Colorado Woman Reveals Tiny Home She Bought After Divorce

They say life begins at 40 and 50 is the new 40, right? Well, one woman in Colorado started "a brand new life" following the end of her 18-year-marriage.

Jen Gressett, a 51-year-old freelance graphic designer based on the outskirts of Boulder, got divorced at 47 and was looking for an affordable way to live on her single income in this new chapter of her life.

Gressett told Newsweek: "I needed affordable housing in my affluent community. I loved the idea of a tiny house that I could customize to my needs as well as move anywhere."

The mom decided to design a new "tiny home" for herself after falling in love with "living with less" because it requires less upkeep, "which means loads more time to spend with family and friends and doing things that I love like trail running."

Gressett now lives in a custom-built 500-square-foot mobile home, complete with two lofts, a spacious kitchen, a dining/work space as well as a living room with a fireplace and a full bathroom.

She began planning the layout of the home in January 2020, working with Rob Ross from TRAD Design + Build, before hiring MitchCraft Tiny Homes in May 2020 to build the home, according to Gressett. The graphic designer paid $175,000 for the home, which was delivered to her in January 2021.

Her favorite element of designing her own home was being able to customize it to suit her needs. "And if my kids relocate, I can easily move my house to live close to them. It gave me options that I would not have had in a regular home," she said.

'Dream' Kitchen and 'Crown Jewel' of the Home

Gressett said: "My favorite feature of the home is the amount of natural light that floods in from 14 windows, four skylights [ceiling windows] plus full glass French doors."

Her "dream" kitchen is the biggest part of her tiny house, with quartz countertops offering a food prep space of nearly seven feet (81 inches), she explained in a video tour of her home on her YouTube channel @trailheadtiny.

The kitchen boasts several storage areas, from glass front cabinets and multiple cupboards with drawers that slide out to other spaces for storing larger appliances like a convection oven, microwave oven, food processor and a grill. Her round dining table, which forms part of the kitchen counter, also serves as a workspace, with a printer hidden in a side cabinet.

But the "crown jewel" of her home is the bathroom, featuring a "trough tub," made from a water trough, which costs "a fraction" of the price of a standard bathtub, she noted. Gressett said the trough bathtub fit well physically in the bathroom space as well as aesthetically with the home's farmhouse aesthetic.

The bathroom also has a waterless composting toilet, which leaves no smell and makes it easier to find a parking space for the home because a sewage system is not required, she noted. The bathroom features a large countertop with a mirrored cabinet, a built-in dresser with multiple deep drawers holding most of her clothing and a washer/dryer machine.

Each of her two loft spaces comes with a skylight ceiling window, giving it a spacious feel and allowing tons of natural light into the area. The primary loft comes with a king-size bed and hanging closet and a privacy wall with several shelves for extra storage space.

The secondary loft, which was used by her daughter but also serves as a guest room, comes with similar features and currently has a queen-size bed but can easily fit a king-size one, she said. The stairs leading up to each loft also feature plenty more storage space.

Her cozy living room space has a full-sized sofa with a retractable foot rest, a 50-inch television and an electric fireplace as well a hanging chair that can be stored away. The home also has exterior storage space, holding her seasonal water hose as well as other larger equipment, from camping gear and skis to other random items.

Gressett said the biggest challenge of living in her new tiny home has been the winter season. "I have a heated hose which doesn't always stand up to Colorado winter conditions. I learn something new every year that helps keep the water running and the house warm all winter," she said.

'100 Percent Unplanned and Unpredicted'

In a video post on her Instagram account @trailheadtiny, Gressett wrote: "This part of my life was 100 percent unplanned and unpredicted, but I love the tiny house life i've created...it's never too late to start a brand new life."

Several users on Instagram were inspired and impressed by Gressett's story and new home.

User debbiemartinrealtor said: "Never too late!! Kudos to you and your lovely little home. The older we get the more we realize how little we need to be happy."

User midwifelinda22 wrote: "Yes love this !!! Less is so much better and allows you to live life..."

User belovedcremationjewellery said: "Oh how beautiful that house is! Its my dream to do the same when my kids have left home..bit of land and some animals..tiny living. Xx"

User fernanda_chefchow noted: "At 49, I ended my marriage of 27 years. Now I'm ready to start living for me. You are such an inspiration."

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