What It’s Really Like to Vacation in a Tiny House

After seeing tiny house shows all over HGTV, we finally had the opportunity to stay in one recently. What a unique travel experience!

What is a tiny house? A tiny house is a fully functioning living space typically less than 400 square feet. Some are built on travel trailers and some are built on traditional foundations. Tiny homes are generally known for utilizing space in the simplest and most efficient way possible.

We didn’t really know what to expect when we booked the tiny house, but our excitement carried us through. Arriving at WeeCasa, a tiny house resort in Lyons, CO, near the Rocky Mountains, we found the entrance to be very welcoming. The property features 22 different tiny homes available for nightly rentals with a setup very similar to a campground. Much to our excitement, the check-in “desk” was actually a tiny home at the very front of the property. Sporting huge dorky grins, we emerged with the key to our very own tiny house rental in hand. We drove through the community checking out all of the different properties. Some were very unique and modern while others had a more traditional cottage look.

The entrance to the tiny home community:

Registration/check in:

The key to our tiny house:

Soon we were in front of this little beauty, dubbed The Cherry Birch, built by Sprout Tiny Homes from LaJunta, CO. After a couple photos on the front porch, we walked in. Our immediate thought? Whoa, it really is tiny. At 165 square feet on the main level, it definitely felt small, especially compared to our living situation back home.

Like other tiny homes, this one is a model of efficiency. It had everything we could have needed and then some. The focal point of the living space was a queen sized murphy bed on the main level which was open with a bedspread and several throw pillows.  There was great natural light coming in from several sides of the house, with the largest windows facing west.

Throughout these photos, take note of the nearly non-existent storage space. With very few cabinets, cupboards, and closets, storage space is really at a premium. We couldn’t figure out where to put our two small carry-on suitcases! Some tiny homes feature a loft which generally provides a bit more space.

The view from the front door:

The view from the kitchen:

Another one from the kitchen (someone is lurking in the bathroom mirror):

Windows letting in natural light:

Looking up from the front door:

To the right of the front door was a kitchenette with a mini-fridge, sink and induction cooktop. There were several cabinets with glasses, pans, a full set of dishes and every basic cooking utensil we needed during our stay. Kitchen linens were provided as well as dish soap and a sponge. There was a small counter with two stools to eat at near the kitchen area.

The view from the bathroom door:

The kitchen area with a counter to the left, cabinets, sink, and refrigerator:

The kitchen sink and induction cooktop:

Another view of the kitchen:

Straight to the back was the bathroom, complete with a stand-up shower, flush toilet and sink. The shower was actually roomier than expected.

One of the best parts of the bathroom was the overhead lighting in the shower… amazing!

Full disclosure: the privacy in this bathroom was basically non-existent. We decided that you would have to be really comfortable with a person to share a tiny house with them, or otherwise you’d get comfortable really fast. The bathroom was separated from the rest of the house by a really neat sliding barn door. Problem? Oh just the two inch gap on either side of the thing once it was “closed” (a term we’ll use loosely here).

Notice the gap between the gray wall and the light wood door:

The same gap on the other side:

This particular tiny house did not have a television, which some people might consider a peaceful escape. We brought a small tablet to listen to music and watch sporting events via the free wifi. The town was also a short walk away, which opened up more options for catching a specific sporting event in particular.

What could we get used to here? Minimal cleaning mainly due to lack of clutter. Unless we have a budget line for a maid one day (ha), we’ll always have to do dishes, wash laundry and clean the bathroom no matter where we live, but a tiny home would minimize the cleaning since we would have less stuff in general. There’s also less upkeep and maintenance because the square footage is smaller. In addition to being more environmentally friendly, it would be awesome to have lower utility bills.

What we would miss? We both have hobbies we enjoy and we would miss having our own space to spread out and work on projects at home. We would also miss having a washer and dryer as well as a couch to relax on since the only real place to sit in this tiny house was on the murphy bed.

So the real question… could we live here? Probably not. We don’t think a tiny house is in the cards for us. The elimination of non-essential items is captivating in thought but would be much harder to carry out in real life. Even though a tiny house isn’t in our future, it was definitely a unique experience and we’d totally do it again on another trip!