“We live mortgage-free on our island of tiny homes”

Living large in a tiny private paradise

Imagine waking up every day in a cute cabin on your very own private island in the middle of a beautiful lake. Now imagine that it costs less than your average family home.

This is the story of how an enterprising young couple opted out of the traditional route to homeownership to take on a rundown piece of land in Florida and transform it into a tiny living oasis.

Read on to discover their remarkable journey and take a tour of the island, which is open to the public...

Thinking differently

For many first-time buyers, getting a foot on the property ladder is a daunting – and expensive – process. Instead of committing to decades of mortgage payments and hefty household bills, first-time buyers Tim Davidson and Sam Cosner decided to downsize to achieve their dreams of homeownership.

Their incredible adventure took them from fitting out their first tiny home to building a private tiny house island off the west coast of Florida.

Where it all started

Back in 2017, Sam and Tim began house-hunting for their first home together in Florida. "Sam’s lease was up and I was ready to buy and wanted to invest in something," Tim explains.

While they were aware of tiny houses before, they'd never really considered them a practical option. But as he did the maths, Tim realised that living tiny made real financial sense, while the pair were drawn in by the promise of a simpler, more meaningful lifestyle.

An unexpected find

They stumbled upon Tiffany, their first tiny home together, in an unlikely place: Craigslist. At first, Tim was incredulous: "It’s a beautiful house and I was looking on Craigslist thinking this has to be a scam or something”.

Built by Adam from A New Beginning Tiny Homes, the couple purchased the immaculate 270-square-foot (25sqm) tiny house on wheels for $72,000 (£55.3k).

Architectural masterpiece

Named after legendary stained-glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, the tiny home's design is based on a 1920s Craftsman-style bungalow. The iconic artist's influence is clear to see, from the exquisite coloured glass windows to the wall sconces, light fixtures and intricate woodwork.

"With the stained glass, when the light comes in in the morning it casts a shadow of light across the ceiling and it’s pretty crazy,” adds Tim.

Decisive downsizing

Remarkably, Tim and Sam moved into Tiffany with just four boxes of belongings. While letting go of sentimental items was hard, Tim digitised cherished photographs and bought a digital picture frame. "I actually see them more now than I did before,” he confesses.

In a bid to downsize their wardrobes before the move, they turned all of their clothes hanger hooks in the same direction. When they wore items and washed them, the hooks were turned in the opposite direction. After 90 days, any clothes that remained unturned were given a new home.

Purrfecting the design

While Tiffany came beautifully fitted out, Tim and Sam made a couple of functional changes when they moved in, including creating a built-in litterbox under the stairs for Oliver, their cat.

Tim says the tiny home's decorative touches turned out to be a big hit with their feline family member: “There are wooden beams in Tiffany so he can climb up high and scope everything out.”

Cosy kitchen

Nestled by the entrance, the home's kitchen has been carefully planned out, with enough room to fit a fridge-freezer, propane stove and deep farmhouse-style sink. Tiffany pendant lights hang over the workspace, while a large energy-efficient window allows light to pour into the petite property.

When it comes to amenities, a compact combined washer-dyer proved to be one of Sam and Tim's star buys, saving them both space and time when laundry day rolls around.

Bijou bathroom

Situated at the rear of the tiny house, what the bathroom lacks in size, it more than makes up for in style. Lined with tumbled Italian marble tiles, the walk-in rainfall shower takes centre stage, while nifty design details like the corner vanity make the best use of the available space.

Indulgent extras

One of Sam's favourite features in the small bathroom is the magnificent Japanese-style soaking tub made from salvaged wood.

"It was originally an old telephone pole, so it was cut into blocks and glued and then a polyurethane coat was added,” says Tim. When it's not in use, the beautiful tub can be slotted over the toilet to free up floor space.

Secret storage

In a pocket-sized property, utilising every available inch is essential, especially the redundant spaces that are often taken for granted in traditional homes.

