Life after Tiny House Hunters: What It’s Really Like to Live in a THOW

Our Tiny House Hunters episode aired Monday, March 28 at 8:00pm CST. We got a lot of really nice feedback on the episode. Truth be told: we were a little nervous to watch it! After all, we did film it months ago. Plus there’s the “I hope we don’t look like complete idiots on TV” thing. But we were really pleased with the episode. It was so fun to shoot and watch. Big thanks to Pietown Productions for casting us!

Okay…on to the real question we get after people see the episode.

Q: What’s it really like to live in a tiny home? Are you surviving?

A: It’s complicated.

Elsie has held up surprisingly well. We honestly thought there would be worse damage and wear and tear after this long. Especially since we were getting used to it. But despite her age, Elsie is holding up! Sure, the white walls and cabinets get dirty. That’s where the Magic Eraser comes in. Magic Eraser = life saver. 

Photo taken on the set of Tiny House Hunters.

A couple handles / latches have broken. We purchased six replacement latches before we left from Amazon and we are down to just one. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that these babies hold up because each latch is $15 per pop!

We put up the awning less than we’d like. That’s mostly due to pretty cold weather we’ve had so far and the fact that not every place allows us to set it up — i.e. if there are trees in the way or obstacles next to us. 

We’ve learned a lot about what stays in place and what doesn’t. When we’re moving, if it’s not buckled in, it moves. Here’s a detailed account of what we have to store on top of the bed when we’re moving: Stovetop grates; Crumb drawer from the toaster oven; Pans we store inside the toaster oven; Hooks + anything hanging on the front of the bathroom door; Loose books, the wooden fox tray, computers.

We take a tour of another tiny home on Tiny House Hunters.

Filming day in the third tiny house we toured!

We also have to pad the refrigerator so it doesn’t come out. And we absolutely have to empty the contents into our cooler so it doesn’t slide around. 

Here’s what has also been surprisingly good. I was crazy worried that sleeping on our dinette cushions — even with a heavy duty foam mattress topper — would be uncomfortable. However, most nights are pretty comfy and we sleep pretty darn well. A huge relief. 

Cooking is not a problem in the slightest. We honestly make everything we ever did at home. Sure, we’re not cooking a 20 lb. turkey anytime soon, but we do pretty much everything else from stir fry and bean burgers to lasagna and broiled veggies. 

The shower is actually really great! Sometimes I shower in there even when we could go to the bath houses at our state parks. The temperature is good and hot (thanks, new hot water heater!), the shower head delivers great pressure, and our organization setup makes it so everything is easy access. 

Costello has plenty of space. He spends a lot of time on his tie out and traveling with us. We also take him hiking and running on a regular basis. He loves his pull out drawer dog dishes (genius!) and has made himself quite the little den in the cubby space beneath our bed. He LOVES it under there. We don't know how he fits, but he does. And he crawls under there willingly a lot. Like sometimes an insulting amount (doesn't he want to hang with us?!)

We spend a lot of time in the trailer relatively pain-free, too! A few days we didn’t even leave the trailer most of the day and we weren’t annoyed or mad at Costello for sleeping in bed with us. And while we’re on the topic: yes, he sleeps in bed with us a lot of the time still. You do the math: full size bed, two adults, 70 lb. dog…

Of course, the most annoying things are pretty innocuous. For instance, I hit my head on the cabinets. A lot. If you leave one open, you’re going to hit your head on it. And yes, I curse every time. I hit my head on the propane light above the bed a lot, too. 

If we aren’t completely level, the front door will get stuck sometimes. And that’s definitely a pain. Especially when you’re crawling over Carson in the middle of the night to go pee outside and can’t get the door open and cry for help in the dark.

Oh, which leads me to the bathroom situation. No, we have not used the toilet. Not even once. Sure, we could. It’s not that it doesn’t work. But we have to empty the holding tank. So we are thankful any time there is a nice bath house. And we pee outside. Like, a lot. 

Finally, let’s answer the big question you undoubtedly have now.

Q: Are you happy?

A: Yes.