To kick off our first newsletter, we want to officially introduce who we are and the story behind all that we do! Mustard Seed Tiny Homes started with more of a calling than a business plan. Clint Gooch met his wife Haley in 2010 while doing global mission work. After getting married, they moved to Cape Town, South Africa where Clint partnered with Ithemba Woods – a job creation initiative that equips and empowers local men with carpentry skills.
They lived out of backpacks during their years of travel, so they learned to live very flexibly and simply. Throughout their time abroad, they lived amongst communities that had very little in terms of physical possessions, but whose lives were rich from deep connections to their culture, their land, their faith, and each other. Their worldview had changed dramatically, as did their belief on what matters most in life. It was a few years into this journey that they discovered the “tiny house movement”. It was so in line with their lifestyle and hearts and they knew had to be a part of it.
It was on a visit home to Atlanta in 2014 that they had a conversation with a friend and the subject of tiny homes came up. Clint got thinking. All of his experience in building simple, small homes for others overseas sparked the idea of tiny houses here in the States. And not just as a novelty for profit, but to help homeowners discover the financial, relational, and emotional freedom that “living tiny” can offer. This was the seed that started growing into the Mustard Seed Tiny Homes we have today.
Mustard Seed came as a result of faith, experience, and the opportunity to continue serving here at home in the US. In a society where money and status are such strong influencers of our lives, we often trade freedom and peace for oversized homes with overpriced mortgages that accumulate more and more stuff. All of it requiring so much time and money to keep it all managed, that for some, can actually steal the enjoyment of having it in the first place.
As a country who is generally conditioned to live above our means, living tiny offers one very immutable luxury – FREEDOM. It is a small way to take a big step toward getting off the hamster wheel. Tiny house living costs less money, time, and upkeep and frees people up from the stress that comes with bills and house management. The result is more disposable income and time to actually “live” and invest in the things that matter most to you.
The secret to Mustard Seed’s tiny homes transcends the quality we put into every build. The spirit of love and faith in what we are building is apparent by the sense of freedom and peace the home represents and conveys when you walk into it. It’s where luxury and style meet simplicity for a peaceful home that blesses the owner, every day they spend in it. The outcome so far indicates there is a higher purpose at work. We’re convinced there is.
At Mustard Seed Tiny Homes, we have learned that big change starts small. We welcome you to share in this experience and find out more about how a tiny house can change your life for better.
