From their childhood home to a college apartment, sisters Alexis Monkhouse, 25, and Ashley Okegbenro Monkhouse, 23, have almost always lived together. And it wasn’t easy, the duo said. With differing cleaning standards and preferred room temperatures, living together “was exhausting,” Ashley told Insider. But in 2018, the sisters found a way to live close together while having separate spaces: They bought matching tiny houses!
Although they look similar from the outside, both homes reflect each sister and their different lives. In 2018, Alexis and Ashley were living together in an apartment outside of Tampa, Florida, but Ashley wanted to move out and live with friends, she said. Alexis told Insider she quickly realized she couldn’t afford the $1,390 rent by herself. Around the same time, Alexis was learning about the tiny-living movement. Their mother had recently passed away and left them both life insurance benefits, so Alexis said she decided she would buy a tiny house.
She made an appointment with a builder and dragged her sister along with her. “I think we toured one place and thought, ‘OK, this is very cool,'” Alexis explained. “After that, we went to the second house, and Ashley said, ‘OK, I’m going to get a tiny house, too.'” The sisters’ dwellings were completed in roughly six months by the contractors, and they moved into their individual little residences in July 2018. Alexis’ house cost around $75,000 to build, while Ashley spent close to $80,000.
Ashley called her 325-square-foot house “contemporary.” Interior design rarely deviates from black, white, or grey tones. Her home includes a kitchen, a living area, a lofted bedroom, and a bathroom with a bathtub. When you go into Alexis’ 325-square-foot home, you’ll notice orange undertones and natural woods. Alexis stated that she aspired for a “homey and warm” atmosphere. Alexis features two lofts, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a huge living room on the first floor.
According to the sisters, their residences accurately represent their hobbies and personalities. For her daughter, Nalini, Alexis wanted custom-built bookshelves and a huge living room. Ashley dedicated the majority of her square footage to the kitchen, where she enjoys cooking, baking, and eating. “We adore our homes,” Ashley stated. “I believe it is because it is tailored to each of us. That’s exactly what we wanted “.. Finding a space for both of their little cottages was one of the sisters’ toughest concerns. They couldn’t discover many places that offered land for rent for their mobile homes.
They lived on farmland in Land O’ Lakes, Florida, for a few months. They eventually found two sites in a tiny-house town south of Tampa, Florida, where they now live. They each pay $475 per month for their plot of land, power, and sewer hookups, and their homes are only a few steps apart. Alexis lives in a 325-square-foot tiny house with her daughter while pursuing a master’s degree in anthropology. Despite the fact that the sisters have very different lives, they both decided that modest living works for them.