AUSTIN, Texas — Since moving to Austin three years ago, Kenny and Ali Dye dreamed of owning a home close to downtown. But they say it was hard to find a home in the location and price range they were looking for.

"What we could afford was going to be like 30 minutes outside of downtown, even further out in the suburbs," Ali Dye said.

"We started looking – it seemed like the best solution was to build a new home," Kenny Dye added.

Around March 2023, Ali Dye's parents joked that the couple should build a tiny home in their backyard on Parker Lane. That joke soon became a reality thanks to the HOME Initiative .

Austin City Council began the first phase of HOME, which passed in December 2023, changing the city's land development code to allow up to three dwelling units on a single-fam

See Full Page