Tiny living is a revolutionary approach to property investment that emphasizes minimalism, functionality, and sustainability. It's about more than just small spaces; it's a lifestyle choice that reflects a growing awareness of environmental responsibility and a desire for simpler living. Cheryl Smith, the CEO and founder of Beyond Tiny (opens in new tab), has embraced this concept, creating luxurious yet compact living spaces. Her work showcases how tiny living can be both a viable investment strategy and a means to a more mindful way of life.
Background
Cheryl's fascination with tiny houses began with a chance encounter on television. She set out on a journey that would change her life because she liked the idea of small, environmentally friendly living. Purchasing a tiny house shell, Cheryl spent a year meticulously designing and building her dream space. Her success in this initial project led her to expand into other forms of compact living, including vintage trailers and motorhomes. Cheryl's background in design and her passion for sustainability have shaped her unique approach, making her a leading figure in the tiny living movement.
Investment Strategy
Cheryl's investment strategy is a blend of creativity, practicality, and financial acumen. She has built a diverse portfolio of tiny living spaces, each under 300 square feet yet fully equipped with all modern amenities. Her focus on self-sufficiency means that each unit is designed to function independently, with fully functional kitchens, bathrooms, and entertainment areas.
Cost efficiency is central to Cheryl's approach. By carefully selecting appliances and features that offer value without compromising on quality, she has managed to create luxurious spaces at an accessible price point. Her investment in tiny living is not just about profit; it's about providing affordable, sustainable housing solutions that resonate with a growing segment of the population.
Success and Result
Cheryl's success in the tiny living investment realm is multifaceted. Her properties are in high demand, with rapid occupancy rates and a diverse tenant base. From travel nurses to corporate professionals, her tiny living spaces appeal to a wide audience.
Her success also lies in her ability to create spaces that resonate with her tenants. By understanding their needs and providing tailored solutions, Cheryl has set herself apart in the competitive property market. Her impressive return on investment, estimated at 90%, is a testament to her business acumen and her commitment to providing value to her tenants.
Insights and Innovations
Cheryl's approach to tiny living goes beyond mere functionality. She believes in maximizing outdoor living space by offering private amenities like barbecues, seating areas, and even jacuzzis or saunas. This focus on outdoor living adds a unique dimension to her properties, enhancing the overall experience.
She also emphasizes customization and personalization. By understanding the unique requirements of each tenant and customizing the space accordingly, Cheryl ensures that each tiny living space is a reflection of the tenant's personality. Her focus on natural light, layout choices, and innovative solutions to common challenges in tiny living sets her properties apart.
Legal and Zoning Concerns
Investing in tiny homes is not without its challenges, particularly when it comes to legal and zoning concerns. Building codes, vehicle classification, insurance, and financing all present unique legal hurdles for tiny house owners and investors.
Compliance with specific building codes that dictate construction, design, and safety features is essential. If the tiny house is on wheels, it may be classified as a recreational vehicle (RV) or mobile home, affecting where it can be legally placed. Insurance and financing can also be more complex, with some insurers and lenders having specific requirements or exclusions related to tiny houses.
Zoning laws add another layer of complexity, dictating how land can be used and often varying widely by jurisdiction. Some areas have minimum size requirements for dwellings, which can pose challenges for tiny houses. In other cases, tiny houses may be classified as Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), allowing them to be placed on a property with an existing home but subject to specific regulations. Community living arrangements, utilities, and services for tiny houses can also be subject to local regulations, requiring special permits or inspections.
Investing in Tiny Homes for Rental on Furnished Finder
Investing in tiny homes for rental purposes, particularly on platforms like Furnished Finder (opens in new tab), presents a unique and appealing opportunity. The targeted audience on Furnished Finder, including professionals like travel nurses and business travelers, often seeks mid-term, 30+ day fully furnished accommodations. Tiny homes, with their compact and fully functional design, can be an ideal match for this demographic. Their unique appeal can attract tenants looking for an alternative to standard apartments or hotel rooms.
The cost-efficiency of tiny homes is another attractive feature for investors. Typically requiring less upfront investment compared to traditional properties, tiny homes also offer reduced maintenance, utilities, and property taxes. Renting them on Furnished Finder can provide a steady income stream with the potential for a strong return on investment. This financial advantage makes tiny homes an appealing option for both seasoned investors and those just starting out in the property market.
Sustainability and minimalist living are growing trends that have boosted the popularity of tiny homes. By offering a tiny home that aligns with eco-friendly and mindful living values, investors can tap into a market that appreciates these unique qualities.
Furnished Finder's platform can help connect investors with tenants specifically seeking these types of accommodations, enhancing the rental potential.
Flexibility and control are key benefits of investing in a tiny home for rental purposes.
