Tiny Home Manual - Dolores River Valley Vacation Rentals

Checkout Time is 11:00am – Please leave the gate opener on the counter before you depart. We will open and close the gate for you when you are ready to leave.

Welcome to your stay in our piece of the Dolores River Valley! We are so pleased you have decided to book with us and hope you have an enjoyable stay.

This manual contains important information to help you make the most of your stay and keep you comfortable. If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us for help.

If you need assistance you can reach us by:

Message or calling – you will be provided with our contact info once you have booked with us.

This manual also contains helpful information about local attractions, restaurants and shopping.

Our WIFI has enough speed to stream if you’d like. Please view the Entertainment section for more details. WIFI Network: JL-Guest Password: 22840guest145

Please remove your shoes while in the tiny home.

Access

Door Lock

Since you have already checked in, you are already probably familiar with using the Yale lock on the front door. Just in case…

Your access code for your stay will be the four digit date of your checkin day, month/day. For single digit months put a zero in front.
To unlock the door, press the ‘Yale’ button then enter the code and press the check symbol in the lower right.
To lock the door press the ‘Yale’ button.

The Gate

Once you have arrived you can use the gate remote we have provided for you on the counter.
The button that operates the gate is the one with the single symbol.
Please close the gate after you have passed through unless you found it already open.
If you forget the remote give us a heads up and we will open the gate for you.
Please leave the remote on the counter when you checkout. There will be an $100 charge to replace a lost remote.
Note, in winter once the snow has covered the ground, we tend to leave the gate open.

Staying Comfortable

AC and Heating:

The heating and cooling is provided by the mini-split system located high on the wall.
Depending on the season, we will already have set the mode so all you need to do is set the desired temperature.
The remote is in a bracket on the wall just to the left of the kitchen cabinets. Please return it to the bracket after making any adjustments otherwise it won’t work properly.
Please keep in mind that if it is real cold outside that you may need to set a higher temperature than you need.
You can monitor the inside temperature on the display of the remote and also the display of the little weather station on the breakfast counter.
Please do not change the modes or fan control as we have discovered the best mode of operation and you may create discomfort in the space.
The display on the register is very bright at night when lights are turned off. If you would like to turn the display off, press the button on the remote at the bottom center labeled ‘LED’.
In winter please close all the blinds to provide extra insulation. Once the sun is shining in our valley opening the shades provides some good passive solar gain throughout the day.
In spring, summer and fall it is rare to need AC and opening the windows will provide nice breezes and ventilation. There are periods though when you will definitely appreciate the air conditioning. Again in warm months we will have already set the mode so that all you’ll need to do is turn the unit on and set the desired temperature.
The bathroom has a separate baseboard heater that is controlled by the thermostat on the bathroom wall. In the winter please leave it set at 65 degrees and feel free to turn it up when using the bathroom and back down when done. If we are in for a very cold night we may ask you to turn it up higher to help prevent the pipes from freezing.
We may also ask you to leave a small stream of water flowing from both sinks, hot on the kitchen and in the middle on the bathroom sink.
For those of you from higher humidity locations the dry winter air may be uncomfortable. We have provided a small humidifier for your use. It is on the floor under the floor lamp in the living area. Please use only filtered water.

Ventilation:

The ceiling fan turns on low at all times to help circulate the air. Feel free to adjust the speed using the control that is mounted on the right wall at the bottom of the stairs.
If using the cooktop to cook something that might burn it will be necessary to turn on the exhaust fan above the cooktop. If you forget, the smoke alarm will most likely go off.
There is a ceiling exhaust fan in the bathroom.

Lighting:

There are a variety of lighting options around the interior to create the ambiance of your choosing.
All lights are LED.
The lights for the lofts can be switched from the bottom of the stairs or from the lofts. Please do not adjust the dimmer on the switches. The lights were supposed to be compatible with dimmers but they will start blinking at certain frequencies.
The bathroom light is controlled from a switch just inside the bathroom on the wall.
There are three lights available for the kitchen controlled by switches on the wall to the left of the sink and on the exhaust hood.
The are two lights available on the ceiling fan which can be controlled from the remote on the wall.
The floor lamp in the living area can be switched on by the switch by the front door. The other switch there is for the outside light. These lights are on a timer and will turn off at 10 pm and back on close to dark. Feel free to turn them on and off as you need.

Bathroom:

Nothing out of the ordinary here.
We are on a septic system so please do not flush anything other than toilet paper.
There are extra supplies in the medicine cabinet and in the cabinet above the oven.

