Back in December we wrote a blog about our Oliver. This post was really more on the technical side. What is an Oliver? Where is it produced? etc. This post is going to talk a little about "our tiny home."
Tiny homes seem to be the going thing. You turn on HGTV and there are several shows dealing with hunting for a tiny home, designing a tiny home and even one called Tiny Home Luxury. People seem to be wanting to minimize their lives. Get the clutter out. Get down to the basics.
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| Tiny House at FDR State Park Pine Mountain, GA |
Mike and I didn't set out to full-time in our Oliver....not really. We thought about it but we just weren't sure. Was it big enough? Was it built for full-timing? Would we like it as much as our Dutch Star?
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| Our Motorhome parked in Texarkana |
We made the trip to Hohenwald Tennessee in October and talked with the Oliver production company and toured the factory. It was on this tour that we answered the question of whether or not it was built for full-timing. It was....definitely and certainly!! It has a double hull, double pane windows and the tanks are all enclosed and heated through the ducted heat. Now to the question, would it be big enough?
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| Our Oliver in Conecuh National Forest |
That's an interesting question. Is anything big enough? If I have 3 bedrooms couldn't I use 4? If I have a single garage don't I need a double or maybe even 3, you have to have a workshop don't you? I believe that we can use any and all space we are given and then crave more. When we came off the road in 2010 we bought a house.
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| Our Home |
We had a few things that we kept in a storage building but not much in the way of furniture. We filled this house up and were quickly running out of room after living in it for 7 years. Is the Oliver big enough? Probably not and that's the honest answer. But what do we want from our RV? What do we want from our lives at this point?
What do we want from our RV? We hope to have a travel style that will allow us to park in state parks, national parks, national forest, Corp if Engineer parks and BLM land. Notice I did not mention private parks. It's not that we don't like them or would not go there but we want nature, outdoors, photo ops, hiking trails and hopefully a little space. We want to hook up and unhook relatively easy and to travel easily. Our choice is smaller. Because the Oliver is smaller we have to compensate for lack of space such as storage and living space. Designated tubs provide storage and those are housed in the truck bed. Whenever possible we prefer outdoor living and all RVs provide that.
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| Our Oliver at Conecuh National Forest |
If we are choosing to live minimalistic than this should be refreshing huh? Well it took some creative thinking and adjustment time but I think we are getting there. It hasn't always been easy or without issue. The Oliver is a joy and delight to travel in as well as live in.
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| Our Oliver from the factor |
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We ordered Southern Mattresses for each side for better sleeping
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| Our food pantry |
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| Inside of our pantry |
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| We have lighted cabinets for storage all around inside |
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| Our kitchen drawers for storage and they close by themselves |
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| Our microwave and a bit small refrigerator |
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| Inside our closet with hanging space and shelves with bottom floor storage to |
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| Closet door |
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| Our wet bath and it very ample size |
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| Kitchen cabinet with the Magma Stainless steel induction cookware |
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| Our Clam Screen Room for our outdoor living |
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| More outdoor living area on our patio |
What do we want from our lives at this point? That's the easy question!! Since my cancer diagnosis and ensuing treatments we have both come to realize 1. Life is short and 2. What used to seem so important just wasn't. We both just want to live simply and enjoy God's world. To honor Him in all we do. To meet awesome people and make some solid friends along the way.
We think the Oliver will meet our needs beautifully!!! It might be tiny but it's our "home sweet home" and we love it!!
My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
ISAIAH 32:18
You two are inspirational. A little on the crazy side ... But an inspiration nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteIsn't being crazy fun...ha,ha,ha. Seriously, we haven't been too successful finding an apartment, townhouse or condo in this "college" town so we decided when life serves you lemons we'd make some lemonade!! We'll give this a try for a spell and make a few memories along the way!!
DeleteLove your Oliver we do not need a lot of space to live in to enjoy our lives. Ours is a bit bigger than we need but it is ours.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment...as you know there is so much living space on the outside.
DeleteWow, you have sure made the most of that space! I would love those sites but I don't think I could go that small. We were thinking about downsizing at some point to 32ish, and I thought THAT was small. haha
ReplyDeleteBUT the sites you can get into are awesome. So thanks for posting such great pics so I can enjoy them vicariously. :)
Being able to get to the smaller sights without getting stressed is nice. It is so easy to maneuver and get in those small spaces. Thank you for your comments.
DeleteYou clearly have thought the process thru. We have met so many people who have had two or three RV's in that many years because they did not really evaluate theirs needs and wants before just buying what looked good. We travel in a 24 foot motohome and just returned from a 73 day trip and had a great time. Like so many things, size is seldom the problem:))
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, we did consider a lot of things when we made this purchase and being able to put the rv wherever we wanted was a big consideration. I will admit it has been some adjustments to size and conveniences.
DeleteI do find it amazing how we fill up whatever space we have. I'm really making an effort not to do that with our new destination trailer that we leave in AZ. Well, except I am really enjoying our big fridge. That's one thing I have trouble with - I overbuy at the grocery store. Our little 23 foot TT works really good for us for the five or six months we travel. And we seem to adjust quite well to the smaller space. You just need to really really like the person you're sharing that space with.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I do think it is a mind perception of what you think you need, but when you realize you can do it, the rest falls in place. I will admit there has been some adjustments.
DeleteThanks for showing your RV. I recently found your blog and had been looking at the Oliver website. I like your outdoor space. I am sure that makes a huge difference. Having worked in health care for 25 years and seeing to many people's lives change in an instant, that is why we put jobs on hold and traveled full time for 3 years. It was always a dream of mine and I did not want any regrets later. We are off the road now but when we retire,God willing, we will travel again. For now long weekend.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
John, thanks for your comments. i admire you for your decision to take those 3 years and full time. I know you did not regret it and probably helped in getting an even better balance on priorities. Take the weekends you can and enjoy being out in nature camping. Take care...
DeleteYour "home sweet home" is so lovely. I love the Southern Mattresses.
ReplyDeleteI am a realistic and know there is no way I could get my kitchen, clothes or anything down to your size. Glad to see it is doable, but for me...I think not...hehe
Thanks for your comments, and we each have our own comfort spots for our rv's. The Southern Mattress is very comfortable.
DeleteYou guys take care...
You have found peace, joy and happiness...May you continue in your happy ways for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteMarty and Roz, thanks for your comment. We are enjoying a lot.
DeleteYour Oliver looks just right with a nice touch of color added. Ours is about the same size and after looking at "bigger and better", I don't want anything else right now. Thanks for showing us around.
ReplyDeleteMike & Deb, thanks for your comments. Bigger and better is sometimes good, but also has some drawbacks in traveling and getting good campsites in National Parks, etc.
DeleteSince I've followed your blog, you've had many life style changes. You keep rolling with the flow! Good for you in finding the perfect fit. God Bless.
ReplyDeletePhyllis, thanks for your comments and for following our blog. Yes, we have gone through several life changing styles, but so love the rv lifestyle.
DeleteThanks for the tour..Oliver does make a 5 star camper. I'm glad they decided to start up again...and you Guys have done a magnificent job in setting it up, making it your home, and maximizing the space. Thanks for sharing..enjoy the rest of the summer! Horst sends
ReplyDeleteHorst, thanks for your kind words. The Oliver Company does make a first class camper and we have adjusted to it's size and tried to utilize all the space. We hope the rest of the summer finds you and your family doing well.
DeleteTake care...