Investors can choose the location, customize the design, and set rental terms that align with their investment goals. Platforms like Furnished Finder facilitate this process, providing a targeted marketplace and support for landlords. This flexibility allows investors to tailor their tiny home investments to meet specific market demands and personal investment strategies.
Finally, the growing market trend towards tiny living presents an opportunity for forward-thinking investors. Tiny living is more than a passing fad; it's a movement reflecting a shift in how people perceive and utilize space. Investing in a tiny home for rental on Furnished Finder allows investors to be part of this movement, positioning themselves ahead of the curve in the rental market. Whether as a standalone investment or part of a diversified portfolio, tiny homes offer a unique and promising proposition for modern property investors.
Emotional Benefits of Tiny Living
Tiny living often represents more than just a choice of housing; it's a lifestyle that emphasizes simplicity, mindfulness, and intentionality. Many tiny home dwellers report a sense of liberation from material possessions and a deeper connection to their values and priorities. The process of downsizing and living within a smaller footprint can lead to a greater appreciation for what truly matters, fostering a sense of contentment and fulfillment.
Mental Health Considerations
While tiny living offers many emotional benefits, it also presents unique mental health considerations. The confined space may not be suitable for everyone and can lead to feelings of claustrophobia or anxiety for some individuals. Careful design, outdoor integration, and awareness of one's needs and preferences are essential to creating a tiny living space that supports mental well-being.
Tenant Screening and Lifestyle Awareness
Ensuring a good fit between the tenant and a tiny living space goes beyond aesthetics and functionality; it involves a deep understanding of the lifestyle changes that tiny living may entail. Prospective tenants must be aware of the compact nature of the space and how it aligns with their daily routines and mental well-being.Screening tenants to gauge their adaptability to tiny living, discussing their expectations, and providing a clear understanding of what tiny living involves can prevent potential dissatisfaction. This process helps in matching the right tenants with the property, ensuring a harmonious relationship between the unique living space and the individual's lifestyle needs. Cheryl's success in tiny living investment likely involves this careful consideration, aligning her properties with tenants who appreciate and thrive in the tiny living environment.
Tiny Homes as Temporary Relocation Accommodations
Tiny homes have emerged as a practical and appealing option for individuals in the process of relocating, offering a unique and often eco-friendly place to stay while searching for a new home. These compact living spaces provide all the essential amenities, often emphasizing unique design, connection to nature, and sustainable features. For those in transition, tiny homes offer a comfortable and personalized alternative to traditional temporary housing options, such as extended-stay hotels. The ability to experience tiny living on a temporary basis can make the relocation process more enjoyable and less stressful, providing a home-like environment during a time of change.
Impact on Local Tourism
The rise of tiny home rentals has also impacted local tourism in some areas. Tiny home communities or resorts can draw tourists interested in sustainable living and minimalist lifestyles. These unique accommodations can become attractions in themselves, contributing to local economies and promoting responsible tourism practices.
Financing Options for Tiny Homes
Financing a tiny home can be more complex than financing a traditional home. Traditional mortgage options may not be available, leading potential owners to explore personal loans, RV loans, or other alternative financing methods. Some tiny home builders offer in-house financing, and there are also credit unions and lenders specializing in tiny home loans. Understanding the various options and their implications is crucial for making informed financial decisions.
Economic Benefits and Considerations
Tiny homes often represent a more affordable housing option, with lower upfront costs, maintenance expenses, and utility bills. However, the economic considerations extend beyond mere costs. The potential for rental income, the flexibility to relocate, and the alignment with sustainable living values can add to the economic appeal of tiny home ownership. Careful planning, awareness of local regulations, and consideration of long-term goals are essential to realizing the potential economic benefits of investing in a tiny home.
