Warm holiday wishes from a cold-outside, snuggly-inside, tiny house 🙂
The tiny has been in a few fancy places, has had some finishing work done, and has given much occasion for holiday pensiveness:
The Huffington Post (boy howdy, how cool that is.)
I especially love this Pintrest site because the tiny is surrounded by stunning nature photography. WHAT a compliment!
A compilation of Twitter feeds that mention her …
Aaaaaaaaand, drumrollplease… the tiny house made it into the Grimm episode!!! (look closely in the background):
After spending a few months learning to harness whirlwinds of new classes, colleagues and institutional procedures, I am finally off for a few weeks to enjoy actually living in the tiny. About a month ago, I had some final bits of work done so I could enjoy getting to know the tiny space as a haven. In light of recent horrific headlines, we have all been unsettled. We all long for comfort, for safety, for freedom to love and be loved. I’ve realized that the walls of the tiny cannot protect me but they can hold me. I can honestly say that the tiny is truly beginning to soothe with the warm arms of home.
For the curious- some of the recent work:
– The main light was replaced with a ceiling fan to circulate air (and heat- it was topping 200 degrees in the sleeping loft, or that’s what it felt like in my parched mid-night sweaty awakenings),
– A wall mounted heater replaced a portable one that tripped me up (especially in late night mummifiedsearches for water),
– Shelf installed in the shower for towels,
– Curtain rod replaced bathroom doors – the shower curtain now hangs over toiletries to protect them from shower water,
– Rod installed in the kitchen to hang pans,
– … and small other to-dos.
I thought it would feel strange to have hired help, to have a stranger’s touch on the tiny, to pay for labor in a traditional un-relational way. Yet, the handyman was just as personal and warm and excited to be working on her as some of my friends and family who had helped before. It goes to show that familyfriends exist in so very many places outside blood or history.
The holidays bring all sorts of familyfriends together, but as much as it’s a season of joy, it is also one of nostalgic sadness- even the most blessed among us have moments that acknowledge absence of privilege, or peace, or loved ones. For every blissful celebration, reunion and/or worship, especially this season, there are also many hearts wanting. And wanting to ease wanting.
Perhaps all we can do is share what soothes us – share our hearts, our fears, our loves and our frustrations. Share our selves… that has to be the reason in the season. Just as homes, no matter the size, are reduced to mere dwellings if not filled with relationality – doingsfeelingswonderingsmakings – so we too are just bones if undressed by the flesh of others’ love. We make each other.
Wishing you and yours, present or departed, a time of thankfulness – not for abundance, but for having just enough of what you need and wanting only what you can give.
Grace happens in crevices but reacts in an expanse.
aatinyhouse 
How much did it cost? I’m new to your site, so if this is often asked, Sorry. I want one, where do I start? What would you sell tiny for, after your studies are finished, any idea?
Thanks,
Christian H.
Austin, Tx
All said, I think it was more like 13,000 after last minute purchases (splurges). And with registration and insurance, another 1000. 😦 BUT, I know if I had a bit more time, I could have done it cheaper. I think the absolute key for us was that we bought almost everything used. There are two great re-use places in Portland and a bunch of stuff on craigslist, it really made a HUGE difference. Especially for windows- I think all told we spent 150 for windows, 200 total for the skylights. It definitely requires flexibility in your vision, but it can be REALLY great to see all the character it adds. We also spent a RIDICULOUS amount of time sanding old paint off of wood, but it was worth it 🙂 The tiny is insured for 48,000 but I am unsure what I would ask for sale price. It is a hard one to price because of all the character, etc. It is not the same as a stock house, though that could be a drawback or an attractive feature. I say, start by playing around with dimensions and plans. Take some painters tape and mark out the area on sidewalk and play with where you would have things. There are soooo many inventive designs out there, take advantage!
I’d be happy to answer any questions you have, and I’d love to hear/see any plans- I drool over other people’s ideas 🙂
You talked about your bathroom, shower curtains, shelves for towels, etc. I thought you might like to see what we did to maximize the size of the bathroom in our
RV “Gypsy Rose” (do people name their Tiny Houses, like RVers do?) Anyway, here is the link. Check it out, please! http://untourists.com/maximizing-a-small-bathroom/
Love your site and your Tiny!
BRILLIANT IDEAS! Thank you!!!
BRAVO! This is one of the nicest rolling home solutions I seen yet (and PERFECT for a writer!) I’m following in your footsteps for mine later in the year. Thanx for the inspiration!
Ohmygosh, thank you!!! Best of luck on your project- let me know if I can help in any way!
Those floors are beautiful! Where did you find the used wide plank flooring?
Hello! I am in the works for a tiny house and I noticed the heater you have is one I am checking out. How has it worked for you so far? Also you house is awesome!
It has worked for almost everything. We had a particularly cold few days in the winter, and I used a space heater to make it extra cozy. But that’s the only time it has not been sufficient 🙂
What kind of heater do you have?
You can find it here: http://www.eheat.us
Best 🙂