Tiny House Without A Loft: And Accessible too!

Reset A− A+ Here at THT we are often asked questions about building a tiny house without a loft.

A lot of people who are interested in the concept are planning for their futures and want to be sure that they can spend their retirement years in the comfort of a tiny house without needing to climb a steep ladder to a bed every night.

Several tiny house companies, including Tumbleweed, are answering the call with single story floor plans.

This week I came across a site that proved to me that if someone has the will and desire to do something I can be accomplished.

Meet Deena of the Access-A-Hut.

Her blog has been idle for a little over a year so I took a chance and reached out to her and a delightful conversation ensued.

“After living in the house and settling in, what do you say?” she wrote back to me. I asked her about her tiny home, why she built it and how she lives in it now.

Click through to read more about Deena and her tiny home.

Deena has a chronic condition that can cause any joint in her body to dislocate at any time for no reason at all. She wanted a tiny house where, if something happened, she would still be in reach of the things she needed. “The house means I can meet all of my needs –including gardening!–within my abilities at that moment. I have managed to get dinner, a shower, and bed by myself with having only two functioning fingers and one wrist (everything else was dislocated). In my old apartment, I got stuck in bathtubs, laid on the floor for hours without being able to get up, had to have a hot-pot/bucket of water on the floor because I could not reach the kitchen, etc. I did not want assisted living, which was the only other option available to me.”

Instead, with a little ingenuity and imagination Deena was able to have a home built that works for her. She developed a 180 square foot house where the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living space is all within reach. In a genius move that also meant Deena doesn’t have to consider assisted living, the tiny house is behind a larger home that she owns. “I have the tiny house in back, and a friend has the big (960 sf) house in front, so I give her reduced rent for helping me.  And that is my long-term care plan as well–when I do need assisted living for ever, I will just have someone live in the big house and take care of me in the little house.”

Deena also admits an ulterior motive that resonated with me; “I am a very messy person, and my tiny house means that first I cannot get too messy, and second, when I do, it is a matter of about 20 minutes to pick up everything in the house. I can get my whole house cleaned well for $60, as it only takes an hour.” I tended to be disorganized in a larger home as well but the tiny house broke me of that habit. I find that it is easier to keep things in the proper places in my small home. In a larger home I would think to myself, “Why should I put that away when I’m just going to use it again?” In the tiny house even when things are put away they are never too far to reach.

This tiny house not only has a first floor bed but is also wheel chair accessible throughout and still measuring less than 200 square feet. Deena’s house is proof that not only is it possible to live in a single story tiny home but that it has already been done.

The following two tabs change content below.

• Bio
• Latest Posts

Laura LaVoie

Contributor and Tiny House Owner at 120SquareFeet.com

Laura M. LaVoie is a professional writer living in the mountains of North Carolina in a 120 Square Foot house with her partner and their hairless cat, Piglet. Laura graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Anthropology. She has been published in magazines and anthologies on the subjects of mythology and culture. She spent nearly 15 years in the temporary staffing industry before deciding to become a full time writer. Laura works closely with the Zulu Orphan Alliance volunteering her time and the skills she's learned building her own small house to build a shelter for orphans and other vulnerable children living near Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Laura also enjoys simple living, brewing and drinking craft beer, and popular culture.

Latest posts by Laura LaVoie (see all)

• Top 5 Things to do on a Rainy Day in Your Tiny House - October 20, 2013
• Top 5 Reasons I Love My Tiny House in the Fall - September 24, 2013
• 3 Tips You Should Know Before Building From a Tiny House Builder - September 18, 2013