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Small communities across the United States 100 years ago often included a structure now rarely seen other than in Norman Rockwell paintings—the one-room schoolhouse. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this often-beloved bit of Americana may make a comeback.
Frank Golley, CEO of Decatur-based Golley Houses, said the small structures his company sells as prefabricated residential out buildings—often for use as studios, guest houses or personal offices—are ideal for home schooling.
“These tiny houses are actually about the size of the one-room schoolhouses that used to be in nearly every rural American community. The sample one we built—if you painted it the traditional red—could be one,” he observed.
Frank Golley says a small building suitable for use as a schoolroom can be completed in less than two weeks.
Golley said people are starting to settle into the realization that the virus will probably be around for a while and are starting to make long-term arrangements for educating their children. “Some parents who have had to return to work are hiring teachers or tutors to teach their children. Sometimes small groups of parents go in together to make up a small classroom,” he noted.
“There are several advantages to having a dedicated space to use as a classroom. One is purely practical—you can set up the area and keep it set up since it doesn’t double as a family room or dining room. Everything you need, books and other supplies, can be kept together. Another is psychological; children think of school as a place to focus on learning and home as a place to relax and focus on family. It’s easier for them to keep their minds on studies if they are away from home—even if it’s just a few feet away,” he said.
Golley Houses can easily be connected to the main house’s electrical system and its plumbing so that a half-bath—a toilet and sink—can be installed, according to Golley. “You probably will need to hire professionals to do this.
It will, of course, add to the cost and to the time it takes to be up and running as the plumbing and electrical work will have to undergo inspection as well as the house itself,” he said, adding that start to finish, building a tiny house should take no more than two weeks.
The houses Golley offers are 16 by 10 feet, creating 160 square feet of space, or 260 square feet if a loft area is added, placing them well within the 400-square-foot limits of Decatur’s specifications for a tiny house. “This is right for a six- to 10-pupil classroom with child-size furniture and may even include a reading corner or whatever is appropriate for the age group. With the loft, two grade levels can be taught in the same building at the same time.”
Golley said that while he has not yet had orders for tiny houses destined to become schoolrooms, he has fielded several inquiries. His business also has been featured in a homeschooling magazine in an article noting the advantages of creating a dedicated space on the parents’ property for use as a schoolroom. “The differences for various uses aren’t that large. To turn the space into a schoolroom, instead installing a bed, home furniture and perhaps a kitchenette, you set it up with desks, chairs and bookshelves, along with whatever teaching equipment you will be using,” he suggested.
Frank Golley says the sample classroom tiny house is about the size of the once-ubiquitous American one-room schoolhouse. “All it needs is to be painted the traditional red,” he notes. Photos provided
Because the space is already in the backyard, it’s easy to set up nearby space as a playground or an outdoor lunch area, Golley observed.
He said once the pandemic has passed and schools are fully functioning again, parents may choose to continue using the tiny house as a dedicated learning space for children or convert it to an art or music studio, an in-law suite, a private area for a college-age family member, a guest house or a work-at-home office. “I have worked in real estate for many years,” Golley said, “and I know that the one thing people are always looking for in a home is space for special uses away from family space.”
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