London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 02, 2025

A Pair of Tiny Home Builders Craft Their Ideal Mountain Dwelling

A Pair of Tiny Home Builders Craft Their Ideal Mountain Dwelling

The duo behind Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses design their own winsome home to pay tribute to San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

For their own residence in the San Juan Mountains of Durango, Colorado, Greg and Stephanie Parham-the owners of Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses-have crafted an eye-catching tiny home that’s packed with functional features including an elevator bed, a folding deck, and an awning made of solar panels. Above all, the design elements pay tribute to the spectacular surroundings.



The exterior shape, which echoes that of a covered wagon, is a riff on a whimsical design that the Parhams have previously created for clients. It also employs some tricks that maximize the home's tiny footprint.

The design and build of their own dwelling presented the Parhams with the opportunity to indulge in some ideas that they aren’t always able to explore with clients.

"It is more ‘organic’ than our other builds," says Greg. "When we build houses for other people, they are normally on a tight budget and timeline, and this dictates a lot of design decisions. For this build, since we were doing all the work and didn’t have to pay for man hours, we committed to making something a little more eye-catching and beautiful than normal." Additionally, since they didn't have a hard deadline, it became a chance for Greg to experiment with some ideas and brush up on some woodworking skills.



The San Juan Mountains and the environment inspired many design elements of the aptly named San Juan Tiny House. The undulating roof line, for example, recalls a flowing river, while the blue gradient on the back wall recreates the shifting blues of the Colorado sky. "The sun-ray pattern pays homage to the Colorado sun-we have 300+ days of sunshine per year-and the portholes mimic the stars in the desert sky," says Greg.

The Parhams used reclaimed wood for their build, finding various resources on Craigslist ("mostly people taking down old fences or sheds," notes Greg) and scoring the antique porthole windows on eBay. The hardwood flooring was milled from local barn beams, and the loft beams were pulled from a house that was being demolished. They sourced their light fixtures and hardware at antique stores.



The kitchen is designed to be both compact and functional.



The Parhams added a convertible table that slides out to extend the kitchen and can be used for added prep space, dining, or as an office nook.



The living area is under the sleeping loft, which is actually an elevator bed. Note the pulley on the right side.



The bottom of the bed features a Southwest-inspired pattern that the Parhams designed together. "We wanted to have something beautiful to look at while sitting on the couch if the bed was raised up," says Greg.

The clever use of an elevator bed allows for a more comfortable sleeping space.

"Elevator beds are all the rage in the tiny house world!" says Greg. "They are a design tool that allows you to have a downstairs sleeping arrangement without lengthening your trailer another six to eight feet. Trailer length is the primary factor in cost, so keeping the trailer shorter will save lots of money, and make the house easier to tow."

However, an elevator bed adds a layer of complexity, since the space beneath needs to be clear for lowering. Says Greg, "Most people opt for a motorized mechanism, but I wanted ours to be manually operated, both for the novelty and in case we were boondocked somewhere and didn't have power. The house has an off-grid solar system, but even these can fail during a three-day snowstorm."



The living room area enjoys a porthole opening to the outdoors.



The Kimberley woodstove is designed specifically for tiny houses and very small spaces.



The bathroom, which features a penny-tile floor, is relatively large-and even holds a soaking tub.



The storage loft looks towards the elevator bed.



Completed in the summer of 2017, San Juan Tiny House has since been shown at four tiny house festivals in Omaha, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Austin.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Political Dispute Escalates Between Trump and Musk
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
US Senate Votes to Remove AI Regulation Moratorium from Domestic Policy Bill
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
Jury Deliberations in Diddy Trial Yield Partial Verdict in Serious Criminal Charges
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
King Charles Plans Significant Role for Prince Harry in Coronation
Two Chinese Nationals Arrested for Espionage Activities Against U.S. Navy
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
×