another Tales From The Homestead
The final iteration of our tiny home design is complete! Twelve years ago, when I designed this wee tiny house it included a full length, fold-up deck along the broadside. I never could quite figure out how to add all that off balanced weight in a way that it was also functional. But here we are, twelve years later and it’s finally happened!
While the tiny house is 232 square feet (originally 196 square feet before the addition of our kids’ room), the deck is 300 square feet. So, you can obviously tell where our priorities lay: outside!
It’s been such a long journey to get here! Three years ago, when we bought our six acres and gained legal occupancy, the deck was slated to be our first project. As we all saw, the price of construction goods skyrocketed and my frugal self could not justify the $14,000+ material cost to build it in 2020. The 2023 price is just over $6,000 which still seems like so much, considering the house was less than $12,000 all in. That deck space finalizes everything we ever wanted though!
Watching it take form made me so happy! I just love the evolution of this wee old tiny house that we call home! It’s crazy to think what my life was like 12 years ago when I started drawing up the plans for this place. It was much more chaotic then than life is now, that’s for sure! What I originally thought of as a two-year challenge has become a beloved lifestyle! If I won the lottery tomorrow, my life would not change (though I might get a tractor with hydrostatic controls…). Everything I truly love and need fits comfortably in this little box we call home.
I just love the work of a good project. By living tiny I feel so much more connected to this planet we live on and her cycles. I love the cycles of the seasons that I get to stay connected to, both literally and emotionally. Each season thrills me for new reasons. I also love that my kids are growing up completely aware that our resources aren’t limitless and also that what we have is enough.
This home has nurtured us through so many important phases of life. In it, I have found true independence after a traumatic divorce and foreclosure process. My now partner and I have fostered and grown a deep love for one and other here. We welcomed our kids into the world within the safety of these walls. An entire lifetime of our beloved Great Dane happened here. We became financially independent, allowing us to think differently about how we spend our hours in the day. We have been able to save the money needed to before we start each project, keeping us well out of debt.
All of this and we get to spend our evenings together, out in the fresh air, playing family games as we watch the sun set on these new, symbiotic 300 square feet. I don’t know how much closer to perfect life conditions that we can get. This house has been a pretty amazing tool that’s enabled such a wonderful life!
Written By Macy Miller for Tiny House Magazine Issue 128
