My name is Nancy Loehr and my husband, Don, and I reside in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have a small cabin that initially started as a shed, which over time turned into a comfortable lodging for our friends and family when they visited us. Now, we have listed it on Airbnb for people who are looking for a serene and peaceful place to stay amidst the beauty of the UP. We call it Hideaway Tiny Cabin, and it is a 320-square-foot studio apartment-style dwelling located on 8 acres of our property.
We refer to our little slice of heaven as Hideaway Tiny Acres. The name ‘Hideaway’ was suggested by most visitors who appreciated the peacefulness and secluded location of our property, even though we are only 5 miles east of the town of Curtis. The ‘Tiny’ part of the name signifies the self-sufficient homestead we are building, where we grow vegetables, herbs, fruit, and native wildflowers. The ‘Acres’ refer to the 8-acre land that we have. Though some people may consider 8 acres a small piece of land, we are working on developing it into a self-sufficient, efficient property with a ‘repurpose with purpose’ mindset. Our focus is to use and reuse what we have, minimizing the purchase of new items.
For us, keeping everything tiny means it is manageable. We are retired from our career jobs and are setting ourselves up so that things run as efficiently and simply as possible. As we grow older, we will have our processes (garden/food plots, rentals, educating others, gift shop) set up and running. We hope that our creations will inspire others to do the same, regardless of their age or background.
Currently, Hideaway Tiny Acres consists of our home, the Hideaway Tiny Cabin, a vegetable garden, an apple orchard, wild blackberries, a garage, a few outbuildings, an outdoor wood boiler, and a sawmill that Don built. Yes, he built every structure on this property! In the future, we plan to add a trailer pad where people can bring their travel trailer or motorhome. We also plan on building another tiny cabin for our guests to enjoy, along with a pavilion and fireplace. Guests are free to walk the property and enjoy the apple and blackberry harvest in the late summer and fall. There’s space in front of the cabin to enjoy outdoor games like horseshoes and corn hole.
We intend to keep you updated through this blog on the progress of our tiny acres and highlights of what’s happening in town and the surrounding area. Did I mention that we are within an hour of some of the best sightseeing and activities in the UP?
We are constantly working on enhancing the space in our cabin, making it as efficient and enjoyable as possible for our guests. If you’ve ever been curious about staying in a tiny dwelling, here’s your chance. For more details about the cabin and our calendar, click the link!
airbnb.com/h/hideawaytinycabin
More later,
Nancy and Don