Tiny House Living Part V

In between recent cruises, we've lived in three tiny houses. It was only supposed to be two, but one of them was so unacceptable that we took a loss on 2/3 of the rental cost and moved to another for the remainder of the time.

Tiny House 1: RV in Sebastian, Florida

This is an RV in someone's yard. We didn't measure, but I'd estimate it was somewhere in the neighborhood of 200-250 sq. ft. The size of the unit was not the problem. It was all the 'restrictions' we learned about upon arrival, and also the general run-down condition (see photo below of sinking sofa), which was not reflected in the listing. The hosts also didn't seem to care a bit about how we were faring, which also was inconsistent with their reviews. When we pulled up and saw this, it was an omen of what was to come! (I'm not going to go into what hateful things I saw in the neighborhood; if we're friends on Facebook, you've seen it already.)

Since the unit is a rental in a private owner's yard, we expected that the RV would be hooked up to water, and possibly sewage. Um, no, it was set up in boondocking fashion. We learned upon arrival that water would be limited and that hot water would have to be turned on and heated in advance of using. The RV toilet would often leave a permeating odor if we didn't close the lid in a flash. Ew, clean your black water tank! Additionally, the RV was not properly leveled; whenever John or I walked inside, the unit would bounce around.

As we only stayed two nights and barely unpacked, it's hard to comment on how it would be as a living space. As with most RVs, it had a lot of nooks and crannies for storing things. We utilized our cruise ship cabin magnetic hooks for hanging items after catching up on the laundry:

This tiny house felt very enclosed to me, as we had to keep the blinds closed for privacy and to keep the AC at a bearable level. Additionally, there was no outdoor living space due to lack of shade, a dirty tiny patio table, and a constantly barking dog. As I've mentioned before in tiny house reviews, natural light and outdoor living space are key to successful tiny living. The only time we got outdoors was to go see the sunrise on our full day there. That was lovely and proves there's a bit of joy to be found in any bad experience (my personal pandemic lesson).

At one point several years ago, before we decided on retirement abroad, John was very keen on an RV retirement: "I'm certain now that the RV life is not for me. This cured me of any desire for that."

Unhappy camper: the reality vs. the listing

Tiny House 2: Owner's Suite w/ kitchenette in Jupiter Farms, Florida

This tiny house, about 325 sq. ft., is an owner's suite (separate entrance) in a private home. It had a large 'studio' bedroom / dining area, a small kitchen with hotplate, and a humongous bathroom. The entry led out to the owner's patio / lanai / pool and had a really nice view, being in the countryside outside of Jupiter.

It reminded us a lot of the 'grandma cottage' we stayed at in Santa Barbara, in that it's in someone's yard, has a mini-kitchen but no place to sit, and a large portion of the square footage is bathroom. It was just fine for our purposes, but it would need some minor adjustments to be a permanent livable space. Perhaps just some reconfiguration and addition of a comfy chair? Or the old standby Murphy Bed?

Tiny kitchen, with small sink and hotplate (I think formerly the walk-in closet of the owner's suite). Note the refrigerator is in the bedroom / living space. The bathroom was quite posh, with a big garden tub. I treated myself to some bath salts at Publix! The shower ticks all the boxes: roomy, a sprayer, plenty of space for toiletries and good water pressure.

After being cooped up and traumatized at the previous tiny house, we made full use of the patio and swimming pool, spending every morning outside. Aside from going out once for groceries and our pre-cruise COVID test, we did not venture out for any vagabonding. I used the afternoons to catch up on laundry, banking and other tasks. In his review, our host even commented on how much we enjoyed the house and pool: Fueron unos excelentes huéspedes, muy alegres, disfrutaron la casa y piscina, amigables y simpáticos, los recomiendo!

Enjoying the outdoor space. Now John is a happy camper!

Our trip mascot, host's bird Sky. Ramiro seemed pretty handy. We liked his creative use of pallets for decoration / planter. Good re-purposing! An aside: Ramiro also had an Airbnb trailer in his yard - hooked up to the septic tank and properly leveled!

Tiny House 3: Park Model at an RV Resort in Four Corners, Florida

This is a park model, about 400 sq. ft., inside of an RV resort.

Tina the Tiny House

It looks like a mini manufactured home, but technically is not called that, since it is on a trailer.

Park model in process of being set up

The RV resort is a mixture of these tiny houses (maximum size 390 sq. ft. but people do all kinds of creative things to increase their living space) and RVs, primarily Class As and Fifth Wheels. In this particular resort, the individual lots are owned, with a small HOA fee for the resort amenities. There are a mixture of full-time and part-time residents, who we have noticed steadily trickling in during our two weeks here. As well, there are a small number of lots (for RVs) or park model units for rent like the one we are staying in.

This RV resort is part of an RV neighborhood. Who knew such a thing existed! Outside of the resort, the subdivision has homes that are all equipped with special garages for RVs.

For when you want to park your house inside your house!

The park model is a perfect tiny house, with all of the features one needs to live comfortably.

