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The Baird family (William, Laura, and their three kids, Evan, Jasmine, and Jessica, plus two cats and a hamster) traded a 1,700-square-foot house for a 40′ x 12′ cabin on wheels parked at a KOA campground in coastal South Carolina. Inside, it comes to roughly 440 square feet, about a quarter of the space they had before.
They didn’t build the cabin from scratch. They spent a year planning their own build, and while looking for land to rent as a construction site, they found a cabin for sale that was very close to the house they’d designed. So they bought it, sold most of what they owned, and spent their time customizing it instead: they turned the front porch into a bedroom and added a fold-out table, a sofa bed with storage, a spice wall, and a litter room for the cats under the stairs.
Image courtesy of the Baird family
From 1,700 Square Feet to a Cabin at the Campground
William teaches philosophy at Coastal Carolina University. Laura has a master’s in forestry and hoped to work as a park ranger in the summers when he isn’t teaching. They homeschool all three kids, so the cabin works as a home, a classroom, and a workshop. When they shared their story with us, the inside still had a few projects in progress, but the family was clear about how the move had gone:
We jumped on the opportunity to go small sooner rather than later, sold most of our stuff, and moved out of 1700 square feet and into this 440 or so square foot cabin. It was an excellent decision – we LOVE it!
Buying a finished shell and customizing it is an underrated way to go tiny. The family moved in months, maybe years, sooner than a ground-up build would have allowed, and every change they made after that was based on how they actually used the space, not on guesses from a floor plan.
Image courtesy of the Baird family
The Front Porch Became the Parents’ Bedroom
The cabin originally had a covered front porch. With five people and one loft, the Bairds needed another bedroom more than they needed a porch, so they framed in the walls and turned it into a room of its own. Until it was done, William and Laura slept on a mattress in the middle of the living room.
Image courtesy of the Baird family
They moved the porch’s exterior windows out to the new outer wall and added a fan to push air from the living room into the bedroom, plus a high-powered fan above their loft. The queen bed is lofted, with storage on both sides of the mattress. A window seat doubles as a toolbox for scrap wood and project supplies, and Laura painted window boxes outside that hold herbs and flowers.
Image courtesy of the Baird family
Enclosing a porch is one of the most cost-effective ways to add a room to a small home. The roof, floor, and footprint are already there, so most of the work is walls, windows, and insulation.
A Dining Table That Folds Three Ways
The Bairds’ favorite build is a fold-out dining table with three positions. It folds flat under the counter when they need floor space, opens halfway into a small table where all five of them eat, and extends all the way for guests, with a separate stand to support it. William designed it, and Laura built it from a couple of display tables he picked up when a clothing store went out of business.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
A table that moves between positions does more for a small family than a fixed table that’s the wrong size most of the time. The same few square feet go from open floor to family meals to dinner for guests.
A Built-to-Fit Sofa Bed With Roll-Out Storage
Rather than squeezing a store-bought couch into the living room, they built a sofa bed sized to the wall, with a memory-foam seat and cushions. Two roll-out bins underneath hold the kids’ games and homeschool supplies, so the couch also stores the things they use every day.
Image courtesy of the Baird family
Bookcases in the Old Window Openings, and an Electric Fireplace
When the porch became a bedroom, the living room’s old exterior windows ended up on an interior wall. The Bairds turned those openings into rough-cut oak bookcases. Laura did most of the building, and the shelves are full of the parents’ books and the kids’ library books. Nearby, an electric fireplace heats the whole cabin, which helps in a place where the heater also has to look good in the living room.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
A Hardworking Kitchen and a Spice Wall
The galley kitchen has a full-size range, refrigerator, and double sink, but no dishwasher. The girls wash the dishes, which, as a parent jokes in the video, means the house has two dishwashers after all. The family added a fold-out storage compartment in the unused strip above the sink cabinets, plus a wine-glass rack under one cabinet built from leftover tongue-and-groove cork flooring.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
Laura built a spice cabinet into the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom. Using the depth inside an interior wall is one of the best storage tricks in a tiny house, because it adds shelving without taking up any floor space.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
A Bathroom Bigger Than the Old One
According to the kids, the cabin’s bathroom is bigger than one of the bathrooms in their old house. The family built a pull-out step that slides out from under the vanity so the kids can reach the sink, then tucks away when the adults need the room.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
Bunk Beds, a Loft for Evan, and a Cat Room Under the Stairs
The girls share a bunk room with a dresser, a desk for crafts and homeschool, a stacked washer and dryer behind louvered doors, and the hamster’s cage. They take turns on the top bunk and switch every month. The stairs up to Evan’s loft are built as a set of drawers, and the loft itself came with the cabin. It now holds his bed, a train table, and a string of Christmas lights as a nightlight.
