Tiny Home Show 2018

Today I went to the Tiny Home Show, drove hours to get there, paid a $15.00 ticket price in hopes of seeing not only tiny houses, but various products sold for tiny houses. I was hoping for inspiration to jump-start any lingering motivation toward building or owning a tiny house.

First, there were only about fifteen vendor booths most selling products that had absolutely nothing to do with a tiny house, construction of a tiny house, the maintenance of a tiny house or the interior design of a tiny house. For instance, there was a booth selling a muscle massage contraption and another selling milk (yes, I said milk). I chalk this up to poor planning.

Third, the lines to walk into each incredibly expensive ($50K and up) tiny house were so outrageously long I spent way too much time standing around waiting. With the space of each house anywhere between 100 and 200 square feet it was a slow process allowing at the most 2-3 people per house at a time and we were dependent on the consideration of others. I kept wanting to scream, Quick Like a Bunny, People! I was compelled to take photos of people standing. Waiting. That was the main attraction after all.

And last but not least, usually large auditoriums or exhibition centers have great ventilation and HVAC systems that funnel stink up and out. The air in this building was thick and rancid. The whole exhibition hall stunk like a toxic waste dump. I guess tiny house fans love their personal hygiene poisons OR perhaps this convention center employed professional stink to air freshen the environment? With my lungs feeling like they wanted to explode and my head swimming it was all I could do to stay long enough to see three of the homes. I just wanted out of there...so I left.

The houses were nothing I haven't seen online. It was fun to see how space is used and how much room there actual is in one of these by actually standing in one. Some of them are huge. My favorite was the little green one, of course.

Such an incredibly waste of money and time. Definitely not a good entertainment option for the chemically sensitive.

Not-So-Tiny Houses

Tiny houses aren't so tiny anymore!  This one is 37 feet long and was featured on Tiny House Swoon. It's called the "Denali". Great video:

Can I have this? I don't even care if it's not on wheels!! But someone needs to "gift" it to me because at $77,000 I might as well buy a real house...with property attached. My neighbor's RV cost them $80,000 and I remember thinking Good Lord...my house cost that much! LOL.

Dreaming....

Tiny House with ELECTRIC Bed

What a brilliant idea! Especially for people who don't want to climb ladders into a loft. I can barely manage stairs as it is. I fear the older I get the harder climbing anything is going to get.

The Tiny House Reality

Another tiny house was stolen! This tiny house was on a foundation even, but unfortunately, too tempting for thieves to load it onto a truck and haul it away quickly and efficiently. It was found ten miles away slightly damaged with most of the owner's belongings missing. Can you imagine coming home from work and your whole house is missing?? The is the second tiny house theft. The first one was Jessica and Casey Friday's house. You can read about why they have given up on their tiny house dream HERE and their previous posts give a rather depressing yet detailed account of the theft. They pose some serious considerations, negatives not usually discussed on most tiny home websites and blogs.

 

I'm having second thoughts about building a tiny house on wheels. First, there is no place to park one. I have been visiting building code offices and most zoning regulations restrict their use even on private land, most RV parks forbid custom-built trailers as they want a uniform look, and park it in the country on land is just asking for trouble unless you plan to stay home 24/7 or it'll tempt your trailer trashy neighbors to make off with it. There is only one tiny house community that I know of called Lemon Cove Village located in California that accommodates tiny houses. Other communities professing to support tiny houses have restrictions that force you to nearly dismantle the tiny house to make it more compliant to codes. In time, tiny house living won't be so difficult. I believe they are the future and the movement is gaining in popularity and momentum. Someday....

 

Although I still want to downsize, I wonder if 100 square feet is enough breathing space. That's not enough private air to protect one from outside contaminants should the outside air become compromised. That is a huge advantage to my large house - if the air stinks outside I can go inside and with the doors and windows closed and be fairly safe. If one room needs remodeling with the use of toxic materials, I can seal it off and live in the rest of the house. Can't do that with a one room tiny house. I have also heard about some of the disadvantages of tiny houses such as frozen pipes, drainage/plumbing issues, and condensation causing mold due to inadequate ventilation of a small air space. 

