We interviewed Tim & Sam, the owners of Tiffany the Tiny Home, just after they moved into their THOW, and now it’s been nearly three years and they’re still living tiny!
In fact, the couple purchased a small island in Florida where they are in the process of building an octagonal tiny home on a foundation (@shellmate_island on Instagram) that they will rent out to others who want to try out the tiny life. They’ll continue to live in Tiffany, just in a more idyllic location they own.
Tiffany (@tiffany_the_tiny_home on Instagram) has such an elegant interior with dark trim, cream walls and stained glass windows. We caught up with Tim & Sam in our Q&A at the end of the post, so be sure to read that!
Related: Shellmate Island is now Available on Airbnb!
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Tiffany the Tiny Home Updated Owner Interview
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
The warm glow from the stained glass windows is so magical.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Love the details on the staircase! The couple also has an adorable cat.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Here’s the guest loft/storage area. Those cool wrought iron bars act as a ladder.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
The kitchen has everything you’d need with a farmhouse sink, oven, and full-sized refrigerator.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Such a welcoming front door. Home sweet home!
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
They have a folding table on the right, and then the couch area, of course, on the left.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Here’s their washer/dryer combo. Such a nice feature!
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
This bathroom is truly swoon-worthy! The bathtub is wooden and remove-able. How cool!
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
And here’s the sink area. Love the butcher-block counter tops throughout the entire home.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
And a close-up of their kitty, just because.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
While tiny homes definitely require downsizing, everyone needs some special knickknacks!
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Finally, here’s the bedroom loft complete with his & hers stained glass sconces.
Images via Tiffany The Tiny Home/Instagram
Video: Tiffany The Tiny Home Tour
Q&A with Tim and Sam: Life in Tiffany
What are your name(s)? Tim Davidson & Sam Cosner
How many people (and animals) will are living in your tiny house? Just us and our furry friend Oliver our cat
So what are the biggest things that have changed since we last interviewed you? I think the biggest thing that has changed has been we bought a new property called Shellmate Island.
Where do you live now? Right now we are at a campground North of Sarasota. Our spot is near the water and surrounded by big oak trees and Spanish Moss.
Why did you decide to go tiny? What are you hoping to get out of living tiny? We decided to go tiny because we wanted more freedom in many aspects. Seeing where our money went like clothes and things we didn’t see much value in that. We like to travel and live simply and spend time outside. Living tiny allows us to do all those things as well as keep or bills extremely low.
How did you first learn about tiny life? I think it’s always been on our radar, lots of Asian cultures live in smaller spaces and that always fascinated Sam. Probably one show or another really got us thinking that it was possible for us.
How long did it take to finish your tiny home? I believe the house took 9 months to build.
How did you build your tiny house? Did you have any help? Did you do it yourselves? We bought it from Adam at “A New Beginning Tiny Homes”. He is based out of Colorado now but at the time was in Davenport FL. We added a few custom touches but it was mostly done when we purchased it.
What are utilities/costs like month to month in comparison to your former life? Since it’s a smaller space the cost have drastically gone down. We don’t pay for water at the campground and the electric bill ranges per month at $30-40. Our stove and water heater use propane from the tanks on the back of the home and we refill them every other month so we budget $20 per month on gas.
How did you find a place to park and live in your tiny house? We checked online (Craigslist) and really utilized the maps app in areas we wanted to live near and started cold calling RV/Campgrounds in those areas. If they were not accepting tiny homes we would try and explain what they are and that it’s another revenue stream to the park. We ended up at an awesome and quiet spot and have been here for almost 3 years we loved it so much.
Before going tiny, what was life like? Pretty normal, we both had our own places (normal sized homes) and worked 9-5. We didn’t travel or save as much as we do now. We each also used to have more stuff, but neither of us miss that or could even tell you what it was. haha
What benefits are you experiencing after going tiny? I think some of the biggest benefits would be financially we are doing better in some areas. Mentally I think it has shown use some great improvement on how we deal with what feels like day to day static. It allows for less stuff to distract us from what really matters.
What about some challenges? It can be hard to get vulnerable enough to say, “I really need to be alone right now”. I think just open communication in general is a challenge but it’s one that is amplified by less physical space between two people. We also have to get creative about spending time outside (though we take turns going to our new tiny house in Sarasota).
What makes your tiny house special? She is one of a kind. Every bit of this home is functional, and so beautifully crafted. It is well loved and these 4 walls have given us a warm and happy home.
