Lord, how I love a tiny house. Were you wondering who that person was that obsessively watched all the Small Space, Big Style episodes on HGTV years ago? That was me.  I especially loved the homes that were less than 500 square feet. They featured anything (stylish) fewer than 1000 square feet but come on, that’s not tiny. Not to this gal and her dog. So if you ever wondered who was the person who ignored the “Small” and “Little” categories on the “Small Cool” contest on the Apartment Therapy website and only drooled over the “Tiny” and “Teeny Tiny” ones? That was me, too. Not so much my dog on this because these wee places often have lofts and she doesn’t do well on ladders. If that doesn’t convince you of my tiny house love, I receive not one but two tiny house e-newsletters: from Tumbleweed Houses and Four Lights Houses. These two sites sell tiny house plans and offer workshops on how to build teeny abodes. Just in case you’ve jumped to the conclusion that I’ve been to one of these workshops, I have not. Yet.

Cut to one day opening an email from one of those newsletters and seeing this: “Watch Tiny House Nation!  Check local listings!” Sure as shit, I did. A new show about tiny houses? And it has some Clean Sweep elements to it? I am in miniscule home heaven. To the U-Verse! Series Record. Done.

The first episode of Tiny House Nation went all in. It featured a downsizing from 1300 sq ft to 175 sq ft. You read that right. 175 sq ft. Even better it wasn’t just one person downsizing. It was a couple and their two year old. I guess the thinking was they wanted a place that they could put on a “wide load” trailer and take wherever they end up. I believe they will end up in a sanitarium due to the inability to get away from each other…and the toddler.

Yeah, for the toddler they built a cubby hole for her bed and a tiny loft above the bed for her to play. It’s always a good idea to give a toddler a place to play that is far off the ground. To their credit they did provide a railing to climb over.  I feel better knowing that the parents are within two steps at all times in case something goes wrong.

I know I sound like I’m dissing the tiny house right after declaring my love for them but this just seemed like a weird house to kick off the series with. They showed the couple trying to entertain 

two friends in their home but the place was so tiny that the wife had to sit on the bed to eat while the guests sat at a table that only seat on one side. I think my frustration lies in the fact that it will turn people off of the glory that is tiny houses. They will say, “That’s ridiculous” and never consider the petite pad.  I’m sad for them.

The second episode that aired this past week made more sense to me. A couple has a rafting business in the summer and decided to live near the river year round. So they are building a 336 sq ft home with a big deck right alongside the bank. Makes sense, right? Outdoorsy people wanting to cut their commute. Great for that couple…and their two teenagers. Each kid does get their own loft room, although they can only stand up straight in the dead center of each room. The parents have a murphy bed in the main room. Oh no, I’m making it sound bad again. It’s not! They have a crazy big deck. There’s also a mini outdoor kitchen with a pass through window to the inside kitchen. And I’m sure they all purchased earplugs to help with privacy issues.

Both families have been fairly honest about the challenges about moving into a small crib. They enthusiastically love it but so far the common theme has been storage.  Each had hoped that their new home was a TARDIS and was bigger on the inside. The cheerful host John Weisbarth reminds them “no”. He does a little paring down exercise with them. This past week the family had to put everything they wanted to keep into a raft. If it didn’t fit in the raft, it wasn’t going in the house. The river clan got creative and put lots of hooks everywhere on the inside and outside. I wouldn’t be surprised if a little shed appeared next to the house at some point. Then I’d bet one of the teenagers will beg to live in there. The other host, Zack Giffin, built them a smuggler’s hatch in their huge deck.  For storage. Not for a teenager.

Check out Wee Little Living Quarters…I mean, Tiny House Nation on FYI network!

(FYI network? Apparently, it’s the former BIO Channel. I guess someone looked at their programming and realized that they hadn’t had a biography on there in years. Here are some upcoming series on FYI:

Married At First Sight

                Rowhouse Showdown

                World Food Championships

                The Feed

                B.O.R.N. to Style

                Epic Meal Empire

                The Marathon Honeymoon Battle

OK. I made up the last one. But I might be on to something there…)

Written by: Mandy Ratliff on July 18, 2014.