Can you fit a large family in a tiny house and still be organized? Let me share with you some of my tips for making it work.
For the first half of our married life we lived and homeschooled in a nice home in St Louis City. We were in a great area and liked all our neighbors, but we longed for land that our kids could explore and enjoy. After much searching the Lord led us to a foreclosed property that was just what we had hoped for…except for the fact that it did not have a livable home.
On the property was a mold-filled house with a damaged roof and unstable foundation, and several outbuildings. One of those was a workshop with a poured concrete floor and attached lean to for parking farm vehicles. My husband is a visionary man and suggested what seemed impossible at the time: turning this space into a home for our family to live in. This would enable us to move onto the property quickly and inexpensively.
Today we are living out that vision as a family of 10. We finished out the workshop space to perfectly fit our needs and made use of every bit of its 575 square feet for over five years.
Last year we added on a 12×12 bedroom and big front porch. Now the girls have the upstairs loft space to themselves, the boys have the bunk room, and the babies are in the new bedroom with Jason and me. It’s amazing how much that one room addition changed the feel of our house!
Last year I posted a home tour video. This was before our bedroom addition but it shows how we function in a small house with a large family, and shares many of my organization tips. You can watch it here:
You are a beautiful lady, have a beautiful home and a gorgeous family! You are truly blessed! Thank you for sharing your home and life! I grew up in a well-off family of 4 kids, with everything tangible I could possibly want, but as the only girl, I was often lonely and isolated. The love in your family is palpable and I adore that for you all! ❤️ Blessings and love to you all!
Thanks for your encouragement Katie. It was a blessing for me to read!
Hi Julie
I’m a homeschooling mom in South Africa . I’ve recently found your YouTube channel, and have been so encouraged by you, because you have so many children and you doing it with joy!. We have 6 children, and still growing LORD willing, but I was in need of encouragement….sometimes I just need to see other moms doing it to!, I have no like minded women around me, so it gets hard at times. I’ve recently started blogging, to share what the Father has done in my life, but also as a reminder to myself that I can do this……anyway!
I was happy to see that you have a blog as well, because I enjoy reading. I liked this post, as we are on the verge of moving into a much smaller home to, on a raw piece of land. I’m nervous about the small space, but I see it can be done.
Blessings to you and your family.
Thank you for reaching out here! It is a hard thing not to have a community of like-minded people around you. That is actually what got me started online years ago. At the time we didn’t have the friendships we have now, but when I discovered blogs I was so encouraged!
It sounds like you have quite an adventure ahead of you. There will be so many natural opportunities for your kids to freely learn! It is both scary and exciting, I’m sure. But it is always worth following where the Lord leads you!