A few tiny houses are cropping up around Cedar Creek Lake in remote areas, but a developer’s plan to build a neighborhood of 70 of them is getting a lot of resistance.
Tiny houses average about 200 square feet and cost relatively little to build and maintain.

Joseph Hevey, Jr. asked the Gun Barrel City Council April 18, 2017, to replat two of his lots in Sundrift Division for the construction of a tiny house model home. The division is in the extra territorial jurisdiction of Gun Barrel City in Henderson County’s Precinct 2, and that gives the City Council regulatory powers over home building.

Gun Barrel City requires homes be a minimum of 800 square feet, but the council could issue a variance.

The Sundrift Property Owners Association objects to the tiny home development, and representatives said they plan to register their objections with the Henderson County Commissioners Court also.

The council tabled the agenda item pending further study.

If Hevey is successful in gaining permission to build the development, he plans owner-financing. Some tiny homes are marketed on the internet at less than $10,000.

When Cedar Creek Lake was first developed in the late 1960s, many of the residential lots were small and designed for mobile homes.

Tiny homes will be on display in Dallas at Fair Park April 21-23 for Earth Day. The styles will range from 120 to 400 square feet and retail for up to $35,000, depending on size and features. The developers promote them as eco-friendly.

Many of the homes use reclaimed materials for construction and feature solar panels, water reclamation systems and composting toilets.