Video still: Laura Baird/YouTube
The two cats have their own space too. The family built a litter room under the stairs, with a cat door in the second step and a hatch on the kids’ bedroom side for cleaning. They also wrapped the loft posts in sisal rope as built-in scratching posts.
The Baird Family’s Project List, In Their Own Words
Here’s how William described the changes they made to the cabin:
We converted the front porch into a bedroom with a queen lofted bed and storage space on either sides of the mattress. One of the pictures is with our mattress in the middle of the living room. We slept in there until our porch was converted to a bedroom.
We built a spice storage area in the wall separating the kitchen and the bathroom. We have it almost finished
We built a fold-out dining table. It has three stages – folded under the counter and out of the way, folded into a small table that the 5 of us eat off of, and folded out all the way for guests. There is a stand that supports it when fully extended that we built as well. I designed the table and Laura built it out of a couple of display tables I picked up from a clothing store that went out of business.
We built a sofa bed to fit the space, with a memory foam mattress seat and cushions. It has two roll-out storage bins underneath.
We built a pull-out step for the bathroom to help the kids reach the sink better.
We built a cat litter room under the stairs, with a cat door going into the second step and a door that opens for changing the litter in the kids’ bedroom.
We built a fold-out sink storage compartment out of the unused strip above the sink cabinets.
We moved the exterior windows to the new exterior wall that used to be the front porch and built rough cut oak bookcases over the openings of the old window locations. We also put a fan that blows cold air from the living room to our bedroom and installed a high-power fan above our loft.
We wrapped loft posts in sisal rope for the cats to scratch.
We built a wine glass rack under a cabinet out of leftover tongue and groove cork flooring.
Thank you for inspiring us!
Best regards,
William, Laura, Evan, Jasmine, and Jessica Baird
Video Tour Led by the Baird Kids
Jessica and Jasmine give the tour themselves, room by room, from their parents’ porch bedroom to Evan’s loft. It’s one of the most charming tiny house tours we’ve shared.
Design Details
- Size: 40′ x 12′ exterior, about 440 sq ft inside
- Type: Cabin on wheels, bought ready-made and customized by the family
- Location: A KOA campground in coastal South Carolina
- Household: Two adults, three kids, two cats, and a hamster
- Previous home: About 1,700 sq ft
- Sleeping: Lofted queen in the converted porch bedroom, kids’ bunk room, and a loft bedroom
- Kitchen: Full-size range, refrigerator, and double sink; no dishwasher
- Heat: Electric fireplace
- Laundry: Stacked washer and dryer
- Interior: Knotty pine walls, rough-cut oak bookcases
What Makes This Build Special
- Buy, then customize. Starting from a finished cabin got the family living small right away, and every upgrade after that came from real daily use.
- A porch became a bedroom. Enclosing the existing porch added a private room for the parents on a footprint they already had.
- Furniture that changes size. The three-position table and the storage sofa bed let one living area work for meals, school, guests, and sleep.
- Storage inside the walls. The spice wall, the bookcases in the old window openings, and the drawer stairs add storage without using floor space.
- Built for kids and pets. A pull-out bathroom step, a bunk rotation, a cat litter room under the stairs, and sisal-wrapped posts show how to plan for everyone who lives in the house.
Learn More
The Baird Family
Video: Family of Five Living Tiny in a Cabin – The Bairds
YouTube: Laura Baird
Photos courtesy of the Baird family. Video stills: Laura Baird/YouTube.
