A custom tiny house with built-in downstairs guest sleeping quarters. Built by The Zen Cottages in Encinitas, California
My name is Ben, a local organic farmer in Encinitas, California building tiny homes! My vision is to create sustainable living on a permafarm with tiny living spaces, a conscious community, and organically grown food we all share.
Currently, I am in the process of looking for land nearby, getting the community together who wants to participate, and working with legislation in San Diego County to make sure we do it right.
Going tiny wasn’t a plan for me at first. It happened when my wife and my three-year-old daughter were forced to find a place to live with little resources. I had the idea to build us a tiny home on wheels that we could stay in temporarily while I figured out other options.
I was farming at the time on a friend’s property who let us post up for a few months. People started to get interested, they wanted tiny homes too!
The problem was that it isn’t legal to stay in them full time as a primary residence. So, I started The Zen Cottages, a tiny home company, and began building them for friends and anyone who would pay for it and has someplace to put it.
Some people already have land, some people use them as RV’s since we recently became RVIA certified, and some people need help figuring out how to live tiny. That’s why I want to help offer options by getting the permafarm community going. I know what it’s like to need freedom to live.
I want people to own their tiny home and part of the land we all share for a price that they can afford, that feels like freedom to me. The American dream is living tiny.
Written for Tiny House Magazine Issue 44
Not much storage under the stove. However, that space could act as a desk if you find a protective cover for the stove burner area. The front alcove appears big enough for a twin bed for kids and the futon can be for adults sleeping. Not a bad design overall. One can modify the living area to suit themselves. Modifying can improve storage options.