Key facts
- Kathie Schwartz, 72, built a 480-square-foot tiny home in her Petaluma, California backyard.
- The project cost approximately $280,000 and was completed in 2022.
- The tiny home includes a kitchen, bathroom, and a Murphy bed.
- The couple previously lived in a 3,600-square-foot home in Truckee, California.
- The Schwartz's current home in Petaluma is 1,100 square feet and valued at over $1 million.
Kathie Schwartz, 72, and her husband Jerry, both in their 70s, have opted to build a tiny home in their backyard in Petaluma, California, as a proactive measure for aging in place and to avoid moving into a retirement community. The couple, who previously lived in a large, snow-prone home in Truckee, California, downsized to an 1,100-square-foot house in Petaluma, which they had owned for 35 years. Inspired by a friend who built a similar structure for her mother, the Schwartzes decided to construct their own 480-square-foot unit, the largest possible on their property. The project, which involved a year-long permitting process and significant design decisions, cost approximately $280,000 and was completed in 2022. The tiny home features a kitchen, bathroom, and a Murphy bed. The couple plans to use the space initially as a guest house and for Kathie's mahjong classes, with the long-term goal of housing a live-in caretaker to assist them as they age, thereby maintaining their independence and avoiding the high costs and perceived strangeness of traditional retirement communities.