Who We Are

Chris is the husband and father in our little tribe. He studied Bible, Theology, and Psychology in college, and when he's not busy devoting his time and energy to his family, he can be found hanging out in his "man cave" with his vast collection of retro gaming consoles. A series of medical issues including two DVTs have left him in poorer health than most people his age, but he remains a trooper through the ins and outs of managing his various medical conditions. He spends his spare time working for a logistics company in order to fund this tiny house adventure.

Diane is the heart and soul behind Small Home Family (and our family in general). She, too, has a degree in Bible & Theology with minors in English and Psychology. As the "handyman" of the family, she enjoys fixing things and constructing custom furniture to outfit our small space. When she's not busy caring for her family and educating her kids, she loves to read and drink hot chocolate and watch Netflix and eat Mexican food, though rarely all at once.

Sunshine is fire and light and chaos and energy. She is our "rainbow baby" after many years of infertility and loss, and the world is a brighter place because she's in it. A curious six-year-old, she is always asking questions and looking for her next big adventure, which fits right into our relaxed homeschooling endeavor. She loves playing dress up and is equal parts princess and superhero. She is very social, and every child she meets is a friend in the making.

Sweetheart is four and has a smile that melts hearts. She has both of her grandpas wrapped around her little finger. She spends her days copying her big sister and continually surprising everyone around her with her mad problem-solving skills. She is content in her own company but never misses an opportunity to let you know she loves you. She enjoys cuddling and playing make-believe, but don't let her sweet face fool you: she is a little prankster who will soon have you cracking up right along with her.

The Small Home Family Cat was rescued by us during our college days when we discovered her starving outside of our apartment. We named her Oliver as a fitting nod to Dickens, and we're happy to say that our ability to distinguish between male and female feline genitalia has improved greatly in intervening years. Oliver is at least fourteen years old, and while she has slowed down a bit, she seems intent on living forever, much to our dismay delight. While we once had three cats in our tiny space, our other two furbabies have since passed, and Oliver will likely be the last Small Home Family Cat as allergies have made pet ownership challenging for us in recent years

How We Got Here

We met in high school and got married a short time later.

Our path to living in a small home (less than 400 square feet plus a loft) began when we graduated from college right as the economy was collapsing. A Park Model on family property was all we could afford. As somewhat early adopters of the tiny-house lifestyle, we are now veterans in the art of living tiny as we recently celebrated the eleven-year anniversary of our move-in date. (Believe it or not, the studio apartment we lived in before that was even smaller!) For a more in depth treatment of what prompted us to go tiny, check out our Tiny House Manifesto.

We are not completely sure what the future holds for us and our little house. We are mostly content in our small space and have no plans to upsize to a "normal" house any time soon. We are working to add a small accessory building to serve as a media/family room as well as a laundry center and second bathroom.  This will free up the loft space to use as another bedroom and hopefully make our small home lifestyle sustainable for many years to come.

This is the story of a normal(ish) family living an unusual life.




Contact us at diane@smallhomefamily.com