Starting Oct. 1, visitors to Portland will have a new tiny house hotel option. This being Portland,

, on Glisan near Northeast 28th Avenue, will not be the first tiny homes-based hotel in town. That's Caravan, over on Alberta, which has been

and was

when it opened in 2013.

Tiny Digs is bringing the tiny house vibe to a parking lot that once stored RVs and boats, near the 28th Avenue restaurant strip, Laurelhurst Theater and the new-ish fancy grocery store, Providore.

The hotel, which currently consists of six tiny houses, with plans to expand to about 12, began by chance in Kentucky, when Allison Meyer and Pam Westra met at a camp where RVers come to work the Amazon Christmas rush. Westra and her husband, Bruce Westra, were nearing the end of a seven-year RV trip they'd taken after selling their chiropractic practice in western Michigan. Meyer was also RVing, and the two became friends.

Both women were thinking about Portland as a final stop, and when they both ended up in town in years later, they went out to lunch.

"She was talking tiny and I was talking hospitality," Meyer said Monday at the site of the new hotel. "As soon as it came to us to partner, it was like someone blew the dominos over."

The design of each home is personal. Meyer designed one that looks like a red barn, Westra designed one with bamboo siding and Meyer's partner, Lin Petrucci, designed a modern one, with a clear plexiglass loft and stairs.

A cabin-themed home that smells like cedar is the invention of Bruce Westra, who Pam Westra says always wanted a cabin. This, she says, is the cabin he never had.

Except for the "modern" house, each dwelling incorporates antiques. In one, that means chairs from the 1800s. In another, reclaimed wood from a 100-year-old barn.

All the tiny houses except one, "Gypsy," were built in Gresham by Bruce Westra and the Westras' son, Kevin, who was the original impulse to come to Portland.

"Kevin's the artist," said Pam Westra, adding that "he specially handcrafted and designed" many of the details.

In most tiny houses, it's all about the details, and the houses at Tiny Digs are no exception. "Our emphasis was on the design," said Meyer, "and showing people the possibilities."

There are a variety of styles of house -- some with lofted beds, some with lofted living spaces and some with no loft at all. They all have seating, a sink, shower and bathroom. And while none are currently handicap accessible -- the hotel is small enough that that isn't required to be Americans with Disabilities Act compliant -- both Westra and Meyer say that future tiny houses will be accessible.

For now, the pair is gearing up for their open house on Sept. 24, which will feature music from Big Yellow Taxi, food from Pok Pok and alcohol and ice cream. Their first guest will check in Oct. 1.

Correction: This story originally had the name of Meyer's partner as Stacey Hargis. That is incorrect.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker