Winter in a Tiny Home

I seem to start most of my posts with something like "I haven't been here in a long time". It's generally true, but I suppose it gets repetitive. Oh well, I haven't been here in a long time...  :-)

Contrary to some of my doubts and fears, winter in my tiny home has been wonderful. My problem has not been feeling cramped and wanting more space, but actually just wanting to be here more often. Going to work takes up so much time in one's day!

I think that I am continuing this blog, at least through one year, just to let anyone who is interested in cutting things down in their life know that it can turn out OK. More than OK really. I'm loving this space, and the lighter lifestyle and greater freedom that it gives me. Through the winter it has been warm and cozy. It's not quite as fuel efficient as I had hoped, but so far between electricity and propane it is running around $100 per month for energy, even counting the colder months, so that's not too bad. In the summer it is more like about $30, and quite a lot of that is the service charge from BC Hydro. So - operating and owning costs are fairly small.

It's nice to know that being able to be comfortable and content doesn't require nearly as much "stuff", or as much space, as we generally tend to believe!

Here are some winter pictures - outside and inside:

 Inside is cozy and warm

 Sunrise...

 a full moon

 and a foggy day..

Tiny Home Thanksgiving Thoughts

I am happy to report that so far I am actually loving living in a tiny home! Over the past few months I have been expecting to find something that I don't like, to feel cramped, or to wish that I was living somewhere more spacious. At this point, however, none of these fears have happened.

This little space is a shelter, and refuge. It is a safe place, a cozy place, a place that fits how I want to be in the world. There is nothing overwhelming about it - it is not difficult to clean, not too expensive to own or to heat or to keep. I have few payments and no mortgage. 

The house also helps me to remember to cut down on what I have, consider what I buy and be more mindful of the kind of lifestyle I want to live. It is comfortable and practical and designed by me, for me, so it fits me. Perhaps things will change, but at this point, I wouldn't want to live in bigger house.

Life has been busy, as usual I suppose, though it seems that things are moving faster and I am away from home a lot. However, there has been time to relax at home from time to time, and to just be thankful for the silence. I have gone out on the lake at night several times in the past week, paddling softly on the dark water and being expanded by the stars. Last night it was very windy, but I went out for a short paddle during a bit of a lull. The milky way arched across the sky and a patch of faintly green northern lights hung as a counterpoint in the southeast.

Today, clouds have returned and it has been raining for most of the afternoon. Now the air is still again, and the lake is a dark mirror, reflecting the damp October grays and blacks. Only occasional brushes of dampened gold remain, water-coloured lightly by the late fall forest.

Only a week ago it was much different, with brilliant sprays of golden orange in dazzling sunshine. I paddled to the island and spent a few hours on the hilltop there, soaking in the last of summer.

The seasons turn and winter will be here soon, but I'm glad to be in my little home, and looking forward to what the turning of seasons will bring. There is a great deal to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend. I feel very grateful for all of the circumstances that have brought me here, the friends and family who have helped to make it possible, John and Jen for providing a place to park my house, the abundance that makes itself known all around me, and the silence deep beneath everything else - that deep stillness that whispers - "everything is OK".

Wishing you all a weekend of deep gratitude for all that is present in your lives - the kind of gratitude that recognizes what is already here and opens the gate to receive more of what life has to give...

 The old picnic table on the island hill. Thanks to Pete Rodseth for the table and the trail.

 Many of the leaves are gone, but still some colour holding on.

 Autumn Gold...

Getting Settled

I have been somewhat disinclined to do much work on the house since I got it set in place, and have been putting off doing the skirting. However, I finally got around to it recently and this picture shows most of the skirting in place. I had some 3 inch foam panels left over from insulating the ceiling and I used these, along with a treated 3/8 inch plywood backing, as the skirting material. It should help to keep things closed in and a bit warmer underneath. I also put a heat tape on the incoming water line and on the drain trap under the shower - - the only part of the sewer line that is susceptible to freezing.

 New stairs.

Skirting in place and paddles at the ready!  I had some wonderful help and was able to get most of the second coat of stain on the house in one day - one of the advantages of small buildings.  I am going to stain the skirting as well, but have been waiting for some dry weather. This picture was taken on one of the very few sunny days we've had this month.

