In recent years, tiny homes have become incredibly popular. Affordably priced, customizable, and able to put on different sizes and types of property/land, modular tiny homes and accessory dwelling units (ADU) are a great way for Clark County residents to not just buy a home, but also experience the “less-is-more” lifestyle.
Wolf Industries, owned by Derek Huegel and his younger brother Travis, specializes in building tiny home construction and today, they are celebrating the completion of their 230th build, each unit ranging from 300 to 615 square feet. Their goal is to build 100 more tiny homes in 2023, with their primary client focus being aging seniors that are looking for a comfortable “downsized” home.
Derek remembers being a youngster in a basement woodshop with his grandfather, pounding a block of wood with extra nails. In 2006, after taking a high school survey that recommended that he become a business owner or a carpenter, Derek decided that he could do both. He began by building a small house on wheels and then, after researching the land use code, types of building classifications and other key details, he decided to build a modular home that would meet state requirements.
Wolf Industries builds their products in a factory away from outside elements, so everything is protected and secure. They follow the same building standards as regular “stick-built” homes and the team handles the whole process, giving people a turnkey home that’s ready to go. The company employs three in-house permit specialists, a field team that works with delivery, on-site preparation and setup. They have six models that are pre-approved with the state labor and industries department in Oregon and Washington.
When the pandemic hit, they saw an increase in their business.
“We had to increase capacity – that aging parent … living on their own was finally triggered to take action and move them closer to the children … we have been cranking away, trying to keep up with the demand,” Derek said.
Looking ahead, Derek said that they are excited to continue the exhilarating ride of business ownership. They are currently in the process of developing a couple pieces of land into “cottage clusters” and they are looking to hire more people to help fuel growth. They are also looking for developers that are interested in building their own projects with cottages and recently submitted a larger three-bedroom, two-bath unit to the state for plan approval.
Wolf Industries is based in Battle Ground at 607 SE Eaton Blvd.
I have had the pleasure of working with These two young men when I worked for the City of Battle Ground, they are the most Inspirational and hard working business men I have ever met. Truely was my pleasure to get to work with them.
Great story. More details on the home would also be a good feature