Two Tiny Homes Are Better Than One For This Portland Family of Four

Written by

Melissa Massello
Melissa Massello
Boston girl gone Austin + pixie dust spreader on the Tilt-A-Whirl. In her past life, Melissa was the founder of Shoestring Magazine, DIY Boston + The Swapaholics. Now she just wants to drink wine, hike, do yoga + save all the damn dogs, is that so wrong?
published Nov 16, 2017
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No matter how much they gain in popularity, the majority of Americans still seem to feel that living in a tiny home just would not be enough space. But what about two tiny homes, combined?

Using tiny homes like Lego blocks to build the perfect family compound, more and more couples and families are combining two or more tiny homes together for minimalistic, small footprint living in a more sustainable (as in, not on top of and killing each other) way — like this “Ohana” build for a family of four in Portland, Oregon.

A genius and beautiful design that puts two 24-foot tiny home trailers parallel to each other with a solarium-breezeway in between, “The Ohana” (Hawaiian for “family”) was designed by Brian Crabb at VIVA Collective with a totally livable (yet still ecological) 600 square feet of space.

One of the two trailers contains the parents’ master bedroom (with a queen size bed and trundle), the single bathroom, and the kitchen—while the other trailer features a large living room, loads of built-in storage, and a lofted bedroom for the two kids.

Owner Clayton Hanchett told Country Living that the sunroom was inspired by a beach home designed for Louis Vuitton, but was adapted to suit the Pacific Northwest area. Details that draw upon both the Portland wilderness and the tiny home ideal of reconnecting with nature include a gorgeous tile design of a large tree surrounding the tub in the bathroom, the indoor-outdoor living style, and the use of natural timber features in both the design and decor.

Despite the fact that the Hanchetts have been very happy in their Tiny House Nation-featured tiny home — even hosting parties for up to 50 friends in the home, sunroom, and surrounding property — the home is currently for sale, yours for $100,000.

To paraphrase Treehugger’s take on this property: In the end, countering the negative environmental and social impacts of the “bigger is better” myth may not require the completely radical approach that the tiny house movement advocates. It may be about finding that middle ground, where more sustainable housing is of a small rather than tiny size, and that may be where the big revolution happens.

Making tiny house living more attractive to families with more designs like this could be a huge step in that direction.