Couple Finds Big Adventures In A Tiny House

Guillaume Dutilh and Jenna Spesard traded well-paying office jobs for a 125-square-foot home on the road. The swap doesn’t actually sound that smart — until you hear the benefits of living closer to the land, with more time to play and see the world, debt free.

Photo above: A sunset in Alaska highlights the beauty of a tiny-house life unhitched from the constraints of things. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

“We were sitting in cubicles with no windows for the better part of the day,” Dutilh told GrindTV. “We both had decent careers in Los Angeles, but we weren’t really satisfied. Sure, we were living in cool apartments, had a bunch of toys that we could sometimes use on weekends, but it just didn’t cut it. We wanted to be outside more, explore this great world, experience it and share it.”

Photo above: Guillaume Dutilh and Jenna Spesard pose on the water in Homer, Alaska, just one of the many adventures the couple has logged over 20,000 miles on the road. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

They built the 20-foot-long rustic-modern portable house, which includes hardwood floors and all the modern conveniences, only tinier, for just less than $30,000, in about a year. They’ve been on the road ever since.

Photo above: A spacious yet cozy sleeping loft is a common space-saver in tiny homes. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

Dutilh says, “Minimalism and smaller expenses allowed us to drastically change our lives. Before, we had to go to an office five days a week to be able to have fun on the weekends — sometimes. Now the office is just outside our front door. And we can pick whatever subject as our project for the day, whether it’s scuba diving in Florida, airboat riding in Louisiana, snowboarding in Oregon or hiking in the Sierras.”

Photo above: Taking in some off-the-grid sights from Middle Joffre Lake in British Columbia. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

From long hikes in California’s Redwood National Park to snorkeling, snowboarding and SUPing countrywide, Dutilh and Spesard are taking in America with an entirely different perspective. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

Snowboard or art? Seasonal gear is stored on the ceiling and under the floorboards. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

While the couple counts the Haines Highway among the most memorable and remote of their adventures so far, the tiny-house adventure continues. Photo: Courtesy of Guillaume Dutilh/Tiny House Giant Journey

Via GrindTV