The Greenville story of Justin Draplin
A developer bringing a new community and lifestyle to GVL
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Name: Justin Draplin
What is the most interesting fact about yourself? I own the country’s largest superhero cape manufacturer.
How long have you been in Greenville? I have been in Greenville for the past two years as I am originally from Metro Detroit.
What is your background? The majority of my life, up until five years ago, was spent in Michigan. I have an older sister and a younger brother and was raised primarily by my mom as our parents split early, they split when I was in the first grade. My dad then remarried and I have a half-twin brother and sister. From first grade until college, where I went to Michigan State for college, I lived in the same house with my mom.
My grandpa was in the Detroit automotive industry while my dad was a fireman but my dad also built houses on the side. With this, I have always been interested in both construction and real estate. Though I had never completed a full-on tiny house project prior to this one, I, along with many, started to become interested in tiny houses which started our project here in Travelers Rest [Creek Walk Community].
I have four kids, ages: four, six, eight and then I have one year-old that will be two here shortly. Being that we have a family, there was a lot of prayer that was put into this relocation. I am from Michigan, my Wife is from Texas, but our winters spent together in Michigan were brutal: it had a terrible effect on our whole family.
My family and I ended up in Charleston, South Carolina for two months before evacuating due to Hurricane Matthew. Our family decided to stay in Greenville during Hurricane Matthew at the then-new Embassy Suites hotel. That is when we all fell in love with Greenville. We found land, bought property and set shop here in Greenville and did not go back to Charleston. We started building [family’s main house] shortly thereafter Hurricane Matthew.
[on creating a Tiny House Community] The Creek Walk Community [Tiny House Community] is on the Swamp Rabbit Trail which I love, we have a wonderful piece of property that everyone can enjoy. From a location standpoint, I do not believe that you will find twenty-four acres that is one mile away from Downtown Travelers Rest, across from a great hospital and within walking distance to a grocery store. It was a must and we had to build a community.
I think tiny houses are the future, the trigger for me was going into a tiny home. On TV, as we’ve all seen, I am thinking, ‘nobody in their right mind is going to live in a tiny home, that is crazy,’ but then I went into a model that was around 400 sq. feet and I thought this is simplified living, but it is attractive: you do not really have to maintain your yard and it is very hard to get messy, you are not cleaning as much as you’d be, say that of a typical family-style home. You are also not in an apartment either where you would be sharing a wall with your neighbor.
What are you reading and/or watching? I really don’t read, I don’t like books. I know, it is weird.
But my wife and I just finished the Morning Show on Apple TV. In that regard, when it comes to TV, I’ll pretty much watch anything.
What is your role? I am the Property Owner, Developer, Ditchdigger, Trash Guy.
What is your day-to-day? It is mostly reactive. In that I mean, whatever is going on on that particular day, whatever is needed, I am going to focus on.
There are some days that I am out installing homes, meeting new potential owners, you name it.
How would you describe Greenville? Idyllic
How would Greenville describe Justin? That is scary. It depends on what part of Greenville.
One of the things that I like about Greenville is that there are different and distinct areas of Greenville but we all work together and intermingle. It is a melting pot of what America is supposed to be, everyone still cares about the people here and their surroundings.
What is your favorite Greenville morning hangout? Tandem
What is your favorite Greenville evening hangout? I am at home with my kids and wife, I tend to be an early riser.
About Creek Walk? We are a Tiny House Community, where the residents here use their tiny houses as their primary residence. We build the homes, or you can bring your own home and put it on one of our lots.
Creek Walk has: two creeks, three ponds and a beautiful wooded-area. We are really in nature, but at same time, have a 4,000 sq. foot community building that has co-working offices, conference rooms, outdoor firepits and meeting areas.
In Phase II, we are going to add a dog park, pavilion, have food trucks, events, yoga, a lot of more things are coming that we are excited about.
What is your best advice for those exploring the idea of living in a tiny home? Generally, you want to be in a tiny home community.
You also want to look at your location. What is the walk score of where you are located? Are you nearby any areas of interest or need (grocery stores, etc.). Can you ride your bike around the surrounding areas? So forth…
Lastly, remember that you are going to downsize quite a bit. Bring your essentials first and then build luxury items with the space you have.