Take a Tour of This Gorgeous Tiny Home Community

Let’s tour this tiny home community, River Edge Tiny Home Village, in central New Mexico, next to the Rio Grande River and 30 miles south of Albuquerque.


It's a truly affordable place to live thanks to the low rent and amazing transportation opportunities. Tiny houses on wheels, skoolies/bus conversions, and RVs are all welcome.


The new owner, Jill, shows us around her tiny home community in New Mexico.

Tiny home community
Tiny home community

1. Location

River Edge has been around for a few years and we have 33 sites on 3 acres of land but we have 17 acres to expand right on the Rio Grande River.

Tiny home community
We accept tiny houses on wheels, skoolies/bus conversions, and RVs. All are welcome. We have lots for tiny homes. We also sell tiny homes. We also have short-term rentals.


Tiny home community
Tiny home community
Tiny home community

2. Lots

Most of the lots are 3,000 to 3,500 square feet. Each lot has utilities, including water, sewer, electricity, and some with natural gas. The monthly rate is $400 a month on a 12-month lease (as of this posting).

3. Reba short-term rental

Here Reba the Road Runner Respite, which is what we call this tiny house. She was built on a gooseneck trailer and sleeps four.

Inside tiny home
Reba is 240 to 250 square feet with three levels. The woodwork features are what give this home its coziness and warmth.


Inside tiny home
The design takes advantage of the storage space underneath the gooseneck.


Inside tiny home
There’s a folding table plus seating for company or eating. The seat doubles as storage.



Inside tiny home
Inside tiny home

3a. Kitchen

The wood cabinets are all custom-made by the builder who is a true craftsman. He also made the door and window moldings. All the wood is recycled from previous jobs.


The cabinet doors are framed sheet metal.

Inside tiny home
The apartment-sized gas oven is big enough to cook a turkey.


Inside tiny home
There is a 10 cubic foot refrigerator and a pantry side-by-side.


Inside tiny home

3b. Bathroom

The barn door to the bathroom is also custom.

Inside tiny home
The bathroom has a full shower. The specially-made sink fits in next to the toilet.


Inside tiny home
Inside tiny home
The on-demand water heater is in the bathroom, too. It’s very efficient and gives you endless hot water.


Inside tiny home
Inside tiny home

3c. Upstairs

The living room and den area are set up on the upper level. There’s also a dedicated workspace on that level.

Inside tiny home
Up here you can see over into the loft bedroom.


Inside tiny home

There’s a mini-split on this level to heat and cool the whole house though there is a propane heater, as well.

Tiny home community

4. Cedar Nook short-term rental

Cedar Nook is 109 square feet and sleeps two people but it’s most comfortable for one person. It’s probably our most economical tiny home to stay in.

Inside tiny home
Inside tiny home

4a. Bedroom

It has a queen bed in the sleeping loft accessible with a telescoping ladder.

Inside tiny home
Inside tiny home

4b. Bathroom and kitchen

There’s a full-sized shower and a flush toilet.

Tiny home community

5. Why I bought River Edge

I purchased River Edge in 2020. I wanted to buy something that has a purpose and benefits others.


There is a demand for affordable houses. The tiny home industry is still in its infancy and it is not as widely accepted as it will be in the future.

Tiny home community
When I bought River Edge, there were mobile homes here and they are still here, but I am creating this more as a tiny home community. There’s very little zoning that allows for tiny homes in this state and many others in the country.


Building tiny home community
I am focusing on infrastructure and lot development. This is not meant to be a cookie-cutter development. I love the diversity of the tiny homes.


Flowers
Gardening
Tiny home community garden

6. Community garden

We just started a community garden. Since we are in the desert, we didn’t have amended soil, so we went with raised beds this year. It’s all experimental.

Tiny home community
Bus

7. Cost of living and community

People all over are scaling back. Face it, how can you live on $1,000 a 1,000-a-month fixed income and have a house, car, groceries, and medical insurance in America?


We are rural and we have an on-demand bus service here so someone can live here without a car. There’s also a high-speed rail that’s 3 miles away. You can take the bus to the rail station and zip on up to Santa Fe or Albuquerque. Here, a person could truly live on $1,000 a month.

Inside tiny home
We all have the same goals. We just want to live our lives, enjoy our lives, and have enough funds to do that. I think this provides just that.


Bird mural

People always want to know what the other residents are like when they are touring here.


Everyone comes out of their homes and everyone knows their neighbors here. That’s a great thing.


Everyone doesn’t have to love each other but there’s common courtesy here. Everyone is social and supportive here and there’s even a hiking club, and people go to local festivals together.


I hope more people embrace tiny living because they can just live more comfortably. You don’t have to be concerned about whether or not you can pay the electric bill.

Tiny home community
Inside tiny home

8. Larger tiny homes

There are larger tiny homes called Park Models. They are 400 square feet. Those are pretty liveable.


If you want to live in a tiny house for the rest of your life, you want to have first-level sleeping quarters. These homes are wider to accommodate the bedroom on the first level. They are great for someone who may have a disability or mobility issues.

River view

Tiny home community

I hope to expand this community to 200 sites in the future. That’s a lot of affordable housing.


Let us know what you think of this tiny home village in New Mexico. Would you be able to live in this type of community comfortably? Leave us a comment!


Next, Tour This Tiny House That's Made From Recycled Materials.

Comments
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 1 comment
  • Marcy Marcy on Apr 29, 2024
    Very interesting. I have a young friend who might be interested. Are there places of employment near enough if you are not on a fixed income like SSA?
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