The future of housing may very well be encapsulated in the concept of micro homes, which promise to be smaller, smarter, and constructed with unprecedented efficiency. In this episode of Boxcar Universe, we engage in an enlightening dialogue with Rob Goldman from Woodstock Micro Homes, a company at the forefront of revolutionizing modern living through innovative micro dwelling solutions. These homes not only epitomize affordability and sustainability but also present a compelling alternative to traditional housing, particularly for those seeking to downsize or escape the burdens of exorbitant mortgages. As we explore the intricacies of micro homes, we delve into their construction, design, and the broader implications for sustainable living in contemporary society. Join us as we uncover the transformative potential of micro housing and its relevance in addressing pressing housing challenges today.

Takeaways:

• The concept of micro homes presents an innovative solution for modern living, offering smaller, smarter, and more sustainable housing options.
• Micro homes, typically ranging from 200 to 420 square feet, are designed to be permanent structures affixed to a foundation, distinguishing them from tiny homes.
• The affordability of micro homes, with options available for under $80,000, provides an appealing alternative for individuals seeking to downsize without incurring traditional mortgage burdens.
• In Costa Rica, micro homes represent a practical housing solution for expats facing challenges in construction due to labor shortages and material availability.
• The construction of micro homes utilizes high-quality materials like stainless steel and aluminum, ensuring durability and resistance to environmental degradation.
• The micro home industry is poised for growth as more individuals recognize the value of community living and sustainable housing alternatives.

Links referenced in this episode:

• woodstockmicrohomes.com
• stardustbuilding.org
• idealhomeimprovementaz.com
• boxcaruniverse.com
• https://mrelectric.com/phoenix-metro

Companies mentioned in this episode:

• Woodstock
• Micro Homes
• Ideal Home Improvement
• Legacy Custom Homes
• Stardust Building Supplies
• United Tiny Homes
• Gail Kingsbury
• Elon Musk
• Mr. Electric of Phoenix-Metro

What if the future of housing was smaller, smarter, and built faster than ever before?

Today on Boxcar Universe, Rob Goldman from Woodstock.

Micro Homes, a company changing the game with innovative micro living solutions built for modern life.

Affordable, sustainable, revolutionary.

You're gonna want to hear this.

Since the dawn of time, mankind has searched for ways to shelter themselves from the elements.

Over the centuries, these shelters have evolved from bamboo huts to concrete towers.

The last few years, there's been a push to save the planet.

Are you ready to embark on a more sustainable lifestyle?

Look no further.

You're about to enter the adventures of container home living.

And now, contractor, radio and TV personality, and your host for Boxcar Universe, Steve Dubel.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell, host of Boxcar Universe.

And here's what's coming up on this week's edition of Boxcar Universe.

You know, past few weeks, we've been talking about different types of container homes.

We're also been talking about tiny homes.

This week, we're going to be talking about micro homes and wonder, what is a micro home?

Well, our guest today, Rob Goldman, is going to be joining us.

We're going to be getting into that conversation and teaching all of us about what micro homes are.

So I want everybody to stay tuned.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe, your home for sustainable lifestyle living.

And we'd like to welcome all of you to the show today.

As you know, we always talk about different types of living.

You know, we're talking about traditional remodeling, but we also try and hone in on different types of alternative living, you know, talking about container homes.

And a few weeks ago, we had Gail Kingsbury on from the Tiny Homes.

So.

But, you know, when I had a chance to meet and talk with Rob, we started talking about micro homes.

And I wanted to learn more about it and thought he'd make an excellent guest to be on the show.

So without further ado, I'm going to introduce Rob Goldman from Micro Homes.

Rob, thank you so much for taking time to be on Boxcar Universe today.

Thank you, Steve.

Thanks very much.

It's interesting what you're saying about the different kinds of homes and the names that are given to them.

And along comes this new player, the micro home.

A micro home player.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So what's a micro home?

Right, yeah.

Tell our listeners what a micro home is.

