A Tiny House in a Tiny Community Outside of Atlanta
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2025One of the most exciting developments in housing is the explosion of tiny house communities springing up around the country. These communities take away some of the challenges associated with tiny house ownership—such as zoning requirements and simply finding a place to put it—and allow likeminded homeowners to develop communities that model more sustainable livelihoods.
RISE recently sat down to talk with Vicki Williams, the proud homeowner of a beautiful, 204 square foot tiny home located in a unique tiny home community in the Appalachian mountains of northern Georgia—about a two hour drive northwest from Atlanta.
The Home
Vicki’s tiny home was designed and built by Wind River Tiny Homes, a construction company specializing in tiny home construction located out of Chattanooga, Tennessee. While Wind River Tiny Homes built the home on wheels, Vicki had her home professionally set on piers and skirted to get it situated into the community. While the relatively mild climate of Georgia didn’t make skirting a necessity, the extra insulating material tucked around the bottom of the home reduced the amount of cold air flowing into her tiny house on wheels, protecting the exposed utility and significantly increasing the thermal performance and energy efficiency of the home.
Table of Contents
- The Community
- An Interview with Homeowner Vicki Williams
Vicki had the tiny home community owner do the site work for her with the skirting, along with placing river rocks situated beautifully around the foundation of the home. The community also helped get into place the pathways and utility hookups for her home.
For bathing, Vicki’s home has a unique outdoor shower. A site-built deck adds outdoor living space for the home, with an awning and booth where the outdoor shower is located. Inside, the unique floor plan maximizes the amount of livable space. Vicki also worked with the builders to include all different types of deluxe features, including custom cabinets, stainless steel counter tops, and a built-in couch with custom upholstery.
Wind River built a storage couch that folds into a bed. There are storage stairs leading up to the loft, and I have four small closets for hanging my clothes and everything else. I wanted a house with a modern design, so there are nine windows and a full glass door. I like Nordic design, so we choose blue gray paint for the walls and kept the trim natural or medium stain. I have a washer and dryer combo with full shower and lots of storage.
Building Materials
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Anything you can tell us about the natural surroundings of your home?
We are located on Lookout Mountain in north Georgia. There are lots of trees, and when the leaves are out you feel like you have no neighbors. The lots are ¾ of an acre, heavily wooded. It’s beautiful. I can lie in bed and watch the sunrise and from the deck or from any west facing window, watch it set.
If you could offer one piece of advice to people interested in building and living in a tiny home, what would it be?
Do your homework and find a good builder. Know where you are going to live before you build. Unless you are building your own home and have land, most people underestimate the cost.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
