Big Love, Tiny Home: Couple Plans Cross-Country Journey in 130-Square-Foot House

Most people dream of someday owning a beautiful, spacious house in a nice neighborhood, complete with the proverbial white picket fence to top it all off.

Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons, however, aren’t like most people. The North Carolina couple recently made headlines when they got rid of most of their possessions, sold their 900-square-foot Winston-Salem home and moved into a 130-square-foot tiny house.

In their new home on wheels, Stephens and Parsons are now embarking on a cross-country journey aimed at raising awareness toward sustainable living.

According to a July 14 MLive.com article, the two plan to visit tiny house villages, tiny house neighborhoods and other sustainable communities across the country, filming and blogging about their travels for a documentary.

“There’s always been a need for sustainable living, a need for affordable housing and a need for community engagement, now more than ever,” Stephens said in a video outlining their travel plans.

By filming and producing a documentary that tells the stories of people living in tiny houses, the couple said they hope to show more Americans how beneficial these homes can be.

While a little more than 50% of U.S. home buyers report that they’d prefer to buy a brand-new house, few of these people think of building a tiny house. However, a tiny house, which is defined as any dwelling between 100 and 400 square feet in size, offers a living space that’s just as complete as that of a regular-sized home.

Stephens and Parsons’ home has a kitchen, bathroom, living room and loft bedroom, for example. The dwelling can plug into an RV site’s electricity outlet for power, and comes with a back-up propane generator and a 20-gallon holding tank for fresh water.

Their tiny house, which was constructed with energy-efficient and weather-proof materials from Dow Building Solutions, teaches an important lesson about sustainability and living with less, said Dow Building Solutions Residential Marketing Manager Jim Morey.

“The Dow Chemical Co. sponsored the Tiny House Expedition because their mission to spark conversation about sustainable, affordable housing aligns with that of the company’s,” Morey said.

The factor that seals the deal for most people is the sheer affordability of a tiny house. While the average new home sells for $341,500, the average professionally built tiny house costs $47,500 — and if you build your tiny house yourself, the cost shrinks to just $27,500.

“People are just really seeking that financial freedom,” Stephens said. “It’s worth it for a lot of people.”

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