A Tiny House Under the Big Montana Sky

Nestled in one of the wildest ecosystems in North America, this tiny chalet sits outside Yellowstone Park and acts as a base camp for any adventure outdoors. After purchasing this cabin from his family, chef and entrepreneur Eduardo Garcia added personal touches that make this place feel like you’re outside, even when you’re sleeping in a comfortable, A-frame nest.

By: Becca Skinner

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Photo By: Becca Skinner

Front Deck

Originally, the cabin was given to Eduardo’s older sister and brother in law by his father when they had their first child. After they moved out after a few years, Eduardo was interested in purchasing it from the family and worked to restore it and put some artistic touches into it. It makes this place even more special that it was a gift when Eduardo’s sister started her family, and this is where we get to put our roots, too.

Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of this tiny home. At just over 200 square feet, the design had to be thoughtful about space saving, especially in the kitchen. All the cabinets have a lot of storage and the bluebird-colored sink came from a Home Depot bargain bin because it had a small crack in it. Eduardo looked for something that was off-colored to go with the natural wood tones of the kitchen.

Kitchen Drawers

Eduardo got this unit of drawers with a sink cutout and a pullout cutting board for $20 at an antique store. After a month of restoring every inch of it, he cut it to form the L-shaped kitchen unit now in the cabin. The vintage silverware drawer handles were 50 cents and were easy to bend and drill for the drawer handles.

Drop-Down Table

This barnwood is from the early 1900s from a family friend’s cattle ranch. Originally, this entire panel was a door to a calving shed where the cows would seek refuge from blowing wind and snow to have their babies. When Eduardo found the panel, it was covered in years of manure and dirt but was the perfect size. After lots of cleaning and sanding, the old grain was uncovered and has become one of the best pieces of the home. The metal "V" is one of two pieces of iron that form the support for the drop-down table.

Carhartt Lounge

As in most tiny homes, there is so much that needs to be custom made and needs a little creative thinking. The details make these benches go from functional to an art piece. Sewing a few pairs of Carhartt work pants together created the perfect fabric cover on the bench seat in the dining room/kitchen, which has become a favorite comfy spot when coming in from a long day in the mountains. The woodwork was done by a friend, Chris Cook, and mimics the almost 11,000-foot Emigrant Peak that sits in the background.

Log Staircase

The staircase is made from an old juniper log weighing 750 pounds that Eduardo found in a logjam in the Yellowstone River. He and some friends towed it with snowmobiles for over a mile and a half up and over river channels until they got to dry land. It took about a month of sandpaper, draw knives, grinders and chisels to get it to look the way it does now. Around the base of the staircase is sand and stone from the area that is used as an accent.

Sleeping Loft

In the sleeping loft, there is a queen size bed with storage underneath. After working on yachts for 10 years, Eduardo wanted consideration of where clothing and outdoor gear could be stored. There are three pullouts that act as personal drawers in the front half of the mattress. If you pull back half of the mattress, there is a hatch that opens up and reveals the entire rest of the underbelly, where a boxspring would have gone. This storage is ideal for bigger pieces of outdoor gear.

Triangle Cubbies

Maybe it’s because Eduardo has a background in rock climbing, but he decided to design most drawers without handles for an inch or two of extra space. The alder that was used to face the drawers had natural knots that could be used as door pulls, creating a more natural look. With a need for maximizing space in a tiny house, the two corners of the A frame by the bed have storage space for slippers, books and more.

Bathroom

Despite not having a background in carpentry, Eduardo did most of the work in the bathroom himself. Copper sliders beneath the mirror can slide left or right to reveal 'his and her' storage for combs and personal items. The bark was a round piece of aspen tree that was burnt from a fire a few years ago. The doors under the sink are salvaged pieces of cedar paneling from an old fence that came from around Eduardo’s parent’s home.

Night Sky

Under a blanket of stars, the best time of day to be at this little tiny home is at night. If you sit outside, you can sometimes hear an elk bugle, a great horned owl hoot, and coyotes howl from the miles of forest that surround this part of Montana.

A Tiny House Under the Big Montana Sky

Related To:

Shop This Look

Front Deck

Kitchen

Kitchen Drawers

Drop-Down Table

Carhartt Lounge

Log Staircase

Sleeping Loft

Triangle Cubbies

Bathroom

Night Sky

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