Eric and Gladys found this 372 square foot cottage on Facebook Marketplace when rising rent pushed them to explore more sustainable housing options. The pre-built cottage now sits on a wooded patch of land owned by Gladys’ parents. The layout features a ground-level bedroom (no loft climbing required), a U-shaped kitchen with waterfall countertop and full-sized appliances, a bathroom with tiled shower, and a main living area configured as a dual home office. A mini-split provides climate control, while a sliding door gives access to the private wooded yard where the couple’s two dogs and two cats enjoy the outdoor space.
Blue Cottage Exterior with Front Porch
Images via E & G Tiny Home
U-Shaped Kitchen with Waterfall Countertop
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Dual Home Office Setup
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Pet-Friendly Living Space
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Ceiling Fan and Mini-Split Climate Control
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Sliding Door to Wooded Yard
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Bathroom with Vanity and Storage
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Tiled Walk-In Shower
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Bedroom Closet with Organization System
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Tall Ceilings Create Open Feel
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Stacked Washer and Dryer
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Ground-Level Bedroom with No Loft
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Bedroom Lounge Area for Relaxation
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Covered Front Porch
Images via E & G Tiny Home
Design Details
- Type: Pre-built tiny cottage
- Size: 372 square feet
- Builder: Local retired contractor (purchased via Facebook Marketplace)
- Location: Private wooded land
- Occupants: Couple, two dogs, two cats
- Layout: Single level with no loft
- Bedroom: Ground-level with closet, separate from main living
- Kitchen: U-shaped with waterfall countertop, full-sized appliances
- Bathroom: Tiled walk-in shower, vanity storage
- Living Area: Configured as dual home office workspace
- Laundry: Stacked washer and dryer
- Climate Control: Mini-split heat pump, ceiling fan
- Exterior Features: Covered front porch, sliding door to yard
- Ceilings: Tall for open feel
- Time from Purchase to Living: Approximately two weeks
Interview with Eric and Gladys
What got you into tiny living?
Partly our desire to live a more sustainable life and partly out of financial necessity. Our rent increased last fall by $500 a month and we could no longer afford to live in our apartment. At that point we had considered going tiny for a while and decided it was a good time to set down some tiny roots.
Did you build your home or buy it? How long did the process take?
We bought our home from an unlikely place, Facebook Marketplace. A retired local builder / contractor build our tiny home as a hobby and decided to sell it. We got lucky enough to find it when we did. Before that, we spend a couple of months deciding whether to build ourselves or buy. We fell in love with our tiny home right away and decided to buy. My parents thankfully owned a piece of land that they cleared where they allowed us to park our home. The time frame from purchase to livability took about two weeks.
How has tiny living changed your life (for better or worse)?
We have only lived in our tiny home for five months, so we are still adjusting and learning to live small. It has taken this whole time to really figure out what is best for us, especially adjusting our pets to the new smaller space (we have two dogs and two cats!) thankfully, we have more yard space than we did in our apartment and that has been a positive change. The biggest adjustment has been in the kitchen. I love cooking and not having a dishwasher has been a challenge. Overall, tiny living has changed our life for the better.
What’s the hardest part of tiny living?
Remaining extra mindful of our space, especially living with a significant other. Having 372 sq feet of living space, anywhere you stand will most likely be in the way of the other person. Thankfully, this has brought us closer (physically and in our relationship)
What’s the most rewarding part?
Being more in touch with nature, living in the countryside, being able to save money and overall minimizing our dross and distractions.
Any advice for people looking to go tiny?
Do your research before committing to tiny living and once you decide, start donating or selling things you haven’t used in the last year. You will be surprised how many things you don’t actually need.
Lessons from This Home
- Facebook Marketplace Offers Pre-Built Options: Searching local marketplaces can uncover move-in ready tiny homes built by hobbyist builders or contractors, eliminating the DIY learning curve while still getting unique custom work
- Family Land Solves the Parking Problem: One of the biggest tiny house challenges is finding legal placement; using family-owned land removes zoning uncertainty and keeps costs minimal
- Ground-Level Bedrooms Suit Multi-Pet Households: Dogs and cats can access all areas without loft ladders, making the entire home functional for both humans and animals
- U-Shaped Kitchens Maximize Counter Space: Wrapping counters on three sides provides more prep area than galley layouts while keeping everything within arm’s reach
- Dedicated Office Space Enables Remote Work: Designating the living area as a dual workstation rather than traditional seating acknowledges how many people actually use their homes today
Learn More
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- Couple’s Murphy Bed Tiny Home on Oregon Coast
- Couple’s LEGAL Garage Tiny Home and Van Life
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Alex
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Very nicely done. Plans?