 

I'm also having second thoughts about building a tiny house on my own. It sounds like a huge, stressful nightmare. Small construction projects cause me to whine and complain constantly. Do I want to invest all that time and money into so much frustration and misery? I'm not interested in paying for one already built as they can be very expensive. I fear this has been another example of me being irrational. Money-saving schemes make me irrational. The consequence of poverty.

 

I haven't given up on downsizing, but I'm thinking 400-700 square feet might be more comfortable. Unfortunately, small houses for sale are not that easy to find. I'm still looking and considering options.



 

Here's a great clip from Portlandia on microliving:

 

 

Got DOORS?

Junk yard score!  I delivered tasty treats to the junk man today and FINALLY found suitable house parts! Two outside doors in very good shape and in a pretty Christmas red!

Left side: front door...Right side: back door!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!

Tiny House Possibility

I'm trying to motivate myself into building a tiny house. I can't seem to find anything to rent that is safe and I can't afford to buy as much land as I want without selling my house first. I need to find a way to have something to live in in order to sell the house. Once I have a dwelling of sorts, I would have somewhere to go. Where I will park it? I don't have a clue, but this is the first step.

My main worry is will my energy sustain such a huge project? If I start in the spring, can I get at least the flooring, walls and roof done by winter so it'll be waterproof? Even a small amount of exertion creates horrible muscle pain and fatigue. I'm thinking if I can do it slowly, a little at a time, this might work.

My second worry is money. If I give up in the middle, I don't want it to be a total financial drain. So my goal is to make it as inexpensive as possible using found (free) materials and low-cost, used supplies. Slowly, one step at a time will allow me to gather materials and not be tempted to spend unnecessarily. My goal is to spend less than $5,000 on the whole thing.

The great thing about free materials is they are usually old and not treated with chemicals. If anything in the material needed to offgas, it already has. The problem with free materials would be mold or insect infestations especially with wood. However, old-style wood is usually a much higher quality and better cut. High quality wood doesn't have knots and these days quality, untreated wood is hard to find in stores.

I've been trying to collect doors and windows from the dump. It's a slow process because the garbage man's brother keeps taking the good ones. He must be building his own low-cost house. Also, I'm picky. I only want solid wood, nothing toxic or synthetic. Interesting designs and eclectic styles are preferred. If it's going to be cheap, I want it to at least look interesting or artsy. I only have two small windows so far and they aren't interesting, just free. I missed a couple of opportunities as I had friends with beautiful old windows they wanted get rid of, but I waffled as I questioned my commitment to such a big project. In the end they took them to the dump and I regret my indecision.

Pre-cleaning and sanding...lots of boards!

 

A friend of mine recently gave me old fir flooring from the old house he's remodeling. This wood is really high quality and nicely cut without knots. Everyone who knows wood looks at it and exclaims that's nice wood...you don't find that kind of wood anymore so I feel lucky. Unfortunately, it's been stored in a basement for about ten years, but I think before storage the house was really dirty.

I've been cleaning the boards with soap and lots of bleach to kill any mold or bacteria hiding in it. The boards are so dirty I've wondered if they used the house for livestock...they are that bad. Or they definitely wore their muddy boots in the house and let their dirty, wet dogs lay all over the floors. The dirt is packed into the tongue and grooves, hardened, and nearly permanently attached if it weren't for my paint scrapper and a whole lot of elbow grease.

After scrapping...

It's a hellish, filthy job, but this is what one does when you have lots of time and less money. Free usually means extra work. It's exhausting which makes me question my stamina and if I should be attempting this. I just hope I'm not wasting of time, but I keep reminding myself my time is free.

 

Recently I saw a video of a tiny house and the builders used pieces of pallet board to line the kitchen walls. It looks really cool. The old, beat up wood gives it a lot of texture.

See the pallet board walls in the kitchen? Don't you love the pull-down pantry that
stores in the ceiling?

