A Tiny Home for a Perfect Retirement
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2025The economic and ecological benefits of tiny homes appeal to many different people from all different walks of life. RISE recently sat down to talk with David Hill, an (almost) 65-year-old retired marketing and fund-raising executive who recently built a beautiful tiny home in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Northeast Alabama. Below, we share some of his insights on how his transition into a tiny house in a beautiful rural setting has made for a perfect retirement home.
Table of Contents
- A Quick Profile of BranchHill Tiny Home
- Q&A
A Quick Profile of BranchHill Tiny Home
David’s tiny homestead is called BranchHill. The house is 28 feet long by 8.5 feet wide. Since he was looking for a place to settle down for retirement where he could spend time writing, he decided to put the home on a foundation, which allowed him to raise the ceiling height to 15 feet. The 273 square feet of the home thus feels much larger, due to the 168 square foot sleeping loft that rivals any master bedroom. While many tiny homes have relatively small sleeping lofts, David’s upstairs bedroom is surrounded by high-performance windows that look out into the surrounding woods. The beautiful solid wood flooring and ceiling panels along with the large windows combine to form a biophilic design that connects the house to its beautiful natural surroundings. A large outdoor patio increases the livable space of the home while creating a seamless transition to outdoor living.
Q&A
Why did you come to decide that a tiny home was a housing alternative for your retirement?
I had followed the development of tiny homes for almost 20 years; when Jay Shafer built an 112-square-foot home and traveled with it across the country, introducing what is now called the tiny home movement. Always having lived compact, even in large homes, my gut said that I would be happy with a tiny home. Those years of following the movement—and its development completely online—a took a fortuitous turn when I returned to my Northeast Alabama high school class reunion. Timbercraft Tiny Homes was located in an adjoining town. I visited its location, met owner Doug Schroeder, and walked into my first tiny home. I was "at home."
Fast forward four months—it was over two years into my retirement—and the plan was set: Timbercraft would build me a tiny home and I would settle back near my hometown. Doug responded to my list of "requirements to do this thing" unflinchingly. Family heirlooms were to fill the house with my life and my memories. Doug's first design of that accommodation is the one I am living in now.
It is a 273 square foot cabin-of-a-home, exemplifying the quality of craftsmanship and attention to detail that I think makes Timbercraft an exceptional company to work with. Doug and his fine team built me home, yes; but more, this home—now that it is settled on three wooded acres backed up by a creek—visibly demonstrates an aspirational lifestyle.
How many people share the 273 square feet of your tiny home?
“BranchHill,” the name of my house and retreat, is my retirement dream come true. While I live there alone—which was my want, since I am a writer—adding a daybed to the main floor means that having company—which turns out to be often—is easy.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
