Single Mom + 2 young sons live in stunning Tiny Home & farm

Tiny House Giant Journey

27 Sept 202414:53

Summary

TLDRIn this heartfelt video, Sharice, a single mom, shares her journey of transitioning to a tiny house with her two boys, George and Frankie, and their dog, Sarge. After her divorce, she reinvented her life by embracing tiny house living, designing a custom home to fit her family’s needs. The 40-foot home, built with love and contributions from friends and family, offers her a simpler, affordable lifestyle. Sharice highlights the cozy, functional spaces in the house, reflecting on the joys of minimalism, nature, and the importance of quality time with her children.

Takeaways

🏠 Tiny house living has given Sharice more time to spend with her two boys.
🛁 The tiny house features a deep bath, a luxury specifically for Sharice.
👩‍👦 Sharice, a single mom, shares her tiny house with her two boys, George and Frankie, along with their dog, Sarge.
💔 After a 15-year marriage, Sharice reinvented her life and decided on tiny house living.
💰 The total cost of the tiny house was around $75,000, with savings from creative sourcing and DIY efforts.
🌳 The family lives on a 2-acre property in Duval, where the boys can play in nature, surrounded by gardens, chickens, and bees.
🔌 The tiny house has water hookups but lacks septic and electrical connections, relying on composting toilets and neighbor-provided power.
🛠️ Sharice designed and built much of the interior herself, learning new skills along the way, with help from friends and family.
👨‍👦 The boys are homeschooled, and the tiny house includes space-saving furniture and storage to accommodate their needs.
🌟 The tiny house has helped Sharice focus on what's truly important, fostering minimalism, family bonding, and nature-focused living.

Q & A

Who is the main person featured in the script, and who does she live with?
-The main person featured is Sharice, a single mom. She lives with her two boys, George and Frankie, and their dog, Sarge.
What led Sharice to choose tiny house living?
-Sharice decided to pursue tiny house living after her 15-year marriage ended, and she needed to reinvent herself. It seemed like a practical solution for her and her boys.
How was Sharice's tiny house built and designed?
-The shell of the house was built by Carriage House Northwest, and Sharice designed the interior herself. She hired contractors to help finish it and received assistance from friends and family for some of the work.
What is the total cost of Sharice's tiny house, and how did she manage to reduce expenses?
-The total cost was approximately $75,000 to $80,000, with $50,000 for the shell and $25,000 to $30,000 for the interior. She reduced costs by sourcing used materials, including laminate flooring from Marketplace.
Where does Sharice and her family live, and what kind of environment do they have access to?
-Sharice and her family live in Duval, a small town east of Seattle. They lease 2 acres of land from friends from their church, which includes gardens, chickens, bees, and access to the woods.
How does the tiny house manage utilities such as water, electricity, and waste?
-The tiny house is hooked up to city water but uses a composting toilet since there is no septic system. For electricity, they rely on a low-wattage power supply from their neighbors.
What are some of the custom features inside Sharice’s tiny house?
-Some custom features include a live-edge shelf that Sharice built herself, solid wood countertops, and special-ordered gold-plated agate cabinet handles from Etsy. She also installed live plants and dried flowers for decoration.
How does Sharice's bedroom and the boys' sleeping areas function within the tiny house?
-Sharice's bedroom is a cozy loft with a king-size bed, allowing her boys to snuggle with her. The boys also have their own sleeping areas, and the loft has storage and two skylights to create a more open feel.
What are some challenges Sharice faces with the tiny house, and how has she adapted?
-One challenge is the lack of power for a dryer, so Sharice hasn’t had a dryer in two years, especially challenging with young children. She air-dries clothes inside the house during the winter but has adapted to the situation.
What has Sharice learned or gained from her experience living in a tiny house?
-Sharice has learned many new skills, like tiling and DIY projects, and feels grateful for the help from friends and family. Living in a tiny house has also allowed her to spend more quality time with her boys and prioritize experiences over material possessions.

