I live in a tiny home mansion and fell in love with it — it's the only way I could afford to live in California

• The tiny-home lifestyle became appealing to Stacey Murphy after she attended an online course.
• She moved to California to live in what she calls a "tiny mansion" and has no regrets.
• The home's small size meant she could afford to customize it with luxury upgrades.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Stacey Murphy, a 55-year-old relationship coach originally from Brooklyn, New York. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When my 26-year-old daughter told me she was interested in the tiny-home lifestyle, I had to take a look at it as a concerned mom. I wanted to make sure she and her husband, both environmentalists, knew what they were getting into.

I didn't expect to fall in love with tiny-home life myself — or use it to afford moving from Florida to California.

Tiny homes were a mystery to me, so I jumped into learning

As a practical minimalist who tries to keep only what is necessary, the idea of a tiny home was appealing to me, but there was so much I didn't know. That's where GoTinyAcademy came in, a course I learned about through a global tiny-house conference that I decided to take to best prepare myself for the lifestyle.

When I took the class in 2020, it was $250 for a 12-week Zoom course. I and four other "students" — all of us women — would meet for about 90 minutes a week. Women are the leading buyers of tiny homes — maybe because it's more financially viable, or maybe because they're transitioning into different stages of their lives, such as becoming an empty nester as I was or starting over after a divorce.

Our teacher, Lindsay Wood — who is @tinyhomelady on Instagram — walked us through every detail of tiny homes: The pros and cons, the cost, how to choose a builder, and how to design your space. You must be intentional when designing a tiny house because of the smaller square footage — most are 600 square feet or less — and it makes you drill down to what you need.

I never thought I would end up learning so much about toilets, electrical systems, solar panels, and molding, but I did. One of the best tips I got was to take my time interviewing builders to make sure I found one who really understood my vision.

I'd been living in Florida, but things had started to feel stagnant, and the pandemic felt like a chance to shake things up.

I'm a relationship and life-design coach who works from home, and before I settled on a place to live, I'd traveled as a digital nomad — I wanted to make sure I ended up in the right place for me.

My tiny mansion allowed me to move to an expensive area

Once I decided to make the leap to tiny-home life, I began an exhaustive search for a builder. It took a few months, but the long process paid off.

When all was said and done, my house cost about $150,000 — money I'd saved up from investing aggressively. The builder completed about 60% of the home, and I finished the final 40% using a general contractor, trade specialists, and my own customization. I bought home-improvement materials and major appliances at Lowe's; flooring and butcher block from LL Flooring; lighting, wallpaper, and kitchen hardware at Wayfair; cabinet hardware and specialty decor on Etsy, and other miscellaneous items on Amazon.

I now live in Ramona, California, about 45 minutes from downtown San Diego, in what I call my "tiny mansion." It's 550 total square feet, and I'm part of a tiny-home community with a mix of tiny homes on wheels, park models, and manufactured homes. I love the vibe here, the nature, and the lifestyle — the home makes me more financially and environmentally conscious, with a smaller footprint.

I'm not sure I would've been able to afford living in California otherwise — this is an area with expensive real estate. I can now afford luxuries for my tiny home — such as a metal roof, higher-end appliances, and a full-house water-filtration system — that would otherwise be out of reach.

I'm also shocked that several things are cheaper in California than they were in Florida — grocery shopping is one of them.

I have no regrets about my choice to build a tiny home

Some people might find the small size daunting, but I love it. I love being surrounded by only the things I love and nothing frivolous. I love the tiny-home community and how everyone has a similar mindset. We have such a strong sense of community and it's lovely to spend time with people who value the same things as you.

Of course, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. I'm having a hard time with cell reception in my tiny mansion, but that will work out.

But overall, tiny-home life has really surpassed my expectations. It turns out people don't need as much space as they think they do — honestly, you'd be surprised.

Even though my daughter is the one that got me interested in the tiny-home lifestyle, she doesn't live in one yet. She might later, but it's me who really took the concept and ran with it.