Whenever I watch those HGTV shows about people moving into a tiny house, my first thought is always, “That looks awful!”
I have three kids aged seven and under. We take up a lot of space. The idea of cramming them into a tiny box on wheels seems more than a little terrifying.
So when my wife and I took our kids to stay at a tiny home in Sonoma County on the Russian River at Casini Ranch campground, I had no idea what was in store.
It turned out that the experience was totally different from what I expected.
The Tiny House
Our tiny house was one of several “cottages” for rent at Casini, a popular Sonoma campground that mostly accommodates tent campers and RVers.
Technically, the house was an Athens Park Model RV. That means that–although the house was firmly anchored to the ground and looked like a miniature version of a traditional home–you could plunk it on a truck and move it anywhere in the country.
Here’s a video walkthrough that I made:
These tiny houses reportedly sell for around $50,000 as a starting price.
Walking in the front door of the tiny house, the space looked surprisingly upscale and cozy. I was expecting a rustic, trailer-like aesthetic. But this looked more like an airy studio apartment, with a kitchen, sofa, and surprisingly tall ceilings.
One nice feature was the fact that this specific home has full-sized appliances. Even though the house itself was indeed tiny–measuring in at just under 400 square feet for the entire space–the designers managed to fit in a full refrigerator, stove, microwave oven, and sink.
I’ve cooked and lived on boats before, and this provided way more room and modern comforts.
The entryway also housed a little built-in table with stools tucked underneath, a wall-mounted TV, a couch that pulled out into a twin bed, and a fold-out dinner table for four.
The entire thing was an exercise in efficiency. No space was wasted–everything served at least one purpose, and often two or more.
The couch was also a bed. The built-in table stored its own chairs. It felt like walking into one of those model rooms at Ikea, but in real life.
Above the entryway–up a precariously steep ladder/staircase–was a loft area with two full-sized beds.
The loft space was a bit hilarious, with 4-foot ceilings. I couldn’t kneel in it, much less stand up. But when my three year old stood at his full height, his head had plenty of clearance under the ceiling.
The loft was thus a perfect kid-scale space!
Under the loft was a tiny bathroom, with a miniscule sink, powder-room toilet, and a shower.
Behind that was the main bedroom, with a closet, a second TV, and a queen-sized bed crammed in, with about 1.5 feet of clearance.
The whole place was full of windows–both at normal heights and on the high walls. That effect was to let in lots of natural light.
In front of the tiny house was a small porch, as well as a fire pit, porch swing, and outdoor stove.
The Experience
I expected that cramming three little kids into a 400 square foot space would be a disaster. A regulation jail cell is about 90 square feet, so 400 square feet is not a lot of space!
It turned out, though, that the tiny house provided all the space we needed. Staying there was ultimately a surprisingly pleasant experience.
Unlike in a traditional home, our tiny house made extremely efficient use of its tiny space. Again, most items served multiple purposes. And everything was set up such that no space was wasted.
The pull-out couch added a twin bed to the main space, but also made a nice place to sit during the day. The fold-out table combined with the couch became a place to eat breakfast, and the tiny table and concealed stools was perfect for a quick snack.
The kitchen didn’t have tons of fancy bells and whistles like you might find in a bigger AirBNB. But it had the essentials–pots and pans, a coffee maker, and a large sink.
The lack of a dishwasher was a bit challenging with three kids. But there was something pleasantly retro about hand-washing our dishes after each meal.
The full-size appliances were a nice addition, too. Unlike many hotel rooms–which provide a barely adequate mini fridge and perhaps a microwave–the full-size fridge, stove and microwave made staying in the tiny house feel more like living in a real space, and not a glorified tent.
There were some funny elements to the kitchen. A sign warned us not to cook fish, lest it stink up the house and cause us to lose our deposit!
The sleeping arrangements, too, were surprisingly solid. With two big-ish beds in the loft, the pull-out twin bed in the kitchen area, and a queen (or full, I wasn’t sure) bed at the back, the tiny house could easily sleep 5 people.
Hotel rooms with kids can be tight. Sure, we didn’t have as much space as in a larger vacation rental. But for a camping trip, it was totally fine.
One big challenge with the tiny house was the shower. The stall itself was fine, but our tiny house had a correspondingly tiny hot water heater. Taking a single 5-7 minute shower seemed to drain it, and it took at least 2 hours to heat back up again.
There was a mysterious water heater switch on the wall, with a sign saying not to press the switch. Perhaps it somehow boosted the temperature or heating time of the water heater, but we didn’t dare to press it.
Otherwise, there was something delightful about staying in a space where everything you need is within a few strides. Living in a larger house with kids, it’s easy to end up with everyone in different spaces–one kid outside, two others upstairs in their bedroom, etc.
In a tiny space, it’s easy to supervise everyone, because you can physically see everyone. It’s also easy to cook, clean, or pack for excursions while keeping an eye on the kids, because your kitchen and your bedroom are one and the same!
Although I came into the experience thinking a tiny house wouldn’t be for us, it was actually a lovely experience to spend a few nights there. For a longer trip, it would probably be too hard to live in such a small space with three young kids. The lack of a washer/dryer would be a big drawback!
But for a few nights, it was nice to try out living in a much smaller space. It makes you realize that you can probably make do with less than you have, which is a nice feeling.
Want to try it for yourself? Our tiny house is available to rent. We paid about $400 per night for it.
Will we be taking to the road and embracing the #vanlife? Absolutely not.
Would we stay in a tiny house again–or even return to Casini? Absolutely.
