Karen Thurnheer nuzzles her goat in front of "the Loft." Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

Without electricity or running water,cavitation plate on outboard motor a Victorian village of tiny homes sits just outside of Ithaca, N.Y.

Karenville has nearly two dozen miniature buildings, including a church, a cafe, a hotel, a barn, a silo, an outhouse, three huts and nine tiny houses. The whimsical architect and owner, Karen Thurnheer, created the village, which she has called Karenville, building-by-building over the past three decades.

The "Cool Cottage." Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

“I had no idea Karenville would become what it is today — the buildings were just fun weekend projects!” she said.

Thurnheer thought her minimalist lifestyle would not appeal to many on Airbnb, but to date, Karenville has hosted over 4,000 guests in her tiny homes, which she rents out. The least expensive accommodation and smallest house, The Corn Crib, starts at $35 a night on Airbnb and has a garden on its roof. The most expensive house, Karen’s own cabin, starts at $90 a night on Airbnb.

The "Main house." Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

The village sits on the old dairy farm where Thurnheer and her brothers lived and built treehouses as children. The buildings are made from wood from the family farm; everything else is salvaged from family members, guests, antique shops, roadsides and auctions. For example, the greenhouse windows came from her parent’s old kitchen and dining room, before they remodeled, she said.

“Walking through Karenville is like walking down memorabilia lane… Everybody likes the little details. These cookie-cutter houses and shoebox-looking stores we see so much of are lacking details and personality. They are just plain square blocks. There’s no personality, design, theme or detail,” she said.

Inside the "Horrible hut of magic and mystery." Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

Unlikely neighbors and activities

With no neighbors in sight, the village borders Danby State Forest and a field of Queen Ann’s lace. A miniature horse named Little Tangles, a goat named Edgar, a peacock, a peahen and chickens live on the property, along with a herd of guinea pigs, which live in boxes painted like old western towns. But the fireflies are the guests’ favorite.

The barn and silo at the Karenville entrance. Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

“So many people cannot get over how many fireflies there are in June and July. They come specifically for the lightning bugs and stars. Guests say they can’t tell where the lighting bugs end and the stars begin,” she said.

Thurnheer teaches guests to build baskets, bake bread in an outdoor fireplace, can tomatoes and rhubarb in mason jars, pump their own well water from a 100-year-old hand pump, and gather, crack and eat hickory nuts. Many want to make their own tiny homes, so she teaches guests how to turn a pre-made shed into a “cute-ified” tiny house, with a peaked roof, trim, a window and furniture.

Story continues

The "Horrible hut of magic and mystery." Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

She wants to keep the village intimate and small, with a maximum of 10 to 15 guests — remembering everyone’s names is important to her, she said. So, Thurnheer is considering selling a few buildings, which would be wheeled off-site to another location, for $3,000 to $5,000.

“Over and over again, guests tell me that their visit to Karenville has changed their life. I never believed them, but so many people have told me that now, I’ve come to believe it. This is just how I live, so I have a hard time seeing it. Karenville is just home to me, but to them it’s an adventure,” said Thurnheer.

Photos courtesy of Karen Thurnheer.

Sarah Paynter is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter

@sarahapaynter

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