The tiny house movement began in 2000, when University of Iowa professor Jay Shafer’s tiny home was published in the Des Moines Register. Jay is regarded as the godfather of tiny houses by many in the tiny house movement.
Despite the fact that he wasn’t the first person to live in a tiny home, his story in the Register motivated many individuals around the country to make the move.
‘What we term the modern-day trend of tiny homes – what looked like a little version of traditional houses – was born out of the article,’ Gary Johnson, co-founder of the tiny house movement, said. ‘He seemed to be living in a beautiful garden shed.’
In September 2020, Katy and Michael Zientek tried to do just that. Michael’s grandparents left them a large piece of land in Fayetteville, Texas, which featured a large house and an old, 280-square-foot shed erected in the 1980s.
They had been renting for the previous seven years before inheriting the house, so they were happy to finally have their own home.
They couldn’t live in the enormous house, though, because they wanted to renovate it first. But where will they stay for the time being?
Katy used to absolutely love tiny house living on TV when they were still living in their old rental, and she had told Michael that she wanted to live like that one day. Someday arrived sooner than imagined.
A 280-square-foot storage building around fifty meters from the main home was included in the inherited property. It was ideal! Katy was about to realize her goal of living in a tiny house. Michael had previous construction skills, but this was his first time constructing a living structure.
While they were quite hands-on with the most of the construction, they did employ professionals to assist them with the internal walls. Katy and Michael, on the other hand, did 90 percent of the labor. They also used some of the components from their property’s barn for the ceiling.
They were able to create a one-bedroom, multi-purpose home inside this little house. There was a tiny but functional kitchen, as well as a living room/dining room that also served as a bedroom for Carolina, their seven-year-old daughter.
They were able to squeeze a full-size bed for themselves and their 2-year-old daughter, Harper, within their bedroom. There’s also a full-sized dresser and a full bathroom/closet on the interior!
Michael also included a porch, which is a must-have in most little homes, where they can relax on those lovely spring and summer days.
With a budget of $16,000, it takes 9 months to complete the house building. They decided to keep the tiny home once they relocated into the remodeled house and rent it out as a vacation rental.