Welcome to the Tiny House!

Before we move on to Day 3 of vacation, let’s talk Tiny House! I’ve been obsessed with the concept of these things for awhile now. I’ve watched ALL seasons of Tiny House Hunters as well as the other shows dedicated to small space dwelling. It fascinates me! The creative ways people use small spaces, every square inch with a purpose. I love it!

So when I saw we could rent a tiny house for vacation, I was all over it. I don’t like hotels (see Day 1 recap). There is no space, if one person wants to watch TV and another wants to sleep, you can’t unless you’re in a suite. This family doesn’t have budget for a suite. I thought the tiny house might be like camping, but easier and better. I was right!! Priced similarly to a modest hotel room, but much more enjoyable.

When we pulled up to the tiny house just before dark on Day 2, I was so excited.

It was just off a main road, but nestled back behind a large building so it was hidden from passerbys. It was the perfect amount of privacy and nature without the concerns that come with being in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by evergreens, it really provided us with the best of both worlds. And hey! Look who was there to welcome us as we pulled in!

 

I’d enjoy this pretty lady and several of her friends every single night and early morning of vacation. By the last night there were at least five just 100 feet from me as they grazed. I couldn’t have asked for better Tiny House neighbors!

I was so eager to get inside the Tiny House and check it out!

Our host (the owner of the Tiny House) was beyond accommodating. I had been in contact with her through the Airbnb site to let her know our approximate arrival time so we could get the key. She was more than flexible with us and left a key for us so we didn’t need to worry about an exact arrival time. She was always very responsive to questions but also gave us the perfect amount of privacy to enjoy our vacation. It really felt like our very own tiny home for the week. She even left us an adorable gift basket filled with snacks and drinks for us!

A tiny front porch holding a basket of yellow and purple flowers greeted us as we carried our bags up to the buttery yellow front door. When we unlocked the deadbolt and swung the door opened I squealed with joy! SOOOO CUTE!!! The same soothing, yet cheerful buttery yellow color continued throughout the interior of the house. The lower kitchen cabinets, curtains and décor accents were all in this beautiful color. I have to find something I can paint this color in my own home!

We all set off in different directions to explore this micro abode. The kids immediately climbed the stairs to the sleeping loft where there was I believe a Queen sized bed. You couldn’t stand upright in this area, but there was a skylight and it was open to the main floor so it didn’t feel claustrophobic at all. However, I decided this would be the kids’ sleeping area.

A half wall made up of built-in storage cubbies prevented anyone from rolling out of bed and falling into the kitchen. There was also a window air conditioner in the sleeping loft. We usually turned it on when we got home at night just to cool the house down, but then it remained off because the ceiling fan in the kitchen plus the opened windows provided the perfect temp for sleeping.

Having the kids share a bed on vacation was the worst part of vacation. Lolo tried to sleep on the kitchen floor instead. I wouldn’t allow it. Then she demanded Gman wear socks because “what if his feet touch me?” He stole more than his fair share of the sheets, she wouldn’t turn off the light and stop reading, he wouldn’t leave her alone, etc., etc., etc. This is why I spent every late night outside. The Tiny House is not for siblings. Anyway back to the tour…

The overall vibe in the house was farmhouse chic. A full-sized farm sink, Mason Jar light fixtures, shiplap-looking walls…I was in Tiny House heaven!

Let’s continue with the kitchen. The Tiny House had glass-front upper cabinets painted white, which provided an airy and open feel. There was a butcher-block counter top with plenty of prep space, miniature white subway tile backsplash, the cutest and tiniest 4-cup coffee maker (I’d have to make two pots each day, but it was so cute!), a microwave, an apartment-sized fridge (maybe bigger than that, but definitely smaller than my fridge at home). In any case, that fridge was MORE than large enough for all our vacation needs. Our host provided a half gallon of milk for us, butter, basic condiments, cereal, peanut butter, pancake mix, etc. If we weren’t always on the GO, this would’ve saved us a lot of money. But there was just no way we could travel back to the Tiny House for every meal. Across from the kitchen counter/sink wall, there was a small wooden countertop for eating. I noticed this could fold down flat to open up more space in the house. Adorable, yet functional metal, yellow stools were tucked under the counter. Above the dining area were two large horizontal windows, so we could enjoy the views while we ate our breakfast. This also allowed for tons of natural light into the house, which made if feel bigger and brighter as well.