Well, it's a tiny home.

The ones that we sell, at least, they range from about just under 200 square feet to about 420 square feet.

But I think what, what makes the Distinction between a micro home and, let's say any other home really is not only this size, but they are designed to be affixed to a foundation.

Unlike a tiny home that is designed to be mobile.

Micro homes are much heavier.

They're really built very solidly, but they're built in a factory so that all of the conditions are.

They're able to build them to really precise standards.

And it's kind of the best combination of things because you've got the size, you've got the fact that it's prefabricated, but you've also got the fact that every part of the home can be controlled and, you know, in a factory.

And that also helps the price stay down significantly.

Yeah, and I think that's what's important.

Obviously, everybody's looking for affordability, and I think that's so.

So, you know, important, especially with people wanting to downsize and people that don't maybe not want to have a traditional large mortgage.

I think it's important that they have an option.

And I think the micro homes a way to give them that option.

Yeah, I mean, I was honestly very surprised to discover that a home could be bought for under $80,000.

And that's.

And they're complete.

The home comes with the bed and the kitchen and everything.

Everything is in there.

And so, you know, granted, it's not.

The homes are small.

Well, they're small in relative terms.

You know, it's interesting what I'm going to say Americans have gotten used to in home sizes that I have always really, for as long as I can remember, I've questioned why is it that the average home.

I'm going to call it big since I'm coming from the micro home world.

But why is it that I think the average amount of space that the average American occupies in their home, I think is 20 to 25% and the rest of the home is not used.

So that, you know, that seems to make a lot of sense in looking at how someone would live in a micro home and take advantage of the entire space.

Yeah, yeah.

So, I mean, you think about it, we only.

Yeah.

It depends on our lifestyle and.

Exactly.

You know, what your routine is and.

Yeah.

How much of that house do you really use?

I mean, you know, if you have multiple bedrooms and stuff like that, and depending on how big your family is, you know, I think scaling your home to your lifestyle and your family size is.

Is definitely something that.

And you.

And.

And your Revenue that you, you create your income.

So I think all of those are just so very important.

Yeah, it's so nice to think about the idea that somebody, let's say, let's just say anyone could start to think about purchasing a home for $80,000 or less for as little as $44,000.

But realistically, somebody's gonna, who's interested in, in a more traditional layout, let's say that they're going to spend $80,000 on a house.

That becomes a very practical number for I don't know if the average person, but for somebody who's.

I think about my kids, for instance, they're in their late 20s and 30 years old and I think about the fact that they're paying a significant amount of money in rent and I don't understand how it's possible that they will ever get out of this situation that they're in.

And when I talked to my son one time, he told me they're actively looking at homes.

And I said, he lives outside of Boston.

And I said, how much is it for a house there?

And he says, oh, it's only around 500.

And excuse me, 500 for how big?

500,000.

Well, regardless, I thought, how could it be that he, at 30 years old is contemplating making a $500,000 purchase?

And then I realized that not only he, but the vast majority of people purchase a home, let's say at 30 years old, just for argument's sake, and they never own their home.

They go up, they go about the process with a mortgage and a second mortgage and a third mortgage and by the time they're done, they've paid a million dollars or more, probably more, for their five hundred thousand dollar home.

And the odds that they ever are going to own it, it's, it's small.

But it was interesting in speaking to him about a micro home, I said, you know, would you consider a micro home?

He's like, nah, nah, it's too weird.

I'd never do that.

That's often the case.

Well, yeah, yeah, it's really strange.

Think about it.

But.

Well, you know, you get focused on your situation and sometimes you just tend not to, to look outside the box, so to speak, and see what other options that you might have.

Yeah, and I think that's probably the situation.

Yeah.

I mean, I don't fault him for it because his thinking follows a path that has been in existence for a long time.

But I remember speaking to my parents about how much it cost for them to buy their home and I think it was $32,000 to buy their house, which is now.

That's a down payment.

Now at best, that house that I grew up in, it's gotta be worth 600,000, 700,000.

