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Grace and Jacob Kocher had spent three years living on the road in an RV, a lifestyle they embraced due to their passion for travel and exploration. They had traversed 25 states together, enjoying the freedom that comes with a mobile home.
However, as time passed, they found themselves yearning for a more permanent dwelling. A tiny home seemed like a natural next step for the couple, and they found the perfect one: a cabin from Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground!
While searching for a new home base in Florida, Grace stumbled upon a listing for old cabins from Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground on Facebook Marketplace. Fort Wilderness is the only camping resort within Walt Disney World Resort, nestled in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area, renowned for its rustic charm and outdoor activities like campfires and horseback riding.
Credit: Disney
Grace’s and Jacob’s families had deep ties to this unique locale, having spent countless vacations at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort during their childhoods. When Grace discovered a listing for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom, 500-square-foot cabin priced at $49,900, she excitedly shared the posting with her father.
The couple knew that the cabin needed renovation and would require them to purchase it without being able to inspect it in person initially.
“We grew up going to the cabins and when this came up, I knew immediately we were going to have to put a lot of work into it but it seemed like a really good option,” Grace told CNBC. “It was a good price for what it was.”
Credit: Grace and Jacob Kocher
“We just got really lucky with this one because it didn’t have much damage, unlike others we saw for sale,” she added.
“I guess I didn’t think about it too much other than the fact that it was much more cost-effective for us than getting something like the usual module home. I also had peace of mind because it was built in 1998, so I knew it was built to last. It was also coming from Disney World and they always do things the right way.”
After careful consideration, the couple signed the bill of sale in April and ultimately purchased the cabin for $53,375, taxes included. For Jacob, watching the cabin arrive on a large semi-truck months later was a surreal experience, filled with excitement and trepidation about what lay ahead.
Credit: Grace and Jacob Kocher
“We hired someone for the main major things like plumbing and electrical. We’ve had some help here and there but mostly it’s been us figuring it out ourselves,” Jacob said. “It’s been pretty cool because nowadays you can kind of just look something up on the internet and figure it out.”
Personalizing the Fort Wilderness Cabin
A significant part of their renovation journey involved personalizing the cabin to reflect their tastes and lifestyles. Armed with inspiration from home design blogs and social media, Grace and Jacob chose colors, decor, and furnishings. They painted walls, updated lighting fixtures, installed new appliances in the kitchen, and sought to create a cozy, inviting atmosphere.
During the clearing-out process, they unearthed unexpected treasures, including an old Fort Wilderness-branded hotel phone and a miniature Sven figurine from Disney’s Frozen (2013). The cabin came fully furnished, but they sold most of the original pieces to help fund its transformation.
The kitchen before its transformation. Credit: Grace and Jacob Kocher
Their sales connected them with fellow Disney enthusiasts—like them—who appreciated the nostalgia of owning a piece of Fort Wilderness history.
“We wanted to renovate it to be our own, so we ended up selling a lot of it,” Grace said. “It was pretty cool because we got to connect with a lot of people that really love Disney and were able to get a piece of the cabin without having to buy one.”
Life in the Cabin
The kitchen after its transformation. Credit: Grace and Jacob Kocher
After months of hard work, Grace and Jacob finally moved in in August, even though their renovations were not fully complete. “It’s crazy how quickly it felt like home,” Grace recalled.
Credit: Grace and Jacob Kocher
Grace and Jacob don’t plan on leaving their tiny home anytime soon, but they harbor dreams of potentially transforming the Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort cabin into a rental property in the future.
“It would be great if we did have a different adventure later on in life and maybe make this more of a rental,” Grace said. “I know that life happens and that we might have to sell it at some point, but it would be great if we could keep it and let other people experience it, too.”
Could you live in a renovated Fort Wilderness cabin? Share your thoughts with Disney Dining in the comments.