Episode 10 Transcript
Welcome to Landlord Diaries where we talk about midterm rentals and the opportunities behind them we'll share landlord stories talk about maximizing investment potential and discuss how to live the very best landlord life this podcast is proudly brought to you by furnished finder the place for everything midterm rentals remember to like And subscribe if you enjoy our content it's your host Kelly Bailey and my marketing director of Furnished Finder Katie Lyon what do you think about today's episode KD hey hey today's episode was so so fun we got to talk about tiny living which I feel like is like such a hot topic so interesting so many things that are like overwhelming and daunting and Cheryl has solutions to all of it like she has gone through the process and gone through the weeds and now she's here to help everyone else out who's interested in tiny living but gets overwhelmed so definitely take a listing or take a listen it's it's it's pretty cool [Music] hi everyone we are so happy to be back and have you listening with us thank you so much for subscribing and being a part of our show you make it better so today we get a glimpse of tiny living at its best Cheryl Smith is CEO and founder of Beyond tiny a company that helps others design their dream tiny houses she has tiny homes RVs and vintage trailers all available on Furnished Finder and nurses are raving about them if you'd like to connect with Cheryl you can go to www.beyondtiny.com hi Cheryl thank you so much for being here today how are you I'm good hi it's so good to be here so good to see you both tiny living is such a rave I'm so excited to you know just have a a tiny section it's so much fun um so Cheryl and I did an overview of her properties uh prior to this recording so she has eight um tiny Living Spaces in total three tiny homes one studio apartment two motor homes and two vintage vintage trailers and all of them are under 300 square feet or less and uh Cheryl and I have discussed how important it is to make sure your tiny Living Spaces are self-sufficient so that's what we want to talk about first is Cheryl how do you make sure each space is ready to go and self-sufficient I think the most important thing is you think about what you need in a regular house um you need your kitchen full bathroom places to take a shower place to brush your teeth get ready for work in the morning a place to to do your laundry and then a place to relax and sleep you know watch TV bench out when you're not working and um if you can capture all of those things in a small space which is what I focus on then I think you're good so what are some of those let's let's talk about the motorhomes first what do you need for a motorhome to make it self-sufficient the good thing about a motorhome is that um they generally already come stocked if you will you've already got your water heaters so you've got hot water you've already got generally a full bathroom generally a full kitchen um depending upon the year and make of the motorhome depends on if you need to like upgrade your TV so what we do in with all of ours is we upgrade the TV and we put in a nice flat screen with surround sound and then we have our entertainment package if you will with Amazon sticks and I think the biggest thing that our our nurses enjoy are the the everyone gets Netflix Hulu HBO Max Disney plus and then they also have two other apps which allow them to get all of their local TVs plus they can get all the movies that are currently in the movie theaters ESPN as well as pay-per-view sweet yes it sounds like you never have to leave your house nurses that are like I'm I'm so hooked I'm so hooked on this and from some of my long-term I've had some occupational therapists I've had three now who have been with me nine months um because they work for the school district so they're on a contract with the school district and during the time they stay with me once they see what I offer they cancel their Netflix they cancel their Hulu I'm like hey that's what it's about you know enjoy you know you are taking care of those Travelers I love it so with the RVs what about like the toilet how does the toilet work because I think you normally have to drive an RV off the site uh and I'm sure you probably don't do that so how do you make sure you're self-sufficient with your toilets and you know the rest of the setup what we do is with everything um everything is hooked directly into the septic system whether it's on my property we have other properties um so it's always hooked into the sewer that's that's key because the last thing you want is you know your holding tank is only so so big for your gray water or your black water your black water is your pee and poop your gray water is your shower your kitchen sink all of that stuff so when those holding tanks get full if you don't have a place to dump those which is only going to take maybe tops five days to seven days depending upon how much they're using them now you have to unhook everything now you're taking their home right right down to the local dump station to dump everything and that's not Pleasant because they're like where are you going with my stuff so so we have everything hooked up um into the sewer as well and the same thing with our propane for the motorhomes they also use propane for the stoves so we have external propane tanks that are small that we can just that we've connected into our main propane tank and can bypass our main propane tank so that they're only working off the external the externals we could throw in the back of a car or the truck take those down to the local propane place and get them filled and bring them back again not disrupting the tenants whatsoever all right so I have a question here because I feel like there has to be a good story of how did how did you get involved with tiny living how did this all start and then also are all of your properties on one in one area together like do you have your own little village good question such great questions um because there had like to wake up one day and you have tiny homes right like there's I know there's a back story here definitely a backstory and there's a long Mission behind all right and we'll give up give us the quick and dirty um so I fell in love with tiny houses probably five or six years ago you know being addicted to HGTV and watching all of the shows I'm like oh my gosh these are so cool I can live there I just want to live by myself on 10 acres with my shotgun a German Shepherd just crazy thoughts and um then I got kind of serious about it I was like you know what I'm just gonna I'm just gonna do it and I bought a shell I bought my first tiny house from my young lady up in the Bay Area in California and which was a good eight hour drive from where I lived and she was building this tiny house she was renting some property she was going to get into farming and stuff because I guess performing out there