You'd think pallet boards would be easy to find, but lately most stores are now returning them to the shipping companies to get a refunded deposit. However,  the hardware company in my area puts the ones they aren't returning on the corner on Thursdays. They aren't always in good shape, but sometimes they are. I'm being picky. I want the good ones.

Macy Miller's tiny house with pallet board siding!
She writes it took dismantling 80 pallets.

I'm looking for anything that will work that is free, interesting, quality, and non-toxic. Sometimes it's hard to tell. I'm learning.

My pallet board collect...so far.

What re-motivated me was a visit to my brother's house about a week ago. He was showing me his RV trailer he has for sale. Sorry to say, it smelled really badly and then he confessed one wall leaks.  MOLD...no thanks. As I'm walking away I spied a FLATBED TRAILER parked beyond underneath trees. It used to carry a camper, but I think he must have sold the camper. He offered to sell the trailer to me. This may be the biggest purchase I make so I'm planning. I need to make sure it can carry the weight of a tiny house, it's in good shape, and be safe. He's not in a hurry to sell so it'll sit there until I feel confident enough to fork out the money.

Do you think I can build a tiny house for less than $5,000? Am I crazy? (The jury is still out on that....) Can I physically do it? I might end up calling this another What Was I Thinking Project as I'm pretty sure I'll be saying that non-stop. Heck, I already started saying it! If I can remodel closets and not go too crazy, why I can't I build a tiny house? If I can rip my whole heating system out of a crawlspace and live to tell, why can't I build a tiny house? Yeah, OK, I can think of a lot of reasons why I can't or shouldn't, but I'll need a project next summer for entertainment anyway. Why not?

I'll ponder on this for a while and in the meantime, collect materials.

FREEBIES!

I'm sure I've said this before, but I love Freecycle. It's like Christmas for free. Self-gifting. Personal presents. Since I'll not be moving anytime soon and that depresses me, I decided I needed some self-love. Then someone posted these:

TOASTER OVEN!

I fantasize about living in a tiny house and have read many replace full size ranges, stove/oven combinations, with single hot plates and a toaster oven or microwave. There is no way I would add a microwave to a tiny space. I can't imagine living too long with all those radiation waves bouncing around. I've never had a toaster oven, but I've been told you can use them for baking. This one goes up to 450 degrees! And thirty minutes. Bake or broil. I'm a little scared. I wonder if I put a piece of meat in there if the sizzling would cause a fire? I think most people use these for "toast", hence, the name, but I don't eat bread, or English muffins, or bagels so I need to be creative and try it out for other things.

 

TREADMILL!

I've always wanted a treadmill. Well, you know if I end up in a tiny house this will end up in the shed or sold at a garage sale, but for now I have lots of room and need to be able to walk inside so I don't have to suffer the indignity of dog barking. It's a manual and it works, but it's a very unnatural way to walk. One must jump on then force the tread to move by digging your feet into it and walking. I think it's more like climbing a mountain which provides a really good workout in a short amount of time, but I really need something for walking. I think a huge electric one would be better, but those are very heavy so I'm limited to what I can carry into the house myself. Oh well! Live and learn. It was free. It has come in handy when I get cold from lack of heat. I jump on it for five minutes and I'm sweating like a pig. Excellent!

I love freebies. Yet another cure for depression. I'm on my way to a positive attitude!

RelaxShacks

I just discovered Derek Diedricksen and his blog Relax Shacks. He has been building tiny houses, cabins, tree houses and shacks in his backyard since he was a kid and uses all found objects! Freebies! Windows made from old washing machine doors, bottles as door knobs, doors made from old radiator parts or cupboards pieced together, walls constructed with old doors. He's a speaker for the Tumbleweed Tiny Home conferences and gives workshops. He's incredibly artistic, joyful, and fun to watch. Here's a video on Derek talking about his process:

 

 

I love how he names all his little shelters cute names. It's more like art than construction for him. I think I might need to buy his book for its art value!

