Organization of space is the key to living little. Working through the floor plan by far was the most fun part of designing my tiny house. When you dissect a home to the necessities, you realize you don’t need much. Let’s walk through my 250 square foot little space.
ENTRY
My “front” door is a six-foot wide sliding door. I chose to do a sliding door because of the flexibility with the two panels. If I need a six-foot wide opening to move a couch, the door panels could be removed to make it possible. Also the two panels are glass to bring in a lot of natural light.
LIVING SPACE & DINING SPACE
My living space has multiple functions. It’s living, a guest bedroom, my main storage area, and dining area. The space is large enough to have a pull out couch so if I ever had a visitor, they’d have a place to sleep. A unique feature of this space is it’s elevated. The living space is built on a stage type platform that will have storage underneath. The first rectangle you see closest to the entry is the step up to the living space. The long small rectangle is a half height wall that houses a fold down table and is the access to the storage. I just lift the panel when I need the table for eating, crafting, or working.
KITCHEN
My kitchenette set up runs along the opposite wall of my entry. I have past posts specifically about the kitchen. Feel free to check them out here!
BATHROOM
The bathroom houses my shower, washing machine, and compostable toilet. Yes, compost toilet. I will dedicate a whole post to just this subject, but in short, it’s one of way to simplify plumbing and avoid sewage connection. The washing machine will be encased to create a counter top where I will get ready in the morning. You’ll notice there isn’t a dryer. To reduce my energy consumption, I’m going to hang dry my clothes. In Europe we didn’t have a dryer and now I still hang most of my clothes to air dry. There also isn’t a sink in the bathroom. A tiny home doesn’t need two sinks. That’s a waste of space and expense. So, the only sink to use is in the kitchenette.
OPEN STAIR
Underneath the stairs going up to my loft will be a full closet with shelves and a closet rod. I’ll keep all my clothing and shoes in there, which means a huge downsizing to my wardrobe. I’m currently in the process of selling items on Facebook and at Maxine’s on Main, a wonderful consignment store in Osage to make a little money and reduce.
LOFTED BED
My loft is five feet wide to fit a queen-sized bed. My bed won’t have a box spring; it will just be a mattress. I’m going to have storage at the head of my bed, which will also be the chase for ventilation from the mechanical space in the bathroom. You’ll notice I have a wall mounted TV. This television is going to be a swivel bracket so I can also watch it in bed, instead of getting a second TV.
FUTURE PLANNING
One unique thing about my floor plan is I have a normal residential door across from my entry door I’m calling my “back” door. The only reason the back door is there is because I don’t really know where this house will be in the future. Having that second door allows more flexibility for a porch addition. The front door will always be the front door, but who knows which door will have a better view for a porch. This door allows that flexibility to have the porch at the front or back door.
So that’s the overall look at my home! When you break it down, I hit all the major things needed for a single gal living alone. I’d love to hear what you would or wouldn’t need if you lived in a tiny house. What would you do different if you lived little?
CONSTRUCTION NEWS!!
NIACC starts construction this week! First starting with framing the floor. Crazy exciting stuff! It’s been a lot of work with getting quotes from lumber companies, hiring an electrician and plumber, finishing an architectural drawing set, and communication with NIACC. I am so excited to see my drawing come to life and hope you’re just as excited to watch this project unfold!
