How To Design Your Tiny Home: Top 5 Tips from Interior Designer Sarah Bronstein

Join Ally in this week's episode as she sits down with Sarah Bronstein, the creative force behind Sukkha Interior Design. Discover Sarah's remarkable journey from a New York studio apartment to fully embracing tiny living in her refurbished vintage trailer. Dive into Sarah's expertise as she shares the nuances of tiny home design, offering invaluable insights and unveiling her top 5 tips to kickstart your design journey. Tune in and learn how to begin crafting the perfect tiny living space.

Click here for full show notes for this episode.

If you'd like to learn more about Sarah's design work, check out www.sukkhainteriordesign.com. Or, follow Sarah on Instagram @sukkhainteriordesign.

Be sure to check out Sarah's podcast Nomadic Spaces, all about interior design in tiny spaces.

Click here to apply to be featured on the Tiny Home Tours YouTube channel.
Click here to subscribe to our Monthly Newsletter!

Transcript

Apply To Be Featured: [00:00:00] Are you interested in showcasing your home? If you've gone tiny and would love to show off your van, bus, RV Yurt, boat, dome, or traditional Tiny Home, click the link below and apply to be featured on the Tiny Home Tours channel.

Intro: Welcome back to the Tiny Home Tours Podcast. The tiny house made me feel in my body this thing that I think I always understood, which is that there are no rules, like you're literally living in the moment. I know it's a cliches saying, but living this lifestyle consistently puts me in that mindset.

It's about keeping all of the things that matter to you and letting everything else go. I've been scared a lot of times. But I just, I jump anyways I guess. You have to jump. Join us each week as we share stories, wisdom, and practical tips from those who choose to have less and live more. 

Ally: Hi guys, this is Ally from Tiny Home Tours, and today I am sitting down with [00:01:00] Sarah from Sukkha Interior Design. Thank you so much for sitting down with us today. 

Sarah: Thank you so much for having me. 

Ally: Today we are going to talk about all things design, tiny living, and RV renovation. But first let's start with a fun game. Sarah has two truths and a lie for us, and I'm going to guess which one is the lie. So what do you have for us? 

Sarah: All right, here we go. Number one, emptying the black tank isn't that gross. Number two, I cook more in my tiny house than when I lived in an apartment. And number three, my trailer renovation was completed in the original time frame and budget. 

Ally: Okay, I think for anybody else Oh, which one...No, I'm going with it's it's bad. Emptying the black tank is, right? 

Sarah: So the lie is actually that my trailer reno was completed in the right time frame and budget.

Ally: That's so funny. For everyone else, I would have said that that was the lie but you being the interior [00:02:00] designer, I would have thought you could stick right on budget. 

Sarah: You know what? I thought the same thing. I was like, I've done enough of these to know, but mine will be different.

Ally: Totally. Every time. And then how, how, what was your budget, if you don't mind me asking, and what did you go over? 

Sarah: So, originally, I was hoping to stay within about 15, 000, including buying the shell, which I got for about about 10, 000.

I had to put new tires on it, so I include that in there. And I've now We're probably past the 20, 000 threshold at this point. So substantially over 25%. Yeah, no big deal. And and then timeline wise, I ended up going back to a job full time. So it became a weekend project. So it took 50 to 75 percent longer than I originally planned on, on spending on it. 

Ally: That totally makes sense, considering you went back to a job. That completely makes sense. 

Sarah: Yeah, yeah, it's fair, but but yeah, that's the lie. I actually, I don't know if I had, like, psyched [00:03:00] myself up that the Black Tank would be, like, a lot more interaction with the actual feces, or, like, I don't know, I also was at one campsite, my first campsite.

And the first time I was hooked up to sewer so the first time I experienced using the black tank and emptying it the the sewer came up higher so I had to kind of, like, lift the, so that now that I've been to every other park and I'm like, oh no, that was not normal now that it just goes straight down, I'm like, this isn't really that bad, but maybe I'm just I mean, it smells a little, but yeah,

Ally: We get used to weird things, weird things, you can really get used to some weird things.

Totally. I feel like people are always interested when they find out there's a bathroom, they're always interested in the black tank and 

Ally: Oh, that's our number one question that we get is about poop. 