is really great and she was living by herself a young girl maybe 25 26 and that was gonna be her dream she was going to live on the property in her tiny house she was building it so she had the four walls uh on a tiny house trailer and so it was just the framing and well then she got involved with this young man they got engaged he didn't see the tiny house vision and so she had to stop and they were gonna go live their own life whatever that was going to be so I lucked out it was a nice show even though I had to redo there's a lot that I had to redo the flooring had to be redone the uh the roof which was again just framing so I I redid all of that fast forward a year because it took a year to build that first tiny house um it was me a contractor and my plumber and electrician that was it you know so my electrician and plumber of course they were in and out just depending upon where we were in the build and uh then it was done and it was beautiful and I loved it it was fantastic and I got scared I was like okay I'm gonna air be a bit no people are gonna come in they're gonna ruin my tiny house and did you have personal land that you were putting this on yeah so this this particular one is on my property um on a piece of concrete that I had put there years prior when my daughter was playing basketball we did a we put a basketball court in the backyard okay 20 by 30 slab so it just was sitting there because of course she's grown now out of the house and so it was just the perfect space for it um and I was just nervous I was just so scared to run it and so again for three months I sat there and then one of my cousins said have you thought about renting to travel nurses I was like light bulb and so I started researching where do you know Travelers just find housing you know and furnished finder kept popping up and I listed it and within three days it was rented wow and that was awesome this is cool so I'm like I got to do this again so then built another one then I got into vintage trailers that was a whole nother animal because vintage trailers your walls are super thin so your framing is different than a tiny house when you can actually use two by fours and you're not worried that you're gonna go your screw's gonna go through the outside because your walls only this thin you know it was just it was different but I loved it too and um so I have three on my property here and then I have I manage a couple of others and then I have the other ones that are on another property that we have and okay that's where we you know the motorhomes are over there um and then we actually put in place another RV spy if you will on that same property because I had a nurse who was staying with us she stayed in two of our properties because she saw the builds going on and she's like oh I like that one I want to stay in that one next and so when that one would be done she'd jump over that one oh how fun she bought a small RV while she was with us and for the four months she hired my contractor and she redid the entire inside so we built an RV station if you will where she had her own hookup Water and Sewer on that same property so I still have that as well like if I had a nurse who said hey I'm traveling with my own RV do you have a place for me yeah we do and they could probably stay so I hope that answered your question that does yeah well I just I know that with tiny living like a lot of people it's a it's a big first hurdle is where am I going to put this thing because there are if you don't like regulations and policies and like you said you have to have the proper hookups and stuff so I mean I can only imagine that that stops a lot of people right in their tracks um you know I think people just get get scared and they don't know where to start and that's you know right people that have called me and talked to me or stopped me in Lowe's or Home Depot you know well how did you get started what did you do you know when you you get through that initial fear like you said I think then it's not so scary you know so is that where you saw the opportunity to be able to help others kind of past that overwhelm and fear is like okay I'm gonna step in yes and begin this this business of helping others do what I've done yes absolutely absolutely and you know I've had people come take tours of the property because they want to see like how are you hooked up what is your sewer system right what is and then I I'm huge on taking photos during builds so I'm able to show people pictures of the trenches and the dirt where they right so they can see like what we were connecting things to and what why one sump pump is better than another sump pump and you know all of those things because not all are the same and not all needs are equal depending upon what your plumbing situation is in your either tiny house your trailer whatever it might be and um those things are are really crucial at the beginning of the build you have to know your way forward before you get started and that was I I made so many mistakes on my first build because I didn't know you know right um so for those that are already interested in tiny house living and they're like yes I want to take my first step can you give them an idea of you know I think it took you a year to set up your first one um what do the costs look like for building a tiny house setting up the the water the electric um the plumbing uh what does that look like cost wise and time wise I think you can go depending upon the size that you want depending upon if you find one that's already somewhat started not finished by a long shot um I would say anywhere from 30 to 80 000. depending upon what you're looking to do um when the interest rates were better I helped a couple of people who were able to take advantage of the equity in their home they pulled Equity out they've got a super low interest rate you know when interest rates were like 3.1 3.2 and they used that equity and put a tiny house in their backyard and started renting it it's awesome now which is so awesome was great it's passive income it's money while you sleep you know because right even though technically you can make more money doing the Airbnb thing um because you can you can charge more per night but for the people like me who I have like a million other things going on I need something that can can just be functional in the background and if I know that everything that I'm providing is what a nurse or another short-term tenant is looking for it's kind of hands-off you know the only time right I hear from them is hey also Netflix isn't working you know what's the password you know I'll text you right you know um but other than that it's it's kind of it's self-sufficient and they love it that's amazing awesome and the other thing is we make everything very luxurious it's not just about the build itself so it's all about your outdoor living space too especially Smart in tiny spaces they want to get outside