Marley: I was, but I don’t like the word “Tiny”. There is nothing “Tiny” about our homes – ours are smart homes – and I don’t mean just the technology.

Bob: I believe that is what separates us from others in the market. The typical THOW (Tiny House on Wheels) is between 160 and 200 square feet. There are some really cool designs out there – places I would love to stay in…

Marley: …but what we are creating are homes. Homes with real bed rooms, real kitchens, real bathrooms, etc. Our homes are small, because they are smart. We know most people live in two or three rooms – their bedroom, their kitchen, and maybe their living room. What we are doing is taking where people spend their time, and making it cool, luxurious, fun and sexy!

Bob: Marley and I met almost twenty years ago. I was looking for an architect that knew straw-bale construction. A friend introduced me to Marley, and we hit it off.

Marley: Bob and I hit it off immediately. I admired his business background, having grown several different retail chains. Bob and I then worked on Living Waters together – which many years later became the genesis for i.m.home and a couple of other projects we are working on together.

Marley: Yes, we are working on some fun stuff! One of our projects is called Hozhoni, a Wedding Venue, Spa and Glamping Retreat. We have almost ten acres overlooking lakes Marble Falls and LBJ. The spot is magical! We will be a destination wedding venue with overnight accommodations that include safari tents, tipis, sky view bubble tents, tree tents, you name it! The units will be luxury with air conditioning, bathroom, luxury bedding and linens, soaking tubs – pure romance! The chapel sits at the highest point on our little mountain and overlooks everything! To top it off there will be a spa for pampering our guests.

This property also has a site where we are putting in our community, Little Castle Gardens. Twenty-one “Large living small solution” homes designed to luxury, sexy and cool – all within an affordable budget.

Bob: Marley and I are also developing a project down by the dam on Lake Marble Falls – it is a funky “motel” with rooms that will include shipping containers, an airplane fuselage, an old yacht, the back of an ambulance, tree houses – anything funky that we can find. The insides will be luxury, each with their own funky theme. These gathering of “experiential rooms” will be “Bob and Marley’s Dam Motel”.

Bob: We are working with ConstellationATX, a new neighborhood in South Austin, to put i.m.homes in their community. Our first home is under construction at the entrance to their neighborhood – come check us out. We will have a total of eight designs going into this neighborhood – with price points starting in the low 100s. ConstellationATX is a great community and so close to Austin – we believe they are going to sell out quickly when they start taking home sales in June.

Marley: And of course our project, Little Castle Gardens, just outside of Austin.

Bob: We can build anywhere in the Austin area, and have plans to expand outside of Austin by modulating our construction. We will be adding new models to our website weekly – check back often to see if there is something we can build for you!

Bob: I will preface the following with the statement that I am not a CPA or tax advisor – people need to seek advice from their tax professional/advisor.

But in its simplest forms, on a thirty year mortgage payments for one of our homes can be less than $650/month. If a homeowner can add one of those to an unused portion of their land, and rent for just $1,300 a month, the homeowner can make over $600 a month just by using an unused portion of land. Also, if the homeowner borrows via a home equity loan, interest may be deductible. Lastly, I would think having an income producing piece of your property would add to the value to your property should you ever decide to sell.

Marley: First, we are a home. Granted the coolest, sexiest, smartest home out there, but first a home. We see our clients putting homes in their backyards to keep their aging parents close. Others may add them to lake or hill country property for overnight rentals. We have even spoken to a group that wants to put several of them together in the form of a “deconstructed hotel”. We are having fun talking with everyone from corporate groups that want a development, to individuals that want something nice either as a primary or satellite residence.

Marley: That’s a great question! When I started designing for this segment over twenty years ago, it didn’t have a name. In the last several years it has gained a name – “tiny”. UGH! I get that “tiny” is what people know the segment for – but what a horrible word for a home!

We believe that you can live large in small. Most people live in just a few rooms in their home – their bedroom, kitchen and living room – so we took those rooms, and just made them cool and sexy – while making them a home.

So our brand, “i.m.home” – says it all. I’m home.

Each of our home designs follow the brand by being integrated into the brand – our first homes:

i.m.encore – a “country” inspired home with a 17 foot vaulted ceiling, and third floor covered wine deck!

i.m.curvy – a sexy design with a barrel roof, curved walls, and a full loft that can also be a second bedroom.

i.m.flex – a fun floor-plan that can have two master bedrooms, or one master and an office, workout room, entertainment room, etc.

i.m.xelf – a smaller version of flex, without the added bonus room.

Each home has its’ own identity, but each home is first and foremost, a home.