How two St. Louisans built community by building a tiny house

By Miya Norfleet

Published October 30, 2024 at 4:00 PM CDT

People listen to the Soul Tones group in Tower Grove East on Oct. 26, 2024. — After more than two years of work, the Tiny House project in St. Louis’ Benton Park West neighborhood is complete. People gathered to celebrate its completion last weekend.

It’s been two years since Rikki Watts and her partner Dwayne Tiggs broke ground for their community-supported Tiny House project in Benton Park West.

Last week the community that helped build the home from the ground up celebrated its grand opening with a block party featuring live music, aerial dancing and tours of the 420-square-foot building and urban farm.

Watts is grateful everyone can now see the culmination of her and Tiggs’ vision.

“It was great giving tours at the very beginning when it was just a vacant lot and saying, ‘Oh, this is where the house is going to go. This is where the grape garden is going to be.’ And we're just pointing at piles of rocks,” she said. “It's great that now everybody can see the house and all the love that went into it.”

Dwayne Tiggs, 41, visualizes the 420-square-foot tiny home and urban farm he and his partner Rikki Watts are building on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Benton Park West. — Dwayne Tiggs, 41, visualizes the 420-square-foot tiny home and urban farm he and his partner Rikki Watts plan to build in December 2022.

Rikki Watts, left, and her husband Dwayne Tiggs, right, celebrate with their children Alaric, 10, left, and Audrey, 8, middle, for the opening of the Tiny House at Benton Park West on Oct. 26, 2024. — Rikki Watts, left, and her husband Dwayne Tiggs, celebrate the completion of their tiny house alongside their children Alaric, 10, left, and Audrey, 8, last weekend in Benton Park West.

Watts is excited for tiny house to serve as a source of inspiration for DIY-ers and those looking to reduce waste.

“To be able to challenge the mindset [that you] have to go to Home Depot for everything that you need,” she said. “You probably have something that can be modified or something that's lying around that you can use. It's wonderful that people are thinking, ‘Wow, I actually can do this.’”

Along with building a home with the help of neighbors and friends — old and new — Watts said she’s glad the Tiny House project has been a bright spot for her community.

“I think it's such a positive thing for neighborhoods to have people who are outside, active and doing positive things. That's really what we try to do,” she said. “It's good bringing people together.”

For more on the Tiny House of Benton Park West, including the interesting backstories of where materials used to build the home came from, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.

“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.