they want to smell the fresh air you know and barbecue they all have their own private barbecue they all have their own private you know awning and seating area and two of them have private jacuzzis one has the jacuzzi and a sauna so cool you know just so they can feel like luxurious while they're while they're working you know and one of the tiny houses has a tenant here from Boeing um so I've just started getting into other types of Travelers other than just nurses and she's here on an 18-month assignment from Washington State yeah but she loves it she's she's in the jacuzzi she's that's my spot I'd be in there it's about you know it's about people being I think my last question for the you know making everything self-sufficient a portion of it is um I believe you've tried a large variety of washer and dryers so for those that you know we have a we have a cottage in our Temple house and that's one thing it doesn't have yet that I'm looking to add so which ones have you found are not very efficient and which ones are great that you know your Travelers have have been impressed by so the convenience of a self how do I say it a washer dryer combo so it's one washing machine that washes your clothes then it changes to a drying cycle in the same machine and it dries your clothes that machine is very good because it's it's compact sort of it's it's not huge but it's not super small um and it dries everything for you of course you can't do like sheets and things like that um but for your clothes and whatnot it's no problem so for those units that have that I just tell my tenants you know when you're ready to wash your sheets just give them to me and I'll just wash them in the house you know give them back to you they're like okay thanks you know no problem and um that is good so I learned from a nurse who stayed a different nurse who stayed in one of my other trailers who had and I had a different washing machine that's supposed to have a spin dry so for any of you looking at washing machines and you're reading the descriptions all of them will say you know spin dry function that's really close to being dry it takes no time to take your clothes out and then you just hang them up what I have in the showers of my travel trailers and my vintage trailer is like a retractable clothesline that goes in the shower so when they take their stuff out of that washing machine they just hang it up and it's dry within no time so wow the nurses who have said they use the other washing machine that I first talked about they said the clothes come out kind of wrinkled even though it's drying them and they might not be totally dry but the ones who use the other which is by the way way cheaper the other washing machine that does the spin dry the clothes are like they don't even have to use an iron because they just hang perfectly right so I said all that to say if you're trying to be trendy and modern and all of that people are like oh it does both I mean if you want to spend the extra money and and these things are fourteen hundred fifteen hundred dollars they're not cheap okay versus 200 and then doing a retractable clothesline and you get a retractable clothesline that looks nice you know don't get one that looks like you know it came off your brother's farm but something that's you know like nice nickel finish you know you're gonna get them for 20 30 bucks on Amazon and you use that system equally as trendy equally as functional and you have you have tenants who are happy great thank you for that feedback yes oh one more thing on that let me just give you that those washing machines let me let me preface it with this are generally supposed to be hooked up into a sink okay so there's like a fitting on the back so that when you turn on your faucet on the sink that's how it gets water to that washing machine we did not do it that way we actually added to our plugging system and we used a shower handle you know the ones that like go back and like back and forth and then left to right for hot and cold that's what we did we mounted it on the wall so then that way you're not moving your washing machine to the shower hooking it up to a closet so this way it has its own little station and um you just use the shower nozzle and it worked brilliantly it was it was a great retrofit solution and uh the nurses love it and uh I think Cheryl has the links for that one the the one that is more cost efficient that we can put in the show notes I've already decided I'm going to buy one for my tiny house it's very exciting and I have the perfect space for it so thank you for that feedback Cheryl absolutely Katie what what would you like to talk about next well I would love to dive more into how you help others design and prep and kind of get into the tiny living um so Kelly let me know that you kind you've come up with some original floor plans and that you like to kind of cater those to um the individual so I love if I maybe you know you and yell you and Kelly can do a little bit of a role play here and Kelly you can like yeah like let's let's say Kelly is ready for a tiny house I am I'm ready for one she's ready she wants to have it you know for a midterm rent Dental for travel nurses traveling professionals she is ready so give us the cliff notes version you know take us through the process 30 000 foot View and let's see how this works because I'm super curious because I definitely fall in the Bank of intrigued confused it's like I mean I'm not gonna lie like my husband and I we got an investment property in June and we started by looking at tiny homes and as soon as I ran into permitting sewer water I was like yeah I'm out it's an unknown it is and I just I I felt like it felt like too big of a hurdle to overcome especially when I did it I was brand new right I'm like I don't know anything about this like right I'm I'm immediately out so walk us through like let's find Kelly her tiny house okay I'm excited all right so tell me Kelly what are you you're interested in tiny homes what are you looking for exactly how big how small where do you want to put it and then we'll go from there well we've had the privilege of staying in a few tiny house airbnbs for the experience and I find it crazy that my husband is 6'5 but he loves tiny houses no that's awesome it's just a unique scenario so I know that for the bedroom it would need to be one you can walk around so that you're not you know bumping your head on one of those faulted ceilings or something um space wise we have an acre and a half in Belton that has a home on it currently and I think we at this point we probably will add a garage conversion some point down the road because it doesn't have a garage so it'd be a good feature but there's plenty of space uh in the the land next to it has been vacant though for two years now we might you know figure out who owns that land and ask you know if they want to sell so let's just say we've got land for a tiny house