From Tiny Home Living to more Space: 5 Life Lessons I Learned Expanding Our 400 Sq Ft Tiny House

From Tiny to Home: 5 Life Lessons I Learned Expanding Our 400 Sq Ft Tiny House

A few years ago, we moved into a 400 sq ft tiny home—on purpose.

After a chapter of upheaval—divorce, business pivots, evictions, loss of a business, and more big life changes—I needed simplicity. I didn’t want to manage a big house or fill more rooms with things. I wanted to build a life that felt intentional, aligned, and calm. That little house became our symbol of starting fresh. 

But tiny living is one thing in theory… and something else entirely when life forces your hand. However we did make lemonade out of lemons - throughout the entire process I decided this was a GIFT and a choice. Call me crazy = but it worked. 

We made it work—until we couldn’t anymore.

After a few years, we hit a wall. The kids were getting older. They wanted friends over, space to themselves, a place to hang their clothes that wasn’t a storage bin under a bench. Bedrooms with doors weren’t just a luxury—they were a necessity.

And honestly? It felt kind of crazy to even consider adding on. Who puts an addition on a tiny house? 

Some contractors wouldn’t even take the job. They couldn’t see the vision. But then Ollie from North Kiwi Construction showed up and said, “Let’s do this.” He saw what we saw: a foundation of love and potential—and a family ready to grow with it.

There was also that quiet, motherly pressure—one I think so many moms feel. That inner voice whispering, “They deserve more space. A door to close. Room to stretch.” We weren’t chasing a mansion. We just wanted breathing room.

We added bedrooms. A basement. A second living space. And while we’re still under 1,200 sq ft in the new addition, it feels like a mansion compared to where we started. We still have a lot of work to do - the bathroom, the exterior, the landscaping - but I'm embracing "one dollar, one day at a time". 

The biggest expansion in the experience, it wasn’t in square footage.

It was in perspective. 

Here are 5 things I learned from living tiny—and why those lessons still guide me in every part of life and business.

1. Vision Looks Wild to People Without One

When we first talked about expanding the house, the reactions ranged from “Why would you do that?” to “Wouldn’t it just be easier to move?”. “Just sell the tiny house”.

But when you have a vision—your vision—it doesn’t always make sense to other people. I already have a house – it already had a kitchen and a bathroom.  I just needed more space for the kids to stand up in, for us to play board games, for us to just....breathe without it being on each other and for us to sit in one space and watch a movie. 

 You don’t owe anyone the blueprint. You just need to be willing to test what’s possible. You get to create whatever it is you want. 

2. Growth Doesn’t Mean Abandoning Simplicity

We expanded our square footage, but we didn’t abandon what tiny living taught us.

We still live intentionally. We still prioritize space for what matters. We just gave ourselves room—for our kids to grow, for us to rest, for our family to breathe.

Sometimes growth is less about “more” and more about making space for who you’re becoming.

3. Where You Work Affects How You Work

With the expansion, I made a big decision: I gave up my office space in Golden, British Columbia.  Now, I work from home. Sometimes near the fireplace. Sometimes in my old “master bedroom”—which is now my office. And I love looking out and seeing the beautiful mountain view. Every morning I post an Instagram story with the view - and I wish everyone could come through the screen and see it for themselves. 

I take breaks in the garden. I watch the snow fall. I drink my coffee in silence before calls. I listen to the birds, the bees....and yes it's cheesy but it's true. 

This shift brought me back to the why of my business.

Not for hustle. Not for chasing every trend. But for freedom. For peace.

For integration.

4. I Didn’t Want to Outsource My Life Anymore

There was a point in my entrepreneurial journey where I had outsourced everything: cleaning, cooking, laundry, errands, sales calls, prospect calls, blow outs, nannies, you name it someone was doing it for me. 

I couldn’t even feel my own life anymore.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t want to keep expanding if it meant I had to keep disconnecting.

I craved something grounded. Rooted. Real.

Maybe the word isn’t “homemaker, or even homesteader, or stay at home mom”—but I wanted to be present. 

I wanted to live in a way that let me be in the rhythms of my own home. To cook dinner. To clean my space. To feel my days. I think this is a craving for intentional living. I’m still trying to figure it out ; )

5. Freedom Doesn’t Always Mean Bigger

As an entrepreneur, we’re taught that freedom looks like scaling, stages, clients in every timezone, a full team. And for some, it is.

But what if your freedom looks like this:

• Picking your kids up from school
• Watering your garden mid-morning
• Doing deep, meaningful work from a home you love
• Taking a break because you WANT it not because you’re stressed out 

You define your freedom. And sometimes that means – disconnecting from following the people that are showing you what freedom SHOULD look like. 

For me, the tiny home was a reset. The expansion was a step forward. And the result? A life and business that finally feels like mine again.

You don’t have to choose between impact and intimacy. Between growth and grounding.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do—is define what freedom actually looks like for you.

And then build that. One square foot at a time.