Sarah: It's hilarious. 

Ally: Where to park and how do you poop? 

Sarah: Yes. And I did some. When I was in early research stages of this, I kept reading about, like, poop triangles, so I just [00:04:00] have, like, nightmares about what that is, like, what that would do, and how you deal with it, yeah, lots of poop talk in the tiny, tiny world. 

Ally: It's okay, it happens. So, what's your background in connection to tiny spaces? How did you end up in this world? 

Sarah: So, kind of by happenstance, I've always resided in somewhat small spaces, obviously not This small but I moved to New York City when I was about twenty two, and that was my first kind of experience in a studio apartment and just a way smaller type living scenario.

It wasn't necessarily a deliberate choice, it was just being. young and broke and living in somewhere like New York City. And then I moved to San Francisco where I had actually a pretty decent size living space. That felt like a little upgrade, more like a one bedroom apartment type thing. And then in Portland I did deliberately choose, I moved to Portland, Oregon for a few years and chose to live in a studio apartment.[00:05:00] 

By that point I was already kind of really interested in tiny homes. Then Yeah, so it was kind of moving in that direction.

Ally: And then how did you end up in this, though? How did you go from studio apartment to then, I'm gonna move into something on wheels? 

Sarah: Yeah, so when I left New York, I was in New York City for about eight years, and when I moved to San Francisco, I did so with absolutely zero Plan or job or anything lined up on the other end.

So I decided I took 2 months to drive across the country. I spent a lot of time on the. West Coast and went to a lot of national parks and that's, I guess, where my kind of real interest of, having a tiny house and mobile tiny house at that I became really interested in and then it became, you know, it was kind of something I wanted to do and I put feelers out there for five or six years.

Ever since I moved to San Francisco, I'd say it was on my mind. But couldn't quite. Great. Wrap my mind [00:06:00] around like the rent prices with buying something to to live in and then also having to maybe if I'm renovating it which my budget was more in line to them buying a brand new tiny house wasn't really in the picture.

And then like where to put it where you can legally live in it. All those things. I'd be kind of like. Overwhelmed by and I pick away a little by little and then be like, oh, I'll just, you know, go on with life. And it was actually during the pandemic that I was like, all right, the world's on fire.

Let's throw all your savings into this and finally do it. And the way it worked out, I ended up finding, my original plan was to go back to North Carolina move back in with the parents for a few months while I renovated, and I have a friend a dear friend who lives on some land and had he also makes guitars, so had a lot of the equipment that I'd need and So my original plan was to look for something to renovate once I got here, thinking it'd be cheaper, but [00:07:00] for many Reasons, the way it worked out, it ended up making sense to find something in Oregon.

Which also meant, like, upgrading my vehicle and learning how to tow. Which I'd never done. So I actually bought my trailer shell. I should say trailer. It was not a shell. It was pretty functional when I bought it. Although you know, dated inside. And yeah, bought it there, towed it across the country, and spent about eight months fixing it up and have been living in it for over two years now.

Ally: Awesome. That's serious dedication that you thought about it for, you know, five or six years prior. That, that really shows your commitment to the lifestyle and just knowing and trusting that you would, you know, figure it out at some point. That's awesome. Yeah, 

Sarah: I think there were times where it felt like maybe it would never happen but Yeah, I just kind of took that leap because I felt like at that point the world had been pushed off the cliff so I might as well jump with it.

And yeah, it's all worked out. I do [00:08:00] believe that like things happen when they're meant to. And I think, I clearly wasn't even psychologically ready to deal with all the many things that come with this lifestyle until I got to the point. I was ready. 

Ally: I think COVID did that for a lot of people, so it's cool that you, it did the same thing for you.

Sarah: For sure, yeah, I love hearing that people use that time to Pivot and be like, what do I really want? Cause not, not everyone does that. And it's so important. 

Ally: Those of us with kids did not have that opportunity. Those of you without kids, you got to sit at home and figure out what you want to do with your life.

And those of us with kids, I have four year old twins and they were preschool one day and then home the next. And I was like, you guys are going to burn the house down or something. I was just a mama duck following around all day. Damn it. But you guys without kids, you had a really wonderful experience.

