by Andrew Odom
So much time is spent thinking about the exterior build of tiny houses – the trailer, the framework, the weight, the roof, etc – that the interior is often overlooked. But is that wise? Isn’t the interior what transforms an otherwise stark and impersonal trailer or foundation into a home? It is if you ask Stacey Pridgen of Rooms and Spaces and tiny places.
“The interior is what turns a trailer into a home. It is where a person lays their head at night and you want that person to feel like they are in a palace and not an outhouse,” says Pridgen.
A contractor, creator, builder, craftsman, artist, and innovator for over 25 years Pridgen has been putting hammer to nail since he was just 16 years old. “I started when I was 16 years old or so. I got a job with a construction outfit as a framing assistant. I spent a lot of time helping, lugging material, and trying to learn the trade.”
Stacey never remembers wanting to be a doctor or a lawyer or any sort of corporate tycoon. He craved the dirt and the outdoors. College never even appeared on his radar as he went directly from high school onto the job site.
“I’ve been more with companies although I have been an independent contractor a couple of times. In 1998 I got my contractors license and struck out on my own. But after about two years I settled back down a bit and joined up with a big construction outfit out of Goldsboro, NC. We handled a lot of state and commercial contracts. We did some pretty big homes too. I mean huge.”
In 2003 or 2004 Pridgen got an offer to work with a trailer company. They hired him to do almost everything regarding trailer interiors. Oddly enough they specifically told him they did NOT hire him to do cabinetry; the one thing he is best known for now! “They wanted me to do electrical, plumbing, etc. I had to learn a lot just to make it there. I stayed there for about 8 years. In about 2008 when the economy started suffering I kind of fell into living quarters. I knew how to do so much with the trailers that I was able to fill several spots. I worked hard to earn my place there.”
Having gotten his introduction to tiny houses about three or four years ago when his sister showed him the Tumbleweed website, Pridgen has been instrumental in several builds including most recently his custom kitchen cabinetry and finish work in the Tiny r(E)volution tiny house kitchen. With over 4,000 views of the photo album on Google and nearly 200 comments left around the Internet it seems Pridgens work is appreciated around the globe.
Andrew Odom publishes Tiny r(E)volution.us.