Retired couple Kathleen and Byron live in a gorgeous tiny house with a downstairs bedroom. They worked with their builder, Minimaliste, to thoughtfully futureproof their design to meet their needs now and later in life. The result is incredible.
Their tiny house on wheels is 10 feet wide by 36 feet long, with a 2-foot bump out. It is about 375 square feet. Importantly, the design balances beauty and function with a mind-blowing amount of storage space. Their kitchen, for example, feels spacious thanks to ample open floor space and great natural light. At the same time, every nook and cranny has been maximized. Drawers and a sliding pantry under the stairs provide easy access to most items. A couple tall, narrow cabinets offer storage for long items like brooms.
“In designing our home, we knew that we were planning for the long term. Some of the things that we tried to do were to futureproof it. As we get older, we wanted to be able to navigate through the house without obstructions. So we tried to keep at least a 3-foot walkway throughout the entire home. We also knew, for sure, that we wanted a main floor bedroom so that we wouldn’t have to climb steps in the night. The other thing that we really wanted to do is have two ways of getting into or out of the house because we didn’t want to escape through a window if there was a fire.”
-Kathleen & Byron, retired couple on futureproofing their tiny house on wheels
Kathleen and Byron’s futureproofed tiny house really shines in the master bedroom and bathroom. They made sure to have enough room in key areas if one of them needs assistance down the road. So, each room is quite comfortably spacious. However, they opted for an RV short queen mattress to save space. It lifts via hydraulics for access to storage for seasonal items.
