ASHLEY TERRY
When it comes to housing, bigger doesn’t always mean better — at least, that’s the belief of home builder Jeff Kalbfleisch, who will soon offer a tiny solution to one of the nation’s biggest housing problems.
As someone who’s been in the construction business for 30 years, Kalbfleisch has seen time and again the hardships that everyone, especially single moms and widows, go through in order to find an affordable home — and he wants to be part of that solution.
“I’ve seen and met a lot of single mothers who just are struggling,” he said. “It’s not easy; it’s hard. It’s hard to make ends meet. It’s hard to make ends meet with two people, let alone one. Through all that, God has put it on my heart and said, ‘Hey, you need to build some type of little place where single mothers and widows can have their own little space.’”
To give back to the Azle community — one he’s been a part of since 1999 — Kalbfleisch recently purchased six acres near Farm-to-Market Road 730 South and Flat Rock Road, where he plans to build a tiny home community.
“Being a builder, for the last 30 years, I've seen how the cost of housing has gone through the roof,” Kalbfleisch said. “In ’93, when I got my first house, I made $25,000 a year but my house was only $64,000 and my wife was working as well, so maybe together we made 50 grand a year total. But now, my daughter is making 50 grand a year, and her husband's making 60 grand a year, so that's $110,000, but houses are $400,000 — that's a big gap from where we were. So, just the thought of that for a single mother or widow whose husband has passed away, they can't afford some of that — so why not give somebody the ability to buy a little house?”
According to Kalbfleisch, each home in the 42-home community will be approximately 400 square feet with one bedroom, and some will even feature lofts for additional sleeping space.
“They’re going to be about 400 to 550 square feet, with a bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a living room,” he said. “They’re going to also have the ability to have a little bit of yard in the backyard where they can have a little dog, if they want, and can have a little front porch they can go sit on and watch the sunset or the sunrise.”
With three different layouts ranging in rental prices from $1,100 to $1,300, Kalbfleisch said his goal is to offer residents well-made homes but also provide an inexpensive, yet comfortable, place to live.
“While my heart is especially focused on single mothers and widows, these homes are meant for anyone in need of safe, affordable housing,” he said.
The community, Kalbfleisch said, will be called Bit O’ Heaven, in honor of his grandparents’ house in Buffalo, New York — a home that has a special place in his heart to this day.
“My grandparents, they lived in an apartment probably their whole lives, but they bought this little two-acre piece of property, and they rolled a little trailer on it,” he said. “On the property, there was a volleyball net, a picnic area, a grill and a creek that ran through it. Growing up, I just remember having family get-togethers … and we’d have hot dogs and hamburgers and play volleyball and go running around. It just puts a smile on my face, thinking back to those times for me … For us, it truly was a bit of heaven.”
By pulling inspiration from a home that meant everything to him, Kalbfleisch hopes to instill that same feeling in the new residents of Bit O’ Heaven — and honor his grandparents’ memory in the process.
“I think my grandpa would cry (if he could see my vision) because he’s a pretty soft-hearted guy,” he said. “I told my mom about it and she kind of teared up because she has memories of going to that Bit O’ Heaven.”
While getting a multi-home construction project finished involves several different components, Kalbfleisch said he hasn’t run into many challenges yet — crediting it all to God.
“There was a mobile home park here in Azle that I looked to purchase but I couldn’t get it,” he said. “However, the property next door was owned by Mr. Joe Campbell, who has owned it since 1981 … We spent a couple of hours together and he kind of warmed up to me, so Dec. 4, we closed on the property.”
Even with the project costing a few million dollars, Kalbfleisch said he’s not worried because he’s been blessed with help from one of his friends he met through one of his ministries.
“This friend of mine, he got to the point where he had a little extra cash and he told me, ‘If you’re ever going to do a project, I’m all in,’ because he knew my character and he knew what I was all about,” Kalbfleisch said. “So, I came to him last summer and I told him about this project that might be coming up and he said, ‘Just tell me when. You don’t have to make any payments for a year,’ and he signed over the cash. It was one of those things that told me God must be in this, because who else is going to just give me a wad of cash to go build some tiny homes and not going to ask for anything in return for a whole year? It just doesn’t happen. That was going to be my biggest hurdle was trying to find financing and God kind of dropped it in my lap.”
Although the project will be constructed in phases, Kalbfleisch said he hopes to have the first wave of 12-14 homes completed by the end of March — weather permitting, of course.
“I’m excited to bring this place to life,” Kalbfleisch said. “All the pieces have kind of fallen into place now.”
As the Bit O’ Heaven community continues to grow, Kalbfleisch said he also has plans to incorporate other amenities, like a covered picnic area, a laundromat and a fire pit to create that “home sweet home” feeling for all residents.
“I hope it gives them some peace,” he said. “I hope it gives them a place where they can go and meet their neighbors. I want it to be a community.”
Above all, Kalbfleisch said his goal is to create an affordable sanctuary and provide a little “Bit O’ Heaven” for those who need it most.
“I can’t tell you exactly when it came about, but I feel like God has prepared me for this point,” he added. “Through everything I’ve done, the stars have aligned. I feel like God said, ‘This is what I’ve been preparing you for is to build this little community,’ because it’s going to be a special place, I think, for a long time to come.”
For more information about the Bit O’ Heaven community or to stay up to date on the latest construction developments and grand opening, visit tinyhomebitoheaven.com online.
