Mike Jordan had fallen in love with the idea of a tiny mobile house about five years ago. After a divorce, and becoming the primary caregiver of his young son, he realized that his chance had come to simplify and streamline his life. Mike originally looked at small RVs, vans and Airstreams, but decided to go with a small mobile house built by the Oregon Cottage Company.
Mike, who rides a bicycle instead of owning a car, appreciated the green aspects of the tiny mobile home but was a bit concerned about having to pick it up from Oregon and bring it back to his home in Connecticut. So, he looked at it as an adventure, bought a van sight unseen in Washington and towed the house across the country with his son.
“We had a hell of a good time,” Mike said. “It was the best time of my life”.
He and his son explored the country for several weeks and slept in their new little house. Mike was worried about driving in windy areas and under overpasses, but he said the house did great. He was pleased that he could park the house in cities across the country and spend a few days. He was also thrilled that he had no issues with police officers, and that people showed genuine interest and wanted to take pictures of the tiny house.
Currently, the house is parked behind a rental property that Mike lives in and manages. He bought the house fully finished but with no interior divisions. He wants to keep the kitchen simple with a foldout stove and no plumbing and he has his water delivered and uses a shower at a local health club. He will be purchasing a composting toilet, solar panels, batteries and a generator for power and a Vermont soapstone vented propane stove for heat. So far, he has experienced no issues or inconveniences with not having a bathroom or plumbing. He also recommends that a tiny house should have as many windows and glass as possible to let in light and give the illusion of more space.
“The skylights and the glass door make a big difference, ” Mike said.
After his changes and additions, Mike spent about $25,000 on his tiny house. Mike is working on getting the house parked on a piece of borrowed property near Hartford, Connecticut. So far, he has had nothing but upbeat and excited responses from his neighbors and friends and is looking forward to slowly transitioning into his tiny home.
“I don’t want to work as much and give away my hours anymore, ” he said. “Right now, people are working as hard as they can to clean and maintain their homes instead of doing what their hearts desire.”
By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]
Mike, you are living my dream, and I’m glad you and your son are enjoying your lives while doing it. If you have a chance to post some interior pics, please do so. Thanks!
Good going young man! Now, how about some interior shots for your fans? 😉
This is my dream as well, good for you Mike, I hope this suits you and your son well for many years, congrats on this!
would love to see interior pics. i assume there is a loft. story indicates this is a shell. (fully unfinished) $25K seems a bit high for that but love the plan to add amenities. and a great memory for you and your son. well done.
Photos of the interior under construction and mostly finished are on the Oregon Cottage Co website. 25K seems reasonable considering the labor involved, Dee Williams built hers for 10 but she did most of the labor and used surplus materials. It does appear to be a shell, which is very nice, you can trick it out (or not) just the way you want.
Mike, great inspiration. Best of wishes living your dream and doing what you desire.
Yeah, I hope this all works out. What city, I wonder? Statistics I just made up say that an individual is 10 to 80 times more likely to be attacked by a beaurocratic asshat than a violent criminal. Beauroctratic asshattery is a terrible thing, and we’re all together in the struggle against it. /OV
Also, my research indicated that normal portable generators would not work to provide lasting power in this sort of situation, because they will wear our too fast. The engines typically need overhaul for the cheap ones, or at least decarbonizing for the expensive ones like a Honda, after 300 hours, so I doubt they would last long overall. You can only overhaul it so many times. A small Lister might be worth looking into if you don’t mind the maintenance, but the smallest size I could find was, I think, 15 HP. Off grid power is so expensive right now….
Very nice Mike. Good luck to you. I take it that composting commode ok with the county. What I need to do too and wondering if mine will allow it. Agreed on the simple life can set you free to fully pursue your path in life.
congratulations Mike! Almost had Todd build a second one along with yours, so its great to see the final house. Looks great and its built to last a lifetime. Enjoy…
Well done…Living the dream !! What a memory you’ve created for you and your son. I too, would like to see interior photos.
What is the inside look like?