This Tiny House may be short on square footage, but it did not lack for storage space! It gave my own kitchen a run for it’s money on storage. A washing machine was tucked under the far end of the kitchen counter.It may have also been a dryer, but I’m honestly not sure. I did wash clothes once but couldn’t figure out if it was also a dryer so I hung everything to dry on the best clothes rack I’ve ever seen! It folded completely flat and didn’t take up much room when stored, but expanded to allow almost an entire load of laundry to dry. So cool!

Just to the right of the kitchen and front door were another set of stairs. Real stairs, not a ladder.

This led to a living room area. I especially loved this space. It housed a small sectional couch which could pull out into a queen sized bed, a stylish storage cabinet and TV/VCR. There was no WiFi or cable in the Tiny House, but the host provided hundreds of DVDs for us. I watched The West Wing every night as I fell asleep. There was a small horizontal window just above the sectional. This was nice for natural light, but also for fresh air. The mornings and evenings were chilly, so we took advantage of that and opened windows at night. A BEAUTIFUL wood carved privacy screen separated the living room from the kitchen area below and Mason Jar lights flanked each side of the couch. I can’t tell you enough how cute and FUNCTIONAL this place was!

Let’s move back downstairs, through the kitchen, move on by the stairs to the bedroom loft and take a look at the other side of the house. Justt beyond the fridge was a large pantry and a decent sized closet. 
This housed our shoes, our coolers and some of the shirts I was hanging to dry. We didn’t bother unpacking during vacation, so the closet served other purpose for us. But if I lived in this tiny house, I feel like it would hold a decent sized wardrobe!

After the closet, we found a normal sized bathroom sink, vanity and medicine cabinet mirror. It was technically outside of the bathroom, but barely. Behind this area was a 4-cube storage piece. Metal bins containing towels and washcloths filled the cubbies. A house plant, a fan and composting toilet instructions sat on top.

Ugh – the composting toilet. Dare I tell you about it? Let’s slide open the light gray barn doors and head into the bathroom. To the left there was a full sized shower stall with built-in shelves. Our host provided shampoo, conditioner and body wash for us. (Nice!!). The water pressure was excellent in the shower and we never had any trouble with hot water. There was a beautiful stain glass window in the bathroom and small house plants sat on the window ledge. Across from the shower was the toilet. There were industrial farmhouse type shelving above the toilet, which provided space for a basket of toilet paper and more cute, yellow accent décor. Let’s talk about the toilet. It was a normal sized toilet. It looked like a regular toilet. But, it was a composting toilet.

The composting toilet did not smell. It didn’t smell all week. In some ways it’s like a Port-A-Potty (Kybo, whatever you call those nasty things), but it didn’t smell like one and you didn’t get the nasty view of what was below like you do in an outhouse. Basically the composting toilet separates wet from not wet (I’m worried I’m going too far now, but don’t you sort of want to know how this works?). I’ll do my best to keep this informational and not gross.

You have to switch a button on the back of the toilet so it knows what it’s about to collect…number one or number two. But here’s my issue. What if you have both kinds of business to do? What if you’re sick and need to vomit? Which way do you switch the button for that?! Oh my gosh, I’ve gone too far, haven’t I?! Extra Grace!!

But seriously, guys, I don’t need this kind of stress in the bathroom. My ONLY criticism of the Tiny House was this. The toilet was clean, didn’t smell, and worked just fine – but if I ever build a tiny house I will definitely have a regular flushing toilet in it! Life is too short to have to make these kinds of big decisions while you’re just trying to do your business!

Let’s move outside now. A metal bistro set (yes, YELLOW!) with a turquoise umbrella sat jut outside of the house. It sat below what I believe was a Cedar tree? Whatever kind of tree it was, the scent it put out was phenomenal! Evergreeny (I am allowed to make up words)…but better!This is where I journaled our vacation, drank my morning coffee, watched the deer graze and had quiet time with God.

This is where I cried a few times, where I escaped bickering children who were supposed to be going to sleep, and where I gave my thanks for this experience, for this family, for the beauty surrounding me and for this life. This is where I checked in with God on my hopes and dreams and where I shared my fears and the sorrows still in my heart.

Next to the Bistro table was a small red gas grill. We didn’t have a chance to use it, but what a fantastic amenity!

So that’s the Tiny House! What did you think? Do you think you could live in a Tiny House full-time? I think I could once the kids are grown, but I’d probably prefer it as a vacation home. I’ll add this to my dreams and goals list. Tell me what your favorite part of this tiny house is! Tell me what features YOU’D like in a tiny house!

Here’s a poor quality video tour of the Tiny House:

Next up: Day 3 of our Black Hills vacation. This is the first day we explored the area. Come back tomorrow to experience the things we saw and the experiences we had!

Extra Grace,

Jodi