Meet Haley, the proud and happy owner of ‘The Tiny’.
Haley is a recent college graduate living in Simi Valley, California. When she was 19-years-old, she decided to invest in her dream and build a tiny home.
She now lives in her house, which she affectionately calls “The Tiny,” on a hill with her dog and cat. While it’s not exactly conventional, she had good reason for pursuing the tiny lifestyle.
Why Haley decided to live tiny.
Frustrated with the amount of energy that goes into maintaining a large home, Haley was serious about lowering her utility bills and prioritizing experiences rather than items.
Haley enjoys living smaller, having more money to do the things she loves, and having a smaller carbon footprint.
How She Built It
At 19-years-old, Haley hired Mint Tiny Homes to build out her dream house. She worked with them to design the model, spent about $50,000 to complete the entire project, and is currently renting a plot of land in Simi Valley, California.
Her Design and Decorations.
Haley wanted to build a space that was geared towards her lifestyle and what she loves. She focused on incorporating natural light and plants to make the home feel more open and inviting.
Everything in her space has value and speaks to her personally. In fact, she created nearly all of her decorations and crafts on her own.
It’s small but cozy.
Her home is small but manages to fit everything that she could need. She has a living room that serves as a guest room, an extended cooking area that can double as a workspace, and a full oven to cook for her friends and family. Her bathroom houses a small shower, sink, and composting toilet without feeling cramped at all.
How she prioritizes storage.
Just because Haley has a small space doesn’t mean she needs to sacrifice her belongings or the size of things. She has a ¾ size fridge with a decent-sized freezer, a full-sized sink, and storage shelves everywhere. Even her staircase functions as a closet and pantry space.
Better yet, her dog Momo has room to run up and down them without assistance.
Her cozy bedroom.
Haley’s loft bedroom is like a cave, with enough space to hold her bed and clothing. Her favorite part is her massive skylight, which opens up a foot and a half to let out the hot air during summer. She loves that her shelves are temporary, allowing her to reconfigure the layout whenever she feels like it needs a change.
Utilities and resources.
Tiny homes aren’t hooked up to the grid system like traditional houses are. Haley has two water tanks, one 55-gallon outside and a 40-gallon tank inside, to hold enough water for emergencies like wildfires or earthquakes. She has electricity and propane but no septic, which is why she uses the composting toilet. Tinyhomebuilders.com states:
By using a composting or incinerator toilet, the waste from your toilet is converted to either essentially soil or ash. They also state that this resulting material is both safer and more pleasant to deal with.
Utilizing outdoor space.
Haley explains that every tiny homeowner knows that your outdoor space is just as valuable as the indoors. She has always loved plants, as they calm her down and center her, so her backyard is full of potted plants and herbs. It’s not her space until she fills it with a bit of greenery!
The best part about tiny living for Haley is the ability to customize her space and be financially stable.
I’m excited to see where this takes me in the future cause I think it is seeting up for you know, more finacial independence and I have the ability to like not be in this constant state of anxiety.”
It’s very refreshing to see someone so young adopt a lifestyle that allows them to be themselves and be so financially independent!
Take a full tour of The Tiny in the video below!
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