Inspired by tiny home and minimalist shows, Doug knew he wanted to simplify his life. He combined his construction skills, expertise in technology, and trailer knowledge to build a tiny home – initially as a hobby and potential rental venture. Selling that first home ignited a spark: people loved his work and wanted him to build for them. When a corporate restructuring left him reconsidering his career path, the answer was clear – He wanted to help others experience the tiny home lifestyle by building their dream homes.
Doug's diverse background and experience has positioned him perfectly to build tiny homes. His 8- year enlistment in the National Guard gave him discipline, meticulousness, and honed his problem-solving abilities along with gaining technical expertise in telecommunications and telephony. His early experience in construction provides him with the building fundamentals. His truck driving experience provides him with knowledge of trailers, weight and dimension requirements, and highway laws. His experience in installing business phone systems and networks added to his knowledge of electrical systems.
Inspired by tiny house shows and podcasts, when visiting his son, he stayed in a tiny home. During the stay, he identified ways he would improve on the design, and realized that he too could build tiny homes. So, building on all his experiences, Doug and his partner decided to build their own. After 3 years of juggling work and constructing the tiny home, they sold the finished home quickly, validating his next career move and creating the start of a business in June 2022.
To date, Beechwood Tiny Homes has built 3 tiny houses. Doug is always looking for skilled carpenters capable of framing, roofing, and flooring to work with him to build the tiny homes.
In the short-term, Doug prefers building tiny houses on trailers and on skids due to lower costs and available construction support. Long-term, he wants to build tiny custom homes on foundations realizing that these homes are more costly to build due to such items as subcontractor markups and travel expenses.
Doug received invaluable guidance from Paul Gosselin, his SCORE mentor. Paul has given Doug advice on topics such as costing, material lists, difference between 1099 contractors and W-2 employees, change orders, and contingency planning. For example, by breaking down project tasks and utilizing design software, Doug now creates comprehensive material lists (with the ability to make some manual adjustments if necessary).
Beechwood Tiny Homes adheres to widely accepted building specifications such as the National Organization for Alternative Housing (NOAH) and the 2018 International Residential Code (IRC) with Appendix Q. NOAH offers a tiny house certification program focused on safety, and construction and energy efficiency standards. It includes a “remote Digital Inspection Service”, and the results are indicative of homes meeting their specific standards. For example, for tiny homes on trailers or skids, Doug follows either NOAH+ (which is based upon ANSI 119.5 Park Model RV’s) for homes meant for short-term living or NOAH Dwelling (which is based upon the IRC) for permanent living. Planning, understanding the client’s intended use, and meticulous attention to detail are hallmarks of Beechwood and their beautiful, certified hand-crafted tiny homes.
Aiming to exceed his target of 4 tiny houses this year, Doug has 2 finished, has 2 trailers ready to build on, and potential clients in the pipeline. He is even considering building a few spec homes using other design styles such as Scandinavian and minimalist.
