Tracey recently moved into a 260-square-foot tiny house with a downstairs home office. She’s relieved to be starting over in a cozy home. Securing affordable housing in the Durango, Colorado, area had previously been a challenge, especially after being laid off twice and going through a devasting breakup. Fortunately, Tracey got connected with a local nonprofit, HomesFund. They offer mortgage assistance and tiny house financing.
As a result, Tracey was able to buy a 30-foot Farallon Tumbleweed model with a side door. Not only that, but it came with a legal parking spot at MarLin Tiny Home Village! The community owners sold her this brand-new home on wheels. Her lot rent, including utilities and land loan payments, totals $1,200 per month. While this might seem high to some, Tracey points out that this is the cost of a studio apartment in the area that may or may not allow a pet, let alone two, like she has. Additionally, her monthly housing expenses will be cut in half when her tiny house is paid off.
“Here, I don’t have to share walls. I have my own space. I own this. And I don’t plan to move. But like say I wanted to or whatever, I could technically take it with me. So just the idea, I own this and I could do whatever I want. Also, I have my pets. So now I have a dog and a cat. Just those freedoms that come with being a homeowner instead of renting.
What did I say? Chapter five of my life, starting over. Every place I’ve lived even since moving from Illinois in 2008, every place I’ve lived has felt temporary… I feel like I’m home finally. It’s been a while.”
Tracey loves the flexibility of her tiny house’s layout. She works from home now, so having a spacious home office with a closing door is huge. She also keeps her clothes closet, just steps away from her bathroom. Tracy can turn the office into a first-floor bedroom down the road if she needs to.
Her secondary loft offers another flexible use opportunity. For now, it’s used for storage, but it may become a guest sleeping area in the future. Tracey can also modify her living room with additional furniture, like a media center and her bathroom, by adding more wall-hanging storage. Built-in flexibility allows Tracey to slowly figure out what she needs. But if that changes, she can update her tiny home accordingly.