Sarah: Yeah, I mean, I'd never felt so grateful to not have kids before.

Ally: I love mine so much, but there was no, there were no breaks. [00:09:00] 

Sarah: Oh, I bet it was so hard, I feel for you. 

Ally: What was it like renovating an RV? Like, how much did you do on your own? How much building experience did you have? How did that, how did that go for you?

Sarah: Yeah, so despite, you know, the maybe thought that because I have background as an interior designer for so long that I would be good at building. I fooled myself into that too. I have zero building experience. I watched a ton of YouTube. I did a fair amount on my own. I hired someone to do anything plumbing and electrical because I don't trust myself on those things.

And he also helped me with some of the carpentry projects. But I did everything else and that's something, you know, if I could go back I would probably hire a pro. Shout out to Will at Free Life Vans, they're great. But yeah, he helped me and I would have had him do more if I could go back.

It's always that battle of, time versus money, I think that [00:10:00] old adage is so true. And at that point. I didn't have time either. I don't know why I didn't just throw more money at it, but I thought I could, could do a part of the challenge in here and anyone who has an Airstream or Avion will relate, but a lot of this is curved and, I, I realized that, but, it's not something I'd wrap my mind around being so challenging, even for laying down floors. Seemed so simple, but of course the YouTubes I watched did it in a, with a 90 degree angle. 

Ally: Everyone says that about buses as well, that it's just, like, in your mind, it's so much easier to build on a curve than in You know, in theory rather than in practice, like most things.

Sarah: Totally. Absolutely. 

Ally: But it's really amazing now you have, I mean, if something breaks or something needs to be fixed, now you do have the, the skills, hopefully, and the know how to fix those things when you wouldn't have if you would have hired somebody. 

Sarah: Largely, that's true. I think I've also, as I just kind of alluded to, I've also been like, you [00:11:00] know what?

This isn't worth you messing it up further or wasting, you know, resources. Just get a pro in. So, especially when I've had plumbing issues, which there was kind of a, I had like a ricochet effect of updating the water heater and then slowly, To be fair, the pipes were from 1973 and all you know, copper pipes, but I basically had to update plumbing one by one as things kind of blew out as I fixed other things.

But I have gotten really good at kind of like, knowing what the guy's gonna ask me and being like, oh, the hissing water drip is coming from this place. And so yeah, I've learned some stuff, but also. You know, I think so many people in tiny life are, are DIYers, and that's awesome, and I would say that about myself too, but telling one to just call in the pro is like You know, a big thing.

Ally: Very valuable, 100%. Very valuable to have that skill, which I'm working on. Yeah, I'm actually a woodworker. I love to make, like, [00:12:00] beautiful wood wall art, but we hired builders to build our tiny home, because I, I like the skills that I have with woodworking, and I don't necessarily feel the need to know how to build a frame, and I know that a lot, you know, for a house, I know a lot of people Do, and that's amazing, but same as you, I would rather have spent time with my kids.

And hire someone. And then also I did the math of like, we were living in Seattle. Our mortgage was 3, 200 a month. So like hiring someone so that we could move in, in three months, rather than taking, you know, a year and a half with two year old twins, we were going to spend just as much on the mortgage and not get to get into the lifestyle as quickly as we would have liked.

So for us, it did make a lot of even financial sense, which it often doesn't. But for us it did. So it worked out to hire a builder and. keep my skills to what they are. 

Sarah: I think that's so common. I mean, I did like the cabinet fronts and designed everything in here, but some of the build out for drawers and my collapsible sofa bed and that kind [00:13:00] of thing.

I was like, Oh my God, it's going to take me so much longer. It's going to take him a day. It's going to take me like months to figure this out. They're probably not going to line up correctly. And then I'm which I did have, I think. I did about three rounds of cabinet fronts before they were something that could function.

So, like, I actually think that's probably common. It's a misconception unless you have those skills and, you know, this isn't your first rodeo, then by all means. But I feel like a lot of people trick themselves into thinking it's gonna be such a money saver when the reality is like Nope.

Ally: And wood did get really expensive during COVID too, so we don't want to waste that. 

Sarah: Oh my gosh. So expensive. Yeah. Crazy. 