It's like the only thing in the world that keeps, that keeps appreciating as it gets older.

It doesn't make any sense.

Oh, my God.

It's just amazing.

It's just amazing.

But we're going to take a short break.

When we come back, we want to talk a little more about Robbie.

We want to learn a little bit about the nuts and bolts of what a micro home is and how it compares to the other types of dwellings that we've been talking about on the show.

But I want everybody to hang tight.

And you're listening to Boxcar Univers.

Looking to transform your space.

With over 30 years of construction experience and featured on radio and TV, Ideal Home Improvement and legacy custom homes.

Azure does it all, from repairs, remodeling and restorations to new builds, container homes and container pools.

Plus cutting edge solar systems to help homeowners save money on their utility bills.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell.

Let us help you design and build your dream home with the expertise that comes from decades of experience in the business.

Remember, Ideal Home Improvement and Legacy custom Homes az where your dream home becomes reality.

Don't wait.

Call today.

Stardust Building Supplies is your home improvement thrift store.

Find salvaged and gently used cabinetry, doors, windows, appliances, lighting, plumbing and much more.

Save money, be green and support the community.

Shop and donate at Star Building Supplies Valley locations.

For more info, visit stardust building.org.

All right, and we are back and you're listening to Boxcar Universe.

And we are here with Rob Goldman today from Micro Homes.

And we're talking about another type of alternative dwelling that you and your family could live in.

And it's a very interesting concept, but we want to get into a little bit of the nuts and bolts of obviously construction because, you know, we talk about, you know, traditional construction, two by four construction, you know, as opposed when you get into container homes where it can be wood framed inside the container or metal framed, you know, depending on the manufacturer, you know, tiny homes or the tiny home that we showcased here from United Tiny Homes and Gail Kingsbury had talked about, you know, and I've been in their factory where they actually build Them it's all wood framed.

So, Rob, tell us a little bit about.

What can you tell us about the construction of a micro home?

Well, as opposed to, let's say a traditional build of wood, micro homes are built the entire.

The entire exterior framing is built of stainless steel and aluminum.

Okay.

So there are ribs that go around the house and they're covered by.

They're actually covered by stainless steel.

And that's what makes them so heavy.

Like this smaller home, the 18 foot home weighs four and a half tons, which is really heavy for a small home.

But of course, it's done so to avoid rust or to avoid any sort of degradation at all.

And it's interesting that I had gone through two different manufacturers for the micro homes.

And the first one, it really, the way that they built them, it was obvious that they weren't built to last.

And I noticed that they had slight leaks which led to slight rusting, which I found to be a disaster.

Sure.

And that's when I went back to the drawing board and I knew that there had to be a company, if not several companies that had really risen to the challenge and had conquered the challenge.

And sure enough, I did find one company in particular that they're just so dedicated to quality that these homes are.

They'll last around 50 years, which I think is.

That does the job for just about any.

I think you're right.

I think you're right.

Absolutely.

You know, and it was funny like when you were talking about surrounded, you know, by stainless steel.

And I just, you know, always like to throw a little humor into the conversation.

Talking about.

Not to be mistaken for a cybertruck.

Yeah, yeah.

Though they would look good together.

They would look good together.

If the cybertruck was towing the micro home.

That would be.

That would be.

They would.

They would.

Yeah.

There's a guy in Woodstock who's interested in purchasing one.

I was speaking with him yesterday and he was saying that the style of the micro home has nothing to do with the style of his property with his current house.

And he goes on to say he loves that.

You never know.

But it's interesting, the same mindset.

This guy's 74 years old, he's lived in Woodstock for 50 years.

And, and in speaking with him, he's.

He's an obvious creative guy.

And, and that seems to go along with the average typical client in the United States.

They're still seeing the micro home as something that it requires an out of the box thinking.

It's not your everyday thing.

And so for me you know, I'm a photographer by trade, by passion, and I always, like, I never think of myself as having a particularly creative or outlandish mind, but I'm always told that I always look for the unusual answers.

