Oh my, is it really already 1 year since we moved into the Tiny House?
Time is just flying!

So let’s rewind a bit. Was it actually my dream to live in a tiny house? Hmm… not really.
What was definitely my dream? Living in Portugal.
In nature, somewhere remote but still close to a little village. With a dog, an outdoor life, simplicity, peace. So far, so good 🙂

In the past, every time I saw tiny houses online, I did totally crush on them though.
They looked so dreamy, cozy, like you’re on holiday every day.
But actually ending up living in one? That never really crossed my mind.

My original dream was to buy a real house. A small one, simple, but with bricks.
I saved for it for so long and was already checking houses like 10 years ago. But too bad…the price of houses in Portugal skyrocketed. Completely out of reach for me.

For a while, I rented a super nice apartment. But I needed more space for my highly energetic dog.
And to be honest, rent in general just felt unreasonably expensive too.
It didn’t make sense anymore.

So… it was time to look at other options. That’s how we ended up with the idea of a Tiny House. I bought a piece of land and spent months and months checking and comparing tiny houses online.
Eventually I found one in Peniche, and five months later it was scheduled for delivery.

Tiny detail… the lease on my apartment had already ended. So we started our “Tiny Living” journey…in a tent. On a raw, untamed piece of land. In the middle of a Summer that was more humid and windier then ever.

Hello, dust storms and moist-dust-soaked mattress. Hello, spooky sounds and sleepless nights. Hello, dog with panic attacks. 😅

You can imagine how beyond thrilled I was when the Tiny House finally rolled in.

And so the next twist in life began. Right in the middle of nature, surrounded by hills, and still close to a little village. Just like I’d wished for.

But the beginning wasn’t easy at all.

The wind blew straight through. Dust flew in the house from every direction. A day later, the entire inside and outside house was already covered in layers of dust.
There was no electricity. No water.
Everything had to be set up from scratch.

I can’t thank my partner enough: even in the middle of his busiest work season, he somehow made time to help with it all.

It took 6 weeks before we finally had electricity through solar panels. And let me tell you: you really start to appreciate the little things.

I literally cried when the lights came on.
The fridge started humming.
There was warm water in the shower.
And in that moment, I knew: we could finally start making this a home.

And a home it is, for sure.

A local carpenter built us a beautiful wooden deck, which turned out to be the perfect in-between zone: for wet dogs, dirty shoes, …or basically just one wet, dirty dog 🙂.

The first winter was difficult: Storms, crazy wind, shaky nights. Struggling with my health and my personal life. Honestly, I was exhausted. Physically and mentally. But… it was also extremely cozy. Watching the world through the big windows from this safe little box, was so soothing. It was so good to turn inward, to slow down. The fireplace made the camping vibe complete. We spent the evenings with the sound of storms, puzzles, red wine and candlelight. 

That winter taught me to find comfort in chaos. To be still, even when the wind howled.
It cracked me open, but also helped me rebuild. Quietly. Gently. One slow evening at a time.

So let’s continue about the Tiny House. The interior? Well, the living room went through about a thousand metamorphoses.
First there was the sofa. Then came the poufs. Then a desk.
We tried sleeping in both the upper lofts (which is soooo cosy!), but eventually, because of my back injury, I gave up. The low ceilings were just too much. So the bed moved downstairs. Yep. In the end, no more living room at all. Haha.

I bought a super nice, fancy boxspring bed (that takes up the whole living room 🙂 ), and honestly? It’s amazing.
I finally sleep like a baby again, my back is healing, and it’s now the coziest little nook to read books or write blog posts like this one 😊.

So now, one year later?

No, it’s not the dream I originally had in mind. But I love it.
And maybe… it was exactly what I needed.

More quiet. More nature. More freedom.
And above all: so much more appreciation for the simple things.

To be continued. 💛

Curious how the house looks now: with the bed downstairs and all those tiny transformations?
Head over to my Instagram for more tiny house vibes, behind-the-scenes moments, and daily life in the hills of Portugal.
👉 @gosto_blog 💛