Highlights
- Family of five downsized from 1,700 sq ft to about 440 sq ft
- 40′ x 12′ cabin on wheels at a KOA campground in South Carolina
- Front porch converted into the parents’ bedroom with a lofted queen bed
- Three-position fold-out dining table built from store display tables
- Custom sofa bed with roll-out storage bins
- Spice wall, bookcases in the old window openings, and drawer stairs
- Cat litter room under the stairs and a kids’ bunk room
Explore More
- Tiny Homes for Families: 40+ Multi-Bedroom, Bunk-Room & Kid-Friendly Tiny Houses
- A Family of Seven in a 660 Sq Ft Self-Designed Tiny Farmhouse
- Pam and Jeff’s Debt-Free Retirement in a No-Loft Park Model at The Oaks on 37
- What Going Smaller Really Costs: Tiny House, Park Model, ADU, and More
Could your family fit in 440 square feet? Tell us in the comments.
Our biggest thanks to the Baird family for opening up their home and sharing their story with us!
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More Like This: Tiny Houses | Family Tiny House Living | Tiny House Living | Video Tours
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Alex
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Nice to see a larger family making positive use of space. They ap poo ear happy; who could want more?
Love it! Everyone seems very happy and the use of space is awesome. God bless your family.
Thank you for this. I’m trying to figure out how small we could go as a family of 3 with 2 growing kids. I’d love to see more stories of families living tiny!
One of these tiny home articles I read recently (not sure if from this blog or elsewhere) said that people should consider 100 sf per person to be a good guideline for going small/tiny. Everyone needs a bit of space to stay sane, but clearly you don’t need as much as most people think! They also said to consider if working from home or homeschooling that this guideline is especially important. We’re a family of four (two toddler boys), with expectation to add, and planning to homeschool, so we won’t be going smaller than 500 sf, probably…possibly up to 800, depending on what option we finally decide on. But it’s the homeschooling part that is really the reason for more than 500 😉
How do you build a tiny home of even 500 sf? Most trailers I’ve seen max out at 32 ft. x 10 ft ??
It doesn’t have to be a tiny house on wheels…could just be a small house on a foundation. Good luck with your journey!
We have found that homeschooling takes us outside…a lot! Field trips, library, playground meet-ups, etc. We did just change up the girls’ room to create a long desk surface and built-in cabinets for extra storage…as soon as we have everything in a spot we are doing an update video for everyone!
Some very clever ideas, particularly the litter box and turning the porch into a bedroom. This is basically three bedrooms with a bath. Once they complete their organizing, it is going to be very comfortable, and maybe they can add at least a half bath off the master bedroom as the kids age.
They are obviously having a great time. Good for them!
How wonderful to see families in tiny/small homes. I am tiny house obsessed. A sole/soul supporting mom of two loves seeing families making it work. How very inspiring. It’s wonderful to hear these two young ladies talk about how mom is making/building X. Sound like they have a handy role modeling mom. Beautiful!
Curious as to how much they must pay monthly to live in the KOA campground. I have always found KOA’s to be much more expensive to camp in than others. What is the monthly fee to do so? Does it include utilities or are they a separate charge? I have been investigating the tiny house idea for a while now and the biggest issue seems to be where to actually park the domicile (regulations, codes and such being what they are). It would be really helpful to get an honest breakdown of the real costs of this particular living arrangment.
Our land lease fee is $4,000/year. This includes water, sewer, trash pick up, internet, and cable (which we don’t use), as well as gated access and use of the pools, jumpy pillow, and counselor-led kids’ activities throughout the year. We are three blocks from the ocean. We have considered moving the house to a lot, but the kids will have none of that :). Living in a campground is pretty awesome for all of us.
Thanks for the info… I am inspired, and I wish others would begin to consider living like this, enabling Mother/Father to stay at home to raise kids or homeschool. And the savings are staggering I’d bet. Look how much won’t need to go into the landfills, ya’ll!
Great job! Evan’s room looks huge! And you have so many storage spaces! I’m impressed!
These two girls, Jessica and Jasmine (twins?) stole my heart! Talk about being “thorough”! The main girl doing the talking even covered the planter box outside, what plants went inside of it and that her Mum made it! These girls did a better job describing everything than half the adult-featured videos I’ve seen.
Sweet family; I wish them ALL the best!
