Story 14 | Professional Firefighter

David (@gobetinyhome)

Living a reformed life doesn’t always mean a life on the road, but a simple and sustainable lifestyle around living more - with less. 

David Kent lives in a beautiful tiny home in Santa Cruz, California. At 6 feet, three inches, he might just be the last person you’d expect to find living in a tiny home, but he couldn’t imagine life any other way. He is quick to inform us that although his home is technically a “tiny home,” he does not consider it tiny in the least bit. To him, the house is reasonably sized. “A grain of sand is tiny, it would take a lot of sand to fill my home.”

Ten years ago Kent and his father, Peter, drove across the country to Santa Cruz, California and Kent never left. Some years later, his father returned to California to help him build the tiny house he now calls home. Although David is not nomadic, his tiny house sits on wheels. The reasoning behind this is simple--he is able to circumvent all building codes. 

Downsizing wasn’t a big challenge for David. His vision is to live simply without clutter and he doesn’t overcomplicate things. “I don’t like single use items [like] a toaster or a spoon to scoop icecream...I purchase things with intent [and] I have this luxury because I live by myself.” Although he doesn’t spend a painstakingly long amount of time deliberating over his purchases, he always considers who made the item and what it is made out of. He chooses items thoughtfully because he wants them to last. 

Kent’s home and way of living is deeply inspired by his childhood home that his parents and their friends built in the beautiful rural town of Lakeville, Connecticut. He describes Lakeville as “dreamy” and his memories of living there are fond ones. He is introspective, often contemplating his existence on earth as well as the systems that we are born into and subscribe to throughout our lives. He wants to live a life that is his and does not care to live life according to a predetermined blueprint. He hopes that future generations are inspired by this type of living and that they make an effort to create with their hands. His advice is simple yet profound. “Live simply. Don't over complicate your life. Declutter. Unwind. Get free to explore this crazy place. We all have… time on this wild place we call earth. What we choose to do with it is up to us.”

David is a professional firefighter enjoying tiny home living. Follow his journey @gobetinyhome.