Ally: So what are the top five things that you would recommend to people when designing tiny spaces? I know design is your passion. It's what you love to do. You've helped a lot of people across the country design large spaces and tiny spaces.

And so this is definitely your area of expertise. 

Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. First [00:14:00] off I would say this for any type size project, but certainly designing a tiny house is to start early. A lot of people come to me when they're like picking finishes and that kind of thing. And I think especially in a small space where, you know, every square inch just needs to be utilized.

It's such a personal, it's really important to design it for your use. Or whatever your, your primary reason if you're trying to rent it out as an Airbnb, that might be a thing, or if you're planning to live in it full time, or planning to travel with your family in the summers, or whatever. It's just so important to understand how you're going to use the space from the get go.

I think you can save a lot of time and money, and When I see people who talk about how it didn't work out and how they hated it I just see people that bought other people's spaces already done. And I feel, I can't help it, I'm not saying it's for everybody, it's totally valid that some people try it and don't love it, but I also think that [00:15:00] It has a big impact on how you're going to like living in it.

If it's, you know, designed around how you need the space to function for you and your lifestyle. So Start Early would be, be my first one.

Ally: Yeah, a hundred percent. I have like a super dramatic example of that. You know, we've, we've toured, Tiny Home Tours has toured with a bus. who, they created a music studio in their bus, because music is what they do, it's what they love, and they wanted to travel, and trying to find a music studio to record in, in different cities across the country felt like a huge obstacle, and would have kept them from the lifestyle, but building that into their bus when Most likely nobody else, very few people would value that.

It's, it's a value add for them. And on a smaller scale, you know, like with two year old twins, we did need more room for storage than most probably would. And so in the bathroom, for example, we had this one foot wide by two foot deep [00:16:00] space that was, you know, the full height of our, of our standing room in the bathroom where I knew we could keep like towels and diapers and wet wipes and two laundry baskets.

And if I wouldn't have had the forethought to design just that one foot space in there, where would all of that have, I mean, it would have been a disaster and then you're right. I would have had stuff lying around everywhere. It would have stressed me out. I do like a tidy space and maybe I wouldn't have liked the lifestyle as much.

So. Having forethought even about where you're going to hang your towels in the bathroom in a small space every single one of those things you have to think about or, or the lifestyle is going to feel a little impossible. 

Sarah: Totally, and the same way, and actually I'll jump ahead because storage needs are on my, on my list. We'll just use storage needs as number two, i, having, you know, my downsizing process is obviously different from someone who has a family or someone that was living in a much larger space. My studio was about 800 square feet.

I'm in about, I think, about 125 square feet now, so it was [00:17:00] different. But one of the things I highly recommend to people, even just considering maybe getting into this, is taping off consolidating. Like, I had, I used the same I think they're from the container store, like, the same. Acrylic drawers that were in my closet and my studio that I have here, and I kind of taped it off and knew exactly how much room I needed And that's going to differ, you know, I make art and I'm kind of a craft nerd, so I have a lot of that stuff too that other people probably don't have, but as you brought up like musicians and everyone's storage needs are going to be so different, but I think whether people are aware of it or not Clutter and disorganization, even if you're an artist type, which I consider myself, and you thrive in chaos, quote unquote.

There are mental impacts on, on us from living that way. So I think having hidden storage and having the ability to organize, it might not be that, you know, you have to build out. I technically didn't build anything. [00:18:00] Out really, and I kept kind of the layout of the original trailer but baskets like you mentioned, bins, like all of those things that can kind of contain, so you're not just looking at a lot of stuff is gonna, I think, be really helpful, living in a space so small. 

Ally: Absolutely. I've talked about this before, for example, I love our Instant Pot, and I cook meals with it often, but it's a pretty big appliance. And so I actually, when we were downsizing and knew we were moving into the tiny and in the design process, Got bins, like you said, and I put all of the appliances, kind of arranged them the way that I would in a drawer and then I sent those measurements to our builder so that I knew that everything that I wanted to bring would have a home and I wouldn't be like, where do I put this awkwardly shaped thing?

Sarah: Yes, exactly. Which kind of ties into planning early as like, if you haven't done that, the bins that fit everything perfectly, maybe your space or if you're buying an existing you know, tiny house. It might not fit that way and everyone's storage needs are are different. [00:19:00] So, yeah, I totally relate to that.