Very nice! Seems to have everything including lots of storage!!
So cute! I love all the little unexpected decorating surprises like the waterfall counter, the beautiful tub, etc. It’s adorable!
Please email me a 372 square feet cottage plan above.
Michael,
All you really need to do is Google, “372 sq. ft. floor plan” and then click on images.
You will be inundated with a plethora of floor plans to paruse.
I’ve found several that appeal to me doing that.
Natalie C. McKee,
I PM’d Alex on the THT FB page a while ago about a lovely little 352 sq.ft. cottage that was for sale out in my neck of the woods, hoping he might feature it here, but I have yet to see it, or even receive a reply from him concerning it.
Is Alex no longer associated with this site?
He’s always been very good about answering PM’s in the past.
As for the home featured here; what a lovely little cottage. I see absolutely nothing wrong here, with the possibility of adding on a built-in garage (great place to house washer/dryer and other appliances).
The owners are very lucky indeed to have found such a wonderful little home.
Hi Fred! Alex is still here! He’s in charge 🙂 Send me the cottage information at tinyhousetalk@gmail.com and I will be happy to get a post up!
This TH doesn’t seem to be very well set up. The over sized tv in the bedroom/living room takes up the entire top of the dresser that could somehow be made to have extra room to store items rather than to use totes. Living out of totes in a too small home is terrible (personal experience). The tv over the trashcans and the fridge covers part of it is out of place whereas watching tv would be terribly uncomfortable. Why have a large shower when a normal sized shower could have afforded more much needed space. I know the current owners didn’t build it but to buy a home that so does not fit the needs of 2 humans, 2 dogs and 2 cats is ridiculous. Perfect for 1 person. We lived in a park model, 400 sq. ft. and that wasn’t great for 2 of us. We didn’t think that one through either. We surely didn’t have a ridiculously large tv or large shower. What is it with people who buy a tv that isn’t proportional to the room size??? I am truly baffled.
For TVs, it’s mostly about preference and not the room size. Same reason some people go to a iMax theater instead of a regular one or sit in the front row instead of back…
While large showers are preferable for long term as it’s easier to be ADA compliant and for pets a large shower may be the only thing that works.
Big TV’s are what’s available these days.
I grew up watching a 23″ console. Nowdays, if it isn’t at least 40″, its too small.
Upon a second viewing of this cottage, however, I feel the living area is a bit tiny.
I would stretch that end of the house at least half way into the porch (obviously, moving the porch and the whole front of the house, out, that much farther).
Enough room for a couch, an armchair, and (preferrably) a fireplace, would be perfect.
However, those are MY views. This house obviously works for the owners.
As is evidenced in a previous comment, tiny living isn’t for everyone but there are plenty of people who do well, just as some people like really huge TV’s and others do not. It’s all personal preference. And how wonderful that we are not all made to live in the same kind and size of dwelling! I can understand someone sharing what their personal experience has been and so many times it is really helpful when someone else is trying to make a decision, but let’s not disparage the decisions of others. It’s their life, needs and aesthetics, and if it works for them, then kudos to them for making choices that make them happy and suit their purposes. I think this tiny home is put together really well though I think I would prefer to have a sofa for watching TV in the main living area and get small tables for each person that would work while sitting on other than individual chairs. I do like that folding table with the little drawers for organizing. Clever use of space allowing it to be out of the way and move the chairs so watching TV is at a more comfortable angle. That bedroom is really rooooooomy for such a tiny house! Lots of time is spent in there, I’ll bet! Very comfy and that big TV would feel like you were at a theater! Love it! And if it’s one of your main sources of entertainment, go ahead and splurge because you are saving money by not paying exorbitant prices at the movies! It can provide a way of educating yourself, too, with documentaries or YouTube videos. A very cute cottage look and that front porch is both charming and a nice place to spend warm days drinking a favorite beverage or even doing artwork. Nicely done! Thanks for sharing and giving us a chance to see such a great variety of these little gems.
I like the no loft feature. Much better floor level. For me washer/dryer is a must. I sold my house for financial reasons and live much smaller now (368 sf). Most of my life I have not had a dishwasher, so I do not miss it at all now. Do miss washer/dryer which I don’t have now. You have a nice kitchen, too. Glad you found the tiny when you needed it. Blessings!
Nicely done. I definitely need a place for a reading chair, but don’t think that would be too hard to reconfigure. I would live here…
This house keeps showing up on AOL Market Place for sale.
This is a great looking place for under 400 sq. feet! I love everything about it. I’m a big fan of large TV’s too. Good job!
I would totally live here.
I love this! I would love a floor plan for it.