A decent size living and dining area. Kitchen with full size appliances and plenty of cupboards. Bathroom has a good size shower, vanity and several cabinets. Bedroom has room for queen size bed and two nightstands, as well as a large closet and drawers. I really like the tiny washer and dryer. Since we don't have a lot of clothes, it is the perfect size for us!

Being an Airbnb, the tiny house doesn't really have any outside living space (other than the community pool*). However, many of the park models we saw during our morning walks had made lovely outside areas, including the neighbor Iris, whose unit has vaulted ceilings and a loft.

Iris the neighbor's place feels like a real home. The loft provides space for a small office and sleeping area for guests. Many of the lots have sheds (and golf carts). Iris' shed is an art studio. The outdoor seating area is nice for morning coffee or al fresco dining. Plants, including spices, make for pretty decor.

A couple of variations with screen porches, which really increases the living space.

This one has a front porch and a back porch.

This person has two lots and has installed a full outdoor kitchen. There is also a hot tub and billiards table! To the right, outside of the frame is the area for the RV.

If we were staying in the U.S., this is the type of house set-up I'd be happy to live in, especially with some of these modifications / additions for outdoor living.

*Unfortunately, upon arrival, we discovered that the resort pool was under construction. The owner agreed to give us a 10% refund. I was able to find a city pool about 10 miles up the road that was still open for the season on weekends, so we were able to swim two times there. Otherwise, it's neighborhood walking for our exercise!

The Clermont City Pool and on a neighborhood walk

Since we were at this last tiny house for two weeks, we had some time to get out and explore. We also loved our temporary neighbors Iris and Lilly and spent some time hanging out with them. New friends!

En route to the tiny home, we made a detour through Cape Coral to touch base with cousin Jim and get our mail. We also had the opportunity to connect with our friend Kelsey, who recently moved to this area for a job with Lee County library system. Congratulations to her!

When we saw Jim, he said his sister Nina and her two daughters Kristin and Deonna were coming down for a long weekend in Orlando and invited us to come hang out with them. We had fun surprising Nina as she walked into Disney Springs. Cousin gathering!

The Ciaccousins and the whole gang

We had a great time hanging out for the afternoon and evening. I even had a beer! Thanks cousin Jim for telling me about it. I never thought I'd say there's a beer I love.

Pretty seasonal display at our lunch restaurant

That same weekend there was a very exciting event ... Jim and Billibob got engaged! (I hope Deonna doesn't mind me stealing her pictures from Facebook to use here.)

Congratulations to this wonderful couple!

Now, a lot of Brits own homes in this area, so good fish and chips are likely. We went on an explore to a highly rated one about 10 miles up the road, Clermont Fish House. We were not disappointed!

Cod and Chips with a side of mushy peas. Yum! I love, love, love this t-shirt!

They had the best Little Free Library! I'm not sure why this awesome Beatles artwork was on the wall in the ladies'. Glad I made a trip to the loo!

On the way back we had to stop at the Showcase of Citrus! This had every type of tacky tourist feature you could imagine, not to do with citrus ... and no actual citrus! 😂 We did get a yummy frozen orange juice, though!

With our neighbor Iris, we had a dinner, a hangout, and a tour of the complex in her golf cart Lupita. When Lilly returned home from her road trip, we enjoyed another dinner together on our last night.

John was happy to get to grill. Our first meal was ItaliaRican: John grilled, I made sauce, and Iris made rice and beans. John also enjoyed getting some puppy love. Zoe and Diva, so cute!

Iris giving us a tour on Lupita.

On our last night, Lilly grilled up a Puerto Rican specialty, pinchos. Iris made some rice and beans. All delicious! We had a great evening of conversation and food. New friends!

This last stay was a time to play catch-up on aspects of daily life. We got our flu shots, took care of a retirement rollover, and I worked on a project of identifying / placing several distant Ciacchella cousins into our Ciacchella Family Around the World tree. It's always exciting to find new cousins, and John and I hope to meet them in person next year!

Since there's a massage school in Orlando, I was able to schedule us for student massages (reduced price, they have to practice!). They were nice, but nowhere near the high quality of massages from the wonderful therapists I've been able to work with over the years. Since we were in Orlando, we went to Maggiano's to cash in on my birthday coupon. I got free lemon cookies!

After the last tiny house, we were back to Port Canaveral for my birthday cruise and then a return to Cape Coral to stay a couple of weeks with cousins Jim and Billibob. Next up, we head to New Orleans for a short cruise (assuming we pass our COVID test), then onward to Laredo to spend the holiday season with Emily! I'll write about the cruises in a future blog, Pandemic Cruising II. Here are some piccies of our fun two weeks in Cape Coral:

Taking a ride in the convertible, fun! The Earls of Sandwich celebrating National Sandwich Day.

Our trip mascot, Buddy!

Celebration with friends Ed and Frankie. New friends! At their place's community center, not just handicapped parking, handicapped parking for golf carts!