We recently moved out of our 1200 square foot, two-bedroom apartment in Martinez to start building a less than 350 square foot (including lofts) tiny house on wheels on my dad’s property in West Sacramento. With a lot of planning and creativity, our new home will include two bedrooms, a full kitchen, full bathroom, living room, work space, and plenty of storage.
There are many benefits of “going tiny” – the obvious ones including using less energy and water, saving on bills, having less stuff to manage, etc. But one of the larger motivations for me in this decision has been the idea of creating a unique, beautiful space that I can easily afford and manage on my own, for Katie to continue to grow in. I truly believe that living in a home, no matter the size, that has been made intentionally beautiful and simplifying by keeping only the things that one needs and/or loves around them, can help to create a more peaceful lifestyle.
I’m also aware that change, no matter how large or small, is never easy. I think I have at least a semi-realistic idea of the struggles we may endure as well – not only because of the labor that has to go into the build (which equally excites me and scares me), and the temporary living arrangements that may not be ideal (see below), but also due to the differing opinions of those around us. Not everyone will understand the benefits of “going tiny” and I’m having to learn to let that go. I truly believe that this is a great opportunity for me to become a stronger woman. As a single-mom, I can’t tell you how much I look forward to having my hand in the entire process of the build, to learn the ins and outs of how my home functions. I want to be 100% capable of maintaining my home on my own when issues arise in the future.
During the proposed 6-12 months of our build, we’ve gone even tinier, toughing it out in a 1990s camper. This lifestyle does not come without it’s quirks and challenges. We’re in our second week and I’m questioning the gods above on a regular basis. Luckily, the good outweighs the bad. Katie wakes up and heads out to feed the chickens each morning, who freely roam the property throughout the day, we’re steps away from another tiny house build that my dad is currently working on, I’m able to work my graphic design job from home (huge blessing), and my family is close enough to be involved in our lives. So, despite the challenges, Katie and I look forward to basically camping our way through the rest of the year and eventually starting the next chapter of our lives in our beautiful tiny home.
To learn more about what inspired me to go tiny, you can read this post I wrote a couple months ago.
If you’d like to follow our journey, I’ll be posting project updates here on the blog from time to time. You can also follow my designated Instagram account for the build @hertinyhome.
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Stay tuned. My next post will feature our heavy duty trailer that has officially arrived on site.