How a family of four tackled 178 square feet in Oregon I'm not a tiny person. I have a big laugh, a tall frame, and a passion for adventure. I don't do anything small; I throw dinner parties for twenty-five of my closest friends, I overdo it on my kids' Christmas presents, and I research and plan big-time trips. If you told me I could survive?hell, live happily?in less than 250 square feet, I would have scoffed. That's impossible for someone like me: an adventurer, a writer, a mom to two kids and two dogs, all of whom need constant attention, a ton of gear, a room of our own, and (I thought) plenty of space.
But two weeks ago, my family and I trekked from our 1,600-square-foot home in Denver, Colorado, to Mt. Hood, Oregon, about one hour east of Portland. Up a windy, forested highway lies the Mt. Hood Tiny House Village, an RV campground that has installed five tiny homes available for nightly rentals.
Instead of staying in a cabin or camping out in a tent, now the micro-home minded can rent tiny homes for around $129 per night. Each unit?designed by the largest tiny home manufacturer in the country, Tumbleweed?is different in style and layout. Some sleep three people in lofted beds and a smaller bed on the main floor, while others (rather ambitiously) sleep five. What the tiny homes lack in space they make up for in novelty. I aimed to discover whether they were actually livable.
Upon arrival at the tiny home village, I couldn?t stop exclaiming, "they're just...