Senior Dustin Pfaehler stands outside the tiny home he built over the summer. Photo by Courtney Campbell
By Courtney Campbell
Facing the pasture in Loy Farm on Elon University’s lays a 150-square-foot building atop of a trailer. Hidden from plain sight by a barn, the olive green tiny home is big enough to fit one — senior Dustin Pfaehler.
Since January, Pfaehler has made the small box his home, sleeping upstairs in a 3-foot-tall loft on a camping mattress, using a camping toilet and staying warm with a space heater.
After seeing the documentary “Tiny: A Story About Living Small” on Netflix, Pfaehler was inspired to build and live in his own small home. He developed the idea into a research project mentored by Michael Strickland, lecturer in English and environmental science.
As a fifth year senior, Pfaehler thought the project would justify staying for a few classes.
“It seemed really interesting, so I looked into it more,” Pfaehler said. “This project kind of grew out of it and I like building things, just a lot of fun and a chance to do something with my Elon experience, something different.”
Building the home
Before planning out the design of the home, Strickland had Pfaehler look into tiny homes throughout history ranging from sailing vessels to gypsy wagons to get an idea of how people have lived in small spaces.
“The fact that this movement has come back is amazing,” Strickland said. “I never would have predicted how well it has caught on. North Carolina particularly has become a little hub.”
Then with the help of Robert Charest, associate professor of environmental science who specializes in sustainable design, Pfaehler began to draft out blueprints, modeling after the tiny homes he saw in the documentary.
Like most home, he knew he wanted a loft above the kitchen to maximize space. Then he got to work finding whatever material available to construct the house.
With help of his father and family friends, Pfaehler got to work at the beginning of the summer, working long days to complete the home in less than three months.
“It wasn’t too different than a normal home,” he said. “Instead of putting down foundation, we build it on the trailer bed. It was a lot of finding a trailer, getting the frame to work right because we pulled it out of an old mobile home.”
Pfaehler was able to get the trailer bed for free, which saved him money in the long run but lost him height, since it was already 3-feet-tall.
From there, he prepped the trailer, installed the decking board, framed walls and installed them, fitted the loft, created a curved roof and finished with exterior plywood sliding. Next, he installed plumbing and electrical, added insulation and furnished the home with cedar — providing a constant air freshener.
Pfaehler essentially had his hand in every aspect of the home and continues to build additional furniture, like seating that will also double as storage.
“Part of it’s just having built it myself, very intimate knowledge of the space I’m living in. it just feels cool to live in something you’ve built yourself, to understand everything that’s gone into it and how all of it works together.”
Once the home was complete, Pfaehler hooked the home to a pick-up truck and drove it to Elon, parking it in Loy Farm.
To power the home, an extension cord is hooked up to a breaker box on the farm. A hose connects the to the well — which experienced some freezing in the colder month, one of the many bugs Pfaehler needed to work out.
“There’s no sewage right now,” Phaehler said. “The water I use I measure it inside a rain barrel and take it and empty it somewhere else, which isn’t the most fun.”
Continuing with the research component of the project, Pfaehler takes measurements of how much water and electricity he uses each day. For one person, it isn’t much and he finds himself emptying the barrel every two days or so.
The total cost for the project was under $10,000 and he’s essentially living rent-free.
Living large in a small space
Pfaehler had high hopes upon moving into his moveable home.
“At first I was super excited and everything was great,” Pfaehler said. “Then I got slightly annoyed with the cramped space. At night it gets really quiet out here, so every time there’s a noise and those little things startle you.”
In addition to recording his electrical and water usage, Pfaehler keeps a journal to analyze the psychological aspect of living alone, isolated and in a small space.
Strickland believes these journals will be something students study in the future.
“The longest I’ve stayed out there was for about a week,” Pfaehler said. “It was nice. Using that much water and having to empty the tank that much wasn’t the best, it definitely made me aware of how much water I used.”
But for the most part, he finds the experience to be peaceful — other than freaky fog at night.
For him, the transition to the tiny home wasn’t bad. He compares the space to a freshman year dorm room, only with more amenities and a smaller space. Eventually, Pfaehler hope to bring a companion — like a medium-sized dog — to test what it’s like to share the small home.
Though the space is small, Pfaehler has been making use of the area by using built in storage that takes up less room, especially in the kitchen. At Ikea, he purchased wall hangers and built a lazy Susan, to create storage without bulky shelves.
He has also accepted he can’t keep as much as he’s used to.
“Still kind of a constant game, maximizing my space,” he said. “Do I really need this many groceries? How many clothes do I need? Just the experience is fun.”
Courtney Campbell 