Living in a tiny house has been on my Bucket List since sometime around 2010.
Nick and I were planning to build a custom home with a local builder, but the finances didn’t pan out how we originally agreed with the company. So, while we were feeling uneasy, we came across a tv show featuring tiny houses. It was the first time we had ever seen such an idea and we were intrigued. The program host shared the cost to build a tiny house was more than $100,000 cheaper than what we had planned to pay the builder. So we took that as our sign to figure out how to build our own tiny house.
Turns out finding land, securing hook ups for utilities and parking the tiny house legally was a nightmare. So, we never actually went through with it. However, it always stayed a dream of mine and as tiny house communities were popping up in our area, I once again made it my goal to live in one. Since our home in South Carolina is only 1,000 square feet, I felt like we could easily downsize just a bit more. However, as we’re spending six months living in a cabin on Logos Hope, I’m rethinking my life goals.
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| Our cabin entryway |
Our cabin is 244 square feet, which is about the average size of a tiny house on wheels. It consists of three rooms that branch off the entryway. There is a bathroom, a bedroom for our daughter, Ivy, and a bedroom for us, which doubles as the family room.
The bathroom has a very basic sink, mirror, shower and toilet. Ivy’s bedroom has a bunk bed, a set of drawers, a desk and a closet. Our bedroom has a bed (that can be folded into a couch), a desk with a folding chair, a coffee table with an Ikea chair, a set of drawers, a bookcase, a closet and a kitchenette. As you can see, our cabin is equipped with all the essentials.
We aren’t allowed to cook in our cabin, but we can use our coffee maker, tea kettle, mini fridge, microwave, sink and store snacks. It’s not much, but we use this room for hosting since it’s basically our kitchen and dining room and living room during all the hours we aren’t sleeping.
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| Ivy's bedroom |
Our tiny home on water is very similar to a tiny house on wheels, except I’ve seen that some tiny houses have full-size ovens and stoves. Some even have a full-sized fridge, dishwasher, washer and dryer, fireplace and a bathtub!
It’s also similar to a tiny house on wheels with the lack of space. We have folding chairs tucked under our bed, a folding table stored in a corner against the wall, a bed that folds into a couch and magnets that hold things onto the metal walls. But what these tiny spaces really come down to is a minimalist lifestyle. I’ve loved living with less since I was a very young girl. It’s always been a hobby of mine. So, in order to fit comfortably in this cabin we brought only what was essential for our five months on board.
Like some tiny house communities, Logos Hope provides shared spaces like a laundry room, dining room, lounge, library, rooms available to reserve for larger gatherings and there is a school, playground and library for the children who live on board. However, unlike living in a tiny house on wheels, we didn’t have to figure out land and utilities. Water, heat and electricity is provided by the ship. We also take our water pitcher down to the dining room to fill with filtered water several times a day.
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| Our bathroom |
It’s been an amazing experience to sail from country to country, working on Logos Hope, living in community in our tiny home on the water. But, I have to say, I’m missing my 1,000 square feet in Greenville, South Carolina right now.
So, I’ve decided that I’m crossing “live in a tiny house” off my Bucket List. In many ways this tiny home on the water is the same as a tiny house on wheels. Been there. Done that. Twice actually, when you count that we also lived on board in 2009-2010. It’s an adventure and the minimalist in me really has loved it. But, the 41-year-old mother in me craves being a homemaker in my 1,000 square feet that I have grown to love back home.
Maybe I’ll change my mind. After all, traveling the USA and Canada in a camper van is still on my Bucket List. But for right now, I think my time spent in a cabin is enough for me!
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| Nick and my "bedroom" / Living Room / Dining Room / Kitchen |
I can’t wait to share the news with Nick - he’ll be thrilled!
