* If you’re looking for solid advice, you’re not really in the right place. If you’re reading for shits and giggles, carry on.
Over Fourth of July weekend, we moved our house from Santa Cruz to Sonoma County.
Two weeks and some bumps later, our house is now in its designated parking spot (shown above). I’m not sure where to start, and I don’t have the energy to go into detail about everything. Let’s just say moving and parking a little house on wheels can be stressful. (And we weren’t even the ones who physically towed it.)
I’ve said a number of times that this blog is all about what not to do when it comes to tiny houses, and I’m considering renaming it Tiny House Tantrums. The past several weeks have been frustrating — I’ve cried a fair bit, maybe even thrown a few things — and I’ve wondered numerous times if we’ve made a mistake.
We aren’t living in it full-time yet. We’ve spent the past two weekends in the house, and I’ve learned a lot already in this short time. I’ve got a number of “Things I Learned” lists in my head, so here’s the first.
Things I Learned From Parking Our Tiny House for the First Time
- When looking for land, think hard about the practicalities of how you’ll set the house up. Don’t just fall in love with the view — a tiny river on a whimsical property is not enough.
- If you plan to set up solar panels, remember: trees are pretty, but are not your friends.
- If you’re hiring someone else to tow your house, pay them to scout the entire route and location beforehand. Photos, videos, and written explanations may not be enough. They weren’t for us.
- Caution: tree branches in your rearview mirror appear further away than they really are. They can and will damage your roof, as they did ours. A heavy-duty tree pruner pole is a must.
- When it comes to trucks, size does matter. (And eight wheels are better than four.)
- If you don’t have your own truck, level the trailer before the hired truck leaves. (Effing stupid, I know.)
- If you manage to find another truck to help you with your leveling woes, make sure you have the right hitch ball size. (Facepalm.)
- Have all of the necessary equipment when you park the house, and know that Andersen levelers won’t work the way they’re intended if you don’t actually have a truck to drive over them.
- Don’t try to lift your trailer with one of its corner scissor jacks. It will break. (Sad face.)
- If you borrow a hydraulic jack from your uncle, make sure you know how to use it.
- Don’t park your trailer so your graywater pipe points uphill. (We couldn’t avoid this, unfortunately.)
- This is obvious, but worth saying: make sure the ground is flat.
If you’re curious about any of these scenarios and are interested in details, just ask. These are all mistakes we’ve made — some foolish, yes — but at the very least we’ve learned a few things along the way.
Bon voyage little sweet nest…may you land in the most perfect spot! Happy nesting!
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We your readers are benefitting from all your pain…I feel guilty. However, I can say that this process you are going through is exciting and inspiring. While my current digs are nice, I am very set on giving a Tiny House a go once I return on a more full-time basis from my work in HK/Asia. My thinking is still in the idyllic stage, so not thinking of issues. My thinking was up the lot I’ve scouted in Hood Canal…but yes, it is shaded and like your Tiny House I need solar too (and trimming will not be an option). Hmmmm.
Stress with finding/preparing/moving is miserable and I do not do well with it, however the bliss of having a “home” that is yours is so worth it. The issues you write about above…a perfect case in point.
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The view from the kitchen is worth all the efforts and frustration, isn’t it? That what matters in the end. I’m sure that your practical errors will also help anyone interested to live in a tiny house.
And yes, as any big change, it will take you time to learn and adjust. For us, here, reading you, it has been an intriguing journey to follow, and I hope to read more as you start living full time in your lovely new home.
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Your blog has piqued my interest in tiny houses. The idea that it can be complex to get to simple is a really important thing to think about for anyone else reading along and considering a similar move. I love hearing about seemingly out-of-sight-out-of-mind things, like transporting the house, and all the things that can go wrong—it makes me want to prepare more, and it helps me know a little bit better what kinds of things to consider more carefully.
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THIS. Yes. I’ll admit I had stars in my eyes when we first decided we were going to try and live in a tiny house — very idealistic. In my head, the process all makes sense: Move out of big house, rent it out, make extra income. Build cute tiny house, find plot of land, move in. Buy cute tiny things to fit in cute tiny house. Get power from the sun, raise chickens, sip coffee while gazing at your new view in the countryside. Buy less, use less, save money, have more time to do things you love.
