Our Night in a Tiny House

My husband and I have imagined for years what it might be like to live in a tiny house. We follow tiny home accounts on Instagram and have chats about what features we would want in our ideal tiny home. Mind you, most of this was before we had a baby.



Although I know that we won't be trading our home for a tiny home anytime soon (maybe once we're empty nesters and/or retired), we have still been curious about what it would be like to have one.

A couple years back, I introduced y'all to Tee Tiny Houses, an Acadiana-based tiny house builder, and gave y'all a tour of their first construction. Since then, they have turned the home into an AirBNB located in Sunset, Louisiana.

 

The owner, Cherie, and manager, Jamie, were so kind to let us spend a night at the home to check it out and see what it's like. We made our plans and took a one-night staycation not long before Coronavirus shut everything down and our governor implemented a stay-at-home order. Looking back, it really was nice to have a night out before many, many nights in.





The house is located conveniently near the interstate, but is set off on a piece of land that makes it feel much further away.


It's a tiny house on wheels, but has been anchored to a concrete slab, so it feels more permanent. There's another tiny home on the property (with spaces for more) and a large community gazebo being constructed. While we were there, the weather was impeccable, with a warm sunset, and a foggy, ethereal sunrise the next morning.

The extra touches really made our stay special. Even though our stay was complimentary, I felt like we were treated as a regular visitor. Our name was on the letterboard welcome sign over the fridge, there was a bottle of wine on the kitchen counter and water and tea in the fridge, and there were toiletries in the bathroom that would have covered us if we had forgotten anything at home.








What I learned from our night in the tiny house


I enjoy the simplicity of not having as much space to maintain. If we had stayed a few more nights, the home would have been very easy to keep clean and tidy.


Even though there's less space, you don't sacrifice on the amenities. I love this tiny house because it has a full-size shower and conventional toilet. There's a four-burner stove, microwave and large fridge, although no oven or dishwasher. We brought food from home, and I cooked dinner and heated up breakfast the next morning. I could see the kitchen being very functional for longer stays. There's a peninsula that swivels up for extra counter space.


The storage is impressive. From the tall closet between the bathroom and couch to the cabinets and drawers under the stairs, the space is maximized for storage. The home was originally built to accommodate a combined washer/dryer next to the kitchen, but that space is now an open cabinet.

It's energy efficient, but still extremely comfortable. The air conditioner in the home works very well, and there's a ceiling fan that helps circulate the air. We loved the remote control that we could take to the loft, so we wouldn't have to go up and down the stairs to adjust anything.

The bed in the loft is pretty damn comfortable. The home has a queen size mattress and was very comfortable for our stay. We brought an iPad and watched a movie after our daughter went to sleep in her Pack and Play downstairs.


The stairs are definitely not toddler-friendly. The listing does note that the home is not suitable for children or infants, and pets are not allowed. We chose to bring Ariana so we could have a family weekend, so to accommodate, we blocked off the stairs using our luggage and ice chest. It's not exactly photo-friendly, but safety comes first. We brought some of her favorite toys and let her watch a couple episodes of her favorite show that we had downloaded on our iPad, since the home does not have WiFi.

I don't think I could live in one full-time, at least not with children. This home is 240 square feet, which is comfortable for short-term stays or a vacation home. If it were just me, or just me and my husband, it would be much more feasible for longer-term living. What I do think is perfect is having a home like this as a lake house or a camp. I could absolutely see my family making special memories in a tiny vacation home, and hope that one day our future will allow for that.


After we checked out of the tiny house, we kept our staycation going by driving into Arnaudville and having breakfast at the Little Big Cup, a quaint restaurant on the banks of a bayou that's known for its buffet. It's been on our restaurant bucket list for awhile now, and we were excited to finally visit. The weather was perfect and we left completely stuffed.


Now that we've been at home for so long, I look back on this staycation with extra fond memories, and I look forward to being able to do something like it again. Getting to stay in this tiny house for a night was a very fun, unique and memorable experience. In addition to it being our one night away from home in the past few months, that was also the last weekend we dined out at a restaurant.




When travel and activity restrictions are lifted again in Louisiana, I absolutely encourage you to make plans to spend a night or weekend out at the Tee Tiny House. It's a very affordable rate and you'll enjoy your stay for sure. Take a solo trip, celebrate a romantic anniversary, or catch up with a friend!

Look, if you need some time away from your family post-quarantine, go ahead and book yourself a night or two. There's no judging!

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