Ally: Yeah. What's number three? 

Sarah: Okay. Number three was originally number two. So, after it gets started early, but just being very clear on needs versus wants. This is something I recently became a realtor and it's very similar. I think to people looking for homes is like, what is nice to have and what are your deal breakers?

It's helpful if you're looking to buy an existing tiny house or RV to understand that it's just going to make the process that much easier. Or if you're designing from scratch or renovating again, we can kind of plan your design around your needs followed by wants and it's not to say you're going to get all of them, but we can like, it's just helpful to understand.

And certainly, if you're working with a professional designer architect or builder, like, that's going to be really helpful for them. To help create a space that's going to be really, that really works for [00:20:00] you.

Ally: Yes, that's such a good one and such a hard one. I feel like you need to start that one really early. Yes. Making your list and narrowing down your list and narrowing down your list again. And it is a really hard one for a lot of people because initially everything's probably on the need list. And then once you get a budget back, you're like, Oh, I think I could move this one over to one. I think, you know, and then slowly they keep moving over until it really gets down to the nitty gritty of, of what your needs truly are.

Sarah: Totally. And this is something I think, you know, I feel I've said this with design and it's again, totally true working with real estate sellers and buyers as well as like really tapping in. It almost feels like being a therapist sometimes, but like, you know, for me, it's easy. I know my own needs and my own wants and I can design for me when you have kids or a partner that you also have to kind of like consider, you know, I I'd say part of my.

My job a lot of times is like finding that balance of, you know, one [00:21:00] person really likes this style and another person likes basically the opposite, which happens so often you know, our priorities and the new house are different. It's kind of like trying to understand more for what's going to work for them together for their family and as a third party, I think it's it's fun, but also interesting and like, you know, I think when you're in it, you're focused on you because you're seeing it through your lens, and so having a third party, whether that's a builder, contractor, whoever, to kind of weigh in, they might help be able to bring those, those things together but it's definitely, it's not easy and especially for tiny houses.

You're sacrificing in the end. And so understanding kind of how to make that work for your needs and someone else's can be a challenge. So I feel for people who have to think about someone other than themselves. 

Ally: That's so funny. I doubt you thought that you would be sitting in a therapist chair when you became [00:22:00] an interior designer and now you're like, oh, I'm going to figure out how to make this work for someone who likes all black and someone who likes white walls. 

Sarah: Absolutely. Yeah. I, I love it, especially having been in it for so long. Part of why I love designing small spaces and tiny houses, they're more challenging. And I love that kind of putting the puzzle together and I feel the same about you know, kind of having those people skills and insights and being able to decipher like bigger picture.

Like people might think they know what they want, but they really don't, especially with design styles. I'm like, Yeah, oh yeah, I like the Century Modern, and then it's like, give them a render for their home. They're like, oh, this is a lot of like, I don't know, straight edges and, you know, clean lines. It's like, yeah, that's literally what you said you wanted.

So I've like, gotten away, I try to get people away from saying like, I like boho or whatever, and just show me images on Pinterest. Show me images. Yeah, show me what you want. 

Ally: That makes sense. What's number, we're on number four, yes? 

Sarah: Yes number four is think multi functionally. [00:23:00] And this really goes across the board, like think for spaces, but also Furniture pieces, depending on how small your space is you are probably going to need things that can function in different ways, and that can be something, I think that's part of why, you know, the really beautiful tiny houses are, tend to be expensive because everything's custom, like it's very, very hard to find pre made furniture that fits well and functions well in in this space add on if you're planning to live, well I guess if you're planning to move your tiny home or, or RV you have to think about weight.

So a lot of furniture that's made for homes, even if you can get it through the front door and it will fit, it might just be too much weight. So, so yeah, I think it takes again this is super specific to how What space you're designing and, and what your personal needs are. So I put that later to kind of, if you're clear on needs and wants and [00:24:00] storage from the get go, I think that makes it easier to understand where maybe you need to invest in having someone build out a custom piece and, you know, are there pieces you can't just get, you know, thrifting or, I don't know, Target or wherever that will work, kind of balancing that.