You know, I don't accept things the way that they are.

So it makes sense that I would be the one to consider this because to me, it doesn't have to go with anything.

Right.

Just make it work.

That's all it takes.

But yeah, yeah, yeah.

So obviously it's something that.

It's very heavy.

Okay.

And like you said, correct me if I'm wrong.

Okay.

So the micro home sits on a pad.

Well, not a pad.

It can sit on a foundation, on a concrete foundation, which is possible.

If that's the way your property is set up, that you have an area of concrete that would.

That's already there, it's fine to set it down in the concrete, But I think more typically it's going to be set down on concrete piers.

On pillars.

Right?

Yeah.

And as long as they're.

As long as they're spaced the right distance apart, because the, The.

The house itself is on legs.

It's on steel legs.

Okay.

That are about.

About eight inches high.

Okay.

And they have to.

They have to hit the pillar.

But.

Yeah, yeah, it's amazing is what it is.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's a different type of.

Type of home.

Now, where were its.

What was its origin?

Who thought of this and who created all this?

Were they in this country?

Were they in China or they.

Yeah, they were in China.

I honestly could not find like the originator of the home, but I think there was.

There was about.

I'd say about 30 years ago was the beginning of an inkling of.

I think that we could create something that would be safe and comfortable for people to live in, that would work in a confined space, and it wouldn't cost an outrageous amount of money.

And this would be.

You know, I don't credit anyone in particular for that idea, but whoever started fiddling around with the idea of we could construct something, we could mass produce a home.

That was considered crazy because no one had ever thought about mass producing homes before.

But it's been said by several people in the micro home business, why can't we standardize all of the parts and machine build all the parts and then take the.

Take the parts and put them together in different ways to create homes?

So the house actually does.

It does abide by more traditional mass production certainly than a house that's made of wood.

Right.

And so that is a great savings, a tremendous savings.

And in addition to the savings, then you have the ability to really microfit the pieces together so that you have the seals and all of the things that houses need.

Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting concept.

When did it actually come over to America, so to speak?

Or was it mass marketed out of China throughout the world?

It hasn't landed in America, to my knowledge.

There's no one in America who is producing micro homes yet.

They are being produced in China, in Scandinavia, in different parts of Europe.

China is definitely taking the lead, there's no doubt about it.

But it's interesting, actually.

The only person who's fiddling with the idea is Elon Musk with the house that his house folds, which is a whole new idea.

But it's is very small.

And I think he's got a ways to go before.

Before it's.

In my opinion, before it's really ready.

He's got them ready now they're starting to be distributed.

But I don't know.

To each his own when it comes to aesthetics.

Well, it's amazing.

He's ready to go to Mars, but we don't have a micro home yet.

Y. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's crazy.

It's different, right?

It's like.

It's like, let's put our money into sending people to space.

I don't have a problem with that, you know, because I've always loved space.

It was always interested in space.

But again, you know, he is in a lot of different, you know, areas that other people just, you know, I think they just weren't, you know, interested in.

In reaching out and being a visionary.

I mean, I think in.

In the long run, with a lot of things that I've seen him come up with, it's.

He's definitely thinking outside the box.

I mean, to be able to go and do things.

I mean, I mean, he's really.

Think about it.

The first successful electric car that came on the market and all of a sudden all the.

All the big carmakers decided, oh yeah, we'll make one.

We'll make.

I remember that.

I think it was the first one that came out after I saw Tesla was the Chevy Volt, which didn't go anywhere.

I mean, it didn't become popular.

I mean, there was a couple of them on the street.

But, you know, some of the big other companies, you know, it's like anything else, the technology improves.

You know, we used to see that in, you know, solar panels years ago.

70S they had solar Panels.

But you know, the standards from what they had then versus today is just completely different, you know, and we've got a much better product now.

Yeah, it's interesting how typical it is to release a product in its early stages and to let the public kind of echo back what's wrong, what could they do better?