it has a well and and septic okay sounds good so the conversion for the garage is that going to be for cars actually or you're talking about converting it to like a studio and at least a two-car garage for our boat and uh for a car as well more storage okay well good news is let me first start with the fact that it already has a house on it when it has a house on it you're able to put in at least 1200 square feet you're able to add an Adu accessory dwelling oh really yes to the septic to the property without getting the special permits and and all of that you're able to do that and um with the tiny house though that's on Wheels you don't run into the or a travel trailer or a motorhome you don't run into the permitting issues because it's on Wheels so it's not considered a permanent um structure it can be moved okay so if you get get some crazy inspector who's like you didn't permit this this isn't supposed to be here you're like okay cool and you drive it off your light and you're done and so they don't really mess with you so much so that's number one so the first thing that we would do again since you already have a house that's there is you can run your hot and cold water you can run lines underground um from your house either tapped directly into your water heater in the house or into depending on where you're placing that tiny house it could come off of your kitchen sink you know again underground bathroom sink shower depending upon again where everything is placed okay so those are options for getting water to your tiny house this your sewer you can find where the sewer out is on your house and then you can run piping from the back of your tiny house into the back into wherever your sewer out is going to the house that's going out to your subject so if my septic's on the back left would it be most efficient to have the tiny house on the back left or it would just take more Plumbing does it need to be uphill or it can be downhill does it matter um run is I mean you know rise to run is always really important if you can get a little downward slope that's great if not um are you gonna be using a composting toilet or no I don't know I haven't researched that what's the benefit okay so let's say you're not using a composting toilet and it's just gonna okay good old regular flushing toilet pee poop go down there life is good okay sounds good so you would need a sump pump down in the ground that has a grinder at the bottom what aggressive aggressive okay I was not prepared for this discussion today it's part of life I mean how much of your how much of your business is talking about poop it's a major part because it is I mean like it's it's a big hurdle yes because the last thing you want is a tenant calling you thing my toilet is clogged right yes so your grinder brings up your poop and it also grinds up your toilet paper and then it makes the slush if you will and then when that sump pump when the the level gets high enough just like in a toilet that water turns on that float right and it pushes all of that liquid which is also your shower water your your water from your kitchen sink all of that through that four inch pipe black pipe all the way out to where your sewers hooked up so depending upon the more Plumbing that the further away you are from that out of that the house where that sewer is going to hook up the more money you're gonna you're gonna spend in digging trenches and in supplies okay okay so that was my next question here is we're just on this Utility side right Plumbing running electric things like that what are we talking for Kelly ballpark to just get her tiny house her imaginary tiny house you know water a poop grinder some electric what are we talking here is this is this like a two thousand dollar project this is like a twenty thousand dollar utility issue we'll say closer to eight thousand for you okay for your plumbing okay okay okay so and that and I'm talking Plumbing on the inside also running your plumbing lines you know of your washing machine your sinks your showers that all connect underneath and then a little the way we do the tiny houses is we do a regular out almost like you're going to an RV park with the same kind of an out with a little valve that shuts everything off or stops everything in case there's a leak shut off valves are crucial anyone who's listening don't try to save 50 bucks until your plumber not to put on a shutoff valve put on a shut off phone because if something happens you don't want to disconnect water to if it's hooked up to your house to your whole house just because there's a leak in the tiny house right have a shutoff valve it's worth it it's worth the 50 bucks or 75 bucks that your Plum is going to charge you now what about electric are you running that off the main house as well yeah so you tie in okay so the way we do it is we tie into our regular main box but then the tiny house or the trailer the vintage trailer they each have their own breaker boxes also so I can shut power that's nice power off just in one of the trailers or I can shut off power adjust to the tiny house and then inside the tiny house also in that breaker box is like the breaker for the electric stove or the breaker where all of my outside stuff is from the jacuzzi stuff like that so that's the those are the setup pieces when you're thinking about Kelly putting your tiny house in your backyard for placement um and thinking about the cost how close can you get to the Water Source how close it can fit to your if if you have a sewer out and your your box is all on the same side of the house it's kind of a no-brainer because it's gonna cost you so much less and material um if you don't have to run electric cables 200 feet you know you have to run them right um okay I think I have my spot in mind uh of where it would go what about layout how would I choose a layout for my six foot five husband in myself both being a five five four um so let me ask you is this gonna be for you guys or for tenants in mind or both both our our model our business model is we want to set something up that we can live in if we want or have someone else live in if we choose to move to a different home okay um do you have pets yes a dog so is is Fido going to be uh living in the tiny house too yes okay and do you have any special there's Fido now Idol's excited timing right I was so excited like my dog's looking at me like what are you talking about oh my goodness I don't even know why they're barking um uh no what about any special Hobbies or anything that you want to she needs a podcast area a podcaster okay yeah work from home we both work from home so a good like having two work from home type setups in 300 square feet oh it sounds like you're not a good candidate for tiny so actually Kelly just needs a good outdoor space we do love Outdoors we spend a lot of time outdoors and if we can have the doors open uh we open them and this is actually good timing because