One of our own is going tiny!

One of our newest employees is going tiny!  Meet Brandi and Jon.  Brandi started working part time for TE in September this year, shortly after her son, Nate, left for college in New York state.  Brandi sparked an interest and started asking questions somewhere around mid-summer regarding the homes, tours, processes and the possibilities.

With their son leaving for college, they came to the decision that they wanted to downsize from their 2000sq ft home, so they could help Nate with his student loans and have less to maintain around the house.  Brandi and Jon told us they currently only use 3 rooms in their large house and are quite anxious to downsize. This is not anything different from what we’ve heard from people who have gone tiny already.  Once you take a look at your space and what you actually use on a daily basis, you may realize, you have a lot of unused space.  And, we all know what happens to unused space, we fill it up with stuff.

They did some small updates to their current home, like fresh paint, sealed the driveway and a few other small things and their house sold in a quick 16 days after being on the market.  So now comes the scramble to pair down the 2000sq ft house to approximately 400sq ft of belongings.  Brandi tells us, she has already begun cleaning out closets and making a list of who will receive what furniture and treasured pieces from their home.  She is implementing a plan to have all their belongings gone by January 25^th, which is their settlement date.

Jon works locally and making the transition to TE will only add about 5 more minutes to his short commute.  He is looking forward to more financial freedom and having little housing maintenance with his new lifestyle, so he and Brandi can enjoy more time with friends and visiting local breweries and wineries.

And of course, we cannot forget their pets, Vivian and Pumpkin their cats will have a customized cat walk reaching from one loft to the other for them to enjoy, although they will probably find a nice window spot to keep an eye on things happening outside. Blue, who is their bearded dragon will find his new home in his terrarium in the work space loft, looking down on everything happening below.

The house Brandi and Jon are designing, has gone through the typical process of several revisions.  This in part from them staying at TE and trying out different layouts of homes.  They have finalized their vision and settled on a 32’ home with a first floor walk in bedroom, a walk-through bathroom and two lofts.  One loft for Nate, of course, for when he visits from college and the other will be for a work space for Brandi, who works from home.

The family has decided to go out with bang and after twelve years of living in their current home, their going to throw one last big Christmas party at what they call “the big house” before beginning this new adventure.  It will be a bittersweet time of an ending and an exciting new beginning.

Going tiny for this couple may not be as hard as some people think.  When the two started out together 22 years ago, they lived very simply in a tiny cottage.  So, they are familiar with living as a couple in a small space, and do not have any worries about doing it again.  They are actually, very excited about this transition and the good things to come.  Brandi and Jon, like many making the giant leap to tiny, have had mixed feelings from friends and loved ones, but Brandi says, “Our parents think we’re crazy, but have come to the realization that if it makes us happy, they will support us”.

So, for now, the couple, their two cats, the dragon, and son, Nate (who lives full time at college) will be finding temporary housing in the end of January and anticipating the start of their tiny build.  The hope is to have it built and living in by the early spring.  In the meantime, you can find Brandi working on weekends at TE, working in the office and giving tours of the property.