Take a Tour: An Oregon Tiny House With Charm to Spare

When Katherine Liljegren purchased the property her 160-square-foot tiny house now sits on, she knew she'd stumbled upon something special. The lush plot of land — only a 22-minute drive from downtown Portland and less than a mile away from the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area — boasts a vibrant shade of green you'll only find in the Pacific Northwest. “I knew I wanted to share it with fellow travel and adventure lovers,” says Kat, who resides in a standard-sized home on the plot. She reached out to her friend, Logan Sullivan, who was in the process of building a tiny home, and together they thoughtfully created Sandy River Tiny, a small and sustainable base camp (complete with a compostable toilet) fit for any adventurer — and available to rent on Airbnb.

With absolutely no building experience, Logan tapped into the world of online blogs and YouTube tutorials to craft the tiny home from scratch, using mostly salvaged materials (such as the colorful wood siding, which he found at Portland Rebuilding Center). “I have no regrets but, wow, custom cutting every piece of the siding was a little adventure of blood, sweat and tears that took about 10 times as long as the blogs said to budget for installing basic siding,” Logan says. His favorite part of the home is the log cabin side of the exterior, which he reveals, “a lot of people [said] wouldn’t work.” Inside, Logan finished off the ceiling with leftover siding wood, pieces of the home's original flooring and scraps from local salvage stores. In fact, Logan even built a used shelf from Portland's famous Powell's Bookstore into the home. The rest of the interior was finished by Portland-based craftsman Chris Froman.

Perhaps the best part of staying at the tiny house is sharing the yard with Kat’s goldendoodle Watson, who always greets guests with an extra-furry hello.

Step inside the tiny house, and you’ll see a tiny kitchen to your left. Kat used functional, space-saving furnishings throughout the entire home, but the kitchen boasts some pretty creative tricks — including a mini mounted dish rack and a rail (from Ikea) perfect for hanging utensils. Open shelving occupies the wall above the sink and provides a spot to store dishes, cups and mugs without blocking light or taking up space on the raw wooden countertop. “I combed the thrift stores for pint glasses from local breweries to reinforce the Pacific Northwest vibe,” says Kat. “And there are plastic wine glasses, in addition to glass ones, in case you want to take a bottle outside to the fire pit or hot tub.”