That’s just too adorable! How does Mom look so good after having three babies?! Not fair! The house is great and very well organized for a large family, especially the kitchen and bath areas which are crucial areas for families with children. Beautiful and cozy! Great job, guys! Enjoy!
I enjoyed the girl’s tour of your little cabin. Thank you for showing us all the little details. I have become fascinated with the “tiny house movement”. I hope to retire in a few years to a place around 350 sq ft. I am so impressed that you all have been able to downsize even while bringing up three children. Great job!
What a great video and a great house! Such ingenuity in many ways. I love the kitchen– the angled counter with sink was nice. Great idea for your spice cabinet in the wall, as well. Well done, girls! Thanks for sharing with us!
These girls are adorable! They did a great job of showing off the house with all the clever storage. One thing about living in a small house with 3 kids, two cats and a hamster is that there can only be a limited number of toys! Everything seemed very well thought out and designed. Well done! Great job, girls!
I think this is a great space. The bedrooms are bigger than the ones we grew up in. Our family of 5 had only one bathroom as did my husband’s and we all did fine. People today just think they need more than one. Great job.
I’ve been waiting to see a family of 5 and how they make it work. Love the layout and looks like plenty of space. Is there anyway to know the maker of the cabin?
Cheers
Aron
Stone Canyon Lodges
I am looking to setup a small home like this in the Nashville area. I was wondering where did you buy the wide body chassis. Did you use a mobile home chassis? I love the house.
We bought the house after it had been constructed. We made some changes to it to fit our family. The house was manufactured by Stone Canyon Cabins in Alabama.
how much was it?
thanks for sharing. Loved it!! I could live in a place like this. The girls did a great job showing us.
Wonderful video! The young ladies did a great job AND mom I love how you said you have two dishwashers! I used to say that when my two oldest girls lived at home!!!! It doesn’t last long and your family is doing it right. You’ve found what matters most…..GREAT JOB
Can’t hear it and it’s a mess and too much junk. Kids are great though.
Those kids do a better job than a lot of the adult hosts on some regular home shows. Well done! Some smart solutions too. Making things work for the way you live is the most important part of living small or tiny and this family seems to have that figured out.
Great kids and good video. The house is nice and yes, cluttery. There isn’t much you can do about that when you have kids and go this small. We moved from 1800 sq ft. to 640 a little over 6 months ago. City to remote rural area. 2 adults, 1 teen and a toddler. So far, I’m having a love/hate relationship with this arrangement. My expectations were much different than reality. In a larger house, the kids toys aren’t as noticeable or as much of a tripping hazard. The dishes in a larger kitchen seem to be able to wait till the next day – not in a tiny kitchen!! I feel like I’m a slave half the time, constantly picking up and cleaning. Not only because of it being so small, but in the country, the dust is much worse. Mud gets tracked in etc. Ya it may not take up as much time cleaning the entire house, but when you factor in how much time is spent picking up and cleaning every single day, it all adds up to the same. I could go on and on about the not so great aspects of our experience, but even still I wouldn’t go back to the city! Or a big huge house. I get to raise my daughter in the country, fresh air, fresh food from the garden, farm animals, great neighbors, peace and quiet! That part is all worth my un-comfort to me. I’m sure this is why alot of us choose this path.
I agree about the cleaning aspect…I may even spend more time cleaning than in our 1,700 square foot house. However, I find that I was overwhelmed by the mess and cleaning job of the bigger house, and it just never got or stayed clean. At least here, it stays (fairly) tidy most days. Still wouldn’t trade it for the world 😉
Thanks to the family and kudos to the girls for the tour. I was able to hear just fine (and I have old ears, just turned up the sound). It was kind of them to show us a work in progress. May I never get so negative that I cannot see the good and enjoy the joy of others.
As far as specifics, I think the 12 foot width makes a big difference in a 4oo+square foot living space – 12 by 40 versus 8 by 50 would make a huge difference in the layout and space use – or so I think. I realize that 12′ is not possible for most tiny home builders. The parents space is great. This home has been thought out so that things like the litter box, the laundry, the kids sleeping areas flow smoothly. You can tell this by the way the girls move from area to area.
