New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Who needs a big house?
Not this happy couple
Amy Garner and John McCarthy, self-described “minimalists,” are proving it every day as they live blissfully in a really, really small house — 344 square feet — in a scenic area of New Haven.
They’ve been residing in their tiny home with a black Lab named Winston for three-and-a-half years, often entertaining friends (pre-COVID) on their deck and hosting overnight visitors in the small guest loft above the kitchen.
“We’re anti-materialistic,” Garner told me when I checked out their domicile last Thursday afternoon. “It’s experience instead of stuff.”
The two of them, both in their 30s, seemed mellow and utterly relaxed except for one consideration: they asked me not to reveal their location, in order to preserve their privacy. They don’t want people coming around and peeking in their windows. I’ll just say they live “on the waterfront.”
“It’s a trailer, classified as a recreational vehicle,” Garner said as she stood outside pointing to the jacks, blocks and chains underneath the wooden structure. “It was literally driven here from Wisconsin (the site of its manufacturer, Escape Traveler) on a truck.”
Garner and McCarthy are part of “the tiny house movement,” which is becoming increasingly popular in a time of skyrocketing housing costs. They paid only about $90,000 for their home, including appliances such as the washer-dryer they shoehorned into the bathroom.
“This was Amy’s idea,” McCarthy said without a trace of regret. “She’s the mastermind.”
“He’s pretty easily talked into things,” Garner said. “He’s a spontaneous guy. He’ll say yes to almost everything. He’s up for fun.”
Their home is 30 feet long and eightand-a-half feet wide. You enter off the permanent stone deck where they often sit on two Adirondack chairs; you are immediately in the compact kitchen, which has enough room for a small bar McCarthy made out of an old desk. Above the bar is a shelf with the rare indulgence this couple has allowed themselves: a set of encyclopedias and Time-Life books McCarthy inherited from his grandfather.
Adjacent to the kitchen is what they call “the downstairs bedroom,” filled by a queen-sized bed. On the opposite end of the kitchen is the bathroom.
Climbing the ladder above the bathroom to the loft requires careful footwork and trying not to bump your head on the ceiling. But Garner said her mom, who is 70, and her stepfather have had no problem getting up there and having a comfortable sleep.
There’s a TV set mounted above the bar. “We don’t have cable TV,” McCarthy said, “but we have Netflix and the internet.”
Don’t they ever feel hemmed in? “No,” McCarthy said. “You saw our view of the water (yes, it’s gorgeous). The windows help. And we hang outside a lot. We see cormorants, ducks, swans, seagulls, hawks and one year we even saw a coot.”
They also spend a lot of time at the studio of the business they own, Pilates Haven, where they are fitness instructors. It’s an easy drive from their home to their work place on Nicoll Street.
“After we opened our business,” Garner said, “we wanted to have something of our own in New Haven that was affordable. We had visited Colorado four years ago and heard about this
‘tiny house jamboree’ and went to it. That’s when I decided I wanted one.”
They rent the space upon which the house sits for about $400 per month, including utility hook-up charges. But of course their home requires very little energy.
Their previous residences included a four-bedroom house in rural Marlborough, a studio apartment in the restored Winchester building in New Haven and, before that, a small apartment in New York City. They say that apartment prepared them for their “minimalist” house.
“We had to get rid of a lot of stuff,” McCarthy said. They donated plenty of their furniture to Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS). Garner told me she has learned she doesn’t need to have a big closet filled with clothing. “I have enough for what I need.”
The house’s small size doesn’t mean it’s flimsy. Garner and McCarthy said they have had no problem with the storms coming in off the water. They said their structure is heavy enough to withstand high winds and is sufficiently locked down. Nor have they had any flooding.
“In the winter it feels kind of cozy,” McCarthy said.
This couple likes to travel, part of the “experience” lifestyle. “We’re saving money by living here,” she said, “so we’ve been able to go on a lot of trips. Even with COVID, we get away and stay in cabins in the woods.”
As we sat looking out at the water, I asked them if they would have room to raise a child or two in their tiny quarters in the event they wanted to have any kids. “I would try it,” she said. “I think it would work.”
“Amy and I are superadaptable,” he said.
Since their house is mobile, they can up and move if they found another suitable spot. “We would just rent a truck and hire a driver,” she said.
“If you’re looking to buy one, you should see it inperson first,” McCarthy said. “With the camera angles, things can look bigger than they are. Make sure you’re comfortable with it.”
But as for them, they see no downside. “I wouldn’t change anything about this or our location,” Garner said.
“So far, so good,” McCarthy said. “Check back with us in five years!”