Ally: It's such an interesting topic. We've actually talked about this a lot because, you know, initially I feel like in the tiny house world, people were, everything needs to be multifunctional. Everything needs to have, you know, multiple uses. And I think fairly quickly, having to transition your home six different times in a day, every single day got exhausting.

And so we started to think about it a little bit differently. And I think that goes into the needs and wants conversation because, okay, I'm willing to transform this thing a few times a day, but that is too much, you know, and in the van life world, a lot of people are, are building fixed beds, even though that does take up a lot of space.

People are like, I, I know [00:25:00] myself, I know that I am too lazy every morning. It's just not what I want to do to. take my whole bed apart and turn it into a dining table. So even though I did the dining option, it stays as a fixed bed 98 percent of the time, you know, and if I could do my build again, I do the fixed bed, you know, those kinds of things.

We had a our dining room table in our tiny home, like flipped up, and then you push these little things and it would push it flip down. And and I think if it would have just been myself and my partner, It wouldn't have felt so monotonous, but with two children and them eating three meals a day and two to three snacks a day and dessert, you know that just that became a lot every day because it had to be wiped down before it could be lowered.

So it's such an interesting conversation to again think about your needs versus wants what you're capable of the kind of person that you are. And so you do have to do that deep dive and get. You become the therapist again, talking to people about what they dream of themselves and [00:26:00] who they want to be versus who they are in their day to day life.

Sarah: Totally. And I think being real with yourself, like, if you've never been someone that even makes your bed in the morning, and you're, I don't know, however old, like, maybe that's just not you and that's okay. Let's create a space, like, I love that bed example because I've dealt with that with a lot of clients that, Pulling out, like, a sofa style bed is too much of a lift, and they don't want to do that every morning and every night.

So being creative with ways, you know, whether that's lowering a bed in some places, like Murphy bed type things, I think that's such a great example, because I've seen it so much. And yeah, I think people, it's like, oh, but I want to be someone that makes my bed every day. But like, but are you? But are you?

Cause yeah, like forcing ourselves to try to, you know, be, I think there's a balance, but like, I would say I, I am cleaner in this space. I'm tidier than I was living in a larger space because you kind of have to be or you feel like, [00:27:00] just feels like a tornado went through here every day.

But that said, like, If it doesn't bring you pleasure at the end of making your bed in the morning, like, that's okay. Own it. Let's factor that in when we're looking at a space and make the day to day, you know, life's hard enough. Let's eliminate as many lifts as we can. 

Ally: Yes, exactly. It's a cool conversation. I really enjoy that conversation. I love that you included that. Yeah. What's number five? 

Sarah: Number five, I put lighting, and this is a pretty broad topic and can be, you know, if, you know, used in different ways. If you're designing from scratch, you know, we talk about windows and Privacy is a big one too, especially if you are on the move and planning to stay, especially in RV parks or somewhere that might be in close quarters.

Do you want to think through that? I, of course, I'm a huge advocate for, I think most people want the natural light and understand the benefits and that it makes the space feel bigger. You know, I'm in an avion, which for anyone that doesn't know is very similar to an airstream, so it's [00:28:00] basically windows all down the sides and like, the big round ones in the front and back, and I don't know that I could do a space like this without so much You know, so much, so many windows, it would just feel way more enclosed.

So I think that's really important. And then, This is true in any size place. I think people really don't especially builders, like new builders, but like, think through lighting in terms of, like, light fixtures and having a balance between the three types of lighting ambient, task, and accent for, you know, people.

Anyone who didn't know, but you know, having different lighting sources, what, you know, what types of bulbs you have in for different purposes. You might want a brighter bulb on your desk lamp, for example, or reading lights, but overhead you might want something that isn't, that's a little warmer and softer.

And yeah, I think lighting, lighting and texture are the things I think are overlooked the most in interior design. And it just adds. You know, so much depth. I also think that Sight [00:29:00] is related to being, you know, functional in the space as well, but yeah. 

Ally: I love this conversation too. You came up with such good ones. We have a 34 foot tiny home and we have, I think, 14 windows. And we just kept saying more windows and something else to think about when it comes to budget is, and just make sure to think about this also in advance. If you're really trying to stick to a budget is like you said, the privacy thing, we were, you know, traveling with our tiny home and going to RV parks and there is no place to hide in a tiny home.

