My husband, Michael, has been slightly obsessed with tiny house videos ever since they started becoming popular on YouTube years ago. After traveling in an RV with his family of four as a child, he is no stranger to small-space family living. While we currently live in a house that we now realize is unnecessarily big, we dream of a simpler life for our small family of four.
I was searching VRBO back in the spring one night to see what might be available in our area for a quick weekend getaway for his birthday in September this year. My main criteria was that we would need to stay someplace within 30 minutes of our hospital, as his birthday this year was just 2 weeks before my 2nd pregnancy due date. I could hardly believe my eyes when I came across an adorable tiny house in North Phoenix, exactly 31 minutes from our delivery hospital!
Reasonably priced and perfect for two, I quickly booked it and spent the next three to four months refraining from spilling the beans on my find. We often watch tiny house videos on YouTube during dinner, and have long discussions about our ideal tiny house floor plan. I was tempted to give up my secret but was so glad I kept it in until we pulled up to our tiny staycation on Friday evening.
This tiny house is quite tiny, but just right for a romantic getaway for two. Even with me being 38 weeks pregnant, we were able to truly enjoy the coziness of the space without feeling claustrophobic or uncomfortably close whatsoever. In fact, we both agreed that we felt closer because, well, we were closer. At home in our big (giant) house, I would be preparing dinner in the kitchen and he would be upstairs in his den. I would yell up that dinner is ready when the time comes, he can barely hear me because it is so far away, etc.
In the tiny space, I’m preparing dinner while he is either sitting on the couch in the very nearby living room or at a non-yelling distance up in one of the lofts. And we are able to communicate all the while, in real time – not text time or when one of us makes the extra effort to leave our current space.
I did think ahead to how large I would be and confirmed that the futon downstairs comes with bedding. We pulled down the futon and slept there for our two night stay and it was really comfy!
It was nice to get the experience of staying in a tiny for a few nights to get a real feel for the space. While we would certainly do things differently were we to build our own, this size and layout worked perfectly for accomodating our weekend getaway needs.
We both agreed that the width of the space is more than adequate. Michael enjoyed climbing the ladder to the “storage loft” and joked that he was the elf on a shelf. I didn’t venture up the ladder in my very pregnant largeness. He also spent some time during the day in the sleeping loft, while I enjoyed sitting on the futon with my feet propped up. I did (carefully) climb the ladder/stairs to the sleeping loft and confirmed it is really too small for me – I would want a loft that I could at least sit up fully in.
Our plans for our oneday tiny include separate, private sleeping spaces for our 2 girls (sharing a room) and a separate room for ourselves with space to stand up fully. In addition, Michael recently introduced the concept of slide outs to our dream floor plan, giving us more room. I have even talked to the owner of a custom builder who does slide outs on tinies – Hill Country Tiny Homes. And I want a bathtub!
The draw of tiny homes for us has always been all about less is more. I love the idea of having everything in my space exactly the way that I want it. The floors, the walls, the details, the items we own. We are also attracted to the idea of having just what we need – not WAY more. The way more lifestyle often leads to expending energy unnecessarily, because way more than what we need is unnecessary.
Whether we ever actually have our own tiny or not is still uncertain, but we both agree that our interest in tinies helps us to see areas in our lives where we can cut back on our way more lifestyle and slowly make our way to the lifestyle in which we have just enough. It’s exciting just thinking about the journey!
Do you dream of living tiny, or simply living with less like us?
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