Microhome owner who used Trader Joe’s bags as wallpaper accuses other micro-home owners of ‘selling out’

  • 'Most of the tiny houses out there are mini-McMansions': Portland cabin owner says micro-homes are about creativity not trends

By Joshua Gardner

PUBLISHED: 09:46 EST, 5 January 2014 | UPDATED: 11:23 EST, 5 January 2014

The owner of a Portland, Oregon microhome built of recycled materials is worried other tiny house dwellers are selling out.

Phoenix and her partner's set of two 364-square-foot homes use Trader Joe's bags for wallpaper and tin cans for shingles, but not every micro-home owner is quite as frugal.

'Most of the tiny houses out there are mini-McMansions,' Pheonix says.

Perfectly small: The owner of two Portland micro-homes says the tiny, frugal life is perfect for her family but fears the micro-home trend is losing touch with its roots

Perfectly small: The owner of two Portland micro-homes says the tiny, frugal life is perfect for her family but fears the micro-home trend is losing touch with its roots

'Most of the tiny houses out there are mini-McMansions,' says owner Pheonix as she stands in front of one of her two 364 square foot cottages

'Most of the tiny houses out there are mini-McMansions,' says owner Pheonix as she stands in front of one of her two 364 square foot cottages

Phoenix lives in the set of miniature houses with her 24-year-old son and partner. They've personalized their abode out of found and repurposed goods like old bean sacks and hammered tomato sauce cans from a local pizza shop and she believe that's how things should be.

'This whole [tiny home] movement is about originality and creativity,' Phoenix says in a video by Kirsten Dirksen.

 

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Though short on space, creativity is something the homes do not lack.

Phoenix's partner points out some more architectural quirks, such as the historical context of their porch swing.

'This is huge': Pheonix says she and her son, who lives in one of the two homes, used to live in a 3,500 square foot home in Maryland and hated it. She even thinks her tiny Portland abode is kinda roomy

'This is huge': Pheonix says she and her son, who lives in one of the two homes, used to live in a 3,500 square foot home in Maryland and hated it. She even thinks her tiny Portland abode is kinda roomy

Content: Phoenix hopes to never again require a full-size fridge or other big, modern convenience. She has just two pots to cook with and says it suits her and her family fine

Content: Phoenix hopes to never again require a full-size fridge or other big, modern convenience. She has just two pots to cook with and says it suits her and her family fine


'Mid to late 19th century Dairy Queen,' he jokes. 'It's a Dairy Queen Formica bench.'

The cramped quarters are made surprisingly livable thanks to vaulted ceilings, lots of sun and storage tricks like folding tables and a hideaway wine rack.

Also notable are the window flower box made from a repurposed kitchen stove hood and light sconces made from roof tiles.

'We don't take our architectural pieces too seriously,' says Mr. Phoenix. 'We're after the cute factor.'

The flower box on the home is actually an inverted restaurant stove hood with holes drilled in it. Here, Phoenix stands with her partner as they point out the home's architectural quirks

The flower box on the home is actually an inverted restaurant stove hood with holes drilled in it. Here, Phoenix stands with her partner as they point out the home's architectural quirks

Creature comforts: Mr. Phoenix shows off the hatch to the home's crawlspace where they keep the wine

Creature comforts: Mr. Phoenix shows off the hatch to the home's crawlspace where they keep the wine

Everything tells a story: Inside the home, the walls are covered in old bean sacks and Trader Joe's bags, some of which still have their handles

Everything tells a story: Inside the home, the walls are covered in old bean sacks and Trader Joe's bags, some of which still have their handles

Creative: Here, Phoenix's 24-year-old son draws in the loft he's made into an art studio

Creative: Here, Phoenix's 24-year-old son draws in the loft he's made into an art studio

The home's siding is made of tomato cans recycled from a local pizza shop

The home's siding is made of tomato cans recycled from a local pizza shop

Phoenix says the family used to live in a 3,500 square foot, four bedroom home in Maryland that had seven entrances but it never really felt like home.

Downsizing has given the family a new lease on life, and even though their new haunt is a tenth the size of their old one, they're much happier.

'And this,' says Phoenix, 'is huge.'

Pheonix's home has become a bit of a tourist attraction, but she says she glad to help spread the gospel of the micro-home lifestyle

Pheonix's home has become a bit of a tourist attraction, but she says she glad to help spread the gospel of the micro-home lifestyle

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Each Tiny House owner has their own vision, and decorate it according to their tastes and needs. Looking at her place, she's not in a position to be a Guru to others! Guess she just wanted 5 minutes of fame to escape irrelevancy, and obscurity!

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To many people in this country are living in more house than they can afford. Just because a bank say's you can afford it does not make it so.

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You could try reading the article. While she may not be "married" they refer to her partner "Mr Phoenix", he's even in some pictures, and it clearly states her son lives in the other house

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Each to their own. But this is not for me.

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Wasn't there an article a few days ago claiming that these ppl that live in mini house go crazy after a short while? She does look totes nuts!

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Hatch on the floor? He just showed the world where to find his loot! Surely these folks do not trust banks!

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I hope the son finds a girlfriend with a much bigger place really soon before he develops horrendous back problems. If they dig a basement with nice window-wells for light and fill in with house between the two shacks, they will have a more or less habitable dwelling. Or do they rent out the second shack?

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I think it's a great idea! All of these people who sell their soul to the devil to live in a huge house that most of the space is high ceilings of non usable space. I know. I have cleaned their houses for them. Just heating a house with that much open space would cost a fortune! I would love to be able to build one of these houses myself. I think the challenge to make every inch of it useful would be so much fun!

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Publicity stunt.

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Why doesn't the 24 year old get a micro home of his own and isn't owning two of them the same as admitting that each one is too small by itself? If I had one I would want it done up in style since I am creating so small a footprint in the first place.

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