Lofts and Beds:

Both beds are memory foam.
We have provided extra blankets in the drawers in the primary loft.
To access the second loft over the living area, you’ll need to retrieve the collapsible ladder from the hanging cabinet under the stairs.
Hook the top hooks into the brackets then pull each section apart while pressing the two buttons at each level until each section has locked in place and the ladder is fully extended. Then swing the ladder so that it is resting securely on the floor.
After you are done using the ladder, remove it from the brackets then stand it straight up. Starting from the top press the buttons at each level allowing the section to collapse until it has fully collapsed. Return to the closet.
As you can see, each loft space has low clearance which is typical of this style of tiny home. Please be careful as you enter the lofts to finish climbing the stairs or ladder and transition to your knees. We have provided soft carpet for your knees. When exiting the lofts, use the hand rails to support yourself until you are securely on the stairs and ladder. We don’t want any head bumps.
Be aware of the mini-split when using the stairs to the primary loft.

Eating:

There are two stools to eat or work at the counter.
If you prefer to eat while watching a show, there are two TV trays in the hanging cabinet below the stairs.

Kitchen:

Please avoid getting food down the drain, we do not have a garbage disposal and any food can clog the drains.
There is three-stage filtered water from the small water dispenser to the right of the faucet.
The trash bin is on a pull-out under the sink. Please be careful to have the cabinet door fully open when pulling the trash bin out.
Extra trash bags and cleaning supplies are located in the cabinet above the sink.
There are utensils and cookware in the drawers. Glassware, dishes and mugs are in the upper cabinet above to the left of the sink.
There is a drain board in the second drawer to the left of the sink.
Extra dish towels are in the second drawer.
We have provided a hot water kettle for tea which is located in one of the drawers.
There is a five cup coffee maker and filters in the cabinet above the oven.
We have shared our favorite blend of organic coffee with you in the stainless canister on the counter.
Creamer is in the refrigerator.

Induction Cooktop:

To use the induction cooktop, place your cookware on one of the burners.
Press the power button on the right.
Select the burner.
Adjust the level.
Turn off when done.
Please be aware that the cooktop will be hot after use.
Do not use the cooktop when using the dryer.

Microwave/ Convection Oven:

Please refer to the manual on the back of this sleeve.

Entertainment:

Thanks to good WIFI speeds from our Starlink satellite system it is possible to stream entertainment on the TV. Please understand that there may be times when it is not so fast, usually in the evening when demand is high but mostly its great.
In heavy weather service may be interrupted.
We have AppleTV with access to Netflix, Amazon Prime, AppleTV+, Peacock, Paramount + and YouTube. If you don’t see the icon on the menu, we have decided to suspend our subscription.
Please use the free content. If you would like to purchase one of the movies please ask us. Some purchases require a password and please be prepared to reimburse us.
The remote for the AppleTV is on the side table next to the sofa.
Pressing the power button on the remote also powers on the TV.
Use the Apple TV remote to browse and select content, control the volume and pause.
The < symbol returns you to the previous screen or exits.
To power it all down press and hold the symbol that looks like a screen on the right then navigate to and then select the ‘power off’ button and press.

Bluetooth Audio:

We have provided a JBL bluetooth speaker located on the breakfast counter.
To use, turn the power on.
Press the bluetooth sync button.
Open your device and search for JBL Flip 2 and connect.
Once connected the connection will be remembered when you use it again.
Use your device to play desired audio content.

Winter Considerations:

After a storm, we will be using a snow blower to clear the parking, driveway and access road up to the highway. This can be anytime throughout the day not necessarily in the morning. So please be prepared to drive on the snow.
All will still be snow packed as we have a gravel driveway and can’t clear down to the surface.
As long as you have snow tires you’ll be fine.
There is a small remote on the counter by the weather station that looks like a key fob. This turns on and off the heated mats on the steps and landing outside the front door. If the forecast is for snow please turn it on so the snow melts as it piles up. Once the storm has passed please turn it back off. We may remind you when to do this.
We will typically leave the front gate open once the snow has arrived to stay so you can come and go as you please.
For road conditions please refer to the CDOT CO Trip Planner website. This gives detailed information on conditions, webcams and snowplow movements.
We have found that the morning after a storm, the roads are snow packed and icy. If the sun is out during the day the roads will mostly clear and just be wet by afternoon.
Colorado chain law requires that passenger vehicles have chains OR snow tires with at least 3/16” of tread and four wheel or all wheel drive.
There will be times that the road to Telluride will close for snow removal and avalanche mitigation.

Electrical:

The electrical panel is located behind the photograph between the two windows above the sofa in the living area.
The main breaker for the tiny home is located outside just opposite the interior panel. If this has tripped it is an indication you are using too much electricity. I have only tripped this once as a test. I had a hair dryer, the induction cooktop on high, a space heater on high and all the lights on. That’s probably more demand then would ever get used at the same time.
Please be efficient with your use of the electricity.
Do not use the dryer while using the cooktop.