Tiny Life Consulting

Try Tiny Before You Buy Tiny

Tiny Timbers Tiny Home Resort in beautiful South Fork, Colorado is just the place to try tiny before you buy tiny. This is the perfect opportunity for those finding themselves in Southwest Colorado to see if the tiny lifestyle might be an option for them.

Cheryl McIntosh and her husband Brett opened the Tiny Timbers Coffee Shop/Bistro in December of 2018.  They came from La Junta where they worked in a business next to Sprout Tiny Home Builders. The vision of a tiny home resort was sparked in their minds. Many of the tiny homes are Sprout lease returns.

Resort overcame many obstacles so you could try tiny before you buy tiny

South Fork provided the perfect spot, but the obstacles were many. They needed to get approvals from the county, water board, CDOT, and the forest service. One of the requirements was to put the tiny homes on full-length RV lots. The advantage for you is plenty of parking, so bring your toys.  You’ll have direct access to national forest access road that is right next to the property.

Sprout Tiny Homes ready for summer and winter

Sprout Tiny Homes are built using SIPs panels which makes them strong enough and insulated enough for the frigid Colorado winters. But Colorado has another unique problem to contend with: the water coming out of the ground is too cold for a tankless water heater to deal with. They had to add above-ground holding tanks that warm the water to room temp. Then the tankless water heaters worked as designed.

South Fork, “Basecamp for Adventure” so they say

South Fork is located at the confluence of the South Fork and Rio Grande Rivers on the edge of the Rio Grande National Forest, a breathtaking 1.86 million-acre playground. A forest service access road is attached to the property, so there is no need to trailer your ATV or snowmobile to an access point.

South Fork boasts the longest stretch of Gold Medal Waters in the entire state, so don’t forget your fishing pole.

Wolf Creek ski area is only eighteen miles away. The historic town of Creede is just twenty-two miles away. The scenery on both drives is breathtaking.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is about an hour away.  If you need a nice hot soak, the town of Pagosa Springs is also about an hour away.

The “development” stage Tiny home loft bedroom

Currently there are five 170 sq./ft. tiny houses built by Sprouts. Each unit features a bathroom, sleeping loft and kitchenette. One tiny, designed for us “older folks,” has a queen bed on the main floor. Cheryl has tastefully decorated them, but you might want to bring your own microwave oven.

Tiny Timbers kitchenThey have plans for six more tiny cabins on foundations. These will be 390 sq./ft. with a loft and huge covered deck.

There is also a two-bedroom log cabin available for rent.

They have an on-site coffee shop and restaurant that serves fresh baked pastries, sandwiches, and wraps.

What a perfect opportunity to “try tiny before you buy tiny”

tiny timbers airbnb

This is the “Burro Creek” tiny home at Tiny Timbers Resort. It’s 170 square feet, with bathroom, kitchenette, queen loft and pull-out sofa bed. All tiny homes have a grill and picnic table. The decor is country chic and super cozy! Plenty warm for a winter visit. The unit has been skirted since this picture was taken. The resort is located just east of South Fork on Hwy 160 and borders national forest. You can leave directly from the property on your ATV or snowmobile and head to numerous trails around South Fork. Tiny Timbers Coffee Bistro is just steps away and offers specialty coffee, breakfast and lunch.

I always recommend staying in a tiny home before pursuing your dream of living in a tiny home. While there, take careful note of your feelings.

  • Does it feel cramped, cluttered, or short on lifestyle?
  • Could you do without everything you left at home for more than a few days?
  • Are you comfortable being so close to family members?
  • How much space do you think you would need?
  • Is the kitchen usable? How much more room would you need?
  • Was the bathroom comfortable enough to use everyday?

The answers to these questions will give you solid information on which to build your tiny dream. Knowing how much room you will need will help you create a realistic cost estimate.

  • Will you need a storage shed?
  • Would you need to build a deck right away?
  • Could you build a tiny home this nice, or would you need to buy one already made?

 

Visit Tiny Timbers website for booking information.