Until recently, one Arkansas family had been living well in a spacious 2,000 sq. ft. home. But after realizing that they were paying a mortgage for a house they didn’t fully utilize, they decided to downsize… significantly.

They looked into the idea of buying a mobile home but were put off by price tags of around $50,000. Then they stumbled on a Craigslist ad for a builder who could make them a custom-built castle for only $20,000.

The end result is a shrinky-dink version of an old shotgun-style home, with all the rooms laid out end-to-end. The family’s son sleeps in a loft above the hallway.

In the kitchen, there is a dining table and the appliances — including washer and drier — are full-size. There is even a fold-out couch in the living room in case guests want to stay the night.

“We just wanted a simple life and this helped contribute to that peaceful feeling. Not always rushing to make payments on a gigantic home,” says the mom.

In the video below, which contains an awful lot of detail on such a small building, she says that the tiny home has helped the family in more ways than just its bank account.

“You’re constantly in each other’s faces and it forces you to interact and even be more pleasant,” she explains. “We say thank you, excuse me.”

Family ditches mortgage for 320-square-foot home [NY Daily News]

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