It started out as a small idea, but with the help of Westminster College alumni, students can nix the dorm room for a new pad.

The school's tiny house has community members and students making small talk. 

A tiny stream of asphalt separates two different housing developments for Westminster College students. 

It's safe to say there's not a huge difference between the two, but a tiny one. 
 
That's what makes the newly constructed blue bungalow extra special for summer intern Madison Ordonez.

"I think it's just kind of cool to live in a tiny house," said Ordonez.

She's not the first to call the tiny house home since it was finished this past year. One student tested out the tiny home for a few weeks in the winter, but Ordonez is trying the home for an entire season. 

"It's a lot better than living in a dorm room because I have a kitchen so I have all my stuff in the same area but I'm able to cook my meals and not have to go get food somewhere," said Ordonez. 

The house itself is more than two years in the making. Westminster students nailed the design and construction with local experts and the New Castle School of Trades, all funded by Westminster grads. 

The result? A 160 square foot house on an 8X20 trailer.

"It looks like a modular home but when you go inside it really has a feel like a cabin, with all the warm wood and furnishings it really feels like a little cabin," said Westminster college chief information officer Erin Smith.

It's snug but each space is thoughtfully crafted. 

The couch folds down into a full bed, while the stairs have drawers hidden in each step.

But the house was designed for sustainable living, with no AC, and a compost toilet. 

The tiny house is part of a pilot program, so it's the only one on the lot. But that doesn't mean the program won't grow. 

"We do have this dream of maybe having a tiny house village someday," said Smith. 

In fact, this small idea may not stay tiny for long. 

For now,  the intern lives in the home rent free, as long as she does social media for the college. The college says it may not limit the tiny house to students for long. In fact, they're open to having artists, poets and entrepreneurs live at the house too.