See inside the ‘Big Easy,’ the home Tyler Perry bought for Hilton Head grandma

Mary Dimitrov

How Hilton Head grandma Josephine Wright’s family funded a home isn’t traditional: Atlanta-based actor Tyler Perry promised to pay for it after Wright’s nationally publicized fight against developers for her land.

The recently installed five-bedroom home on the land isn’t traditional either. It’s a 1,872-square-foot customized manufactured home built by Clayton Homes and sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort.

Manufactured homes are different than traditional homes because they’re built off-site and then transported and assembled on-site. They last on average 30 to 55 years. The Wright family’s home base model is called the “Big Easy,” which costs about $180,000 before installation and customization, according to Clayton Homes.

A new home has been delivered to the property owned by Josephine Wright’s family as photographed on April 4, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Atlanta-based actor, writer producer Tyler Perry had pledged to build a five-bedroom house for the Hilton Head Island great-grandmother in 2023. Wright received international attention in the last year of her life to maintain the property that has been in her family since before the Civil War before dying at 94 in January.

Despite Wright’s death at 94 in January, Perry affirmed his promise to pay for the home in a social media post.

Before her death, Wright was able to walk through home models, according to Madison Aust of Palmetto Homes of Beaufort. Aust said they worked with the family and Perry’s design team to add upgrades including:

  • a converted den to create a fifth bedroom

  • a porch

  • granite countertops

  • higher-quality insulation

  • a permanent foundation

  • tabby shell skirting

  • closet upgrades to real wood shelving

  • window blind upgrades

  • A/C unit and hot water heater upgrades

  • fireplace upgrades

  • vinyl siding upgrades

  • higher wind zone resistance to be able to withstand wind zone 3 instead of the standard requirement of wind zone 2

The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette visited Palmetto Homes of Beaufort to see what the inside of the “Big Easy” model looks like. Take a look inside:

A manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort named the “Big Easy” shows the basic layout of the Clayton built house that was gifted by media mogul Tyler Perry to Hilton Head Island’s Josephine Wrights family.
A manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort named the “Big Easy” shows the basic layout of the Clayton built house that was gifted by media mogul Tyler Perry to Hilton Head Island’s Josephine Wrights family.
While not the same counter top that the Wrights received, the open kitchen of the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort is bright and has plenty of counter space.
While not the same counter top that the Wrights received, the open kitchen of the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort is bright and has plenty of counter space.
While not the same counter top as what the Wrights received, the kitchen in the “Big Easy” is bright with plenty of cabinetry and counter space.
While not the same counter top as what the Wrights received, the kitchen in the “Big Easy” is bright with plenty of cabinetry and counter space.
The open floor plan of the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort is bright and shares space with the kitchen and dining area.
The open floor plan of the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort is bright and shares space with the kitchen and dining area.
The primary bath has a walk in spa, a vanity for two and a tub in the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort.
The primary bath has a walk in spa, a vanity for two and a tub in the “Big Easy” manufactured home sold by Palmetto Homes of Beaufort.

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