Woman Realizes She Never Used Most Of Her Rooms, Moves Into A Tiny Home Community Paying About $525 A Month For Lot Rent, Water, Electric And Trash, Then Her Mother And A Co-Worker Follow

When the pandemic hit, one elementary school teacher sat down and took a hard look at how she was living. Which rooms did she actually use? Which things mattered? The answer surprised her: she had “way more space, rooms that I never even went in and things I never used.”

Woman in her tiny home beside a bright tiny house living space with a couch and desk

So she downsized, and today she lives in a tiny home in the Creek Walk community near Greenville, South Carolina, paying an average of $525 a month for everything from lot rent to trash pickup. She shared her tour on the Tiny Home Tours channel.

About $525 A Month Covers Lot Rent, Water, Electric And Trash

In Creek Walk, she says residents pay on average $525 a month. That covers the lot rent, water and sewer, electricity, trash pickup and yard maintenance.

A community center with a gym, a post office and a gathering space is included too. The only extras she pays are her Wi-Fi and the gas for her on-demand hot water heater.

“My expenses after moving into the tiny lifestyle are much less than they were in any other living arrangement,” she says.

Friends And Family Were Hesitant, So She “Just Pushed Forward”

Not everyone cheered at first. “I had some friends and family who were a bit hesitant about whether that was a good idea,” she says. “But I just pushed forward because I felt like it really was the right thing for me.”

She did not leap overnight. She went from a house to a townhouse to an apartment, and finally to the tiny home once it was ready. The phase of the community she chose was still under construction, and permitting took time. She now thinks the wait was a blessing because it gave her more time to decide what to bring.

The tiny home was delivered in October, and she was able to move in that March.

A Dirt Road Almost Scared Her Off, Until Her Mom Said “Let’s Ride Back Out There”

Her first visit nearly ended the plan. The community was still being developed, the road was dirt, and she could not see a single other tiny home. She decided it might not be the right choice.

A few months later her mother was in town and suggested, “Hey, let’s ride back out there.” By then there was more progress, and neighbors they met along the way were thrilled she might join them. “It was just a really welcoming environment,” she says. She talked with the owners and ordered her home.

Now Her Mother Lives There Too, And A Co-Worker Is Three Houses Down

The community grew on her. “I’m never on my porch very long before somebody walks by and either says good morning or comes to visit with their dog,” she says.

Her mother has since moved in so she can age in place closer to her daughter. “It’s a bonus for both of us,” she says.

A co-worker from her elementary school came to visit and saw what tiny living could be like. Now she lives three houses down. “So it just grows,” the teacher says.

The Home Cost $143,000, And She Skipped Some Standard Features

Her model with the options she chose came to $143,000. She worked through the community and Faith Cottages, with Clayton as the supplier. A checklist let her choose colors, quartz and flooring.

She passed on several standard items. She skipped the full-size range and microwave to make room for a pull-out pantry and trash can. She picked her own refrigerator with French doors on top and drawers below, and she uses a small oven, a hot plate and a Ninja grill she can carry outside.

She also skipped the built-in fireplace so she could build a custom firebox and mantle to display her artwork. The only appliance she took from Clayton was the apartment-size dishwasher.

Her Antique Hutch Fit Because She “Measured Very Carefully”

The kitchen model was chosen because her hutch would fit. “I measured very carefully,” she says. The hutch holds her Fiesta ware dish collection, her printer for school, an air fryer and table linens.

The living room has high clerestory windows that bring in light even with the blinds closed. The furniture mixes family antiques with newer pieces, including a couch from Rooms to Go and a sling-back chair from Amazon. A big ottoman can serve as a lounge or hold a tray for eating. “We watch a lot of basketball games,” she adds.

A Double Vanity, A Full Closet And A Screened Porch

Through a pocket door is a bedroom that could fit a king bed. She has a double bed raised up, with rolling bins underneath for off-season clothes. A Mitsubishi mini split cools the space quickly and has a drying function that helps in humid South Carolina summers.

Off the bedroom, a barn door opens to a bathroom with a double vanity, a walk-in shower and a stacked washer and dryer. Her full-size closet sits right in the bathroom, and she stacked IKEA cabinets inside for cubby storage. “If it didn’t fit in the closet, I didn’t really need it,” she says.

The home came with an open porch, and she had it screened in so her two small puppies can be outside safely. It is one of her favorite places after a day of teaching. A swing chair there is “everybody’s favorite.”

What Downsizing Gave Her Back

She can clean the whole house in an hour. She is not stressed about a big mortgage or big upkeep, and at the end of a hectic school day she can “come home and just kind of turn off.”

Lower expenses mean she can travel and spend time on photography, her hobby. She is close to the Swamp Rabbit Trail in Travelers Rest, the Blue Ridge Parkway and the events of Greenville.

Tips If You Are Thinking About Downsizing

Do it in steps, as she did, so you can decide what truly matters.
Measure your big pieces before you choose a floor plan.
Ask what the monthly lot fee includes, since hers covers water, electric, trash and yard care.
Visit a community more than once. Her second look changed her mind.

Her advice to anyone giving it a thought is short and sweet: “Go for it.”

Willow and Hearth