And so once we put in 14. to make sure that we could afford 14 blinds, you know, and good quality blinds that because we'd still want natural lights. We wanted the ones that lowered from the top and raised from the bottom, because if we could lower from the top, we could still get the light and still have the privacy.

And so that was really nice. And an additional, you know, a couple grand on the budget. So but it was so nice to have all of those windows and like you said, I couldn't have imagined living in a space that small, only eight feet wide and [00:30:00] feeling boxed in or like I was in a cage. 

Sarah: Exactly. Mine's a very similar width and it's like, nope.

I feel like I'm living in a hot dog or something if it didn't have the expansion of windows.

Ally: You truly would have looked like a hot dog with a round exterior. It's the shape of a hot dog. Yeah. That's awesome. 

What were some of the challenges that you faced when thinking about getting into lifestyle and then how did you overcome those?

Sarah: Yeah, I think, you know, finances were definitely a big consideration, as I think they are for so many a lot of us looking at this lifestyle are looking to, like, for me, it was living in places like New York City and San Francisco and just the absorbent amount of rent I was shelling out. But that said, you know it's It's hard to kind of wrap your mind around.

It's not as cheap as you might think. I was surprised at, like, how much it costs monthly to be in different places. And. I guess it's related, but I think there was a lot of, like, for me it was just a lot of [00:31:00] overwhelm trying to figure out all of the things I alluded to it before, but like, Okay, I'm gonna buy a trailer shell and I'm paying rent, and like, okay, then I'm gonna pay for a spot to have this thing, and then I'm gonna renovate it and pay for that, and then, okay, then, If I get that all taken care of, where am I going to park it legally, and like, oh, I need to get a truck that will tow whatever I get.

Do I want a more traditional tiny house on wheels? Or do I want kind of an Airstream Avion travel trailer? I actually probably spent like three years kind of swinging back and forth between the two. Ultimately landing where I did because I just am so anxious towing anything. It was like, I just need to like, get a smaller, easier to tow scenario.

So, yeah, I think I personally didn't know anyone that had done anything like this. I have super supportive friends and family. They're like, you're the coolest, but no one had [00:32:00] done it. And it's so different than like buying a regular house or really anything else in life. So it was just a very, it could, it could feel, I think I felt overwhelmed and a little isolated.

Of course, there's like YouTube and Instagram and you know, that's all like super helpful, but it's hard to get, I think I reached out to a couple bigger social media people and didn't get a response, which is totally fair, like they don't have time to be coaching some random person from, you know, Portland reaching out.

But yeah, it was just kind of hard to organize. The scope, this, it just feels like crushing sometimes in the overwhelm of like, all the steps and all the money and all the things to figure out and all the things that, for me, I am a very anxious person. So like, things are always going to come up in this lifestyle more than any other, I think and being able to roll with that and be like, okay, this is.

You know, it's a part of life anyway, but I think [00:33:00] throwing myself into this situation initially thinking through all the things that could go wrong or what happens if this or what happens if that and I'm living this way kind of just eventually getting past all of that. And I don't have any advice about getting through that because I'm still doing it every day.

But I would just say, you know, how did I get through the challenges? Eventually, I just was like, alright, I'm doing this. I'm doing it. Let's do it. I'm taking the leap. And just being confident that, you know, it will, it will work out. It may not be the way. You wanted, or the way you thought it would be, or like the timing you thought it would be.

But it will, things will come together as they're meant to, and like, I think just having a little bit of trust in that. I think the timing of the pandemic did influence that too, of like, all those lessons were things I think a lot of us were feeling at that time. And so, yeah, it was like, alright, well I'm already here in this place of everything's unknown, the future's [00:34:00] unknown and discomfort. So let's just go all in. 

Ally: I was thinking about the available resources as you were talking about the overwhelm and when you're buying a traditional home, it's much more straightforward. There are people to hold your hand, you know, realtors. Walk you through each step and you probably have someone close to you that did it.

Sarah: Yeah, exactly. 

And there are more available resources now than when we bought our tiny home back in 2017, but Even still today, the, the answers are often, you know, it depends, it depends on all of the questions that you just mentioned, like, where do I park it legally?