Outlines

00:00

🏡 Transitioning to Tiny House Living

Sharice introduces her journey into tiny house living as a single mother with her two boys, George and Frankie. After a 15-year marriage ended, she sought a new path and embraced the tiny house lifestyle. She reflects on the benefits, including more quality time with her children and the ability to live in a home designed for her needs. She highlights how the house was built with the help of friends and family, making it a symbol of love and care.

05:04

🛠 Designing and Building the Tiny House

Sharice discusses the design and construction process of her tiny house. She had the shell built by Carriage House Northwest and worked with contractors, friends, and family to complete the interior. She managed costs by sourcing materials creatively, such as using laminate flooring from Marketplace. Her efforts resulted in a home that is both functional and cost-effective, allowing her to live comfortably in a location that would otherwise be financially inaccessible.

10:08

🌻 Homestead and Life in the Countryside

Living in Duval, Sharice describes the beautiful rural environment where her tiny house is located. The family lives on two acres leased from friends, surrounded by gardens, chickens, bees, and woods, offering a rich, natural lifestyle for her boys. She explains the utilities setup, including a composting toilet and the use of low-wattage power from their neighbors. The homestead provides an ideal space for her children to play safely outdoors.

👩‍🍳 Kitchen and Creative Space

Sharice showcases her kitchen, which features a beautiful gas range, produce from their homestead, and shelves she made herself from live edge wood. She highlights the importance of using natural, light-colored materials to make the small space feel open and inviting. The kitchen is designed for her love of cooking, with storage solutions like a tiny fridge and a pantry. Though she opted out of a dishwasher to maximize cupboard space, she is pleased with the minimalist and functional design.

🚿 Boho Bathroom and Personal Space

The bathroom, decorated with a Pacific Northwest boho style, is one of Sharice’s favorite areas. She relishes the deep bathtub, which provides a therapeutic escape as a single mother. The bathroom is adorned with wallpaper from Etsy and personal touches like shelves and rocks she collected. She also installed a washer and dryer, though she lacks the power for the dryer, making air drying clothes the norm. She appreciates having a private space amid the busy household.

🍽 Dining Room and Handcrafted Furniture

Sharice and her aunt built the dining room table, which features handmade fluted table legs. The room seats six people, and the boys helped paint the bar stools, making the space feel even more personal. She also added a chandelier bought second-hand and painted the walls with non-toxic lime wash, achieving a minimalistic yet inviting aesthetic. She cleverly balanced windows and wall space, with most windows sourced through Marketplace deals.

🛋 Cozy Living Room and Multi-functional Storage

In the living room, Sharice highlights the functional furniture, including a couch that doubles as a queen-size bed. The room offers plenty of storage for homeschool supplies and toys, with baskets and hidden compartments. The TV serves as both an entertainment center and a decorative piece. Though small, the living room feels spacious and cozy, making it an ideal spot for family movie nights.

🛏 Bedroom Loft and Family Comfort

Sharice’s loft bedroom is compact but comfortable, featuring a king-size bed for snuggling with her boys. She appreciates the storage solutions and skylights that create an open atmosphere, allowing her to stargaze at night. The loft offers enough room for essentials, with bookshelves and storage baskets adding both functionality and aesthetic appeal. The space is cozy and serves as a comforting retreat for her and her sons.

🙏 Gratitude for a Supportive Community

Sharice expresses deep gratitude for the support of her friends and family in creating the tiny house. The house is a symbol of resilience, healing, and love after going through a difficult time in her life. Living in the tiny house has given her the freedom to focus on what truly matters—spending quality time with her children and living a more intentional, materialistic-free life. She plans to live in the tiny house until her boys are older and reflects on the invaluable lessons they've learned from this lifestyle.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Tiny House

A tiny house is a small, compact living space designed for simplicity and minimalism. In the video, the protagonist, Sharice, lives in a tiny house with her two sons, which has allowed her to simplify her life and focus on spending more time with her children. The house is customized to meet their needs and reflects her journey towards a minimalist lifestyle after her divorce.

