maximum length that we build for a Gooseneck Tiny Home is 44' - 48'

Height:

Generally we build to 13.5' tall (measured from the ground to the roof's peak) to maximize interior height and still be road-legal.

If your home will be mostly stationary, we can go up to 14' exterior height to maximize interior ceiling height. (Special routes & permits may be required.) Our IndigoGo! Model is built for more frequent travel so it is a bit shorter at 10.5' to 11' exterior height.

Yes we offer Do It Yourself Shells.

To see the shell sizes, options & prices click here:

Currently, a move-in-ready home is estimated to take 9-12 months from the down payment to completion.

A shell could be completed in 7-9 months depending on the level of finish out you desire.

Once you make your down payment we will order your custom built Tiny House Trailer which takes 6-10 weeks to be built and delivered. While we are waiting for your trailer we will finalize your 3D elevations & materials schedule so we can order your windows, doors and other custom components of your home.

When your trailer foundation arrives we will begin building the basic structure of the home: framing, sheathing, roofing, siding, insulation, sub­ floor, plumbing & electrical lines, etc. We will complete as much as possible while we wait for the windows to arrive and once they are installed we can then complete the exterior trim and get the home “dried in" and painted.

Next we will turn to the interior: Framing out the floor plan (if it wasn't done while we were waiting on windows) and installing wall boards and flooring. We always paint the bathroom to seal against water damage and if you ordered more interior paint we will get started on that as well. The bathroom & kitchen components will be installed including custom cabinetry built specifically to fit your home. More paint usually follows and then we will install the lights, switches and electrical outlets. We will continue to work on the final details and finishing touches including thorough systems testing so everything is operational and ready for delivery.

Throughout this entire process, Indigo River will provide you with regular updates including photos of the build showing the progress made. If you are in Texas you can also stop by periodically to walk through the home to see the progress and discuss any concerns with our team.

Sometimes we do “video call walk-throughs” for our out-of-town customers if we are needing to touch base on the project.

Once your home is complete we will meet with you to walk through it together, go over our delivery checklist & maintenance instructions, and sign any necessary paperwork. Although this CAN be done remotely for out-of-town customers, we highly recommend that you come to Athens for this final walk-through if at all possible.

Indigo River works very hard to stay on schedule, but sometimes the build is delayed by circumstances beyond our control.

In some cases we can be flexible and substitute materials or create work-arounds, but we WILL NOT sacrifice quality in order to meet a deadline. If we have to wait a few extra weeks for the right materials to finish your home, we know that is a small, short-term price to pay for the long-term benefits of doing the job right the first time.

Our #1 goal is to build the highest quality tiny home on wheels in the industry and to deliver a sound & durable product to you that will keep you safe & comfortable for many decades to come.

We promise the wait will be worth it!

We recommend that you first check the towing capacity of your vehicle to see how much weight it can handle. With that in mind a standard pickup like an F150 or C1500 might be able to pull a 16' trailer but it would have a hard time pulling a 20' trailer, even if it says it can handle the towing capacity. Don't forget, these things have a lot of surface area and therefore wind resistance. We highly recommend you use a diesel 3/4 ton truck (F250, C2500, or the equivalent) to pull our 20' & 24' houses. You'll probably want to upgrade to a 1 ton truck (F350, C3500, or equivalent) for the 28' & 32' models.

Yes - Delivery is always available to all 50 US States or Sea Ports.

Indigo River can sometimes deliver a home within 50-100 miles of our location in Athens, TX for an additional charge. (Depends on driver availability at the time your home is finished.) For anchoring & skirting, contact a mobile home company local to the placement of your new home. For longer trips we have information on some long-haul companies + more helpful info on Transporting a Tiny Home at the following link:

We can build a Tiny Home in our shop and deliver it to your property on skids. There it can be placed on your prepared foundation and connected to on-site utilities or set up for off-grid operation.

The costs for on-site building as well as construction time-lines have risen along with everything else lately, so generally a home on wheels or a tiny home delivered on skids will be more cost effective and take less time from order to completion. There are many "modular units" out there that can be delivered and set up on your property. Indigo River builds craftsman quality homes, so if you want a custom home with high-grade materials & finishes that will last for many decades to come, Indigo River can help! Building in our shop & delivering the home on skids generally saves $10,000 to $20,000 on the over-all price of our homes since we don't have to purchase a custom Tiny Home Trailer. However, depending on your property, you could spend $4000 - $50,000 on preparing the foundation to accept your Tiny Home. If you need assistance with site prep, we offer various levels of support from phone and email consults to help you find & vet local contractors, or if your property is within 25 miles of our workshop, we can offer on-site assistance as well. (Our shop is located in Athens, TX)

If the site prep or bringing utilities to the property proves to be too expensive or daunting, you can opt for one of our homes on wheels - built with off-grid capabilities if necessary - and do things like take the wheels off or build a deck around the home which hides the wheels perfectly and makes it look like a permanent cottage, cabin or pool house.

Our standard utilities are "RV Hook Ups" with a 50 amp electrical connection and RV style fresh, black and gray water connections. This is usually the least expensive way to tie a tiny home into existing utilites at the property.