The idea doing it now rather than later means that some things will be done as they go along, and – because they are willing, able, and the sort who like that sort of adventure – they are sharing something very precious with their children. They all will look back on this fondly when they are older. Oh, and I almost forgot – the kids got a chance to help with some of the building of parts of their home. How often does that happen these days in this country? NEAT!!!
Sweet!
thanks for sharing, what a lovely cabin!
I enjoyed seeing the small house, but I couldn’t understand the words the girls were saying–even turned the sound up real high, but couldn’t hear–even with my hearing aids. Maybe should have had an adult doing the talking.
I loved the video of your home I am wanting to do tiny with my two school age kids at home with me love seeing others making this work while raising our families the girls did great on the video.
I am impressed. Great work mom, your doing a great job with your family and project. Also you solved my cat issue. I could comment on many things, but other reviews have said just about everything that could be said. Go for it and the best of luck (or skill)
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for posting this! I have been fascinated by alternate forms of living for the past several years. I think I have looked at almost every post you’ve done on your site (which is fantastic). We are a family of 5 (mom, dad and 3 young kids) There doesn’t seem to be many stories on here of families living small or tiny so this one is a breath of fresh air. Please keep any new ones you hear about coming this way! Love it!
Thanks Ashlynn!!
I feel the same Ashlynn! This family of 5 needs more stories like these as well!
Where can I purchase one of tiny house. I live in Texas .I am very interested in them.Please let me know .Thank You. Paulette
The girls did a fantastic job. Though it was hard to see a lot of things due to house being messy. Great job on the cat box area. Whoever thought of that was very smart. The kitchen was beautiful. Three bedrooms and one bath serves the purpose. Next time you show the home maybe it could be straighten up some so the viewers can figure how everything fits.
I love this wonderful cozy house and the adorable girls who share their house. Not only does this family appear to appreciate their special closeness, they are thankful for what they have – love truly comes in small packages. One of my all time favorites.
I’m so glad I found this, my husband and I were thinking of doing the same exact thing! They sell those cabins on wheels and they have a large porch on front that looks like it would be a great 2nd bedroom, we also have three children two 6 year olds and a 1 year old. They are all on board, how to deal with the bank, zoning, and the other problems small homeowners can run into…..I’m curious to know the cost of living in a KOA and what the rules are about doing so?
Hi Lauren, I see we never answered your questions! Sorry about that. A few other people who commented before you had the same questions, though, so I hope you saw our answers there!
I like the idea for the cat scratching posts. How much does koa charge per month?
Our land lease fee is $4,000/year. This includes water, sewer, trash pick up, internet, and cable (which we don’t use), as well as gated access and use of the pools, jumpy pillow, and counselor-led kids’ activities throughout the year. We are three blocks from the ocean. We have considered moving the house to a lot, but the kids will have none of that :). Living in a campground is pretty awesome for all of us.
We are a family of 8 with number nine due in two months. Out cabin in Texas was 600 sq ft. We recently relocated to Idaho and our current living space is 221 sq ft wall tent and then we have a 200 sq ft. Storage building. Small spaces are definitely doable, just be creative:-)
The two girls give a different perspective, too. Sponge that used to be bigger, switching up who gets to sleep in top bed, not all the toys were in one place. Too cute. Thanks.
Very inspired by your move to a small house. Do you have a floor plan you could post/link/email? I really like the lay out. About how much would it cost to build? I really like the creative cat box idea. The bathroom is a good size and has a good lay out also. I like how you did your master bedroom, as it gave you floor space and a sleeping area. Would very much like to see a floor plan though. Thank you.
ADORABLE! Did great with the space..wow
Wow! I am so impressed with these girls. This is a real home that real people live in. The children are learning good, sound values that will help them succeed in the world. Congrats to Mom and Dad for providing a healthy, creative environment for their children!
If you ever want to relocate to the mountains of TN, we would love to have you and your family on our property with my wife and 4 year old twins. I am just about completely off grid including transportation fuel via my private natural gas well. I am looking for a family that could help out with kids along with assisting me grow my small transport (expediting) business. There would be no rent. Fully developed mountain view lot with septic, water, natural gas, electric is available to the right family. Dave/Karolyn
We appreciate the offer! We actually are about to move to 10 acres in NC, so we are set…We’ll document the journey for everyone 😉
Bravo! Thanks for sharing.