And you know, like software companies are worldwide famous for that.

Let's just get it out, get it out the door.

The thing about home, you know, it's a different story when you're spending.

Yeah.

So it was interesting the way that Elon Musk went about selling his homes was he asked people to invest in the company so that he could do the research and he could, you know, I mean the amount of money that it cost to build the factory, I can't imagine.

But then those people got the first homes.

Sure.

And you know, my credit goes out to him for having the reputation and having the means to get that many people.

I don't even know how many it was, it was, it was a lot of people who were interested.

Yeah, I hear you, but that's just amazing.

But we're going to take a break.

When we come back, we're going to talk a little more with Rob.

We want to find out a little bit about his excursionary trip, I like to call it, to Costa Rica and what's happening down there and how they're embracing the micro homes.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

So it's a great day for learning on making choices in, you know, if you want to do.

And we're going to talk a little bit about this as well here in the next segment talking about micro homes.

You know, people talking about Adus and is it's a great, you know, alternative option to a stick build or small casita container home or stuff like that.

And, and absolutely being very affordable.

So I want everybody to hang tight.

You're listening to Boxcar Universe.

Hi, I'm Erica Thompson, the dominating designer.

A hard working artist with a sense of humor.

What is the Dominating Designer process?

It's just like what you see on tv.

We discuss your wants and needs about your project, go over your ideas.

Then I provide you creative, one of a kind options that fit your budget with respect to your home's value.

When we finish your project, you are set to enjoy your new space.

I would love to help you with your upcoming project.

Please reach out to me on Instagram or the dominating designer.

Hi, I'm Sean with Mr. Electric and I have a tip to help make your life better.

One important reminder is to call a qualified electrician when you have frequent problems with blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers.

When a circuit breaker trips or a fuse blows, it's indicating that you have a problem with some other part of the circuit.

If your breaker trips more than once, you should have a qualified electrician come out and take a look at it.

Contrary to what may be acceptable, you really shouldn't try to continuously try to reset the breaker because there may be a problem somewhere else down the circuit.

You, you could be causing a fire hazard, there could be a loose connection or some other form of problem on the circuit.

And every time you reset the circuit breaker, it could be causing a spark at the other end.

We recommend having a qualified electrician come out and check on the condition of the circuit and make sure that the circuit does not have any problems.

And it could just be a bad breaker also, but you definitely want to have a qualified electrician check that out.

To have someone come out from our team may only take a portion of a day, but it could potentially save you a lot of money or your life.

And that's just another way Mr. Electric has the power to make your life better.

Cover the future of sustainable lifestyle living with Boxcar Universe your go to source for cutting edge container home and container pool information.

Want a dream container home or pool?

We can build it for you.

Hi, I'm Steve Dubell from Boxcar Universe.

For the latest in container innovation and expert insights, tune into our weekly podcast, Boxcar Universe.

Ready to start your project?

Listen, learn and build with.

All right, we are back and you're listening to Boxcar Universe and we are here with Rob Goldman from Micro Homes.

And it's a, it's a whole nother experience when you talk about alternative lifestyle living and it's just amazing what you think about this.

Other countries, sometimes we don't hear some of the innovations and stuff that is going on not just in housing, but in a lot of different areas.

But there's a lot of creativity out there, but really sometimes you don't hear about it till it hits the Internet, you know, and maybe it happened like Micro Homes started in China, halfway around the world.

So you just don't hear about it till it starts to make its way into an area that is really, that has a need for it.

And then we were talking earlier a little bit about the need of Costa Rica.

So why don't you talk, Tell us a little bit about your mission to Costa Rica and what's going on down there with micro homes.

Well, my initial interest in Costa Rica went back to the days of COVID and my wife and I had.

We landed in a strange situation.

We literally had nowhere to live for that winter.

We had sold our house and Covid made it impossible to buy another house.

So we thought, well, we'll just head south somewhere in the United States.

