Wilson-based Wheelhaus builds luxurious tiny homes

While the tiny house movement picks up steam, Wilson-based Wheelhaus is rapidly building luxurious rolling cabins.

Wheelhaus owner and CEO Jamie Mackay started the company two years ago, but he said business really picked up over the past eight months.

“People are retiring with less money, there’s a lot of empty nesters that don’t need a big house and there’s also young professionals that don’t want large debt or big mortgages,” said Mackay. “This is kind of fitting the bill for both needs.”

Mackay’s rolling, 400-square-foot homes meet the Gold Standard with the U.S. Green Building Council using local timbers, insulated panels, and other materials.

“Wheelhaus is trying to be, basically, the BMW of the tiny house movement,” said Mackay. “We’re not trying to cut any corners or do anything cheap.”

The two most popular models are the Wedge and the Caboose. The Wedge runs about $90,000, while the Caboose, complete with a loft, costs about $100,000. As the intrigue in tiny homes increases, Wheelhaus has been overwhelmed with inquiries.

“On a daily basis, we get 15-20 inquiries from people wanting to buy a Wheelhaus, or inquiring what Wheelhaus is,” said Mackay.

While the homes were initially built in Wilson, assembly has since moved to Salt Lake City to keep up with the demand from customers.

“They’re always interested in moving into it within a month,” said Mackay. “Right now, we have a backlog of three to four months.”

In Wilson, Mackay also owns Fireside Resorts, a community of Wheelhauses where customers can try before they buy.

“They come in, stay three to four nights to get an experience of what a Wheelhaus unit is like, and then make their decision based on that,” said Mackay.

Karrie Emison is visiting Fireside Resorts from California. Emison and her family of four have no plans to move into a Wheelhaus, but said she does see the value.

“We’ve been amazed by what they can fit in the square footage,” said Emison.

Mackay says most of Wheelhaus’ seven models are easily transportable and take two to five days to set up and hook up to utilities.

“The motto is living large with less,” said Mackay. “You don’t need as many things as you thought you used to.”

If you’d like to learn more about Wheelhaus click here.