When we get on the subject of living small, the first two questions that inevitably come up are:
- How is Henry adjusting?
- How are the dogs adjusting?
So to answer these burning questions – since I’m an expert after living in 32o square feet for 3 months …
Henry. Loves. The. Barn.
Henry is so stinking happy in the barn that it has become an ongoing challenge to get him to leave the barn.
You think I’m kidding.
We literally have to trick him to leave the barn. And then when we are strapping him into the car seat he realizes it and begs to “STAY AT DADDYS BARN.” It’s kind of heartbreaking.
But momma needs her Starbucks, kid. (Kidding. Not kidding.)
A few things he loves:
- He can see all of his stuff (trains) and his people (us) and his animals (pugs) from any locale.
- He can beckon (yell at) us from anywhere and be heard.
- There are sliding pocket doors.
- There is tons of space to run around outside (when it’s not subzero and mom forces us all inside).
- He loves running around downstairs in the barn, too.
- He has his very own (tiny) room that he’s so proud of. (He loves to bring everyone inside and shut the (pocket) door.
He has truly never shown us any sign of missing our old house. It’s actually sort of crazy to me. There have definitely been adjustments, but he doesn’t seem to even think about the old house. I guess everyone and everything he needs/loves/wants are here.
It’s a big reminder to me about what actually matters in life. (Hint: It’s not the size or the stuff.)
The dogs tolerate the barn.
Franco and Lola don’t seem to have any qualms with the space, since they spend 98 percent of their day sleeping. They still have their dog bed upstairs during the day and they sleep in the (heated) laundry room at night.
We have tried to have them sleep upstairs but they wake us up all night. And Franco particularly seems to prefer the kennel.
Franco has claimed Henry’s bed as his spot most days, too. He always did like having some me time.
And Lola has always been patient with Henry – the small space has probably increased the need for this patience.
And they really love exploring the property. Which is not always great since sometimes Lola doesn’t want to come inside. We may actually have to resort to a temporary fence or chain in the summer, because the cold is the only thing that gets the dogs inside.
So that’s our little barn-living update.
Oh, and in unrelated news – the firewood storage I shared last week tipped over yesterday.
Ryan planned to bolt it into the ground but didn’t have the right bolts. And we figured that all the firewood would keep it down.
Not so much. It’s been ridiculously windy.
Good news – it’s super sturdy and stayed together like a champ. Ryan hopes we can just push it upright again. And then bolt it down.
When it is warmer than 0 degrees.
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Kathy says
Great story on adjusting to the small space and it’s true kids don’t need lots of big empty rooms they need Mum and dad close by and pets. A beautiful reminder. Regards Kathy A, Brisbane, Australia
Kenz @ Interiors By Kenz says
I’m glad they are doing so well in the barn. Our dogs did TERRIBLE in our new house. Both of them would pee everywhere. We are FINALLY not having dog accidents daily. It sounds like the barn is such a perfect fit for your family right now, and that makes me happy 🙂
Kim Woodward says
Gah! Dogs can be such drama queens. Glad they are finally coming around.
Sarah says
I love this. I can totally see how living in a tiny space could be all kinds of awesome. I’m so glad it’s working well for you guys!
Trina @ Let's Just Build a House says
oh no getting the dog in the house can be a PITA for us too sometimes. But it was mostly the first year we moved in, he was always so excited to see a squirrel or somethign and not be on a leash. Now he is more MEH and only gives us trouble once in awhile since he’s used to his freedom!
Kim Woodward says
Ugh. They really do drive me crazy some days. When I have to get bundled up and go look for them in the snow.
Jaime Costiglio says
You are living proof! I love hearing about the ongoings and true testaments of real life. Thank you for sharing.
casacaudill says
Obviously I’ve watched your journey on Instagram, but I have to admit to wondering how it was going outside of pictures. Not gonna lie, in my mind 320 feet is small (we used to live in a 400 sqft apartment when we first lived in San Francisco about 13 years ago) and I was curious to see how something even smaller would be with a kid and two dogs (we had two cats). Glad to hear it’s all working out so well, especially since I imagine we’ll be downsizing once again when we move abroad in a couple of months.
And yikes on the wood storage! Glad to hear it’s a relatively simple fix.
Kim Woodward says
It’s definitely an adjustment and there have been ups and downs. But none of the downs have been related to the downsize of space. But without change, what fun is life? 😉
Sara says
We had some crazy winds here, too. Broke our flag pole holder right in half and Shaun’s precious Packers flag was on the ground. I know you are smiling about that! Ha
I cannot get used to smaller house living. I don’t know what it is, I haven’t gotten to the heart of what matters yet, I guess. All I do is miss what I had. This is not a good example for my kid! I guess if I was working and had money to buy new scaled down things that I loved, I might feel better about downsizing. But again, that is sort of missing the point of not needing STUFF! Great that everyone loves living there, that is awesome!
Kim Woodward says
LOL about the packer’s flag. No comment.
I feel like the fact that our house is so temporary helps me a lot. I’m still looking forward and planning and dreaming about our house. It probably makes a huge different. Although I totally relate to your comment about the budget. Sometimes I would love to buy something “perfect” for the space, but it’s just not always practical.
Katie @ On the Banks of Squaw Creek says
Is it really only 320 square feet? It seems bigger in your pictures! I’m sure Henry loves having everything he loves so close!
Kim Woodward says
It’s a tiny space, but it’s pretty practical and has lots of built in storage.
Natalie @ Being Mrs. Olson says
I am very interested in tiny-house living. I don’t think I could convince the hubby of it right off the bat. But sometimes, cleaning three bathrooms is such a pain! I love that you made your space beautiful and are enjoying it together, pugs and all!
Kim Woodward says
I do NOT miss cleaning bathrooms. Or really cleaning at all. I can do the whole apartment in like 15 minutes. =)
Rachel says
When we moved from Iowa to Utah, we went from a 3-story townhouse to a teeny basement apartment, and I was really worried about losing so much space, but it was totally fine. Forrest loved the apartment, I think because he was always so close to me and always within easy reach of all his stuff. And it was SO easy to keep that place clean. After a year, I was definitely ready for a little more space (partly because Forrest was getting reeeeally ‘terrible two-sy’ and the idea of not being in the same room with him 100% of the time sounded awesome), but I was surprised at how not a big deal it was to live in such a little space! Kind of forced us to re-prioritize a lot of the stuff we owned, and how we spent a lot of our time.
Kim Woodward says
Yeah – I know that I’ll be happy to have extra space, but I also now realize how little space we actually NEED. It’s a pretty awesome thing. =)
Shannon LaPay says
Who would not love to live in that barn, it is amazing! PS the pic of L&F so stinking cute.
Kim Woodward says
I know. They are ridiculous.
Julia@Cuckoo4Design says
OMG I can’t believe it tipped over! Ahhhh! Winds been crazy here too.
And I love seeing a photo of Franco and Lola. So so cute
cassie says
the winds have been nuts!!!!! that is so great to hear about henry, and i am glad the dogs are learning patience. 😉
Kim Woodward says
They are getting better at patience than I am. 😉
Kelly says
That’s so wonderful that Henry is so happy there! Sounds like the real adjustment is going to happen when he has to move to your new house 😉 And your puppies are so cute. I love how they are sleeping in Henry’s bed.
Kim Woodward says
There are always adjustments. I think Henry will be happy to have more space when it happens. Kids are pretty flexible, I think. =)