What is your favorite part of your tiny home? Hmm…I’d say the stained glass. It’s all through the home, but in the mornings, the sun splashes color all over the ceiling. At night, the lights inside make the stained glass glow and it looks so cozy and inviting.
What helpful advice would you give to others interested in going tiny? Jump in. Start exploring what it would take to make it happen, and talk to people who are where you want to be. Ask for advice. People in this community want to help you. Be creative and customize to your heart’s desire.
Learn More:
- Follow Tiffany on Instagram
- Follow Shellmate Island on Instagram
- Follow Tiffany on Facebook
- Tiffany The Tiny Home Website/Blog
- A New Beginning Tiny Homes (Builder)
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Natalie C. McKee
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Wrought iron!! NOT ROT IRON!!!
Sorry! Typo. All fixed now 🙂
My favorite part? Cat in the tub!
So agree 🙂
The cat in the tub was adorable!!
Natalie, if the bars leading up to the guest loft were in fact fabricated steel, or preferably iron, then they’d be “wrought iron” not “rot iron.” Myself, I wouldn’t be very trusting of rotten, rusting metal, all though I’d be good with steel or iron which had been “wrought” into useful or attractive shapes. However, from what I can see, the bars are neither “rot” nor “wrought”- instead they are black pipe which has been turned to another functional and decorative usage. Rather than calling them “rot” or “wrought” iron, simply call them “black” iron or “black” pipe. That’s a perfectly acceptable and accurate description of what the material is.
Thanks Philippa! Just a typo 🙂 All fixed now.
Wrought iron. 🙂
Super cute article!
Have a great one!
Thank you, Jen, fixed it 🙂
I have been in this home. It is really nice. I would like to have this one but make a few changes. I have talked with the couple. They are very nice and informative.
Oh that’s so cool! Wish I could tour it!
what is the cost of your rent at campground
It’s so nice to see a home that’s actually lived in. It gives others ideas on where they can make changes to their lifestyle, and how to use a smaller space. Great job!
So glad you enjoyed it!
The problem with all of these tiny homes are the built in uncomfortable couches, low ceilings upstairs, no living area to speak of. I did see one that when you walked in, the living room with three good size couches and a big screen TV was in its own room to the right. Now, I could live with that, with a downstairs bedroom on the opposite end, and a bump out U-shaped kitchen.
Those are great ideas!
Nita does bring up a very real problem….especially for here in Florida. The upstairs bedrooms with the low ceilings have got to be very uncomfortable temperature-wise I should think. Hot air rises. Cold air sinks. Generally Florida has summer heat 6 to 8 months a year, depending on your specific locale. Obviously a good a/c is a must. About the only way around this would be an upstairs and downstairs 2 bedroom conglomeration. Perhaps rotate “storage stuff” seasonally? At least then heat, as such, might not be needed during our winters whilst upstairs.
This is nice. I love it. My cat Tigger was looking at their cat. Not sure if it was just a coincidence. They say cats cannot really see pictures. She was staring at the screen and looking at the cat. 🙂 Beautiful cat. Very nice and comfortable looking home.
Really lovely and homey tiny home. It has some interestingly unique niches and corners that make it special. Its pretty, too, and I like the space around the master loft bed. Also, like the black pipe stairs going up to the second loft. It’s a great house!
As with almost every house, tiny or not, I like to fiddle with the floor plan to see if I can get more of what is important to me. In this case, it is counter space. If the entry door was moved to the long side of the tiny house, the countertop could be extended the entire width, adding about 3 feet of work area, and the wall it could be moved to isn’t being used for anything anyway. Also, one of the things that make a tiny less livable is a stingy sofa. I understand about saving space but a sofa needs to be wide enough to be comfy while watching TV. The guy is laying down and that’s ok if you are the only one using it but for a couple of people sitting on it wouldn’t be relaxing at all. I do like that an actual piece of furniture was used for that dresser/bookshelf unit. Adds charm, for sure. And yes, the cat in the tub is adorable.
In my previous comment I meant to say the sofa should be deeper, not wider. For reading or watching TV, you should be able to have enough room to curl up and get comfy.
most RVs tend to be put together very sloppily. Therefore the experiences with these RVs is that they tend to fall apart very easily and require lots of maintenance. I was wondering how a tiny home which seems to be built differently than in manufactured RV, holds up under the wear and tear going down the road.
Hi Ken, I’m not sure there’s any definitive study on this, and it would very much depend on who built the tiny home, but as a general rule tiny homes are built much like regular homes, with 2×4 construction and better building materials. This means the end result is designed to hold up much better over time than an RV.