Finding our Tiny Home

Finding our tiny home and a perfect fit for both us was not an overnight decision. Even after pinpointing the type of tiny home we wanted it took even more time to find an option that fulfilled all of our wants and needs.

After our first year as travel physical therapists, we decided it was finally time to buy our first home. Since we are minimalists we knew right away we wanted to join the tiny home nation.

It's only us and our cats so we didn't need anything too big but we had something else to consider...Traveling. Due to us knowing we would continue to travel for years to come we needed not just any tiny home but a mobile one.

It turns out buying a mobile tiny home can be more difficult than we thought. There is so much to consider and we knew we wanted to be 100% sure with our decision.

Our journey to finding our tiny home took about a month. We typically make decisions faster than this but it turns out pleasing both of us took some searching.

We each had our list of wants and we had to find the perfect fit for both. With a lot of research and a little bit of luck, we finally found our dream home.

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Kelsey was very particular about what she did and did not want our trailer to look like. Of course, she also had some other concerns but her non-negotiable was the look.

Phil was more concerned about the inside and having what he felt were the necessities. His non-negotiable was that he had to have a bathroom.

When we looked at all the items we wanted in a trailer, we knew we had our work cut out for us to find the perfect fit.

Contents

1 Kelsey's Wants
- 1.1 NO STRIPES
2
3 Phil's Wants
4
- 4.1 Toilet
5 Finding the Perfect Fit
- 5.1 The Wants We Got

Kelsey's Wants

NO STRIPES

Kelsey likes to be unique and she did not want her trailer to look like the other trailers we often see on the road. This means no stripes decorating the sides.

If you like the look of the trailer or RV with stripes that's fine, but you see those trailers everywhere. It is kind of hard to find a trailer or RV without stripes nowadays.

Solar Energy

If the home we found did not have solar panels we were willing to look past it since that is something we could do ourselves. It is relatively easy to put solar power into an already existing home, whether its a standalone home or a mobile home.

That being said, it's easier when it is already put in for you. If we were going to pay big money for our new home, we preferred it already done for us. Kelsey is a big environmentalist so having solar energy was something she had always wanted.

No Shower

This was kind of a weird one since most people think of a shower as a necessity. Kelsey did not want to deal with the hassle of the shower and fell in love with the idea of having to join a gym to shower.

That little incentive to shower can be a huge motivator to go to the gym and get in better shape. This is a tip not just for people on the road but for all you home dwellers out there too!

Another benefit of not having a shower is reducing the amount of water used. If you have a shower at home you are more likely to take longer showers than needed. Or shower when you could have easily skipped a day and been fine.

Small in Size

We like downsizing and quickly realized we tend to have more space than we could ever need. We also like getting rid of stuff and living as minimalists.

By doing this and going as small as we can, we are forcing ourselves to downsize even more. Sometimes a big (or small) change can do a world of good.

Room to Change Comfortably

Since we are still working as therapists we knew we would have to look professional and presentable often. We also work the same times (per our request) so we needed room for two people to get ready at the same time.

Since Phil is 6 ft, there was also a need for a tall space so we could stand while getting ready. We looked into the van life but decided it did not offer the space we wanted to get ready. Not impossible, but becomes more difficult if you have only a van amount of space.

Phil's Wants

Towable by a Small SUV

Phil has never wanted a truck and has always wanted a vehicle that optimized gas mileage. Anything bigger than an SUV or crossover would impact this ability to stay eco-friendly in the car department.

It seems the average SUV towing capacity is 3,500 so we needed something around that size.

Windows

A decent amount of windows can give more of an open and outdoor appearance. The draw of the trailer is that you're outdoors and can walk outside at a moment's notice.

If your trailer is stuffy with no windows, it makes it feel like you live in a small box, not a tiny home.

Kitchen

Phil isn't really big on cooking but we have made healthier food choices since becoming travelers. We try to eat home-cooked meals as much as possible.

After making a big life change for the better, we didn't want to make a big life change for the worst. We didn't need a huge kitchen but something that allowed us to still make healthy meals daily.

Toilet

This one is kind of important to Phil as he goes roughly 20 times a day (Just kidding...but seriously). Technically, he also wanted a shower but after some negotiating the no shower lifestyle ended up winning out. Phil wasn't picky about what toilet as long as he has one.

Finding the Perfect Fit

It turns out finding a trailer that meets all of these needs is way more difficult than it sounds. By way of luck (or more just constant searching) Phil came across an all wooden solar-paneled travel trailer that fits all of our wants.

The company is called Homegrown Trailers and they are amazing. Not only did the company already meet the needs we had laid out on paper but when we went to look at the trailer, they came up with ideas to customize the trailer even more to fit our needs. It was perfect timing since the company has only been running since early 2016.