Wait Until You See How This Family Fit 3 Bedrooms in 40 Feet
Mark and Daisy couldn’t afford land with a house, so they built the life they wanted anyway—simple, connected, and full of light with all the amenities they actually use. Their family of four—Merritt and Morgan included—designed a tiny home that feels big where it counts and private where it matters most.
A Family-First Layout — how the floorplan works
Step inside and the logic clicks right away: living room first, then kitchen, stairs rising to their daughter’s loft, and the bathroom and laundry tucked neatly under it.
Keep going and you hit the parents’ downstairs bedroom on the opposite end, with their son’s loft perched above.
That split lets each kid claim their own corner of the house while the adults get a main-floor sanctuary.
The whole home breathes because they pushed height and brightness hard—14 feet from ground to roof gives about 11.5 feet inside, and it makes a difference you feel immediately.
They kept the interior white and clear to amplify space and light.
It’s calm, open, and easy to navigate .
Kitchen: counter space, induction, and smart storage
Cooking for the whole crew was non-negotiable, so the kitchen was a top priority.
Counter space comes first here—there’s plenty to prep breakfasts and pack lunches every school day without feeling crammed.
They intentionally skipped a dishwasher and sized up the sink, keeping the workflow simple and efficient.
One bold move: no upper cabinets to maintain clean vertical lines and keep the room bright.
Spices get their own moment on a wood shelf milled by a friend from a tree at Daisy’s parents’ home—functional and sentimental in the best way.
For cooking, they run an electric oven and an induction cooktop—part of the plan to keep the home 100% electric.
They’re inducted to induction now, and it works—two cast irons, two stainless steel pots, and done.
Going all-electric also future-proofs the home if they ever decide to move to solar.
The kitchen encourages tidy habits and makes the most of every inch without feeling like it’s trying too hard .
Living Room & Heat — big windows, a wood stove, and family time
This family hangs out here—a lot—so the couch is big and comfy on purpose.
On movie nights, they pull a sheet over the full glass doors and fire up the projector.
Those two glass doors also flood the main space with light and make it feel larger every day, not just on family night.
Heating and cooling? A mini split takes care of both, and the insulation helps the temperature settle fast and stay there.
A large picture window pulls in sunrises, sunsets, and all that gorgeous light across their 5 acres.
And for frosty Washington evenings, they added a compact wood stove that heats the whole place beautifully.
The bookshelf is a sweet compromise—downsizing their library was hard, but they kept favorites within reach.
It’s books, plants, keepsakes, and a small painting of the first tiny house Daisy lived in—homey, minimal, and them.
It all reinforces the theme: this living room is for gathering and unwinding .
Bathroom & Laundry — full-size convenience in a tiny footprint
The bathroom lives at one end of the house so both lofts can sit above the two ends—kid loft over the bath on one side, son’s loft over the parents’ room on the other.
It’s an easy-access setup for their taller teen and keeps traffic simple.
The space under the loft holds a full-size laundry setup with a separate washer and dryer, all electric.
They opted for a regular flush toilet and tied into a septic system on their property.
The shower is full-size—48 inches by 34 inches—with a low-flow head to conserve water even though they’re on a well.
Going all-electric meant stepping up to a 100-amp panel, hardwired to the grid so they don’t have to compromise on what runs at once.
They’ll even admit the bathroom could be smaller; turns out they built in more than they needed . But the utility corner with the panel and storage keeps everything unified and intentional . It’s practical, comfortable, and ready for real-life messes .
Bedrooms & Lofts — privacy for parents and teens
The parents’ room is a true main-floor bedroom, 8 by 10 feet with a full-size bed and two wardrobes, one on each side.
Under-bed bins hold photo albums and memory stuff that matters.
Each person gets a bright window—nighttime stargazing from bed is a very real perk.
Crystals hang in the window and throw rainbows when the light hits just right.
The door closes. The room quiets. It’s intentionally a sanctuary within a small home.
When they need privacy, they actually have it.
Upstairs, Morgan’s loft sits over the bathroom—8 by 10 with a window above the bed that opens for airflow, plus space for sports gear, backpacks, and a dresser.
A pocket door seals it off from downstairs noise so she can get ready in peace.
On the other end, Merritt’s loft matches at roughly 8 by 10, with a little extra headroom to suit his height.
Budget, Power Backup & Why They Went Tiny
The numbers tell the story: they went from a $2,400 monthly mortgage plus $300–$400 in utilities to about $700 a month for their land loan.
It’s five acres—space to breathe—without the overhead of a traditional house.
That drop in expenses gave them time back and real financial freedom [00:08:01].
Buying a house on land wasn’t doable, so they bought raw land they knew they could develop—and then they built the tiny home they could afford [00:08:16]. Power outages happen in their windy valley, so they added an essential home backup system from Jackary to keep life moving . The HP 3600 can run the fridge, the stove, and the lights until the grid comes back .
They can expand the system’s capacity and, at full build-out, keep the refrigerator running for 14 days so food stays fresh . When the weather cooperates, they bring the dining table outside onto the front deck and live large in small square footage [00:17:12]. And maybe the biggest payoff: living small kept the family close, especially through the teenage years [00:17:54].
They designed it. They built it. Now they build for others, too—OSHN Designs and Big Freedom Tiny Homes are one and the same business.