For Dave Randall, the journey into tiny-home construction wasn’t just a business decision, but also the result of a lifelong passion. From building a backyard shed as a teenager to a 30-year career in remodeling, Randall has always been drawn to efficient, well-designed spaces. Now, he’s carving out a niche in the tiny-home industry, creating high-end, custom-built tiny homes that blend quality craftsmanship with minimalist living.

Randall’s interest in tiny homes began in 2006 when he moved to Pensacola, Florida, and started learning about the movement. He was fascinated by the idea of living simply, reducing clutter and maximizing space. But turning his passion into a full-time business wasn’t easy.

“For years I was ready to start, but I struggled to find a building large enough to work in,” Randall says. “You need at least 14-foot ceilings to build a home that meets road height requirements, and I didn’t want to do it in a backyard under a tarp.”

While still running his remodeling business, he spent years searching for the right location. In 2016 he found two commercial buildings in Anderson, Indiana, that allowed him to take the next step. However, transitioning from remodeling to tiny-home construction took time. He built his first two homes on spec, working on them between paid remodeling jobs to avoid taking on debt.

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INDIANAPOLIS — The housing market is at an interesting climax point.

“Obviously, interest rates were increasing,” shared owner of Mark Dietel Reality, Mark Dietel. “You would make the assumption with the increase of interest rates, obviously, buyer demand is going to go down, and then therefore, since demand would drop, you would assume values would go down as well. But inventory is extremely low. So that is the big issue right now.”

The low inventory of homes has left many home buyers with limited options, especially those with a limited budget.

“You're looking at when that demand does tick up and people start reacting to the rates,” explained Dietel. “Values are going to start going up, maybe not quite as much as they did in 2021 and 2022, but it's going to be it's going to be aggressive.”

Some are seeing the lack of options as a business opportunity.

Noblesville resident Dave Randall decided to use his nearly 40-years of construction experience to start his company Cool Cottages by DMR. The company places 230 square foot homes on a trailer platform.

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Dave Randall credits the skills he learned in the shop classes he took in school for laying the foundation for his tiny house business, Cool Cottages by DMR. He started the business in 2020 alongside his remodeling business, DMR Construction, which he started in 1995.

Randall, 57, recently completed his first tiny house, a 280-square-foot deluxe tiny house that he calls the Deluxe Dragonfly Cottage. He wants to eventually construct tiny houses full time.

“I think I just had that natural ability for construction,” said Randall, who grew up in Carmel and attended Carmel High School. “I just gravitated towards all the shop classes and doing things with my hands and just because that’s what I was blessed to do.”

The Deluxe Dragonfly Cottage is his first completed tiny house. He is halfway through constructing a second tiny house.

Randall said the Deluxe Dragonfly Cottage is a high-end tiny house and is for sale with a list price of $115,000. He did most of the work on the house on his own and said “there’s nothing more satisfying to me personally” than building projects like tiny houses.

Randall said he has received some custom order requests for additional tiny houses.

“(My favorite part is) really the whole process,” Randall said. “I really enjoy the design, and I put a big artistic flair on this, and the creativity, I enjoy that. I’d just sit there at my shop sometimes in the middle of building it and just sit back and kind of look at it and think, ‘Man, that’s cool.’”

Randall said tiny houses can alleviate the housing crisis, although affordability is based on the area, and pricing can be based on the designer. He said tiny houses can be beneficial for younger couples, people looking to invest in Airbnbs and elderly people who want to maintain independence while also living near family.

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Handling storage in a tiny house can be a challenge, but with some thoughtful planning and creative solutions, you can maximize the space available and keep your tiny home organized. Here are some tips to help you handle storage in a tiny house:

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