At House to Home Organizing some of our clients have expressed a desire to live a more minimal lifestyle. What could be more minimal than a tiny home? We spoke with Ken Pond of Craft & Sprout to learn more about the tiny home philosophy.
For the busy person, what is the best way to describe Craft & Sprout?
Our company, Craft & Sprout, builds tiny houses on wheels. In our area, Fairfield County, they have been primarily used as accessory structures, pool house, in-law cottage, office, and man/woman cave. We also build them for people to live in full time.
What is the company's origin story?
Our tiny home company was born from my construction background, owning a remodeling company for 20 years in CT, and Tori’s design background, working with our clients in residential remodeling over the last 8 years. The “Craft” part is due to the fact that our houses are handcrafted, and the “Sprout” part is a nod to our four sons, aging 10, 7, 5 and 1.
Can you explain how the trailer works?
Our houses are built on custom made trailers specifically designed for Tiny homes. They never come off the wheels. This keeps us in the RV/Camper world and not in the world of building permits. Every township has different laws regarding what can be placed on the property. Since these are not a permanent structure they do not fall into any building code guidelines.
What are some things that people assume about tiny houses, but are wrong?
Regarding misconceptions of tiny houses, the actual size of the space is foremost. Until you come into a Tiny house and realize, hey I could do this, you just don’t know how they feel. Tiny houses are custom from the wheels up, which is one of the best reasons to build. The client is literally involved in every aspect of a build. Tiny homes are are built to travel well. Our model has over 6000 miles on it and by the end of the summer of 2018 will have another 4000.
Every house you build is different, can you discuss some of the more interesting designs you have done?
Our model has a Nantucket Beach House feel to it. We really enjoy the coastal vibe we put into this build, our model is also our pool house when it’s at home in Greenwich. We just delivered a 32’ goose-neck or "fifth wheel type" Tiny home to Burlington, VT that will be featured on HGTV this summer. That particular build had some really great amenities like a fold up desk that converts into a dining table, a dishwasher, washer/dryer combination unit and a lot of room. The cedar siding we used gave it a really classic Vermont fell as well. The ingenuity and creativity is what drivers us to keep pushing the limits for storage, minimalistic living and just plain old fun. For the most part everyone that comes into a tiny house smiles. What’s better than that.
