Jon and 3 year old Jen adjusting the first tiny house in 1979
Where it all began
In 1978 Jon Carroll (co-owner) planted trees with the largest worker owned co-op in the United States - Hoedads Reforestation Cooperative. With his family, including his 3 year old son Jen Carroll (co-owner), Jon spent half the year in Northwest forests, working and living. They began with pitching a tent, but quickly found living this way difficult when the weather turned in winter. Needing to get his family out of the mud and into a clean, warm environment, Jon decided to construct a tiny house travel trailer, long before "Tiny" was in style. After some trial and error, the house became a functional and beautiful home for use during planting seasons. Warm, cozy, and out of the mud!
Later the Carroll family changed professions and moved into town, leaving their tiny lifestyle behind.
Remembering that time affectionately almost 38 years later; Jen and his wife Malia (co-owners) have decided to revisit small scale mobile design, applying their many skills to certified, and inspected Tiny Homes. This time the passion is strong to develop beautiful Tiny Houses, and the Tiny Living vision is widely shared.
OUR BUSINESS
Tru Form's background stems from 50 years experience in residential home building, and Jen and Malia’s passion for sustainability. We put painstaking attention into every unit, and we use fully licensed plumbers and electricians to assure your safety. Tru Form offers diverse design styles and finishes (modern, rustic, craftsman, open studios, offices, hospitality, & more). We love working with our clients to find solutions for their unique needs; Tru Form is the quality solution to your extraordinary build.
Our recreational vehicles are built with true home building materials, so that you can feel the comforts of home no matter where you land with your Tiny. It's our vision that our clients walk away happier, more empowered, and inspired by the beauty and comfort of our product. We believe that by building on such a small scale, beautiful finishes become more accessible, and sustainable choices become realistically attainable.
We pay our employees a competitive wage and benefits, while utilizing local, green, high end materials, and listed products. You can walk away assured that you've made an ethical decision when you've purchased one of our Travel Trailers.
offices, hospitalityACHIEVEMENTS
Members of RVIA
NADA listed
Passive House Certified Builders. One of the leading certifications for energy efficient homes
Built and certified LEED for Homes new homes. Gold Certification
AIA Northwest's Annual Craftsmanship Nominee
AIAS "Methods and Materials" award at the Annual U of O School of Architecture Design
Have built 150 Tiny Homes as of 2/29/2020
JEN - owner, chief operating officer (coo), building science engineer
& a little bit of everything.
Jen is focused on production at Tru Form. He has built countless residential new homes and remodels over the years. As a Passive House Certified Builder, Jen has completed one of the most intensive green building certification for builders in existence.
In college Jen’s majors were Environmental Science and Economics with a minor in Chemistry - this education has shaped him. With his passion for durable building, building science and innovative craftsmanship, Jen was built to build quality structures, regardless of the project at hand. He wants to bring his passion to Travel Trailers and hopes all of his clients see that intention in each build. We haven't encountered a problem that Jen couldn't solve - he is brilliant - a Macgyver if you will. Jen brings a compassionate edge to every interaction. He is one of those people that you think, "what would Jen do"? Jen is also an extraordinary father of 2 girls, and a loving husband.
MALIA - OWNER and chief executive officer (ceo), Creative director
& a little bit of everything.
Malia has several degrees, including undergraduate degrees in both business administration (with a public accounting focus), and fine art. Before Tru Form, Malia spent 15 years consulting businesses, or working in public accounting. Her dynamic skill set is a powerful component of each Tru Form RV. She's able to convert concepts into beautiful reality, all while keeping us compliant and aware of our financial well being. We are so grateful for Malia's expertise. Successful building relies on smart & beautiful design. Malia works tirelessly to make every unit stunning, while also troubleshooting our systems, marketing, graphic design, and business strategies.
JON - OWNER
Jon has project managed building homes for many years. Jon's main focus is Sales. An amusing story teller, you might hear one of his hilarious life stories.
