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.
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Why did you choose to live in a tiny home?
Eight or nine years ago I sold my home and moved; first into 650 square foot cottage, and three years later into a 450 square foot home. I have always been somewhat of a minimalist and conscious of what was going on with the environment. I also enjoy being outside hiking, cycling and just sitting around. A friend told me about the tiny house movement, and here we are.
I understand you live in a tiny home community. Can you tell us how that works? Does the community aspect help with codes and zoning laws?
Little River Escape is the name of the community, and Ed Watters is the landscape architect who owns this beautiful place. He does work with the local government of the county in Georgia where we are located. It’s rural, so the zoning rules aren’t so restrictive, and he was able to develop this community. He does charge a fee for set up of your house, electric, water and septic. He is very helpful with every aspect of the move, and he has wonderful people for building the deck, sidewalks, patios, etc.
What is your favorite part of your tiny house?
I love my kitchen; I’m standing at the counter right now. I actually love everything about this house and where I live. I feel like I’m on vacation!
What would you say are some of the biggest challenges of tiny home living?
Other than finding a place to put your house, I think storage is the biggest challenge. One of the many things Wind River excels at is creating functional and aesthetically pleasing storage. If you are attached to your stuff, it will be harder to go tiny.
Why did you decide to have your home skirted? Does that help with energy efficiency and the thermal performance of the home?
Our climate is not so cold that I have to skirt, but all the houses here have a mountain vibe. The sidewalk, patio, streets all are rock. It’s quite lovely.
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.
