Spacious Tiny House is Home to Educator and 3 Dogs

The financial crunch that many people are feeling nowadays has been brought on by a perfect storm of factors, ranging from rapidly rising housing prices and stagnation in real wages to unprecedented inflation fueled by a global pandemic and war. This has meant that more than ever, people all over the world are rethinking what "home" might look like as they pursue more affordable alternatives to the traditional model of owning a single-family home.

In Georgetown, Texas, Nikki Hempe is one of those people who is rethinking and recreating what the notion of "home" means to them. Nikki, who is a special educator working in a local school, recently swapped a conventional 2,000-square-foot (186-square-meter) home for a uniquely configured tiny home with plenty of space for her three dogs. The home is currently located in the backyard of her parents' home. In downsizing, Hempe says that she feels like she has more control over her life and finances while getting to stay close to her aging parents. We get a tour of this blue-painted, 356-square-foot (33-square-meter) tiny gem via Tiny House Expedition:

Built by Nomad Tiny Homes, a local builder based in Texas, Hempe's house stretches 43 feet long (13 meters) and features two separate rooms, a secondary loft, kitchen, bathroom and a main living space. Hempe explains some of the reasons why she thought it made sense for her to move out of a big house:

"Educators—as a lot of people know—don't make a ton of money. And so I sold a traditional house to both minimize and to save some money. It's been a really great experience so far. The idea of minimizing, the idea of not having so many thing controlling your life, or determining what you do with your life, and how you spend your money was really appealing to me. [..] And also, I really hated cleaning. And cleaning 2,000 square feet was not for me, especially in spaces that I really wasn't even using myself, and were just collecting dust. It's much more manageable to clean a tiny house, to maintain a tiny house to the standard that I wanted to keep my house."

One enters the home via the two French doors, which open into the home's living room. Here we have a loveseat sofa with hidden storage, as well as a smorgasbord of houseplants to liven up the space and clean the air. Hempe says that she often leaves the doors open to extend and connect the inside of her home with the outside.

The retro-styled kitchen has also been built to fit Hempe's needs. Here we have a double sink, topped with a space-saving dish-drying rack that sits over the sink, as well as a gas range. There is enough space for a variety of smaller appliances that allow Hempe to make coffee and ice, and to bake and toast things. In addition, there's plenty of space under the counter to store things like spices, and the usual pots and pans.

Under the stairs, there's also space for storing other food stuffs.

Right next to the kitchen, we have the bathroom, which is pretty big by tiny house standards and has been designed to feel like any regular bathroom. Here, Hempe has made space for a mirrored wardrobe that is reserved for hanging clothes, as well as an apartment-sized, stackable washer and dryer. There is also a shower stall, a sink and vanity, and a mirrored wall cabinet for storing toiletries. Hempe also opted for an incinerating toilet, which is but one of the many alternative toilet options for tiny homes.

Above the bathroom, there is a secondary loft that can be accessed via the flight of stairs. This acts as an extra bedroom for Hempe to use for herself, or guests, or for her dogs.

Back at the other end of the house, past the living room and a couple of barn-style sliding doors, we come into an enclosed room that serves as Hempe's home office. There's space here for a low table, a portable standing desk on wheels, more storage, and space for Hempe's dogs to sleep.

Up the ladder, we come into yet another separate space that functions as Hempe's main bedroom. She has a bed, storage space, and a projector and projection screen for watching films.

All told, Hempe spent about $85,000 for her larger-sized tiny home, a price that was possible prior to the rise in material costs due to the pandemic. Hempe says that while it took some time to get used to this new living arrangement with her parents, she nevertheless has plans to save money to buy her own piece of land in the future, potentially to not only host her tiny home but for other educators interested in tiny living as well. That's the beauty of tiny living, after all, the idea of living more fully with less, and also reimagining how to build new communities.