we woke up at 3am last night to the sound of a cat we don't have a cat oh and we both sat up in bed we're like that's a cat and we have a neighbor cat called King Louie that likes to kind of think every family's his family and so somehow in the middle of the day yesterday he snuck in and then he's in our bedroom at 3am so it was hilarious oh my gosh she's like so I'd say yeah work from home space love outside uh outdoor living and the more natural light the better okay so lots of windows um do you want a loft or do you not want a loft it doesn't matter I we would like guests to be able to stay okay this is getting big Kelly was like a 3 000 square foot house in her tiny house um and then let's do an area we'll do this we'll do two Lofts one on each side because the second Loft adjacent from where your bedroom would be on the other Loft we could have um for your your creative juices to flow okay almost like a feng shui area you could do podcasts up there you could design it how you want to with you know you could do a green screen up there um either have it to where you're sitting on a desk or like sitting on the floor comfy cozy doing podcasts like that not not so prim and proper no office type settings like I'm in but uh something more casual we could do in that area which also then sets for like a reading area it also sets for a place to ponder and think about you know your next podcast or you know what what's your next step is in life you know just a fun place um I like that and then at the bottom also we can add a a place for the dog build a closet out and then if you raise the closet then you have under like storage underneath but what we can do is we'll open up that space for a dog bed so the dog oh cute final will be so happy yes and then you underneath that so your your dog bed would come up about probably seven inches let's say and then they have space away but that seven inches is a drawer that's retractable where you have your food and water for the dog love it and then that way it's out of the way because space is optimal in a tiny house every little ounce counts um downstairs pull out bed um or a couch that turns into a bed however you want to do it there's so many options if you want one that turns into a bed that's not already set up as like a hide-a-bed it is about how you want to build it based on the space that you want are those comfortable yeah yeah so we have one that there's actually four separate cushions um that create this bed but to keep from feeling this the where the pillows meet we put a three inch uh memory foam mattress on the top so it makes it a lot more comfortable so we have an outside storage area so we roll up that memory foam unless we have attended you know and keep it out there and unless we have a tenant who wants that and then I'll show them how to how to make the living room area into that bed we'll pull out the memory foam and then they're like wow because it and then sometimes they say we're just gonna stay down here instead of going up and down the stairs to the law okay whatever you want to do um all right so Cheryl I've got two questions that come to mind here yes first of all do you have like standard floor plans in your head that you're kind of picking through our floor plans customized and second how much roughly should Kelly be budgeting for her her husband in Fido's imaginary tiny home okay and guests and guests um I do have seven floor plans that are actually done and design which can be that's awesome um customized to the person's liking um but you've got the base ready to go yes that's huge and it's based on what they want just like I'm talking with Kelly you know what what what are your your things are you a music person do we need to add a recording studio to one yeah right are you a cat person do we need catwalks around the top you know in trees so that cats can climb right you know it's just those are the biggest things because I think when people think of a tiny house they don't know where to start they don't know they think functionally I need a bathroom I need a washing machine I need a place to cook and and that's fine but it's very sterile there's no warm and fuzzy to any of that there's nothing that makes it about you and who are you as a person you know if I was doing this for my daughter who you know is into the herbs like I was telling you a growing you know and doing teas and stuff she'd want an herb wall Garden or something you know right because that's her that's her personality and so that's why it's really important when I sit down with people to know what are you looking for who are you as a person and let's capture those things in your living space um the other thing I'm going to come back to your last question but the other thing I wanted to tell Kelly too about the natural light another thing that really is nice in a tiny house are French doors because they they can open wide and you can get that fresh morning air or evening air whichever the case may be and it just whether you put like those invisible screens you know that have the magnet down the middle you can you know whatever you want to do with those but they just add so much light and Beauty to the inside of a tiny house they're amazing but um I love French doors me too they're just oh they're beautiful the other thing um your last question budget wise Kelly how big do you want your tiny house how long do you want it to be generally they're eight feet by whatever you think are you looking at if it if it's one that needs to be on uh you mentioned uh you know having it on a trailer where you can move it from property to property that wouldn't be a bad idea for us because the home we bought it knowing that we'll probably only own it five to ten years as it may be developed into a commercial area uh at the the Belton area is already really close to bordering our our street it's on a main road so it's likely that down the road we might be surrounded by grocery stores and things like that potentially right we don't know for sure so on a on a what size does it need to be to be on a trailer what's the maximum you could go 30 feet easily um oh okay so which is good size I mean I have the person I was talking about from Boeing staying for 18 months the one she's in is only 20 feet okay eight by Twenty with a queen size loft so it's 205 square feet and it's plenty spacious for her she said it feels huge um so for the things that you want especially making sure you and your husband both have adequate space to work where you're not on top of each other so you're not waiting for the plug on the side of the wall so you can do your work um right I would say anywhere from 24 to 30. okay could be and then we would just keep in mind what the maximum weight is that our truck can pull uh if we need to move it which I think is like 9 000 pounds or something yeah but that's this has been so informative uh that talking about the you know what kind of