 

Be sure to check out his blog. His posts not only cover his art creations, but also feature tiny homes others have built.

 

Very inspiring. For my next project, I'm going to need some pallet boards to make some outdoor lounge chairs!

"Hank Bought a Bus"

I just found a great tiny home website called Tiny House Design while searching for information and workshops on cob house construction. On it I came across this great post called "Hank Bought a Bus" about an architecture graduate student who converted an old bus into a tiny home for his thesis. Awesome!

For another article featuring Hank's bus with more photos and details on the interior, click HERE.  I love the module concept where seating changes to tables and beds change from twin to double, etc. This website is called Tiny House Swoon and it features tiny house plans submitted by people who have built them. It has examples of other bus conversion designs as well.

Of course, his design doesn't consider chemical sensitivity and due to the limited amount of time he had to complete the project, he constructed the whole interior with plywood (Whew! That ought to stink!), but it's a wonderful idea.

In August 2013 he tested it by driving it around the country, picking up and dropping off friends as he toured. Here is his blog describing his adventures: Hank Bought a Bus.

The mileage for the bus is 10.

Tiny Houses: Dumpsters!

Today there was an online article about a man who made a house out of a $2,000 dumpster. Here is the link and a video near the bottom of the page:


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2387619/Gregory-Kloehn-California-designer-turns-DUMPSTER-into-Brooklyn-getaway-complete-toilet-stove-sun-deck.html

I have to say I don't know if I'm attracted to living in a run-down lot in the middle of New York City in a dumpster. That just spells trouble...

I couldn't get the address to link so hopefully this will work. If not, you'll have to search it.

Multi-Purpose Furniture for a Tiny House

Since I can't find a rental, I'm seriously considering jumping right into the tiny house idea and planning how I can possibly fit into a small space and still live comfortably. Where will I put my five shelves of books? What about my desk, which is nearly 10 x 10 all by itself? I could fit my whole office into a larger, tiny house, but then where would I put my bed?

 

I was recently sent a link to a design company with furniture that served two purposes. It would look like a desk with computers or books on it, pull it down and there's your bed. The amazing part was the desk would still be intact with the computer and books on top of it only now stored under the bed. The technology is amazing. Things pulling down or folding up serving two purposes in one small space. The link I was sent is no longer working, but I'll keep searching. Here's a similar idea with a wall bed from OrgHome:

 

http://www.orghome.com/org/photo-gallery/org-wall-bed/ 

 

 

 

 

 

Grant it, this particular model wouldn't fit in my tiny house, but you get the idea.

 

 

Here's another idea from Ghoofie:

 

 





 

Fun stuff! Designs are embracing the tiny house idea with multi-purpose tables, couches, chairs, kitchen sinks serving as bathtubs (eeewww...).

 

Love it.

My Real Dream Houses, Part Five: Tiny Rolling House

 

For people who really love to cycle, but can't figure out how to store a bicycle in their tiny house....!

 

 



Home Sweet Home

Once you determine where you can live, then there is the decision of what kind of housing would be the safest and at the same time affordable. Here are some pros and cons on housing options:

Apartments  I love apartments. They are small which means less cleaning and less stuff.  They are rentals which means less maintenance and cost. All you have to do is pay the rent, your bills and keep the area relatively clean. The main problem with apartments is shared walls which is like living with a bunch of stinky people and you have no control.  Also, landlords can do all kinds of toxic things to your environment, for instance, re-painting, construction, air freshener usage, carpet shampooing, cleaning and you have no control. Also, apartments use public water works with all the chemical additives and you have no control. Bottom line: you have no control. But for those of us with limited finances, living in an apartment is often the only option. Apartments with limited units such as duplexes might be a better choice.

Some urban apartment buildings are implementing smoke and pet free policies which indicates a move toward environmental friendliness, but in most cases this is to protect real estate investments rather than addressing tenant health issues. There are fragrance-free apartments springing up all over and most have long waiting lists. In fact some of the waiting lists are so long they are closed. This indicates a need and a great investment for someone with some capital.

