Over the last few years, Macy and James’ family has gotten much bigger. And I don’t just mean their Great Dane, Denver, who gained 140 pounds! They welcomed their daughter Hazel and later, their son Miles, into their tiny house.
Before the kids arrived, they added more space to the house. They turned an attached covered patio into a shared bedroom for Hazel and Miles.
In this tour, Macy talks about what it’s like to live in a tiny house with kids and shares their future plans. Hazel, who is 18 months old, shows us her new bedroom, which she will eventually share with her brother Miles. When we filmed this tour, Macy was nine months pregnant.
Her son, Miles, was born on October 1st, 2015. Now, their tiny house, called “Mini Motives,” is 232 square feet and fits two adults, two babies, and a Great Dane.
Tell us about the size of your tiny house.
Originally, my tiny house was 196 square feet. I recently added more space, and now it’s 232 square feet.
What are the length and width?
The house sits on a flatbed gooseneck trailer. The flatbed itself is 24 feet long, plus a five-foot dovetail. Since I built over the dovetail, the total length is 29 feet. The width is 8.5 feet, so it’s actually a pretty good size for a tiny house.
You have quite a few people living here, right?
Yes! There’s my daughter, Hazel, my partner, James, and me. And soon, we’ll have one more—our new baby is due in a couple of weeks!
Are you expecting a boy or a girl?
A boy this time!
How big is the Great Dane?
Our Great Dane is two years old and weighs 150 pounds!
I knew there was a chance I’d want kids while still living in my tiny house, so I designed it with future flexibility in mind. My plan was always to try it for two years. Honestly, I thought that might be hard to do.
To make it work, I took the money I would have spent on one year’s rent and built this house. Then, I lived in it for two years, which means it paid for itself—and more! Now, we’ve been here for two and a half years. With the new addition, we’re hoping to stay another three or four years.
James and I both work in architecture, and we’re passionate about alternative construction. Our next project is a shipping container house on this same lot. It’ll still be small but definitely bigger than this. Eventually, Hazel will outgrow this space, and we’ll need something a little larger.
Check out Macy Miller’s Tiny House website: http://minimotives.com/