And then one state at a time, just shut their doors.

They wouldn't let anybody in or out.

So any place that we had cited as a good possibility, it was no longer.

So we sat around one day and she said, what are we going to do?

And jokingly I said, let's go to Costa Rica.

She's like, why?

And I had been there a long time ago with my ex wife and we had an incredible time.

And the thing that I remembered that really resonated with me about Costa Rica was the people, was the kindness that the people of Costa Rica have.

It's almost odd that there could be people that would be this giving and this kind.

So we went back that winter, we spent the winter there, I guess it was three or four months and we came back and the next winter came and we thought, let's try that again.

That was really nice.

And we've gone back every winter since.

We've since bought a piece of land.

We didn't buy a micro house then.

We didn't, because I hadn't actually started the business yet.

I didn't even know about micro houses.

We do own one now.

But what I discovered was that let's call it a typical home in Costa Rica built for a Costa Rican is made of cinder blocks and they're very small.

And it seemed that because that was the typical way to build there, Very, very few homes are built of wood.

It's one in 50, I would say, are built of wood.

The rest of them are built from concrete and for a reason, because the weather is.

It rains like mad for about four, four to five months of the year is their rainy season and it rains, let me tell you.

So when I, when I started thinking about, I had introduced micro homes in the United States first and then I was in Costa Rica and it occurred to me that, that the people who were coming there from mostly from the United States and Canada and Europe, they're pouring into Costa Rica and everyone's buying property and they're trying to buy it like fast because the cost of real estate is going up very quickly.

So when people get news of this, they flood into Costa Rica and they just go and they buy property.

So it turns out that these expats who are all thinking like, oh, I beat the system.

We've got a piece of property in Costa Rica.

They have a piece of property, they can't get anyone to build for them.

So it seems there are some contractors around the odds that having your house built and finished is not very good.

So it occurred to me that this might be a logical place to introduce micro homes, because it wasn't the same mentality that existed in the United States where it was like a funky option.

This was an option for people to actually have a place to live.

Right.

And it's beautiful because it doesn't involve any construction.

There's nothing to be done on the site other than pour the columns.

And, yeah, you have to run electricity and septic.

But all this can be done in the time that you're waiting for the house to arrive.

Once the house arrives, it's a matter of hours.

A crane comes in, picks it up, plops it down on top of the columns, and then everything just gets connected.

And it took about five to six hours all together to install my house to the point where it was livable.

And, you know, it is amazing.

How could.

It's like, how can you say that about a house?

No, it doesn't make sense.

And that's the stretch for people.

They think, you know, what is this piece of garbage you're delivering?

So the fact that it's better, it's better built than many houses are, and there's insulation packages that guard it against cold and heat.

And they've.

Everything has been taken into consideration from a practical perspective as well as an aesthetic perspective.

So they've made sure that everything that's.

Everything that's placed in the house, the toilet, the air conditioner, the sinks, everything that's in there is quality.

It's interesting.

It's not Chinese, it's mostly Japanese.

And the choices that they've made are really good choices.

And people have an option if they want to.

There are certain options that you can consider in changing both the inside and the outside of the home.

But the good thing is that anything that you choose, they're going to find or not that they're finding, they're going to select something from their collection that is of really high quality.

Yeah.

I mean, this is something that's really of value.

But I have a question, though.

Like you had said, earlier that.

That if you had the land.

But chances of building a house, a traditional home on there were probably slim in none.

Is it just that there's a shortage of materials or shortage of qualified labor and contractors?

Labor is, like I said, there are plenty of people who will stand up and say, I'll build your home.

But qualified is a good word.

And that is the missing piece.

It's not only qualified from a place of being quality, a quality builder.

It's frustrating to say this, but it's true.

The mindset, the average mindset of a Costa Rican worker who gets paid four to five dollars an hour is not what we're used to in the United States.

So for somebody to take a job that they can go and do that job, let's say somebody's hired to help build a house, right?

And they come in and they have.

