I thought my days anywhere other than a nice hotel were long behind me, but my recent experience in Nashville changed my mind.
In December, my friend found out that we had three Delta companion tickets to use before the end of January 2023. We definitely didn’t want to waste it, so we booked a weekend trip to Nashville, San Francisco and Chicago.
To make our trip to Nashville even more special, I decided to look for an alternative experience and that’s how I found Nashville Tiny Home.
It’s about a 10-minute drive from downtown Nashville and seemed like the perfect place for my partner and I to spend some quality time together.
Upon arrival, it became clear why this rental was named the most popular Airbnb in Tennessee in 2019.
I have a bunk bed in the college dorm, so the night in the lofted bed of the small house is quite comfortable.
Julia E. Steele
The story behind Tennessee’s most popular Airbnb
After Rebecca, 33, and Jonathan Moody, 34, bought their home in 2012, they wanted a way to entertain friends and family without having to stay in the main house.
The couple told CNBC Make It that they initially thought about turning the basement into a guest room, but didn’t want guests to be too close to the craziness of their daily lives. They are parents of three children under the age of 10.
When Moody’s set its sights on the Canadian building company Summerwood, which specializes in small cottages, pool cabanas and sheds.
“It’s a way for us to host comfortably but not really in a very busy household,” says Rebecca. “Instead of having to be empty when no friends and family are visiting, renting on Airbnb makes sense.”
The tiny 300-square-foot house sits in Moody’s backyard. There’s a kitchen, a tall queen bed, a full bathroom with a clawfoot tub, an expandable daybed, a projector with Roku, AC, heaters and fans, and three skylights.
The couple says the tiny house can fit up to four people comfortably.
Nashville Tiny Home was named the most popular Airbnb in Tennessee in 2019.
Celia Fernandez
Moody spent 11 months and about $40,000 getting the tiny house up and running. They do most of the work themselves but hire experts to handle things like plumbing, sewage, and drywall.
For the interior of the tiny house, the couple used salvaged wood, repurposed vintage cabinets, and took inspiration from their backyard, a certified wildlife habitat, with decor inspired by nature.
“We’re excited to say that this is a forest-inspired parkland guest house in the heart of Nashville,” Jonathan said.
“We try and design it to be a space where the outside pulls you in and the inside,” added Rebecca. “There’s a nice mix of different textures that draw the eye to different places and make the space feel bigger. I like to say it’s a vintage mix of new and old.”
The small house has a daybed that can be expanded. My partner and I hung out here for most of our stay.
Julia E. Steele
Renting a small house has allowed Moody’s to quit his full-time job
Moody’s rents small houses for $80 to $250 a night. He estimates it costs about $500 a month, and that renting it out on Airbnb brings in $5,000 to $7,000 a month.
The extra income allowed him to quit his job as a teacher.
Now Rebecca spends her free time writing books while Jonathan follows his dream of becoming a musician.
“We can put our time and energy into doing something we love and get it done,” Jonathan said.
“The part that I like the most is the hosting aspect. We have had guests who participated in the small house and others who were pregnant for the first time and now come back with their children. We can watch the time through the stories of the guests, and I am happy that people will come in and use it as back off,” added Rebecca.
Jonathan and Rebecca Moody have been renting their tiny house on Airbnb for six years.
Chris Moody
During the six years Moody has owned the tiny house, she said the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. It even inspired me to start decorating my main home to mimic a rental space.
“The sense of calm that I feel when I’m in this place is palpable, so in our own house, we’re slowly working to make it feel like a little house,” says Rebecca.
A tiny house is the perfect place
In addition to wanting to try something different, my partner and I wanted to make our trip to Nashville a budget-friendly trip, so we looked at Airbnb for cheaper deals than hotels in the area.
We were in Tennessee for three days, so we spent two nights in a centrally located one-bedroom apartment and one night in Moody’s tiny house.
The apartment is spacious, has everything you need, and is within walking distance of Broadway, the main street in downtown Nashville. But the tiny house made it a trip I will never forget.
Being forced to be in one small room allowed my friend and I to relax and reconnect. The space is big enough so that we don’t feel cramped, but small enough to remind us that we have an alternative experience.
At first, I was wary of the skylight because I like to sleep in the dark, but it was amazing to wake up in the morning and see the sun.
And even though we are very close to downtown Nashville, the house is pretty quiet. It felt like we were really in the middle of nowhere, which was a welcome change.
After the night in the small house, we decided that for future tips, we will explore other unique places.
Register now: Get smarter about your money and career with our weekly newsletter
don’t miss:
An Airbnb host in Texas bought an abandoned house for less than $200,000 and found a ‘valuable collection’ inside.
34-year-old spent $17,000 on small house in Idaho—now makes $49,000 a year on Airbnb: It’s ‘almost passive’