Paul and Bekah Dreisbach had a big dream about moving out west and living in a tiny house, and they didn’t have to look far to make it happen.

What they did not plan for was that their story would be documented by HGTV for the series “Tiny House, Big Living.”

Representatives of the show caught wind of the Dreisbach’s plan nearly a year ago through the couple’s Instagram account and a blog at tinylittlelife.com,   and were able to document the construction steps and the entire experience from the couple’s perspective.

The show is currently being broadcast  on DIY and will soon featured on HGTV.

The couple had decided to move to Portland, Ore., to be closer to family and away from the wintery conditions of Winona Lake. They turned to Daniel Schlatter who built a home for Bekah’s parents about 10 years ago.

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Schlatter is owner of Inglenook LLC, a design and construction management company. He’s developed a niche by designing “nook homes,” with square footage ranging from 800 to 1,200 that can fit into some of Winona Lake’s compressed neighborhoods.

He once designed a home on Mineral Springs Avenue that was about 500 square feet. At the time he was designing the Deisbach’s tiny house, he was also designing a nine-bedroom home on Lake Wawasee.

He said smaller house designs are more challenging.

“To do a small house that people love because it feels right is a much more difficult and creative effort,” Schlatter said.

Time To Move

Philosophically, the Dreisbachs were  drawn to the idea of living simply in a tiny house after having lived overseas and seen how people can be happy with minimal material items.

Realistically, they believed constructing a tiny house would help them escape the high cost of housing that is rampant in Portland.

They both attended Grace College and married several years ago. Bekah is a photographer and Paul oversees business development with MudLOVE, a company he continues to work for remotely.

To prepare for the downsized lifestyle,   the couple purged many of their possessions to get to a point where everything they own could be stored in the future home or their vehicles.

Schlatter’s design uses several techniques that helped get the most out of the  home’s 240 square feet of interior space.

“The way Dan designed it, we were blown away at the storage space he was able to integrate through the design. We have plenty of space for everything,” said Paul Dreisbach, 32.

A wall of cabinets provide ample storage. The sleeping area is in a loft accessed by a series of steps that double as storage compartments.

Numerous vertical windows give it a more open feel from inside.

The most striking feature is a rooftop  deck  that encompasses the entire roof and includes patio furniture and a sturdy cable railing system around the perimeter.

The show highlighted the railing system, which Schlatter designed and markets.

A four-corner hammock designed by Schlatter and made by Bekah stretches above the kitchen area.

With a sense of uncertainty, the couple crawled onto the hammock in one of the scenes in the show, putting to rest whether it could support two people.

Another aspect highlighted by the show was an exterior slide-out storage area for bicycles.

Schlatter was featured in scenes in which they applied a first-of-its-kind stucco-like product to the exterior.

Construction and Filming

The project began last year when Schlatter began working on the design. Once they knew the size, he had a custom trailer for the home constructed in Nappanee.

He framed up the house and did other preliminary work, but much of the construction was completed by the Dreisbachs and their friends.

Paul owns a woodworking business, Helm Woodcraft, and used those skills to construct interior cabinets, shelving and a couch that converts into a bed for guests.

The show features the completed home sitting in an area south of Warsaw seemingly surrounded by trees.

The couple – with their dog Sage in tow – have since moved the home to a location four miles west of Portland that Paul describes as hilly and forested.

“It's private and really beautiful,” Paul said.

They plan to stay in the home until they develop a longterm plan.

For the short term, the tiny house is a money-saving opportunity.

“Basically, we can live on less than Indiana rent in downtown Portland because we did this,” Paul said.

“It’s a great way to save money, experience this city while we kind of get our bearings to see where we want to buy some land.”

The episode, titled “Vibrant Modern Tiny,” debuted earlier this month and can be seen on DIY on Thursday, Friday and Nov. 16 and 17. The same show will be on HGTV at a later time.

Paul said they were pleased with the filming experience, saying the crew was genuine, casual and fun.

“We're happy to have had this experience and had the build documented,” he said.