The Flagship Is an Itsy-Bitsy Home With More Than Enough Space for a Couple and Their Dog

The decision between buying or building a tiny house is a matter of how impatient you are to live in one. But it also requires some skills that few of us possess, so buying a customized one is faster, easier, and safer.

Maggie and Hawken decided to entirely change their life during the pandemic and moved into a tiny house on wheels. They live in a tiny home community in Hermosa Orchards Village in Durango, Colorado.

Their house was built by Tiny Topanga, a company from Los Angeles, California, that offers lots of compact dwelling models of different sizes and designs, with pricing depending on the customizations that each owner requires. This couple's tiny home is the Flagship 24 ft (7.3 m) model, which comes with two sleeping lofts. It was the company's first design and is meant for a small family or a couple.

The house offers 204 sq ft (19 sq m) of living space without the outdoor deck and the two lofts. The exterior features metal cladding and cedar wood, which is a popular combination in tiny homes. The wheels are hidden behind the skirting to make it look more like a home. There is also a little patio area next to the deck and an itsy-bitsy staircase before the front entrance.

The first area accessible from the outside is a flexible space that can be used as either an office or a living room. In the office, we find a wooden table, a chair, a shelf, and a laptop. The couple plans to add an L-shaped couch to complete the design. Above this side of the house is a lounge loft. You can access it by fixing a wooden ladder on a metal bar. This loft is used as a reading space or to watch TV and is decorated with lots of bean bags and pillows.

All the big windows in the house are tinted, which is an excellent choice for extra privacy and ensures it doesn't get too hot in the summer. Unlike the smaller windows, the large ones cannot be opened.

The staircase that brings us to the main loft starts from the entrance. This design choice is meant to hide the wheel well and avoid taking a high step when entering the house. One of the steps in front of the entryway can be removed to make it easier to walk in. The stairs come with cubbies that have tons of storage.

The kitchen area is located on the right. The counter space area was extended into a bar table with stools, which offers not only plenty of prep space but also a place to serve food. The table is on wheels and can be moved to accommodate more guests. A fantastic feature found here is the handmade backsplash created by artists from Mexico. Most of the canned foods and cookware are stored either in the cupboards or the staircase.

The cabinets come in bright green with wooden accents, making it look like a farmhouse kitchen. Since the couple likes to cook, we find many appliances, such as a deep sink, a stove, an oven, and a fridge. We also see a washing and dryer machine on the other side. All the electronics run on electricity and not propane, as in most of these types of homes. The house is also not off-grid capable.

Next to the kitchen is the bathroom, which is separated by a handmade sliding barn door. It is quite a spacious area for such an itsy-bitsy dwelling. It is a full bath and comes with a decent-sized shower cabin with colorful handpainted tiles, a large vanity, a round mirror, a bowl sink, and a flush toilet.

The last area is the loft bedroom. There is enough headroom to sit in the bed but not enough to walk straight. Here, we find a king-size mattress and a small cabinet for Hawken's clothes. Maggie's clothes and winter jackets are stored inside the wardrobe on the staircase. The couple can enjoy amazing views from the two windows on each side. One of them has an egress system which is perfect for letting some fresh air get inside.

The couple pays around $2,000 monthly, including the loan payment, the land rent ($650), and the utilities. The transition to this lifestyle was an easy task for them since they were into downsizing even before moving into the tiny house. This tiny home movement has helped them spend more time with each other, become less materialistic, and enjoy the outdoors more.

This lifestyle might be worth giving a chance, especially for the young generation, as it allows more people to own an affordable dwelling with just enough interior space for most necessities.