Imagining is lovely. Doing has been quite different. Every stage has been challenging, from finding a place to store it while we initially tried to build it, to finding a plot of land to rent, to all the things we’re dealing with now. My husband and I aren’t DIY-types at all, so none of this comes naturally as it might for others. But I think, too, because it’s a unique structure — not really a house, not really an RV — solutions aren’t as readily available, so it’s become a process of googling + trial and error. (Interestingly, while there are so many tiny house blogs, every situation is different, so what has worked for one house might not work for another, and you can only read so many “here’s how I did this” posts before you actually physically try something yourself.)
It’ll take time to “settle in,” whatever that means. I’ve concluded, especially since this current location is not permanent, that we’ll always be tinkering and working on some aspect of the house. And ultimately, that’s fine — that’s what we signed up for: to learn how to do things. I’m grateful to even be able to try it out, and to have secured a beautiful plot on someone’s property to do so.
Thanks for following along, Sheri 🙂
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Congrats on the move and the house. We have an RV and have had similar experiences when locating an over night place or just visiting folks way off the road. Had to come in backwards at an older state park once cause they were not set up for 30 ft trailers and neither were the roads to get there. Anyway, Good luck.
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I too had some interesting experiences when I designed and built my tiny in Oregon and then moved it to New Mexico…24′ long and 8.5′ wide of pure love, but it took me 6 days, one tire blowout due to a axle spring break. Just me my Chihuahua Tuca and we were never more than 12 feet from home! That was 3 years ago and I can’t tell you how rewarding living in 200 square feet fully off grid in Northern New Mexico can be…
I worked very hard on making sure this lifestyle change was going to work. It’s a lot like trying to explain what it’s like to give birth…it’s just not possible if you have never done it. (And never possible if you are male) but it is as dramatic a change. But if you have done all the homework you can do and get as prepared as possible it’s at least for me the most amazing experience and such a lovely way to live! It will take time to adjust, but the rewards far outweigh the negatives…I could go on, but again it’s hard to explain! Best of luck to you and I’d be happy to commiserate!
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Thanks for sharing your own story! Your setup sounds great, and I appreciate your positivity.
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It’s funny that you mentioned the male/female struggle for tiny house. One thing holds true for tiny house living…if you are not a minimalist and you don’t have the mental capacity or will to be a minimalist living in a tiny house full time is huge mistake. Just a good example. Women with a shoe fetish (150 pairs of shoes in tote), or guys with toy and machine hobbies that require a lot of space. It’s a no can do. Unless you plan to also build a well insulated storage unit I cannot imagine these type of people converting. People in tiny house are all about shrinking the monthly payouts to almost nothing and growing their savings account and not having to work so hard and struggle.
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Any tips on how to locate good land for tiny home parking?
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I searched casually, and then aggressively and actively, for over a year-and-a-half. I’m in California, so scoured Craigslist (though never had any luck, and in fact, saw so many listings from people looking for land that I stopped posting/looking there). I also tapped into local/community forums.
Ultimately, our best, real leads were from people we knew (friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances).
Finding a spot is hard, but not impossible. Best of luck!
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Wow, congrats on landing the spot. Sounds like it was well earned!
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Beautiful view! Your tiny house is adorable 🙂 Wish I could live in one too.
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I look forward to the Tiny House Living Quarters Chronicles.
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Just remember that moving house (whether it is tiny or not) can be really stressful. Last time we moved lots of things went wrong and I remember being really down about the whole process.
A few weeks after the move that all slips away and you will start to enjoy your new home. With a beer in one hand and your partner in the other… plus that view! I doubt it will even take a week.
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Thanks for the positivity, as well as the perspective — I need to hear this sometimes. It’s been a process of highs and lows, and it’s easy for the lows to bring me down (and there will be more as we go, I’m sure!).
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I started to get shortness of breath by the time you got to level before the hired truck leaves. Stressful. Tiny House Tantrums would be a pretty awesome title though.
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Yes, I’m very tempted to change the name! If not Tiny House Tantrums, then something else. A site for our misadventures and frustrations, although I’m not sure it’d be so healthy to focus on the negatives all the time. But I’m now going into the actual living experience as very skeptical, and I think that could lead to interesting stories.
I should say, though, that I’m not giving up so quickly — I’m still excited about what we’re doing. But going from imagining living in a tiny house to physically doing it is a wake-up call, and I’m reminding myself to be open, adaptable, and not afraid to make those mistakes.
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