Colorado couple builds and designs award-winning 'Little House'

Erika and her husband, Raymond, spent more than two years planning their 26-foot tiny house on wheels. They then spent another two and a half years building it. In a YouTube video that features their house, Raymond shares, “We’re both nomadic at heart so it makes sense to do something that can travel with us.”
Light and storage are two main things the couple ensured were in abundance when they designed their space. In fact, they picked out the windows and then designed the house around them. In terms of their belongings, Erika shares, “We are not minimalist by any means so we put a lot of thought on where we want to keep certain things.”
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This bird’s eye view of their home shows how truly unusual and one of a kind the house is. The couple, who live in Colorado, combined their ideas to come up with a home that has their personality stamped on it in almost every way.
Because they have two dogs, a Dutch door for the entrance of the house was one of the must-haves in the design. Hanging outside the house is a sign that reads, Das Kleine Haus, which is German for “The Little House.”
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Everyone who has helped the couple build the tiny home gets to sign their name on the welcome sign.
Colorado Tiny House Festival
Raymond built a bracket mounted outside the house so he can hang a hammock even if there are no trees around.
The couple lovingly refers to the living room as “the Great Room,” and it doubles as their dining room. They have a built-in entertainment area with a television, Xbox, and Rasberry Pi. One corner serves as a shoe storage system. They have also built an L-shaped couch with lots of cushions that contains lots of storage space underneath.
A pair of upholstered ottomans serve not only as footstool but also as space-saving storage and as an occasional cocktail table for a tray of snacks, magazines or a game.
Colorado Tiny House Festival
The area has a high ceiling, and the couple can hang hammocks in the space. A skylight allows sunlight to come inside the house. The wood chosen for the ceiling came from Erika’s sister-in-law’s neighbor’s fence, which blew down during a storm.
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Storage is ample in this tiny home. You can find cubbies along the stairs and on the walls.
One side of their kitchen is a wall made from wine barrels. Both Raymond and Erika love to cook, so this space needed to be well-lighted. As a result, a 6-inch glass window makes up one wall of the kitchen.
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For cooking their meals, they have an Instant pot as well as a 21-inch propane stove. On top of their giant copper sink sits a rollout rack for conveniently drying the dishes. A Berkeley water system ensures they will always have drinkable water wherever they go. A 40-inch countertop serves as their eating area.
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Below the counter sits a foldable blue table that belonged to Erika’s grandfather.
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The table, which has two extendable leaves that fold up, was made in Poland. One of the compartments holds four foldable chaires, which they use when they want to eat in the living room instead.
Colorado Tiny House Festival
Pantry space exists on the opposite side of the kitchen next to the stove.
The couple’s bedroom loft measures about 13 feet deep starting from the entrance. It contains a queen-sized bed with a built-in headboard that stores extra blankets as well as winter items. Above the bed, two small skylights offer lots of light. Windows frame both sides of the bed, which make the sleeping area feel spacious yet cozy and not cramped.
A unique space in this house is the copper-colored bathroom. The epoxy wall, as well as the showerhead, features the rich brown tones. The exposed copper-colored water pipes give it an unfinished industrial look.
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The couple collected about $56 in pennies to decorate the bathroom floor, providing both an interesting and durable surface.
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