They have some experience with concrete and they come in and then.

And then somebody else approaches them and says, would you like to build a house for this guy?

We'll.

We'll pay you 525 an hour.

There's no hesitation.

They're just gone.

Right.

And this is the way that the country works.

It's not ideal, but it's the truth.

And the beauty of micro homes?

Well, the beauty and the upside and the downside is that there's nobody required other than a crane and the transportation people.

They're doing well there, but it does eliminate a lot of workers.

So do you.

Do you find that Costa Rica itself is more touristy or.

Because you think about.

If you have land and you put a micro home on it.

Okay, are those people that they're living there?

I mean, obviously they have to have some kind of.

They have to go out and earn a living.

What is the.

How does Costa Rica survive as far as being a country?

What are most people that are living there into?

Well, there's a tremendous difference between Costa Ricans and the expats who are coming there.

A lot of the expats are at one end or the other.

They're either very young and they're surfers or they're.

I thought they were only in California.

What about.

I thought they were only surfers.

I thought they were only in California and Hawaii.

No, they are there.

Okay.

And so they live in hostels and they eat peanut butter and jelly.

They have very simple lives.

And then there's the other extreme of older people who have.

They have a sense.

They've heard through the grapevine what Costa Rica offers and they are taking advantage of it.

And now the number of people, it's crazy when you see, when you go to towns that you know are supposedly exploding and you walk into this town, there's a town called Playa Grande that we discovered about five years ago.

And we discovered it because we were at the beach and we had really sandy feet and we didn't want to get back in the car and we saw this little hotel that looked like maybe we could sneak in there and use their, their shower or something.

Yeah.

And it turns out this, it's a beautiful hotel where we became very friendly with the owner and the manager and we went back, we've gone back every year.

But this hotel is like a beautiful example of what is going on in Costa Rica.

So you go to Playa Grande, that used to be, I'm not joking, there were horses up and down the streets and not many people.

Well, the amount of construction that's going on in this town is, it's just hard to believe.

And this hotel, for instance, has now become a high end luxury hotel.

It hasn't changed much at all.

But the people who are hearing about it and the number of people in the area is insane.

So now the room that we would always get, room 11, which was like to us, the ultimate room, it looked out over the city, it had two levels.

We'd always call the week, the week we were going say, hey, is room 11 available most times?

Yes.

If not, well, it's available next week.

Now we're talking six months.

And this is very quickly, very quickly.

So it's good and bad at the same time.

The country is getting money to build an ecosystem.

Roads are being built and paved, schools are being developed.

The tricky thing is that, how do I say this kindly?

Can't say it kindly.

Americans are bringing American values and so fast food is popping up the weight of people.

Wow,.

It's sad.

It's really sad to watch.

This is a blue zone.

Guanacaste is the west coast of Costa Rica is a blue zone.

I promise you they will be de blue zoned in the next two years because all of the health of the nation depended on the simplicity of what they had.

There's no army in Costa Rica.

I think they, they decided they don't want an army anymore.

So there's no armed forces.

So the money went to education, it went to the basic upkeep of the country.

But once you, once you dangle the old, you know, the mighty dollar in front of people, and people start coming and spending money and population increases.

Suddenly there's a different value system that starts to arise.

And it is arising.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a developing area.

And then it's amazing that we have as Americans the kind of influence that we have over everything that we touch, to be honest with you.

But I think for the most part, if the people are receptive and humble and want to be able to better their lives, then at least they should listen and then evaluate on their own and say this is something is going to be beneficial in the long run.

I'm sure there'll be, you know, hundreds of communities of micro homes in Costa Rica.

Yeah.

Yep.

It'll take a while, but I think what will happen is that there's a sense of community building that happens when one person gets one and then the neighbor sees it and talks to them and they say, wow, that's really interesting.

I think I'll get one and then there's two, and then there's four, and then there's 10 and there's 50.

And it's like anything else.

It takes those first people to.

And they're always the creative people.

