The Tiny House In The Garage – An Artist’s Practical Vision

by Paul Ciocoiu · February 29, 2016

There is nothing standing in the way of a man’s creativity and imagination when it comes to finding the dream home. Not even a 23 square meter humble looking garage, for many of us the last option to tick in a list of possible modern and functional homes. But this is not what a visual artist living in the American city of Seattle thought when seeing more than we could perceive in an old structure, namely the potential to convert the garage into a small, yet energy-full home. The tiny house in the garage tells the story of an artistic vision and a practical sense as well that both went beyond the limit the vast majority tacitly approves.

Michelle de la Vega paid about 32,000 USD to turn the old wood garage into a welcoming home, full of color and vitality. The space now includes a sleeping loft, a bathroom, and a wood-burning stove, as well as furniture pieces that were either custom-built or salvaged, refurbished, and repurposed by de la Vega herself.

The tiny house in the garage – before and after

The story of the garage-turned-home started when the artist sought to generate a steady income, so she decided to rent out the main house and turn the squat, diminutive garage into her home. And rather than hiring someone else to supervise the renovation, she was the general contractor, according to New York Times.

The new home keeps most of the original structure of the old garage, except for a few changes required to accommodate the sleeping loft. The stove is only one example of an old fixture Ms. de la Vega rescued from obscurity, the source adds. The neighborhood where the home lies is south of the city, near the area’s steel mills, shipyards and Sea-Tac Airport, so it offers access to a number of salvage yards, including Pacific Industrial Supply, Boeing Surplus and Second Use, all of which she scoured for appropriate additions to her house.

The metal ladder leading to her sleeping loft, for instance, was once on a ship, the tall silver lockers that are closets are from a United Airlines maintenance building. All these exude an original and authentic feel that makes the 23 square meters seem larger than the physical limits actually allow.