Tiffany's most ingenious storage hack has to be the built-in drawers underneath the stair treads – home to Tim's clothes. As well as Oliver's enclosed litter box, the staircase also conceals the hot water tank and a cubby hole for storing toothbrushes and toiletries.

Beautiful loft bedroom

On the tiny home's upper level, a handy storage loft or guest space sits over the kitchen, while opposite at the rear of the property is the master loft – Tim and Sam's bedroom.

Remarkably, the snug area comfortably accommodates a queen-sized bed, flanked by two beautiful Tiffany-style sconces on either side. A creative addition, the deep, custom headboard is actually home to handy storage cupboards that help keep clutter at bay.

Upping sticks

Sitting on a Tumbleweed 24-foot-long (7.3m) trailer, Tim and Sam pitched Tiffany up at a campground by Florida's Tampa Bay, a spot they called home sweet home for over a year.

“The idea of her being on wheels gives us so much more flexibility – if jobs change I can just haul her up to a different location,” says Tim. This proved especially useful when the pair made their next real estate purchase...

A promising parcel

Scrolling through Zillow, Sam and Tim came across an intriguing investment prospect: a 1.5-acre (0.6ha) island for sale in Sarasota, Florida, which had been on the market for two years. With no utilities in place, the same family had owned the isle since 1918 and it had become a dumping ground for contractors' surplus materials.

In search of a more permanent spot to call home, Tim paid the owner a visit, negotiating the price down and securing the island for $200,000 (£154k) in 2018.

Diamond in the rough

Nestled in the middle of a 12-acre (4.8ha) lake, only a few rundown storage buildings stood on the property, now known as Shellmate Island. But with its idyllic surroundings and bountiful fruit trees, the location, pictured here after the overhaul, was undoubtedly special. “It took a lot of work – it was rusty gold – so you take the rust off and you’ve got gold,” Tim explains.

A learning curve

With Tiffany still at the old campground, the couple started construction work on the island and embarked on what would be their second tiny home – this time built from scratch on a foundation.

However, after a brush with a bad general contractor, Tim was forced to learn the ropes himself, from construction basics to planning codes and regulations, to ensure the work was up to par. Luckily, the Sarasota County planning department proved to be an invaluable resource in helping him navigate the process.

Small but mighty

Designed by Deltec Homes, known for their hurricane-enduring houses, the octagonal shell cost between $30,000 (£23k) and $40,000 (£31k).

“We got the shell and we customised the layout – we’re actually Deltec’s first tiny house dwellers in this size model. Lots of people use them for studios and sheds, but we’re the first people to live in one... arguably it could be the strongest tiny home ever built because of its design,” says Tim.

Low running costs

Measuring 320 square feet (30sqm), the couple say the Shellmate Island tiny home feels significantly larger than the 270-square-foot (25sqm) Tiffany. The stylish, airy interior is easy on the eye and even easier on the pocket.

The Deltec house costs $30 (£23) a month in electricity, much lower than the US average of $138 (£106), as reported by the US Energy Information Administration at the end of 2023. In the future, Sam and Tim have plans to add a battery pack to the house to enable the whole property to run off electricity.

Space to stretch out

Featuring mint green cupboards, butcher's block countertops and stylish white tiling, the colourful kitchen is a real change from Tiffany's snug culinary corner. The peninsula island can even be folded down to open up the zone when needed. "It being an octagon, we're able to utilise the space way better than a square, so we have more counter space and cabinets," Tim adds.

Turning to Craigslist again, the thrifty pair even managed to source a second-hand Whirlpool fridge, worth $500 (£384), for a mere $100 (£77) – bargain!

Smart lighting system

A wholesale lighting rep, Tim's favourite feature in the new tiny house is the adaptable lights set into the wooden beams overhead: "I have about seven million different colour options to choose from. The cool part is that I can choose different Kelvin (colour) temperatures, whether it’s a warm light or a very white light. I can have that change throughout the day to match the natural colour of the sun outside, which helps with sleep patterns and energy levels.”