💡Single Motherhood

Single motherhood refers to raising children alone without a partner. Sharice, the protagonist, embraces this lifestyle after her divorce, and the tiny house provides her with financial independence and more time to focus on raising her two sons, George and Frankie. Her experience highlights the challenges and rewards of balancing parenthood and personal well-being in a small space.

💡Minimalism

Minimalism is the practice of simplifying life by reducing possessions and focusing on essential needs. In the video, Sharice adopts a minimalist lifestyle through tiny house living, avoiding clutter and creating a space that is functional and aesthetically pleasing. Her decision to forego a dishwasher for more storage and to keep the decor light and neutral exemplifies her commitment to minimalism.

💡Financial Independence

Financial independence is the ability to live without relying on others for financial support. Sharice's choice to live in a tiny house reflects her desire for financial freedom after her divorce. By designing and paying off her tiny house, she has minimized her living expenses, allowing her to work part-time and spend more time with her children, which would not have been possible in a larger, more expensive home.

💡Composting Toilet

A composting toilet is an eco-friendly waste management system that converts human waste into compost without the need for a septic system. Sharice uses a composting toilet in her tiny house, which allows her to live on a property without access to septic systems. This choice is part of her commitment to sustainable and affordable living.

💡Homeschooling

Homeschooling refers to the education of children at home rather than in traditional schools. Sharice homeschools her two sons in their tiny house, using creative storage solutions like a pop-up table to organize educational materials. This allows her to take a hands-on approach to their education, giving her more control over their learning environment.

💡DIY (Do It Yourself)

DIY refers to the practice of creating or repairing things on one’s own rather than hiring professionals. Sharice incorporates DIY projects throughout her tiny house, from building live edge shelves to making furniture with family and friends. These projects not only helped her save money but also allowed her to create a personalized space filled with sentimental value.

💡Community Support

Community support involves receiving help from friends, family, and neighbors during challenging times. Sharice's tiny house journey is filled with contributions from her community, including help from contractors, friends, and family members who assisted in building and designing the house. This support network was essential in transforming the tiny house into a home filled with love and care.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to making choices that reduce one's impact on the environment. Sharice practices sustainability in her tiny house by using a composting toilet, sourcing materials locally, and repurposing items like laminate flooring. Her decision to live in a smaller space also aligns with a sustainable lifestyle, as it reduces energy consumption and waste.

💡Emotional Healing

Emotional healing is the process of recovering from emotional distress or trauma. For Sharice, building and living in the tiny house represents a form of emotional healing after her divorce. The tiny house is a safe space that she designed to nurture herself and her boys, allowing her to move forward from a painful chapter in her life and focus on creating new memories with her family.

Highlights

Tiny house living recommended for single moms as it allows more time with children.

A deep bath is designed specifically for the mother's relaxation.

Bedroom is cozy and primarily used for sleeping.

Tiny house named 'Daisy Troll Charlie' by the family.

Sharice, a single mom, shares her tiny house with her two boys and a dog.

Tiny house life emerged as a way to reinvent after a divorce.

The tiny house shell was built by Carriage House Northwest.

Sharice designed the house to best fit her family's needs.

Friends and family contributed to the construction as a labor of love.

Total cost of the tiny house was around $80,000 including materials and labor.

Sharice saved costs by using second-hand materials and creative sourcing.

The tiny house is located in Duval, east of Seattle, on a leased 2-acre property.

The house is 40 ft long, 11 ft wide, and 14 ft high for road safety.

Sharice opted for a composting toilet due to the absence of a septic system.

The house has a minimalistic and boho style with a focus on natural materials.

Sharice enjoys baking and cooking in her well-equipped tiny kitchen.

The bathroom features a sliding door made from hardwood gifted by a friend.

A deep bath provides a therapeutic experience for the single mom.

The tiny house includes a living room with a fold-out couch for movie nights.

Sharice homeschools her children in the living room space.

The bedroom loft is spacious with a king-size bed for the children.

Skylights in the bedroom allow for stargazing.

Sharice expresses gratitude for the support from friends and family in creating her home.

Tiny house living helps the family focus on non-materialistic values.

The tiny house is a safe and healing space after a period of hardship.