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She Built A Giant Potato Tiny House In Idaho


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This is the story of Kristie Wolfe and the giant potato tiny house that she built in Idaho. This was, of course, after spending a year touring the United States with it to promote Idaho potatoes with the Famous Idaho Potato Tour. If you used to get out a lot, maybe you’ve seen it before!

But it wasn’t until around seven years later when the potato was finally retired, that Kristie Wolfe was able to start making her dream of turning it into a tiny house, come true. Now, it’s known as the Potato Hotel and it’s located about 20-minutes away from Boise, Idaho.

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A Giant Potato Tiny House in Idaho With A Silo Outhouse

Would you believe that inside of that potato, would be an interior like this?

Well, believe it, because she did it.

A grain silo on the property serves as the bathhouse and outhouse.

And there’s a super-sweet cow on the property.

The Idaho potato’s former career…

Now it’s resting in one place, but it’s still not retired (it’s now available as an Airbnb). Now it’s the Potato Hotel near Boise, Idaho!

VIDEO – Kristie Wolfe’s Giant Idaho Potato Tiny House

How cool is that?

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Our big thanks to Kirsten Dirksen/Faircompanies for sharing!🙏

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 35 comments… add one }
  • PMHTX
    June 12, 2020, 10:45 am

    Cute, but no windows plus a jog to the bog or to take a shower makes this a no go for me. I’m sure some would enjoy the novelty but that would not be me. 🙀

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 12, 2020, 1:03 pm

      Haha it’s definitely one of the more unique builds I’ve seen.

    • Gordon Shoen
      February 1, 2021, 7:46 am

      I absolutely love your presentation. You have great ideas. I am building an 8′ x 12′ shed with double doors on the Front, but they don’t open. The actual door is on the back .

  • Kieran L Nolan
    June 12, 2020, 6:59 pm

    This is a fun video. When it started my first instinct was she was a lady of means who had too much time on her hands. Now I think she’s a farm girl with imagination and the practical skills you gain through hard work She also repurposed a fire lookout. Bravo!

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:56 pm

      She’s one cool cat!

      • CJ Burlingame
        June 16, 2020, 5:46 pm

        Yep

  • Rachael Lazorik
    June 12, 2020, 8:45 pm

    Does the sweet cow have shelter in the winter?

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:54 pm

      I have to imagine so!

  • CJ Burlingame
    June 13, 2020, 2:51 am

    Really, what a waste of our time.

    • James D.
      June 13, 2020, 11:38 pm

      No, just need a appreciation for the whimsical for those who like to have fun with the possibilities. This is just one of a several projects she’s done, and they are all different…

      Understand, for some people it’s about other things like art, creativity, inventiveness, etc. and people like her help the rest of us keep life interesting and honestly, fun!

      • CJ Burlingame
        June 14, 2020, 4:29 am

        I’m all for having fun. Now if she created it from scratch, I’m ok. Just seems like one could use their talents in a better way. I would think the hope of this site is to inspire others to create cool and useful tiny homes. The potato may be cool to some but it certainly isn’t useful as a home.

        • James D.
          June 14, 2020, 8:47 am

          But art and creativity do not require always starting from scratch. There are plenty of examples of repurposing, recycling, and re-inventing from existing materials. Same kind of inspiration is what leads people to do things like Container Homes, Turning things like water tower or grain silos into homes, etc. and this helps show there doesn’t have to be a limit to that creativity and helps promote more out of the box thinking…

          Besides, you may not like it but it is still fully functional. It doesn’t have to be something you may want to be your forever home and can be just something different and fun… Tree houses, conversions like this, etc. won’t appeal to everyone as their primary home but many can consider it for a fun getaway or just to do something different for awhile… Again, an appreciation for the whimsical… For many people there’s more to life than just surviving and for some art is what feeds their soul and they would suffer without it… and FYI, some aspects like the bathroom arrangement is what she had to do to work around the local rules that dictated what she could and couldn’t do, and she cares about things like reducing our waste and not just sending everything to the dump and pollute the environment…

          Regardless, things like quality of life won’t always depend on just the physical aspects of a home but also the mental and emotional aspects and is why people care about things like how their home looks… Just something to realize that can be very different for different people. While one of the reasons tiny homes can appeal to so many different people and not just those who need them is because they can cater to human needs that have largely been ignored by how modern homes are built, being mostly generic, conformist, one size fits all, artificial, etc.

        • judy
          June 14, 2020, 10:19 am

          It’s not for her to live in full time. More like a B&B or hotel room?
          Maybe if the bath and shower was closer and connected with a breeze way? I would stay there just to play with Dolly 😊

        • Natalie C. McKee
          June 14, 2020, 12:37 pm

          Seeing others’ creativity is never a waste 🙂

        • CJ Burlingame
          June 16, 2020, 5:41 pm

          So, now it’s time to be humble and admit I enjoyed watching the video which I didn’t have time to do when I first looked at the article. Kristie is my kind of gal. Obviously she’s very creative and likes to challenge herself. Nice job on both the potato and the silo. It’s too bad she was forced to build another tiny house to pacify the numbnuts in the local government. Keep up tackling those unusual projects Kristie.

