We’ve really settled in to our tiny home and our routines are taking shape. With every move, comes a period of adjustment to the new surroundings. (Two months seems to be about average for us.) So now that we’ve had time to experience a range of our daily routines, we’re realizing what is and is not working. We love our tiny home, but if we had three wishes we could make it perfect!
First Wish
The biggest sacrifice of space has been in the kitchen. Our kitchen is good for a single person who cooks out of neccessity. With a little more square footage, we could expand it to include a larger sink, larger refrigerator, and a little more counter space. We make what we have work, but there have been some sacrifices along the way.
- There is no option for large food storage so we have to go to the market every 2-3 days for fresh daily supplies.
- The smaller kitchen leaves no room for laziness. A few dishes laying around makes it appear messy.
- We tend to be using more single use plastic (!). We’re buying smaller items more frequently to fit our space (ie; six small juice containers instead of one big one).
- We’re cooking less and eating more sandwiches, yogurt, and snacks, but it is summer. I’m not sure how much more we would be making hot meals considering the summer heat.
Second Wish
Our tiny home has large awesome windows and a glass front door on the first floor. There’s plenty of sunshine when wanted and the breeze off the water is always welcome. However, our second floor has much smaller windows due to the slope of the roof. It is difficult to get a good cross breeze to help keep the room cool. Heat naturally rises to the second floor and larger windows would really help keep the temperature down. Of course, the problem is resolved with a small air conditioner, but it would be great to let nature lend a hand. The ceiling fan on the first floor works well in conjunction with the large windows to keep cool air circulating. The ceiling fan on the second floor just seems to push the same warm air around.
Third Wish
The average tiny home I have seen on the market is between 300-400 square feet. Ours is a mere 250 square feet. Considering how well we’ve adjusted to our space, an extra 50 square feet would really give us options. We could add a guest room (just kidding). It would be nice to put that square footage in the kitchen and possibly a little more wall space for book shelves.
Tiny Perfection
All in all, we’re pretty spoiled with the deck and beach areas. It allows us more usable space so we don’t feel cramped in our home. If I were to design a tiny home from scratch, I would definitely consider 300 square feet for the home and an attached outdoor deck for more enjoyment of space. A tiny home doesn’t need a full kitchen, but storage and design are important to get the most out of it.
We’re avid readers and love pictures so more wall space would be a bonus. I have noticed on many tiny home designs that the windows are mostly non-functioning. I definitely need a window with more than just a view, mine must open to let air flow.
Share you design ideas in the Comment section!