This Ph.D. Student Tiny House Makes the Most of Book Space

The only interior door is the bathroom door, which leads to a large bathroom with a full-size tub, a sink and vanity area, and a compost toilet that separates between liquids and solids, which is easy to empty.

The two doors—front and back—allow for a cool cross breeze during the warm North Carolina summer days. The kitchen has ample storage space, but even then, Emilio and Krysten have significantly downsized their kitchen equipment, and ask guests to bring their own forks when they come over. 

For Krysten, the downside of this student tiny house is that there is no oven and she likes to bake. However, the home is part of a tiny home community equipped with a main building that has an oven and Krysten goes there to bake sometimes.

A major benefit of living in a tiny home in North Carolina is being surrounded by nature. Emilio feels that the cicada song echoes the love he feels for his wife and loves that he can hear that song right outside their windows. 

The couple often eats their meals outside. The countertop overlooking the patch of grass that is full of banjo frogs in the spring serves as part dining table, part kitchen counter, and part desk; Emilio wrote most of his dissertation in that spot. The couple also loves their tiny home plants and cacti, which bring the feeling of nature into the house.

Student tiny house

Together, this newlywed couple is showing that a student tiny house can be a good choice for people in graduate school, as well as a romantic choice for couples who are looking to build a new life together.

For more tiny home stories, learn how this stacked shipping container home became a physical therapy tool or the essential things you need for a tiny house with a new baby.

To see more videos, check out the Tiny House Expedition YouTube channel.