A (Modest) Home: Green Living is the Life For Me!

Just outside of the Meeman Shelby Forest State, Denton Pearson has built his dream home. “We don't call this a tiny house. We call it a modest home.” This totally off the grid, self-sustaining home for two (sometimes three) people is occupied year-round by Denton and his wife Amy. The 900 square foot abode, was a big downsize when they moved from their 2800 square foot home in Cordova. However, while they were building, the two lived in a 250 square foot camper, so getting used to the smaller set-up wasn’t too big of an issue. 

The Pearsons put a lot of thought into their home and it’s clearly visible in the details. For instance, when they bought the land it was covered in trees; they were going to have to clear the land, get all the hook-ups like gas, water, and electricity, and then build the house! 

When Denton was searching for land to buy, it was a pretty easy decision, “I have taught at E.E. Jeter for five years, this will be my sixth year. About two years into my stint, Amy and I kind of fell in love with the Shelby Forest area. We were both traveling to and from Cordova; I was teaching at one end of Watkins and she was teaching at the other, so we decided that since our two kids had moved out of the house, and it was just the two of us in a 2800 square foot home, we were going to sell our house and buy some land in Shelby Forest.” 

It was easier to say and begin to plan, but a little bit harder to build what they wanted. “When we first started looking at the property, it was heavily wooded. I found the property and contacted MLGW,” Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, “I told them that ‘our property does not have utilities. What would it cost to have electricity, gas, and water to the house?’ So they called me a couple of days later and said ‘to bring electricity to your house is going to be $20,000. To bring natural gas it’s going to be $15,000. To bring water to your house is going to be $40-50,000.’” That’s nearly $85,000 just to bring modern amenities to the Pearson's new home! After hearing numbers like those, Denton knew what decision he was going to make: build a self-sufficient home. “I teach fifth and sixth-grade science and so we’re kind of into climate change, global warming, reducing our carbon footprint, and solar energy; all those kinds of things, and this gave me an excuse to try that. The fact that it was gonna cost that much to bring utilities to the property, really helped me make the decision.”

The five-acre Pearson property has a myriad of technological and innovative systems to keep the modest home up and running all year long. “We started with 12 solar panels and then added 15 more.” Denton also built a pavilion that he put the 15 extra solar panels on making a total of 27 solar panels. It functions not only as the spot for more solar panels but also as the perfect place to host family dinners since the floor plans are so condensed in the home. “This was always kind of part of the plan, build the house first, and then build the pavilion. You want a place where you can have, you know, Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, Easter lunch and be able to invite everybody to come over.” Denton still had the furniture from his Cordova home “that wasn't going to fit. So while we were building a house, we put all that furniture in storage. Then we completed the house and completed the pavilion. Some of the furniture, like our dining room table and chairs—we’ve moved it into the open pavilion. My mother was not real excited about that because she said ‘this is nice antique furniture and you need to take care of it,’ but I didn’t have anywhere else to put it. I have been able to strip, sand, restain, and varnish, all that furniture,” so it would be safe in all the elements  outside. 

When the Pearsons got past all the hurdles and built their two-story, modest house they did something very special. “We had to cut the driveway and clear all the trees to build the house. So we saved some of the trees and took them to a friend of ours here in the forest; he has a sawmill.” They were able to take one of the maple trees from the property and create the mantel for their fireplace. That’s not the only wooden accents that came from trees that grew on the property. “The stair treads and the handrail are sweet gum. The posts are Royal Paulownia, which is a non-native tree, but it’s common in this part of the state. We cut down several of those. The top of the island is that same maple and the shelves,” in the kitchen, “are also sweet gum.” 

Wood is prevalent inside of the modest home, “We wanted a small simple house using simple materials, staying as green as possible while being ecologically friendly. Bamboo floors are more ecologically friendly than others. It’s one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. You’re not cutting down hundred-year-old oak trees to make the floor and this is probably more durable too.” 

The kitchen cabinets are also unique to the Pearson home. The custom made cabinets are unfinished in style so the couple could customize them. “You build a custom house you have to have custom cabinets. So we had a cabinet maker come in and take the measurements. We talked about design; we knew we didn’t want upper cabinets,” in certain areas of the space. “We wanted to come back later and add the shelves.” The local manufacturer did the upper and lower cabinets including the base of the island. “We picked out a pine door and drawer fronts. I told him ‘don’t finish the pine,’ so he delivered and installed the unfinished pine, and we whitewashed it.” Another unique way they used pine lumber was by adding it to the slanted ceiling and to two of the walls in the kitchen. “This is some of the cheapest pine lumber that you can buy. It’s one of the lower grades because it has all of the knots in it and we wanted that. We thought they had a kind of character to it.” 

The stairs’ stringer is also the same knotty pine, whitewashed to match the interior of the home. Looking down from the second floor, you’re able to see the living area and outside to the front yard where the seating area is. From the upstairs bedroom, you can also catch glimpses of the creek through all the trees. The other half of the upstairs, in conjunction with the landing, has a ‘walkthrough’ closet and dog bed for the Pearson's beloved dog Molly.

If you ask Denton, he’ll tell you that his modest, not tiny, home is the perfect size. There’s plenty of land for gardening, keeping bees, and to live as one with nature around you. This ecologically friendly, modern farmhouse uses solar panels for electricity, a well water pump, and batteries to keep everything running. It’s the perfect way for Denton and Amy to live happy and green.