Newsletters
Real Estate
Destiny DeJesus
Updated
- My wife and I live in a tiny home on wheels that cost us $90,000.
- Moving the home and downsizing our stuff was tricky, but it's been worth it.
- Our space has tons of storage, an office, a bedroom, a living room with a guest bed, and more.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt
My wife and I couldn't afford the constant apartment rent increases in our city, so we started looking for a tiny home at the end of 2021.
On Christmas Eve that year, we drove from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to look at a 30-foot-long house on wheels that was for sale. We completely fell in love with the idea of a space on wheels since we didn't know where we wanted to permanently settle down and we like to travel. We bought the house for $90,000.
In March 2022, we hired movers to bring the home from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. We then witnessed how stressful it is to see your home on the highway. It was a long moving process, but we think it was worth it.
Take a look inside our tiny home and our journey to get it set up.
Advertisem*nt
The moving process was expensive — it cost nearly $4,000 — and we had trouble on the way. First, our parking spot was up a steep hill so we struggled to get the house in place.
Once we finally got the house into the parking spot, we realized that the move wasn't as smooth as we had thought.
Advertisem*nt
We open our door to find our fridge had toppled over and our sink cracked. Lesson learned — you have to strap everything down super tight when moving.
The following month, we packed up our two-bedroom apartment and drove to Portland to meet our house. We quickly realized we didn't downsize enough and began second-guessing our choice to go tiny.
Advertisem*nt
Still, we adapted. At first, as foodies, we didn't know how we'd get by with a kitchen that had no oven.
Surprisingly, we found we didn't miss having an oven. We started using portable stove tops and cooking everything in our air fryer/pressure cooker.
Advertisem*nt
We also simplified how many kitchen essentials we'd need and we used the 30+ drawers in the area to store them.
We have a drop-down table that we eat meals at, work from, and play games on. It also has a chalkboard on the exterior that we have our friends leave messages on.
Advertisem*nt
Our dog enjoys the window seat in the middle of our staircase and we use it as extra seating when guests come by. The drawers under him open for storage and roll out as steps.
Our living room is also a guest room because it contains a sofa bed. We use a projector to watch movies and shows. Our ottoman and side table open up for extra storage, too.
Advertisem*nt
Above the living room, we have a standing loft that we use as our office.
We have two adjustable desks and we both work in the loft on a daily basis. This is also where our mini-split AC/heater is located.
Advertisem*nt
Across the way, we have a staircase that goes up to our bedroom. Though we can't stand up in our bedroom, we have more than enough head space when sitting down.
We keep our extra sheets and sentimental items, such as our memory box, in our room. We also have a longboard, games, and books stored in our cubbies.
Advertisem*nt
Directly under our bedroom, we have our bathroom where our 6-foot-long "hers and hers" closet is.
We also have a two-in-one washer and dryer, traditional toilet, shower, and sink.
Advertisem*nt
Once we got settled in, we started to build a staircase and a small deck outside. It took us hours to DIY this project but it came out well.
Overall, going tiny has been a great investment. We save money on bills and spend more on things we want in life, like exploring new cities.
This story was originally published on June 1, 2023, and most recently updated on May 28, 2024.
Read next
Advertisem*nt
