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When Pam and Jeff retired, they downsized into a park model tiny home at The Oaks on 37, a tiny home and RV community in Mount Vernon, Texas. The move cut their expenses dramatically and let them retire debt-free, without giving up the comforts they actually use every day.
What makes their home stand out is what it doesn’t have: a loft. Everything, including a king-size bed, a full bathroom and a stacked washer and dryer, sits on one level. For a retired couple, that is a practical choice, not just a style preference. Tiny House Giant Journey toured the home with them.
Why a No-Loft Park Model Works for Retirement
Many tiny houses put the bed in a loft to save floor space. That works at 30, but climbing a ladder every night (and back down at 3 a.m.) gets old fast. A single-level park model trades a little square footage for a layout you can live in for decades: no ladders or steep stairs, easier cleaning, and a real bedroom with a door.
Park models are built on a chassis like an RV but finished like a small house, and they’re usually set in place for the long term in a community lot rather than towed around. Pam and Jeff’s home has two-tone blue siding, a metal roof, and a wide screened porch facing a fenced side yard.
A Carport, a Fenced Yard and Room to Breathe
The lot is set up like a small homestead. A detached metal carport shelters the car (and doubles as shade for outdoor projects), a black metal fence keeps their dog safe in the yard, and there’s space for a grill beside the house. Little details like these matter a lot when the house itself is small, because they push storage and everyday activities outside.
From above, you can see how the homes at The Oaks on 37 sit on individual lots with their own driveways, carports and patches of lawn, which gives the neighborhood a small-town street feel rather than an RV-park feel.
The Screened Porch Is Their Favorite Room
The couple calls the screened porch their favorite outdoor retreat, and it’s easy to see why. A tongue-and-groove wood ceiling, ceiling fan, wall-mounted TV and a stone fireplace turn it into a true second living room. Screens keep the Texas bugs out while letting the breeze in, so the porch is usable for most of the year. For a park model, this is one of the smartest ways to add living space without adding conditioned square footage.
An Open Living Area with a Vaulted Ceiling
Inside, the living room and kitchen share one open space under a vaulted, wood-trimmed ceiling. A reclining sofa faces a wall-mounted TV, and tall windows on both sides keep things bright. A ductless mini-split handles heating and cooling, which is quiet, efficient, and easy to service in a small home.
A Practical Kitchen for a Couple Who Still Cooks
The kitchen has white shaker cabinets that run up to the ceiling, a farmhouse sink, marble-look counters, and a full-size stainless fridge, range and microwave. A movable island adds prep space and a spot to sit, and it opens straight to the living area so whoever is cooking stays part of the conversation. It’s a full-size kitchen setup, not a scaled-down RV galley.
A Full Bathroom with a Walk-In Shower
Just off the living area, a stacked washer and dryer sits next to the bathroom door, so laundry never means a trip to a community laundromat. The bathroom has a full vanity with plenty of drawer storage and a walk-in shower finished in brick-look tile with both a rainfall head and a handheld sprayer. That handheld is a nice aging-in-place touch.
A King-Sized Tiny Bedroom
The bedroom fits a king bed with space to walk around it, which is rare in a tiny home. Barn-style sliding doors hide the closet and dresser so no swing space is wasted, and a row of storage bins sits on a high shelf for seasonal items. A second mini-split head keeps the bedroom comfortable on its own. It’s a real bedroom, not a sleeping nook.
Life at The Oaks on 37
The Oaks on 37 combines tiny home lots with an RV park on wooded land outside Mount Vernon, a small town in northeast Texas. In the tour, the lot rent shown on screen is $699 per month, which includes water, Wi-Fi and lawn service. For retirees, that kind of all-in monthly cost, plus no mortgage, is what makes a debt-free retirement realistic. Living in a community also gives Pam and Jeff neighbors and shared space without the upkeep of a big house and yard. Lot rents change, so check with the community for current pricing.
Watch the Full Tour
Video and stills: Tiny House Giant Journey, “The Perfect Retirement! Debt-free in a Tiny Home w/ NO LOFT.”
Home Details
- Owners: Pam and Jeff, retirees
- Home: single-level park model with no loft
- Location: The Oaks on 37 tiny home and RV community, Mount Vernon, Texas
- Bedroom: king-size bed, sliding barn-style closet doors, overhead storage
- Kitchen: white shaker cabinets, farmhouse sink, marble-look counters, full-size stainless appliances, island
- Bathroom: full vanity and walk-in tile shower with rainfall and handheld heads
- Systems: ductless mini-split heating and cooling, stacked washer and dryer
- Outdoor: screened porch with fireplace and TV, detached carport, fenced yard
- Lot rent shown in the tour: $699/month including water, Wi-Fi and lawn service
What Makes This Home Special
- Everything on one level. No ladder or loft, which makes it a home you can age in.
- A king bed in a real bedroom. Sliding doors and high shelves free up space around the bed.
- The screened porch as a second living room. A fireplace and TV make it usable most of the year without adding heated square footage.
- Laundry inside the house. A stacked washer and dryer is a small detail that makes full-time living much easier.
- Downsizing as a financial plan. No mortgage plus a predictable lot rent made a debt-free retirement possible.
Learn more about the community in our post on The Oaks on 37’s adult-only tiny home neighborhood, or see other places to retire small like Liberty Tiny Village and Park Model Paradise on Indian Lake.
Learn More
Tiny House Giant Journey
Video: The Perfect Retirement! Debt-free in a Tiny Home w/ NO LOFT
YouTube: @TinyHouseGiantJourney
The Oaks on 37: theoakson37.com · Instagram: @theoakson37rvresort
Video stills: Tiny House Giant Journey.
Highlights
- Retired couple living debt-free in a park model
- Single-level layout with no loft
- King-size bedroom with sliding closet doors
- Shaker kitchen with farmhouse sink and island
- Walk-in tile shower and in-home laundry
- Screened porch with fireplace at The Oaks on 37 in Texas
Explore More
- The Oaks on 37: An Adult-Only Tiny-Home Neighborhood
- Liberty Tiny Village: A 55+ Resort Community in Aubrey, TX
- Park Model Paradise: A 55+ Community on Indian Lake, Ohio
- Shelby’s Stand-Up Loft Among the Redwoods
- Best Tiny House Communities in the US
Would you retire to a no-loft park model in a tiny home community?
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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Alex
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