Wolf Industries, a tiny-home builder in Battle Ground, has expanded from manufacturing the housing units to creating cottage communities for rent in Clark County.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, the Association of Washington Business (AWB) visited the Wolf Industries production line in Battle Ground as part of its eighth annual manufacturing tour across the state.
AWB President and CEO Kris Johnson said it was important to visit the tiny-home manufacturer as tiny houses, like the cottage residences in Vancouver, are beginning to turn into affordable housing developments.
“If Clark County is going to continue to grow like it’s going to and it’s projected to grow 75,000 more people between now and 2030, the questions you might ask are where are all these people going to live, send their kids to school, get around the region, et cetera,” Johnson said, adding Wolf Industries is part of the supply chain solution to provide affordable homes for everybody. “And so we’re going to need a whole bunch of new housing, all kinds, all types, everywhere for everybody, and this is part of that solution.”
For the first of its kind in the area, Derek Huegel and his younger brother Travis, owners of Wolf Industries, opted to create a cottage living opportunity with one- and two-bedroom tiny homes in the Ogden neighborhood of Vancouver. The property includes 16 living units on just 1.5 acres.
Derek Huegel explained the housing idea is aimed at senior couples ready to downsize, as well as younger, working professionals needing a place to call home. Rentals in the Ogden cottage community start at $1,550 per month.
“We have a production line up in Battle Ground, and we build homes going down a factory line. My brother and I said, ‘Hey, why don’t we apply this for a rental opportunity?’ ” Huegel said. “We looked at doing some of these for ourselves and looked into the zoning code of Vancouver and, what was it, 2021 … and they had just adopted the cottage housing code like a month before. So this is actually the first built cottage community inside of the city of Vancouver.”
While at the cottage housing site on Wednesday, Oct. 2, Huegel pointed out a family with two kids who have utilized the lower-cost of living opportunity.
“Having children and to think about them on the second or third floor of an apartment complex somewhere crammed in: Their house is small, but you know what, the kids get to go outside, and I see them running around. They’re going over by the water fountain and checking things out, and, to me, that’s pretty cool,” he said.
The houses at the cottage site feature great rooms with full-appliance kitchens and vaulted ceilings. A standalone laundry room is included in the one-bedroom house, while the two-bedroom layout features a stacked washer and dryer. Each of the 16 housing units has its own ductless heat and air conditioning.
The 1.5-acre property includes communal open space with a walking path, grass yard, water feature, a patio with string lights and a fireplace for outdoor hosting and more.
Huegel said applying this idea to a larger property accommodating more units is challenging as undeveloped tracts of land become harder to find.
“So, we’re stuck with figuring out how to use these infill sites to the highest and best density possible,” he said.
To learn more about Wolf Industries, including rental opportunities and model types, visit wolfind.com.
