You’ve probably heard of the “tiny home,” but have you heard of a “tiny village”? Not only does a tiny village still allow you to live efficiently and save money, but it also allows for privacy and independence among family members.
That’s where the Brinks family comes in. The family of four bought a 21-acre plot of land in the middle of Kentucky after previously living in a normal-sized home in Michigan with the idea that they’d build a small “village” with several small buildings instead of one large home. That would allow everyone to live in their own separate home, but still all be together!
After all was said and done, the family built their village with six buildings altogether. There’s a separate office, barn, pool house and bathroom, and the remaining three of them are “homes,”—one for the parents, Ryan and Keli, and two separate ones for their teenage children, daughter Lennox and son Brodie.
A family moved from Michigan to Kentucky to live more sustainably in a private tiny-house village they designed.The best part? Each member of the family has their own home. https://t.co/bA6FFUCKFu
— Frank Olito (@frank_olito) February 21, 2020
The kids’ homes are 160-square feet, while the parents have 280 square feet. (Theirs includes a bathroom and kitchen, but the teens have to use the separate bathroom.)
“That was the scariest part in the beginning when I’d have to go in the middle of the night,” Lennox explained. “I remember calling over to Brodie and asking him to stand on his porch and watch me while I ran to the bathroom. But now we have lights and lamp posts, so it’s not bad.”
You might think that living separately like this would mean never spending time together, but it’s actually the complete opposite! In fact, the family is as close as can be.
“We always eat dinner together and we’re constantly outside. In Michigan, I don’t remember playing yard games,” Lennox said. “On Sundays, after church, we’ll play three different yard games like corn hole. Some people might think, ‘Oh, the parents want to push the kids out and have their own space,’ but it’s the opposite.”
In addition, they truly saved a ton of money with this living arrangement. They paid just $57,000 for the land! The village is completely energy-efficient as well, so they save money every day without even thinking about it.
See for yourself how cool this tiny village is in the video below Lennox created for TikTok!
@tinyvillagegirltiny house tour! (again) ##foryou ##foryoupage ##fyp ##tinyhouse ##youreinvited♬ original sound – lemuellsmith
Pretty cool, huh? What do you think of this tiny village? Is this something you’d ever want to live in?