At the beginning of April, we bought our barn raiser, which includes the trailer, structural walls, and roof of our house. Today, we got news that it’s finished, and is currently in Colorado, waiting to be delivered to Sonoma, California. I can’t wait to see it — I feel like I’ve adopted a child.
After expressing this, my mother suggested we throw a tiny house shower. At first I laughed — that is ridiculous, isn’t it? — but I realize I’ve been invited to or have attended a number of baby showers recently. Some couples have babies; we’re building a tiny house. Nick and I are very similar in that we don’t like calling attention to ourselves over birthdays and “life events” — whatever those may be. When we got married in a lovely and swift City Hall ceremony with my immediate family, his mum, and close friends, we also didn’t want to make a fuss. Our anniversary party at my parents’ home, one year later, has been the closest to a celebration of us since we’ve been together.
And so while I laugh at the thought of a tiny house shower, I also think about the items we need for this journey. Solar panels and batteries. A composting toilet. Windows and a door. A wood stove. A water heater. Lots and lots of wood.
Does it matter that we’d be asking for propane tanks instead of diapers?
* * *
After six weeks of looking for tenants, we found a great couple to rent our home in San Francisco. So, in addition to being (tiny) homeowners, we’re officially landlords. Things are happening.
But this process has been slow to start — and these have simply been pre steps. We’ve been doing things one at a time. First, downsizing. Second, moving out. Next, searching for tenants. And then, finalizing tiny house paperwork. I’m a pretty good multi-tasker, but it’s been overwhelming to look at the big picture.
Now that our loft is rented and our tiny house awaits us, we’re concentrating on research and planning, most recently figuring out our electricity usage each day to decide our energy setup. I realize how important and integral my laptop is to my daily life, and also think about things I need (a small fridge, a shower), items I’ll stop using but will miss (a microwave, my Sonic toothbrush), and appliances that are convenient but I’m not sure are necessary (a washing machine).
It’s been interesting figuring out want from need. Some adjustments are easy: drip coffee makers are power suckers, so we’d toss ours and use a percolator instead. Accessories like my blow dryer and curling iron might be packed up for good. Being able to wash our clothes in our home would be great, but a washing machine would not only draw a lot of power, but also take up space in our kitchen, which we could use for storage or something else. We’d like to use a combination of solar panels, electricity, and gas in our home, and have some source to generate heat, like a wood stove. One model seems pretty efficient, and you can even boil water and cook on top of it.
I want to be living in the tiny house already, but we’ve got a long way to go. We have no construction experience and will learn as we go, and it’s possible that even with our “head start” — our walls and roof already built — we may not be in our tiny house a year from now. Talking about it is one thing; doing it is another. Some people are able to work on their homes full-time; others have land on which they can park their trailer to build their house at their own pace.
We don’t have much time — primarily our weekends — nor do we have space to build freely, so we must plan carefully. We’ll set aside money to rent a warehouse-type space on the Peninsula to store it and work on it. Multiply that by twelve months, or more; our tiny house could become a big money suck if we’re not prepared. Then add the costs of building materials, appliances, tools, and more. While I’d like to look for salvaged materials for various surfaces, we’ll choose high-end products as much as possible — since the space is just 131 square feet, we’re able to splurge on better-quality materials.
So, I suppose it’s worth asking: would you attend a tiny house shower and celebrate the birth of our barn raiser?*
And on a more serious note, do we have any readers that own a farm or ranch in San Mateo County, on which we can park our trailer and work on our tiny house? We’ll pay you, of course.
*This question was only half-serious. I think.
Hello. Your quest to live life on your own terms is thought provoking and inspiring without being preachy. I found this blog through Writing Through the Fog and love following your journey. I have nominated you for the Liebster Award. (I know your blog has more than 200 followers now, but it did not when I was making my ‘little list of nominees’ 🙂 and I have allowed myself to bend the rules a little ). Here is the link if you decide to accept it: http://wp.me/p4cuKz-ee . In any case, best of luck with your project. I will be following it with great interest!
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Thanks for the nomination, that’s very kind of you.
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I went to your gravatar to send you a thank you for the FP. I saw this blog and was immediately distracted. So, first, thank you before I forget. Tiny Living! I am addicted to videos and blogs about tiny living. Have watched videos from around the world about it. I am fascinated by the downsizing to live better, bigger and fuller lives. I wish you well in this. And heck yes I would attend a tiny house shower. I think others would go to see how crazy you are and leave wondering……could I do this!
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It’s been interesting to discover how many people we know have secret tiny house obsessions!
Thanks for the comment.
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I read about them almost daily. SInce I saw this post I have found a publication that emails daily for tiny houses for sale. I love what people do with little spaces. And what people realize they don’t need. I hope you enjoy yours!!!
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More and more it seems that when people marry, have a child, etc. they have some sort of registry and they post where to buy them stuff. At first I thought this was weird. It is like saying “Hey! Buy me stuff here!” But as our lives get busy and cluttered, it is a relief to know where and what to get your friends in a time of need/new beginnings. I would go to a tiny house warming party if one of my friends had one. And I would probably volunteer to organize one big gift amongst the group of friends. 10 friends together could buy you an awesome set of solar panels.
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That’s a really good point about friends clubbing together to buy something worthwhile. Thanks for the comment, and for the suggestion!
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If you were a friend I would definitely be thrilled to come to your “tiny house shower”! First, it’s just so damn adorable. Second, why shouldn’t your great life event and your “baby” – your tiny house be celebrated.
This post reminds me of a SATC episode where Carrie, after getting her shoes stolen at a baby shower, declares she is having a single-person shower in which she registered for shoes.
I hope you actually decide to do it – and keep us updated!
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Yes! I thought of the episode with Carrie’s $485 Manolos, too 🙂
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I think a Tiny House shower would be the coolest kind of shower to have. I would be giddy for it as a guest just for the novelty of it! Plus it would be really fun to support a friend in what I would say is as big a life event as getting married or preparing for a baby. I have a feeling the friends you and Nick have would feel similarly and would love to shower you with gifts for your Tiny House.
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Thanks, Andrea 🙂
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I would say yes to a shower party. Small, of course. After all it is for a tiny house.
For years I have spent most of the summer school vacation in our small lake cabin in Maine. Bigger than your 131 sq.ft. tiny house but small. No washing machine either. It was sometimes annoying when my four kids were little, but we got to like the laudromat place where we would get a cup of coffee and leaf through the old magazines or do puzzles while our clothes spun in the machine. Everything in life has its advantages if we forget about what we had before.
Unfortunately I don’t know any ranches in the San Mateo County.
Enjoy this unique journey of yours.
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Thanks for the comment. There was a laundromat near where we lived in San Francisco that had a bar and cafe attached to it and which often had bands, open mic nights, etc. Pretty cool place to wash your clothes!
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Register someplace good…like Home Depot. YES, they have a gift registry. I’m in.
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Glad you’re in, Sharon! Can’t wait to hang out again.
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In before washing machine freak-outs . . .
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Yes, have a shower. 🙂 Baby and wedding showers are a great way to celebrate new beginnings I think a party to help friends build their dream home fits right in.
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I think you should definitely have the shower.
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I’m so excited to see your little house. Have the shower….you just can’t have too many celebrations in life!
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If you like, you can register a request for tiny house parking here: http://www.tinyhousecommunity.com/map/
It’s free and no spam.
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