Off-grid capabilities can be added to our homes as an upgrade.

Yes. Off-Grid options such as solar power, rain catchment, holding tanks & alternative toilets are available as an upgrade.**

Our standard homes are designed to be grid-tied. They come with a 50-Amp RV power connection, RV type fresh water connection, and an RV sewer line connection.

**You can purchase an Indigo River home with the standard utilities & upgrade to off-grid features later.

Click below to view the list of Standard Features on all of our Move-In-Ready Homes

We are a fully custom home builder so we can upgrade anything on the list and discuss your customizations during a phone consult or a design appointment.

We have a saying in Texas that can help you prepare for the festival: "If you don't like the weather right now, wait 5 minutes." 🤠 From WeatherSpark.com: "On May 6, the temperature in Dallas typically ranges from 64°F to 79°F and is rarely below 54°F or above 88°F."

Our venue has 3 huge, open air pavilions for plenty of shade and cross-ventilation if it gets hot mid-day. Many of the Tiny Homes will have air conditioning as well. In North Texas the first weekend of May is usually beautiful & mild with the Spring rain behind us. If it does rain, any showers should be scattered & brief. The stages & vendors booths will be inside the pavilions so they will have good protection from any showers that might develop.

The tiny homes are just steps away from the pavilions, so it's easy to take cover & listen to music or speakers while the rain passes. Or check out the vendors' booths until the shower is over. Chances are good it will be windy out at the Ranch on the first weekend of May.

Southfork is a great venue because whatever the weather ends up being, we have plenty of shelter & shade to ensure everyone has a pleasant experience, and we also get to enjoy the open-air & grass under your feet feeling of an outdoor festival!

Our event will be in the "Trade Days" area of Southfork Ranch which has 3 extra-large pavilions. These are "open air" structures so they offer plenty of shade & ventilation on a hot day and protection from wind & rain if the weather turns. There will be picnic tables & straw bales to sit in the shade & enjoy the speakers & musicians and partake in the offerings from the festival food trucks. The Tiny Homes & Skoolies will be in the open air just steps away from the pavilions. The walking surface around the Tiny Homes is flat & grassy. The pavilions have concrete floors.

Port-a-potties with handicapped accessible options & hand washing stations will be available across the venue.

We have over 15 Tiny Homes & Travel Homes lined up for the show so far plus dozens of Vendors, Tiny Home Village Representatives & Industry Experts!

As builders & tiny homeowners make the commitment to bring a home, we are adding their logos & photos to the website as fast as we can. You can also sign up for email notifications about the Festival & other Tiny Home Tours on our homepage. Here's the running list of Festival Contributors + Speakers Stage & Music Hall links:

Yes! We still have spaces available to showcase (or sell) your rig & promote your offerings. Southfork is HUGE so we will have space for last minute sign-ups. Show participants can camp in their homes during the show (Friday - Monday).

Click the link to fill out the interest form and we will get back with you ASAP! (Check your spam folder incase our email goes there.)

Yes - if you are an approved Contributor to the Festival. Southfork is HUGE so we will have space for last minute sign-ups. Click here to apply:

For the best pricing: Purchase your tickets on our website before the show. Tickets are also available on Eventbrite but the fees are slightly higher there.

Tickets will also be sold at the front gate of the festival. Cash price at the door will be: $10 Single Day Pass

$20 Weekend Pass

Digital transactions will be slightly higher with processing fees.

You will receive an email with your passes attached.

Print the email or flag it so you can pull it up on your phone at the gate for scanning. (We'll need the barcode portion of your ticket.) If you lose your print-out or can't pull the email up on your phone, we can look you up in the system and check you in manually. The barcode scanning just speeds things up if there's a line at the gate. Once you are checked-in you will get a wrist band so you can enter & exit the festival all weekend (or all day for single day pass holders.) Once checked-in, wrist bands cannot be replaced if lost.

No age limits. Children under 13 attend free (when accompanied by a ticketed adult.) The event venue is stroller, wagon & wheel chair friendly. However there will be a few steps up to get inside most of the tiny homes. Ramps & lifts can be added to Tiny Homes, but most homeowners don't bring ramps to the show. Discounts for Seniors, Students, Teachers, Veterans & First Responders are available at the ticket link:

Yes! Well behaved dogs are welcome as long as they remain on a leash at all times & you pick up after your pet. Please note: Dogs may or may not be allowed inside the different tiny homes, so ask before entering. (At Indigo River we're always happy to look after your puppy while you tour our homes.)

Southfork's "Trade Days" area is very flat and fairly easy to navigate with a good set of wheels. There are no stairs to get into the pavilions, but there will be about 3-4 steps to get inside most of the Tiny Homes & Skoolies. Ramps can be built for tiny homes, but most builders do not have portable ramps for shows.

There WILL be handicapped accessible port-a-potties.

We will scan the barcode on your tickets & give you a wrist band so you can enter & exit the festival all weekend. Once tickets are scanned & wrist bands are given out, we cannot replace lost or stolen wrist bands.