Well, it does. It depends. What county are you in? And and then what rig do you want? And there are just so many questions to follow that question that it can get very overwhelming. What do I need to tow it? It depends. How big is it? How heavy is it? How many axles does it have? You know, there's just, there, there are questions that beget questions that beget questions and then, and then that can feel very overwhelming.

[00:35:00] So it really is a matter of just taking a leap, committing to something and committing to I'll figure it out as I go, I think.

Sarah: Yeah, and I think surrounding yourself by You know, if you have the money and opportunity to bring in professionals that can help guide you and make sure you're, you're setting yourself up for success.

I get asked a lot about like, do I just buy it? And I'm like, well, I had it inspected. Like I would treat it like a vehicle, you know, like I would have it tested. I think it's a hunt, you know, depending how much you're spending, I guess. Mine was about 10, 000. I think I paid a couple 100 to have a pretty basic inspection.

But You know, I, I think it's worth it. At least so you know what you're getting into. It might not be a deal breaker, but that amount of money for the investment seemed like a no brainer.

Ally: Especially for a used trailer, I would always recommend it because RVs in particular can really struggle with mold and water damage.

And that can be your full investment that you invested, like you might have to double what you invested [00:36:00] on the purchase if you have issues like that. So yes, please, everyone who is listening, go get your RV, your used RV inspected before you purchase. 

Sarah: Totally. And I think, You know, especially, as part of why I hired out electrical and plumbing I still do.

Even if I think it's something I could maybe tackle, it's like, no, , I think there's so many, especially if you see updated trailers or RVs, that people may or may not know what they were doing. And again, that may not be a deal breaker, but I, for one, would want to understand. That this wasn't a professional that did this.

There might be issues afterwards, like, there just might be things down the line if there aren't already and most people aren't going to admit that it was certainly something I considered about what work am I going to do versus someone else it was like, no, I want to tell someone that this was professionally done if I ever resell it and, and they can check it and know that it was and anytime I've, I've done it.

Mostly do design, [00:37:00] but I have helped a few people in the kind of prelim stages of like purchasing something and I've seen people come back and say, oh, I asked what you said, or I, I asked if we could have an inspection that I would pay for and they refuse. Like, to me, that's a red flag. Like, huge. Who's going to sell you a house and not let you have a due diligence period? Who's going to sell you a car and not expect that you're going to want to inspect it before you buy it? Or if someone, if they're saying that they had professional work done and they aren't providing the receipts, like why, why not?

It just doesn't make sense to me, to me that like says that they're not either being honest or they don't know and they're, you know. To me, that's a reason to back away. For other people, it might not be. It's a risk and comfort level thing, I guess. But 

Ally: Those people are relying on people's emotions to take over. Well, I really wanted it so cute, you know, when you're right, some level headed discernment needs to come into play at that point to be able to say, I love it, [00:38:00] but That just might not be the right one. 

Sarah: Exactly. Yeah. And to me, it's like, letting fate take it a little bit. You know, to me those are totally reasonable requests, like if the, the sellers, you know, unless they're like, here's 200 for a trailer, it's take it and leave it kind of thing, which happens, then that's more fair, but otherwise it's, you know, I see it a lot with updated trailers and people have made them beautiful and, you know, a lot of them are the aesthetic of mine and I love them, but I do wonder who did that work.And yeah, just being, are you being transparent about who did it and being fair to your buyers.

Ally: Yeah. Well, I really appreciate you sitting down with us today. Please let us know, how can people find you if they'd like to work with you? Your, Website, your Instagram, all of that. 

Sarah: Yeah, so my website is sukkahinteriordesign.com I'm on Instagram mainly. I'm on all the social sites, but mainly Instagram is where I like to hang out. And my handle is sukkahinteriordesign. And I also have a [00:39:00] podcast about interior design for tiny homes and it's called the Nomadic Spaces Podcast. It's currently a weekly show that might change in the future, but yeah, I'd love to to see all over there too.

Ally: Awesome. We'll be linking everything below as well so you can click on that and thanks so much for sitting down today. 

Sarah: Thank you so much. This was so fun. 

Outro: This is a Tiny Home Tours production. Thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe for all future episodes. We'll see you next week.