I would also like to note here that the dish antenna on the end of the house is NOT, repeat NOT a satellite TV dish. It's for receiving an internet signal from a station on the mountain. If I sound a bit defensive about this, it's because I am.   :-)

Looking down the hill from my house. I'm very fortunate in my view and placement! I've found that sitting in the hammock, or the glider rocker, and looking out at the changing moods and aspects of the lake is a very relaxing meditation. Much better than television!

The bench cushions are still in the works. The hammock is hanging in the corner though, and the blanket and pillow add a bit of colour, and soften the seating marginally.

The kitchen is all set up and so far has been working really well. I have to say that I love the dish drainer. It's wonderful to just put away the wet dishes!

The desk area and bookshelf are all set up. This space has proven to be quite handy as well, to date at least, and doubles as extra kitchen counter space when necessary.

Looking down the length of the house from the front door. One small annoyance is that the washing machine shakes the house a bit like one of those old vibrating beds sometimes found in cheap hotels, and the pictures are always hanging a bit out of square. I guess I should be glad that my complaints are so minor however!

The drawers are working well. This one contains most of my dried things - flower and sugar, nuts, seeds, raisins etc.  I've started using a Nutribullet blender lately and concocting all sorts of different mixtures of vegetables and nuts and things for breakfasts. Today was beet, apple, spinach, chia seeds, hemp hearts, sesame seeds, protein powder and water. It sounds somewhat awful, but actually they taste pretty good and I've been feeling better - more energy through the days. In any case, this drawer is well used!

 Looking up to the loft.

 The bed, to state the obvious...

 Looking the other way. Lots of morning sun comes in, and the morning mist on the lake is a nice thing to wake up to.

No larger screen yet, but the upstairs desk has been quite useful.

 All of the bathroom components are working well so far. The outside edge of the tub unfortunately leans slightly out and back - perfect for water to run down the corner onto the floor. I put a small dam across the runway and it's OK now.  There are several of these kinds of small idiosyncracies about the house - little things that aren't a big problem, but do require some extra attention from time to time.

There are definitely some trade-offs with the small space. Laundry loads are small and it takes more time, and I'm not always sure where I'm going to be able to keep things. I still have things that need to be sorted and organized, and it is easy for things to start feeling cluttered. So far though, I haven't felt cramped or unhappy with the space. It has been very comfortable to come home and to spend time here.

Afternoon sunshine streaming in.

I had hoped to have an open house this fall but a combination of a very busy September and a lack of sunny days has dampened (pun intended) these plans considerably. It will hopefully still happen - but no fixed date so far.

I am still considering installing a heat exchange ventilation system in order to get more air circulation happening while losing less heat. I've been procrastinating though as it would be expensive and bit tricky to install. So, I'll see how I do for a while. I do find that air quality is an issue and I want to have windows open most of the time - which then makes it colder and a bit drafty when it is cold outside. I'm still experimenting with this to see how best to manage it.

Otherwise, so far so good! :-)

Moving and Moving In

I have been living in my house for almost two months now! The summer has been such a full and busy one that I have neglected this blog and also neglected putting up pictures of the house in it's new location.

Here are a few pictures now:

Since the house was only moving a few kilometers, and since it's quite heavy, we decided to pull it over with the tractor. The Tractor also made things a bit easier to maneuver when we got to the site.

All Set to go - except for the stairs.

 Heading down the road...

 A bit of a tight fit in the driveway

 Pulling into the place where it will sit. There was a cabin here at one time, which has since burned down. The stone chimney still stands though. There is a great view of the lake down below.

 What a mess!  The sorting and letting go of things that I've been avoiding for quite a while is in full swing in this picture. Lots of stuff is moving in, and lots of stuff has also gone into the "give away" pile.
Since I first moved in there have been quite a few people suggesting that I should build a shed to keep things in. My father has fairly good reason for this actually, since quite a few of my things are still stored at his house. However, I've been resisting the temptation, for now at least, wanting to see how close I can get to actually fitting in this space. Part of the idea of this is a lifestyle choice - to reduce how much I have. It's going to take some time to find out where my balance point is.

It has also been a challenge to resist the urge to get more things, or to learn how to say "no thank you" kindly to generous offers. Whenever one thing comes in, something else has to go out. This makes the choice of what comes in much more important!

 I put some carabiners on a hammock and ropes on the beams so the hamock can clip on quickly and easily. It's a nice place to sit and read a book or watch the lake.

Getting a few things on the walls...

A birthday party...