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]