Welcome privacy

One of the biggest changes for Sam and Tim in the Shellmate Island tiny house is the partition wall and the sliding pocket door between the living room and their sleeping space. With the loft in Tiffany open to the living areas, having a solid separation between the rooms was a big deal. “I can go in the bedroom and close the door and it's private,” says Tim.

Bright and airy bedroom

Featuring a large picture window framing views across the island, the couple's bedroom feels bright and spacious. While it was important to pack storage into every redundant void in Tiffany, the new tiny home didn't require the same space-saving solutions – all of Tim and Sam's clothes fit under the queen-sized storage bed.

Second-hand steals

The modern bathroom is home to yet more thrifty finds, from a high-end toilet, complete with wave-activated flush, bagged for free from Craigslist, to the $15 (£12) mirrored door, worth $300 (£231), picked up from the charity store Habitat for Humanity.

“We had a leftover butcher's block countertop from the kitchen, so I was able to take a scrap of that and create a counter space on top of the washer-dryer so you can fold clothes and whatnot,” Tim adds.

Intricate tiling

Dealing with an octagonal structure did have its challenges though. As the shower was an unusual shape, the pair couldn't just put a standard insert into the space, leading Tim to tackle the project himself: “I did all the tile work – that was a good learning experience. Everyone says it looks good but I know where all the mistakes are!”

Living tiny during lockdown

Before lockdown hit Florida, Sam worked from home in her role as a personal trainer and health coach, however, when restrictions were brought in, Tim too found himself working in their tiny house. "I sit on the couch and work at the coffee table, Sam works in the bedroom with a foldable table,” Tim explained when he spoke to loveMONEY back in 2020.

For the most part, they count themselves lucky to have had their own private paradise amid the pandemic, though with fewer trips out for groceries, storing food for longer periods was initially a struggle.

Island renovations

When they purchased the property, Shellmate Island was home to a rundown storage shed and a dilapidated boat port. After completing their new tiny house and moving Tiffany to the island in June 2020, Tim and Sam decided it was time to give the rickety port a facelift.

“I figured out how to add structural support to it, sealed the roof, painted it, added a door and a couple of beams, added siding and mosquito nets," says Tim. Given a new lease of life, it's now a stylish outdoor living area for the couple and their friends and family – talk about a bargain backyard makeover!

Outdoor living space

Inside, the renovated boat port is the perfect hangout spot, home to two hammocks, armchairs, a couch, a cooler, fairy lights and even a giant Jenga.

Hosting guests in a tiny home can be a squeeze, so this extra outside area has made a real difference, says Tim: “It allows us to have a nice outdoor living space where we can entertain.”

Fruits of their labour

As well as the tiny homes, the island is bountiful with natural resources. There's an array of tasty fruit trees, including mango, avocado, lychee, fig, mulberry and banana trees and even pineapple plants. Unfortunately, Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024 damaged some of the trees, which are expected to take years to recover.

Despite challenging weather events, the couple is trying hard to make the island as self-sufficient as possible and they've even installed an aeroponics tower to grow fresh fruit and vegetables. Ingeniously, the system will save 90% more water than traditional cultivation methods.

Opening up the island

For anyone looking to live out their own paradise island dream, Shellmate Island is open to the public for short stays and Tim has launched a direct booking website.

The pocket-sized homes share the island's beautiful backyard, as well as benefitting from access to a firepit, barbeque, free bikes, kayaks and beach gear, guaranteeing guests a fun-filled stay.

Financial freedom

Reflecting on their journey, their unusual road to homeownership proved a great move for Tim and Sam financially. Impressively, Tiffany's mortgage was paid off in 2020 – only three years after it was taken out.

“We built this lifestyle to have financial freedom and less stress and anxiety and to focus on the right things," says Tim. The pair have since started a consulting business to help other aspiring tiny home dwellers navigate their own projects.

The future is tiny

With the financial and emotional freedom that tiny living offers, Tim and Sam can't see themselves trading their island for a traditional home anytime soon. As for the future, they're mulling over the options.

"Right now we’re enjoying it – it’s a cool experiment but it’s definitely not going to stagnate,” Tim says.