We prefer owning a tiny home on wheels instead of paying to rent an apartment.Destiny DeJesus
- My wife and I live in a tiny home on wheels that cost us $90,000.
- Moving the home and downsizing our stuff was tricky, but it's been worth it.
My wife and I couldn't afford the constant apartment rent increases in our city so we started looking for a tiny home at the end of 2021.
On Christmas Eve that year, we drove from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to look at a 30-foot-long house on wheels that was for sale. We completely fell in love with the idea of a space on wheels since we didn't know where we wanted to permanently settle down and we like to travel. We bought the house for $90,000.
In March 2022, we hired movers to bring the home from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. We then witnessed how stressful is is to see your home on the highway. It was a long moving process, but we think it was worth it.
Take a look inside our tiny home and our journey to get it set up.
The moving process was expensive — it cost nearly $4,000 — and we had trouble on the way. First, our parking spot was up a steep hill so we struggled to get the house in place.
The moving process wasn't cheap. Destiny DeJesus
Once we finally got the house into the parking spot, we realized that the move wasn't as smooth as we had thought.
Some parts of our home got damaged. Destiny DeJesus
We open our door to find our fridge had toppled over and our sink cracked. Lesson learned — you have to strap everything down super tight when moving.
The fridge may have been what cracked our sink. Destiny DeJesus
The following month, we packed up our two-bedroom apartment and drove to Portland to meet our house. We quickly realized we didn't downsize enough and began second-guessing our choice to go tiny.
Boxes were everywhere. Destiny DeJesus
Still, we adapted. At first, as foodies, we didn't know how we'd get by with a kitchen that had no oven.
Our kitchen has a dishwasher but not an oven. Destiny DeJesus
Surprisingly, we found we didn't miss having an oven. We started using portable stove tops and cooking everything in our air fryer/pressure cooker.
We have enough counter space to get by. Destiny DeJesus
We also simplified how many kitchen essentials we'd need and we used the 30+ drawers in the area to store them.
We have tons of storage. Destiny DeJesus
We have a drop-down table that we eat meals at, work from, and play games on. It also has a chalkboard on the exterior that we have our friends leave messages on.
The table folds up to give us extra space. Destiny DeJesus
Our dog enjoys the window seat in the middle of our staircase and we use it as extra seating when guests come by. The drawers under him open for storage and roll out as steps.
Our 11-year-old dog, Scotty, loves this spot. Destiny DeJesus
Our living room is also a guest room because it contains a sofa bed. We use a projector to watch movies and shows. Our ottoman and side table open up for extra storage, too.
Believe it or not, we have an entire living room which we also use as our guest room because of our sofa bed. Destiny DeJesus
Above the living room, we have a standing loft that we use as our office.
Both of us work from home. Destiny DeJesus
We have two adjustable desks and we both work in the loft on a daily basis. This is also where our mini-split AC/heater is located.
We can comfortably fit up in the office loft. Destiny DeJesus
Across the way, we have a staircase that goes up to our bedroom. Though we can't stand up in our bedroom, we have more than enough head space when sitting down.
We have enough space when we are sitting. Destiny DeJesus
We keep our extra sheets and sentimental items, such as our memory box, in our room. We also have a longboard, games, and books stored in our cubbies.
The cubby serves as a space divider. Destiny DeJesus
Directly under our bedroom, we have our bathroom where our 6-foot-long "hers and hers" closet is.
We store our clothes in the bathroom. Destiny DeJesus
We also have a two-in-one washer and dryer, traditional toilet, shower, and sink.
The bathroom has all of the basics. Destiny DeJesus
Once we got settled in, we started to build a staircase and a small deck outside. It took us hours to DIY this project but it came out well.
We often find ourselves hanging on the deck. Destiny DeJesus
Overall, going tiny has been a great investment. We save money on bills and spend more on things we want in life, like exploring new cities.
We prefer owning a tiny home on wheels instead of paying to rent an apartment. Destiny DeJesus