It takes them to make the purchase and install it and either live in it or rent it.

There are many, many people who are interested in micro homes as a second dwelling, as an adu, an accessory dwelling unit, to place on their property and then rent it out as an Airbnb.

And then there's the distinct possibility of putting any number of them on one piece of property to create Airbnb communities.

And that's something that, you know, we're not interested in being community builders, but we're interested in.

In forwarding the idea to people who.

There's a lot of people who are looking to build communities.

But imagine the difference between building, let's say, 20 houses as compared to purchasing 20 micro homes.

It's a whole different ballgame.

Yeah, it's amazing, just amazing.

So for all our listeners, how can they get in touch with you and find out more information about getting a tiny home where they're living?

Yeah, well, probably our website is the best place to get started.

That's woodstockmicrohomes.com on there.

You'll find contact information, there's email and a phone number that you can call.

And, you know, we're on Facebook, we're on Instagram.

But honestly, the most information, the most direct information would be from the website.

That's where I would get started.

And then, you know, to get further along it's small enough that it can be very personal.

So if someone calls, they're going to get someone to answer the phone.

If it's in Costa Rica, there's someone in Costa Rica.

If it's in the United States, it's in the United States.

But it's a very practical purchase.

It doesn't sound like that on the surface, but it really is.

Yeah.

I mean, it surely is because, you know, they're not that expensive to start, to start with.

And like you say, as long as you have, I mean, like in Arizona here, there are plenty of plans.

There's land all over the place that if you want to do something, you know, inexpensive but yet be able to, you know, you know, like a lot of people, they like to live off the grid.

And that's a perfect, perfect way to do it.

You know, you get some solar, you get yourself a.

Well, you find a piece of land and you put a micro home on it.

Yep, yep.

I'm glad that, that you're, you know, I thank you for having me on the show and I'm glad that you're personally in support of what the value of a micro home can be.

I think it will, you know, again, it's, it's going to take some time.

But I truly believe that the micro home industry, I think is, I think the micro home as a unit is a stronger choice than a tiny home.

But look at how long it took tiny homes to gain popularity.

Oh, yeah.

And the other hand, too, is the one thing that I've seen with the people that I know who are doing tiny homes that there are just from some of the disaster areas, floods, droughts, earthquakes, you know, fires, wherever they are.

And they, where there's a need for temporary housing that could be used for other means once they recover.

Like, you know, my mission is always to build a container home, container homes for homeless veterans and build communities that way.

But it could easily be done with micro homes.

Yeah, yeah.

So there's always a, I mean, they're not like, you buy them and they're going to become useless if you're even using them for temporary measures.

And plus, at the other hand, too, is like I always said, you know, you could always, you know, you want to move, let's just pick it up with a crane and put it on a trailer and you take it to your new property.

So it's not like you lost it.

That's why, you know, one of the key selling features that we do when we talk about container pools, people want to have a pool and you could, I could build you a beautiful deck around a container pool.

But if you want to move, we'll just tear the deck down and we'll put the container pool on a trailer and we'll take it to your new property.

You don't have to worry about once you put it in the ground that you're not going to take it out.

It's got to stay at the house, stay with the home.

So there's a lot of versatility in micro homes.

So I think all our listeners should be.

No, give it a look, see and see exactly if it's something that's right for them.

Yeah, yeah, I think so.

Yeah.

It's great.

Rob, thanks so much for being on the show today.

We really appreciate it.

Sure.

And enlightening us and hopefully, you know, first time but not the last.

And, and we want to thank all our listeners for listening to Boxcar Universe and want everybody to remember, you know, we are your source for cutting edge information on container luxury homes, designed homes, container pools.

And now we've introduced micro homes to our list of homes that we now showcase.

If you have any questions at all and would like to contact me about any of our shows, you can always email me@steveoxcaruniverse.com and always remember, Boxcar Universe can be heard weekly on any podcast player.

And always remember, let us containerize your lifestyle.

Have a great week.

You're a great American.

I love you.