Judging from all the pelts she has in her place, I think maybe the bear have more to fear from her than she does from them 
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good point, but she is boiling her water they just didn’t make it too clear.
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I see another problem with Tiny Houses, and that’s waste elimination. While putting the toilet in the shower stall and having it next to the sink seperated by a cheap plastic curtain may sound like a good idea initally, what happens when one person is taking a shower and their SO needs to make a deposit in the poop bank? (and that’s not even going into how the waste is dealt with- black water tanks are not magical black holes, they need to be emptied every now and again.) For that matter, what happens when one person is Not Well, and the stench of their leavings falls under the chemical warfare acts? (the phrase ‘true love is crapping with the door open’ springs to mind.)
I know it’s a crappy subject, but one needs to flush the romantic image of these things into the black water tank of Reality.
… I have no ending for this, so I’ll take a bow.
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This tiny home features the finest, luxury refrigerator- al fresco. Tofitian neo-hippies rejoice.
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I love smaller footprints, clever storage and being conscious of our impacts, but let’s not pretend that “sustainable living” and “flying four times a month” can in any way both be true with today’s technology.
Kind of reminds me of ads for those biodegradable six pack rings that were touted as “saving the oceans” a few years ago. No. You’re not saving anything, you just aren’t f***ing it up as badly as some other people.
Lovely house, though.
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I’m with you. It’s a lot of money invested in something that is neither proper house nor proper RV. I mean, you can move it, but not take it on the road. And the re-sale value will be worse than both, as anything custom always is. Cute though. One quibble: fyi locals in rural areas generally don’t go everywhere with “bear mace or whistle”. Hiking in grizzly habitat is one thing, going for a stroll along the creek quite another.
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After watching that treehouse building show, I’m more fascinated by those than the tiny homes. But I see the allure of this sort of thing.
I’m not sure that I’d feel comfortable living alone in the wilderness though. Would be nice to have a little community for safety if nothing else.
First of all, it’s not “the wilderness” if you can commute to it by car. This strikes me as a naive urbanite’s fantasy of rural living, minus the power and indoor plumbing. Cute trailer but having lived in rural B.C. my entire life, she really makes my teeth itch I gotta say. “The tiny home movement like you know it really aligned and kinda clicked for me…like”…so perfect she has a Master’s in Social Work; this could almost be an Onion sketch! And how is this “sustainable” exactly? She’s running a generator! And driving to the laundromat lol. Meh. I give her a year before she’s onto some other trend or other.
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Having watched home renovation shows for almost 3 decades now, I’m amused how much over-the-top production values factor into this kind of presentation. I think if this were the Plains States, she’d be mowing the lawn in an evening gown.
It smacks so much of You Did Not Sleep There.
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As a related question I have been thinking in seriousness of building a floating house by converting a barge or something to that effect.
I am tired of the idea of praying Perpetual property tax to keep the place that I live in should I lose my job or a source of income. Granted this may not actually be possible but I’d like to entertain the idea.
Does anyone know of a good site to learn about building floating houses out of barges or something like that?
I like the idea of having a greenhouse on top and a machine shop inside…
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Yeah, but there are still issues. Portland is pretty progressive and allows live aboard trailers to be used on property with existing single family dwellings, but with one significant exception: you can’t hook up the trailer to the municipal sewer system, nor can you do it indirectly by dumping tanks into the sewer. Tanks must be pumped out. Which makes me wonder what she’s doing with all her waste water, from her toilet to water from her washer/dryer. Living “closer to nature” doesn’t always mean good for the environment.
If you want a “tiny house” that will increase in value you need to build a permanent house, even if tiny. Many cities allow you to build “accessory dwelling units” (aka mother in law cottages) on existing single family properties, which can be new attached or detached construction or conversion of existing structures such as garages or basements, with some size restrictions. In Portland the max size is 800 square feet, which is enough for a small two bedroom. Based on Portland statistics, conversions of existing buildings can cost $50,000+ with fees and construction. A detached unit, around $200,000.
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You still need a slip or legal anchorage. That’s the first thing you should look into before even considering about building one. Things that float also need maintenance or they sink. So it may not be as cheap as you’d like.
Plus you may get towed. In the City of Alameda, they recently towed boats, including ones with current Coast Guard registration, from anchorages in the estuary the city claims were unlawful, then destroyed the boats with an excavator, with the owner’s property still inside.
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Or:
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I had some friends who lived off-grid on the NSW/QLD border.
Pit toilets and a bucket of sawdust. Part of their kids’ regular chores was digging a new toilet hole every month or two.
Nope, but this may be of interest:
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Excellent question. The video doesn’t explain that, which it should. At the beginning you can see a small outbuilding, which also isn’t explained. I hope it’s not an outhouse because If it is it is way to close to the creek. And about that creek. Notice all the downed trees along the banks and the sharp bend right at her parking spot? The next ten or twenty year spring freshet and her tiny home is either a shish kebab or a whitewater raft.
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I always thought those were called RVs. I guess they still are, but if you want more hipster cache, you call it a tiny home instead?
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Now that was fun and interesting, and doesn’t have the mark of “Instagram influencer” on it.
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I’ve lived in tents, trailers, little RVs, micro houses, larger. Tiny abodes are OK till stuff accumulates – books, art, toys, instruments, comfy furnishings, etc – so they’re fine if you have nothing and need little. Home is a place to hang one’s hat, cat, and guitar. No space for a stand-up bass, alas.
About a decade ago we sold our beat-up 25-foot RV to a young girl (and her father) for about US$4k. That home on wheels was all she needed then. It would have been heavenly for me at that age, before stuff started accumulating. Could I raise a family in it over 30 years? If necessary, sure – many folks do much more with much less. I’m quite happy I’ve not needed to.
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I love that guitar amp house, but it does stretch the definition of “tiny”, and also highlights one of the common problems: the need for a place to put it. If you or a family member don’t own any land, you’re better off renting an apartment.