layout we would have how to start with your electric and your plumbing Etc so Cheryl if I or someone else don't want to do it alone and would like to have someone walking us through the process we're going to give you the floor to kind of let people know how should they get a hold of you what is the process process look like if they want to talk to you or hire you to be their tiny living consultant they can reach me on my website which is beyond Tiny | We buy wonderful businesses and um just it'll stay on their message me or something like that for a free consultation um just reach out to me that way I'd love to talk to you um if you're close by you know I'll come to your property we can do stuff I've done some face time zoom things too with people you know walking around their property to see what they have so you know we can make it work for sure love it love it you guys are awesome thank you uh so let's see typically we would transition into landlord Logistics now I think there's no reason not to if you only wanted to hear about the tiny house portion then you know feel free to go ahead and leave a comment and you can stop listening now but we've got some great extra stuff we can cover uh of how does Cheryl take care of her traveling nurses in her tiny houses and what are her favorite uh Furnished Finder and key check features that she's found value out of so stay tuned if you want to hear the rest of this portion and we will jump into landlord Logistics now so one thing that you said Cheryl on your website is that initially you thought you would want to do Airbnb but you got a little nervous and you weren't certain about it and then you heard about traveling professionals and uh you found that was a huge success and that you needed more tinies in your area so why did your Market specifically and why don't you let everyone know what Market you're in in case they have any interest in investing in your area as well um I think well I love Furnished Finder let me just say that I it's made life so simple and I've had great experience with every tenant I've ever had so um I think in my area particular there's still there's such a need for private housing or private spaces um I'm big on I I personally don't have shared spaces because I I think about what I would want and I'm the kind of person especially the older I get I just want to come home and just you know put my pajamas on lay on the couch watch TV you know maybe eat a bowl of cereal maybe cook a whole course meal you know and um I think that's just one thing that you know I love to do is just make sure that their personal space is everything that they could need and want and try to create almost like a vacation feel for them while they're away and I think that's why you know they love the spaces so much and you know and I'm super communicative uh if they have an issue I'm not waiting two or three days um I handle it immediately that's great uh and as far as Roi uh how valuable has it been using tiny living as part of your investment strategy uh what what's your what's your return on investment it's huge um because I'm never not with a tenant you know all of our our rentals I have I have someone that she messaged me yesterday she's one of my tenants she's a returning tenant and she has someone who needs a place from January through May and I'm fully booked you know and um she's a co-worker of hers and so the need is still there so I my return on investment is a hundred percent I'm I just stay I stay booked I mean are you looking for numbers or you look yeah let's talk numbers so I would say we'll just say the first tiny house when we finished with 75 000 and I've been renting it I haven't even done the numbers it's funny I've been renting it I run for 1500 a month on that particular unit and it's you know everything is included naturally as you know right um and so 1500 I can do the math if you want me to um oh my phone's off um okay well I think you had mentioned you probably on our intro call that you think it's about 90 profit yeah and 10 expenses yes so that 1500 you're keeping about 90 of it in your utilities your electricity you have three on solar so about 10 it comes out of that out of that profit which is not much at all no it's really not and I think being on solar helps you know and in with our entertainment package you know it's it's a one we pay for those of you who want to know more about this you know let me know because I can give you the hookup but we pay um 170 a month and that covers all of our units and it covers our house our whole house here and we had wow five four TVs in the house also and then eight additional TVs on at different locations so it's you know it just was so smart for us to get rid of cable your traditional table um and do it this way because it was just very very beneficial nice yeah so 90 10 or 85 15 either way love it yeah it's great well I think Cheryl our last question to kind of wrap up the landlord Logistics section is tell us your favorite Parts about Furnished Finder and keycheck and how they have really served your business and help you to reach your goals making the process easy um first finder making the process easy has been huge for me because when I when I first listed it again me being so nervous and scared having that first tenant I saw how simple it was and I think um you know I've seen it evolve and I've seen you know where adding the house rules adding you know the tenants screening the things that have changed um have made it so simple for me and I just recommend it so much to other people because you're you're getting a quality tenant you're not getting someone that you know they're bouncing around from place to place you know not sure the direction in life but these are professionals you know and um it doesn't mean that every professional is smart and this and trustworthy but for me 99.9 of every person that I've dealt with has been fantastic and uh and that's what the tenant screenings are for as well to make sure you are getting that professional in your home absolutely so um I highly recommend it highly recommend it for anyone going into short-term rentals awesome well Cheryl we so appreciate you uh giving us time today to be on the show like anyone else that's yeah awesome thank you uh anyone else that's interested in sharing their story we just love getting to share the everyday landlord story of how Furnished Finder has been a part of your business and you know just all the different styles of Hosting that are out there so this tiny living episode was really special uh to so many people I'm sure that have that tiny dream so um if you are loving our show please do subscribe share it with your friends and if you want to know more from Cheryl or you know have any certain topics that you want to discuss then you can comment on YouTube so thank you so much for being here and we look forward to our next episode every Tuesday [Music] you know who made it