Inside New York’s stunning tiny-home community that mirrors a real-life

A developer who was inspired to create the first-ever tiny-home communities in upstate New York has revealed how he made the real-life “fairy-tale” residences a reality to “make the world a more beautiful place.”

Bruno Schickel found inspiration for his developments from a rather unlikely source: the children’s book “Miss Rumphius,” by Barbara Cooney, which tells the story of a sweet, young girl, Alice Rumphius, who longed to bring more beauty to the world by filling it with flowers.

As he was reading it to his daughters, something about the book’s message struck a chord with Schickel, who tells Realtor.com® that he soon set about finding his own unique way to leave a positive mark on the planet.

His solution? A tiny-house village where kindness and beauty permeate every property—and residents are encouraged to bring their own fairy tales to life.

“I had this ‘Eureka’ moment reading this story about a girl who leads an adventurous life, returns to the coast of Maine, orders a bushel of lupine seeds, and scatters them everywhere she goes to make the world a more beautiful place,” he recalls. “That’s what I wanted to do with my communities.”

Schickel, who is the founder of Schickel Construction Co., used that vision to create his first tiny-home community, Boiceville Cottages, which began with just a few small structures and is now home to more than 140 tiny houses.

“In 1996, I started my first tiny-home community, Boiceville Cottages, that was inspired by that book,” he adds. “They are very much fairy-tale houses that I designed and my construction company built.”

Located in the heart of the Finger Lakes in Brooktondale, NY, Schickel’s colorful collection of storybook homes can all be leased for 12 months at a time, with prices starting at $1,695 for a “studio” house. They go up to $2,395 a month for a two-bedroom gatehouse cottage with its own office.

The community is designed to give residents a feeling of privacy, while also providing them with opportunities to connect with neighbors. The properties were also designed to be sustainable.

“Bruno designed a…