When Robert and Samantha Garlow moved from Buffalo, New York, to Yakima, Washington, they decided that rather than choose a standard permanent dwelling, they wanted something mobile. But not a van. Not an RV either. A small, simple, and sturdy home designed for full-time living, not a vehicle that can be lived in comfortably for short amounts of time. A tiny home, and one built with mobility in mind. They’ve also started a family, so their infant daughter also had to be taken into account.
Plus, the Garlows wanted to build it themselves. Even though they had absolutely no experience building a tiny home, let alone one that was mobile, but they did not let that stop them.
They settled on a 200-square-foot design that featured a lofted bed and kitchen on one end, with a bathroom and storage area on the other. Rather than install a bunch of modular, easily removable beds and shelving units that seemed like a pain, they opted instead for built-in counters and furniture that stays put while driving around.
The bathroom features a composting toilet, a shower, and a sink. There’s a fully functioning oven, stove top, large sink, and medium-sized fridge in the kitchen. A gear shed occupies a 24-square-foot section at the end of the home. They can even add a washer/dryer if they’d like.
Possibly the best part: The whole build cost just $30,000. Not bad. Not bad at all. It took them about 14 months to complete, and they’re so excited about the build, they’ve shared, for free, the blueprints for building your own movable tiny home on their website.
“Sometimes we make decisions based on immediate needs,” the Garlows wrote. “Sometimes we make decisions based on the future well being of ourselves and/or our families…we successfully did both when we began our tiny house journey.”
Photos: Robert and Samantha Garlow
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Very cool
Wow. This looks great.
Awesome!!!
Super Nice! Very well executed!
Love it! I want one too.
Tiny Homes are a rad idea- and this one is really nice. The big bummer in them is that it’s often really hard to find a place to live in one. Unless you own property with Electric, sewer and water of course. The unfortunate reality of tiny homes is that many of them end up parked in grungy mobile home parks. Some cities are easing restrictions on them as a way of increasing housing stock, but we have a long way to go.
but that totally destroys my daydream as I begin another work week! I see this perched up high with a beautiful expansive view! 🙂
Check out Escalante Village, a tiny home community in Durango!
Really nice. What are the kind of restrictions on parking/camping something like this?
The laws vary widely by State/County/Town/City. Generally speaking, the further you are from civilization, the more lax the rules (and enforcement). Aerial photography (as part of tax mapping) and drones are now common, so don’t assume you won’t be seen in the woods. In one sparsely populated county in Arizona, you could live in your RV for 30 days, but you could not store the RV on your property for the remainder of the year. One of the tiny homes on the DIY TV show was built after an expensive purchase of land ($80,000) and substantial site work in a town where “Camping by the owner or renter on his or her own vacant property for a maximum of 30 days in consecutive days.” was allowed. When the building department finally comes knocking, you are gone, as you will face escalating fines for continued non-compliance . Many zoning laws are biased against mobile homes, so a conversion of your site to permanent may not conform to zoning, even with a Board of Health Approval for a well and septic.
All that being said, going mobile may be an option, or a plan ‘B’ solution if you are confronted. Campgrounds often cost as much as a monthly apartment rental, but there are 50% off deals available (from Passport America for example) if your desired campground is participating. You will want to build ‘light’, as a 15,000 lb trailer is going to require a heavy duty truck to move it. If the total weight of truck and trailer exceeds 26,001 lbs, you may be subject to special regulations varying by state.
Where does their daughter sleep? And before long, she will start crawling, what are they planning to do then? I can’t see this home being a practical option for them longer than a year, tops, so I’m not convinced it’s really that affordable.
I know the tiny house idea is fun and, in some cases, economical, but unless folks managed to find a way to park their home on a nice plot of land that’s located in a sufficiently warm environment–somewhere where the outdoors can function as an extension of their home for their newborn– I just don’t see the appeal of this trend. Many agree that the lack of space in prisons is an uncomfortable reality, so why would folks willingly subject themselves to these cramped quarters?
The price is pretty appealing. Real estate costs here in CA are horrifying. I have a friend who just secured a piece of land on the Northern California coast and my wife and I have kicked around the idea of putting a tiny house on it and living there. It’s either that, or drop $800k on a 1200 sq ft suburban fixer upper.
While tiny houses can work in places where the residents can be outdoors in most of their leisure time, they are not really a postive trend. Tiny houses are a symptom of our decent into a third world country. That a young couple with the skill and driver to design and make this are going to be raising their child in a 200sqft mobile home Is heart braking. There is an economic and social marginalization that comes with living in a mobile home, ie are they going to be able to be in the “good” school district? What does this do to their credit rating? What socio economic strata will this child’s friends come from? All of that stuff really does matter to what the child’s life is going to look like 30 years from now.
Harvard admissions essay: “Big hearts, small spaces: What I gained from growing big in a tiny house.” Admissions counselors eat stuff like that up like candy. Kid will be fine except for maybe missing out on a midlife crisis or two when her buddies in corporate America are having theirs
The bigger point is I’m not sure you go the tiny house route if credit ratings and the ‘socio economic strata of your child’s friends’ weigh heavily in your definition of a happy fulfilled life
Understandable that this might not be the ideal lifestyle for some, but interesting to see the criticism and concern for the families well being.
Financially concerned?
Do the math. Which mortgage would you prefer, and could you leverage the remainder of your income saved in other investments if you opted to pay off the tiny home as opposed to the 30 year FRM? How about living in this long enough to save up for a down payment AND having the ability to sell this tiny home, Airbnb it, or simply park it on your property as a guesthouse after it’s served your financial plan? How many families find their stress rooted in financial matters?
Concerned about the living space not being adequate for a child? Again, make due with what you need. When your kid reaches an age where they need room to roam, take the money you’ve saved, Drop in on a house or apartment with more space, and sell off the tinyhome to the single dad who finally sent his last kid off to school. He’s due for it 🙂 …also, go outside more.
Again, not for everyone, just interesting to see the negativity when someone tries to shed the clutter and costly norms of our society.
Absolutely love the tiny home that they created. We also help design tiny homes. Feel free to take a look by clicking the link on my name!
Great article!
Lovely design, beautifully executed. Great job!
It does not matter if you live in a big house, a small house or a tiny house. It matters that you live with intention and to the fullest of your allotted hours.
No one regrets credit ratings, school districts, or social status at the end of life. All remember the smiles, the love, the precious moments shared with their cherished ones.
Really inspiring, this is the dream home – minimal, sustainable, cost-saving, though it does still come with limitations and issues. Still, with time and change in societal norms, hopefully more and more people will become inspired to follow suit, and there will be new ways of overcoming these limitations.