  • Theresa Perdue
    June 13, 2020, 11:48 am

    I love everything about this….but…Dolly needs company for when Kristie isn’t there. So maybe she should get another cow? Or a cat, dog? And another tiny house for Dolly. Then it will all be perfect. Ok I would love to live there but I can’t figure out how to get more kitchen.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:46 pm

      Ya outdoor kitchen probably wouldn’t work with Idaho winters!

  • Portia
    June 13, 2020, 12:26 pm

    Is spray foam as an interior only wall material safe to inhale on a regular basis? It’s meant to be covered, sandwiched between surfaces.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:44 pm

      Hmm good question! Not sure but it likely depends on the product, as VOC levels change between items.

      • James D.
        June 15, 2020, 3:51 pm

        Usually not a concern unless it’s not properly installed… Incorrectly mixed it can be nasty but correctly mixed and installed then it fully cures within a certain number of hours and then it’s spent. You’d have to do something like burn it to get it to emit anything then…

        In fact, most exterior and framing materials are actually pretty safe and low VOC… Most of the stuff to actually be concerned about is interior things like cabinets because they typically have high VOC sources like stains, oils, paints, etc. and in a relatively air-tight home can reach very high indoor air concentrations… Mistake most make is just not properly ventilating their home to keep concentrations low and/or moving in too soon to not give the home time enough for the stains, oil, paint, etc to properly cure and reduce their VOC output…

        Otherwise, I’d be more concerned whether the foam has any fire retardant mixed into it as those chemicals can slowly poison the environment over many, many, many years and is typically much more of a health concern than VOC and can be accumulative effect… Used to be a fire code requirement because foam is combustible but depending on location it’s no longer always required and you can get away using other ways to provide fire safety, but is still something to keep in mind with anything using foam, including furniture cushions, pillows, mattresses, padded cloths, etc.

  • Diane
    June 14, 2020, 1:12 am

    I am happy that I watched the video. Funny she was told she was crazy because I have been told that many times myself when I endeavored to do something that was just different than the average build. It never stopped me and I am happy to see it did not stop her either. Good for you girl. Congratulations.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:39 pm

      Exactly! I just love that she’s enthusiastic about it and following her quirky dreams!

  • Mary F Soule
    June 14, 2020, 4:07 am

    Wow. But bathroom needs to be in the houst.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 14, 2020, 12:39 pm

      That would be nice!

    • James D.
      June 14, 2020, 11:38 pm

      Not always a option, anything on foundation has to follow local building codes and zoning regulations and some places can have very restrictive rules or high costs attached to certain layout options. While some people prefer separation, just like some people don’t like the bathroom next to the kitchen, not everyone wants to sleep near the bathroom either…

      But maybe a future upgrade could put in a basement bathroom as a compromise, just would be a cost factor but if it makes enough income as a rental property then it’s possible…

  • Pamela Scherf
    June 15, 2020, 12:43 am

    Couldn’t finish watching as it made me claustrophobic with no windows🤪

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 15, 2020, 2:54 pm

      Haha! I’m prone to claustrophobia too.

  • jbsilver
    June 22, 2020, 9:44 pm

    I like potatoes anyway you cook them. But not enough to want to live in a house that looks like one inside and out. However it does look cozy. And I think everyone should be able to live in what ever kind of house they like. Providing it is safe and eco friendly.

    • Natalie C. McKee
      June 23, 2020, 6:12 am

      Exactly! To each her own in this case 🙂

  • Sheila
    September 27, 2020, 2:00 pm

    Love potatoes. Different for sure. Where are the windows? this would drive me nuts. Does it have a kitchen? Is very plain to be honest. Not appealing but it is different. Not saying I don’t like it but no windows would drive me nuts. I have things to do but will watch the video after my housework is done. Video may have more on this. Outside is real cool.

  • Pete Wilson
    January 31, 2021, 7:58 pm

    I love it even without windows; would be like camping, and its for overnight guests, not a permanent house or anything. I love her imagination, and the idea alone is great. I think its an awesome little getaway. Might be a little tough in winter or rough weather going to the bathroom but at least it’s heated also. Great job on a unique build.

  • Eric
    October 18, 2021, 3:42 pm

    All I can think of is CLAUSTROPHOBIA central. Imagine getting up to go outside and OMG it’s dark, I musta slept in…

  • Cynthia Henry
    October 18, 2021, 9:46 pm

    I agree with several others; that jog to the outhouse, or to bathe, is just too far for me! Otherwise, I’d probably book a weekend! So sweet interior!

  • merryl
    October 19, 2021, 9:46 am

    Wow this is so creative. I love Idaho potatoes. This is an Instagram worthy place to stay.

  • Jamie smith
    October 19, 2021, 12:54 pm

    I love this!!! I would so do this if I could find a big potato! Thank you for sharing! Give Dolly a big hug for me.

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