HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – A Hopkinsville local is investing in and constructing a community of tiny homes in an effort to bring high quality, unique and affordable housing to the city. With five homes currently under construction, developer Steve Fincham is hoping to eventually construct upward of 75 homes on the property.

While on the construction site with Christian County Now, Fincham said the residential plot of land he acquired off West Seventh Street on Westside Court had fallen into disarray. A large portion of the property is still filled with manufactured homes or trailers, several of which are abandoned or have mounting back taxes and citations. He is hoping to revive the street with the new tiny homes.

“It’s built just like a custom home,” he said during a tour of their largest planned home, which sits at around 780 square feet. Most of the other homes will be closer to 500 square feet depending on the design with one or two bedrooms available.

Fincham walked through the carefully planned layout that was designed to maximize every inch. A full-sized bathtub and shower combination was already installed, with a porch, room for a washer dryer, a walk-in closet, and two modest bedroom spaces, one of which was located upstairs. He stressed that each home will have high end finishes with no corners cut in construction.

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Importance of affordable housing, inspiration behind project

“There’s an entire demographic of people that will never see the American dream of owning a home unless we get the cost down,” he told Christian County Now. With this undertaking, Fincham is wearing multiple hats, acting as not only the developer but as the financier and head of construction. He explained that inflated housing prices and high interest rates in Christian County are what motivate him.

As a Hopkinsville local and owner of his construction company, his previous experience with constructing a home for his daughter helped inspire him to pursue this project. Despite building a modest sized home and sourcing all of the materials himself, he said the cost still resulted in a home valued at over $200,000. This got him thinking about what he could do to create more affordable housing solutions without sacrificing quality.

When deciding on how to approach the project, he wanted to ensure that the cost would be affordable for the average workforce making the Average Median Income in Christian County, which sits at around $47,000. Their largest home will go on the market for approximately $129,000.

He added that the city has been very supportive of his project, saying that they have gone out of their way to help him execute his vision by making him aware of grants and other resources.

“By June I am going to try and have two or three of these ready to sell,” said Fincham. “I’m pretty creative and I like to make things look good.” After these initial five homes are completed, he plans to ramp up efforts to initiate development of the rest of the property.

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