Trailers, Mobile Homes and RVs Although trailers are much like apartments in size and comfort without the shared walls, if located in a trailer court the distance between you and your neighbor might only be ten feet. I don't know if that offers much safety, but I know some MCSers claim it makes all the difference. Be aware of the age of the trailer and the use of cheap construction materials as many offgas toxic chemicals, formaldehyde in particular. RVs are trailers on wheels - nice if you want to be mobile or travel. Some RVs and mobile homes are bigger and more luxurious than homes and cost just as much. My neighbor's RV cost more than my house.

Houses  If located in a neighborhood, your neighbors will be anywhere from five to fifty feet away and you will be sharing air space with them. If on acreage, you might not even see, hear or smell your neighbors!  Hooray!

Rentals: Other than rent and utility payments,  you aren't financially responsible for maintenance other than general cleanliness unless otherwise negotiated in the lease agreement. With a landlord you will have less control over what you are able to do with the house and what the landlord may want to do. Advantages to renting a house: no shared walls, less responsibility and you can move easily.

Home Ownership : Owning your own home isn't financially feasible for many especially those on fixed incomes or disability, but it affords you the luxury of control over what happens within your environment and the option to choose safer alternatives. You are also responsible for maintenance and upkeep which can get very expensive. As the owner you may also renovate the building to create a cleaner environment by adding such things as whole-house water filters, healthier heating systems and/or filters, and air purifiers. Again, these extra costs don't come free so plan on spending some dollars.  It used to be home ownership was a good investment, but with this latest economic recession, I've heard many houses are now valued less than their original market cost. Main disadvantages to owning a house: responsibility and you can't always move whenever you like.

Cottage Cob House

A very inexpensive option if you already have property are cob houses. Built out of dirt, they look like little hobbit cottages. I read about one woman who spent only $5,000 and did all the work herself, finding reclaimed windows and doors for cheap and other second hand supplies for free.

I played with designs a few years ago. Molding a house out of mud is a bit like doing pottery. Hey, I can do that! Here are two of my designs (out of about ten!). One for a cottage style and one for a castle:

Cottage Cob House Plan

Cob Castle Plan

Straw-Bale House

Straw-bale houses are also an option along the same lines but you would need to obtain bales of hay. These are more popular in the warmer climates of the south and they end up looking like adobe houses. I think dirt might be more cost effective...and it's a lot more fun to shape a house and play in mud!

SQUISH!

I love those tiny houses people are building. Some of them are no more than 100 square feet and on wheels so they can be carted around behind a car or truck. It's the latest thing with the minimalist movement as the economic problems are forcing people to re-think their material possessions. I read about a woman who was given a free shipping container and she made a house out of it. Check out the many websites to see designs and watch videos. It inspires me. Here's a photo of a tiny house which is a little scary for anyone with chemical sensitivity issues, but you can see the size comparisons. I visualize a tiny house on LOTS of property!

There are people who dream of building low-cost communities for chemical sensitivity residents. I visualize a plan using a large tract of acreage with multiple tiny homes. Add a centralized recreational center and community gardens and we've got ourselves a chemically-sensitive community providing safety and support yet tenants are still able to maintain a sense of independence. 

Fragrance-Free Community Living

With all the baby boomers nearly ready to retire, this sort of plan would be a nice alternative to convalescent centers, too. Unfortunately, dreams need financing.

Condominiums  This housing option strikes me as the worst. All the exposure disadvantages of an apartment, lack of freedom with condominium contracts and rules, plus you own it so the financial burden of payment and maintenance still rests on your shoulders. If there is a chemically sensitive person reading this who is living in one and can share any advantages, feel free to comment.

Homelessness There are many chemically sensitive people living in cars or tents unable to tolerate modern construction materials but without the funds to build their own green homes. I've read about some who are camping in their carports or backyards unable to live inside their toxic houses and others who live in their cars at parks. As MCS statistics go up, let's hope more chemically-sensitive communities and fragrance-free options will be available to all.