Thursday, September 17, 2015

It's a GO !!

Plans approved ... check.
Cost ... better than we expected.
Materials list ... in hand.
Excitement level ... barely contained.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Purge & Plod Along ...

Not much happening on the Tiny House Front, aside from the usual. We are continuing the Great Purge of 2015 although the sweltering heat is keeping us out of the upstairs spare rooms - and they are the good ones, lol. Full of potential Kijiji & yardsale loot ! But each week we gather, we photograph, I list, and we sell. Five things picked up so far this week with several more to go. It's very satisfying to be getting rid of "stuff" - and that's all it is at this point - and actually getting money for that very stuff. Cool concept !!
I have started a magazine purge ... I'm sure we could almost construct a house out of magazines ... yikes ! I sit down every night with a stack and pull out any articles I might "need". I have just one binder so far and it isn't even full ! I have 6 bags of magazines done so far ... I'll pass them on to some other hoarder reader and they can get some enjoyment out of them. It is a bit disturbing to think that many of these magazines were in the $10 to $15 range EACH. I could have paid for a foundation with the money. I guess I only thought of each magazine and never really thought of the cumulative total. But, I am happy to say that I haven't bought a magazine since we started this process ... I just can't bring myself to do it. That's not to say that I never will, but I certainly will be sure there are multiple ... and I mean multiple multiple ... articles of interest before I do. It is amazing how this process changes your perspective on spending. So 2 full shelves done so far ... and many more shelves to go , but very satisfying. It's at least something that I can wade through until the heat breaks and I can start plowing through boxes. So, with that, I'm off to read & tear !

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Construction Starting Early ??

We came home the other night to find some strange work had been done on our house ... the electrical wires up to the house just under the second floor roof had been wrapped in wadded up plastic and electrical tape. A long yellow protective sleeve went from taped up wires out towards the pole. Hmmm ? Strange ... was there some sort of renovation or repair that we were unaware of ? Finally curiosity got the best of us and C. called the power company. Oops. They apologized. It was supposed to be done to the lighthouse across the street in anticipation of painting and repairs. The same lighthouse that has no civic number so ours was given as a reference. But the computer doesn't understand reference and simply posts it to the work order. We had a good laugh and assured them that it was no big deal. It will just add more mystery to "what the heck are they doing over there ??". lol.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Those Sunday Drives and Gatherings ...

We are in limbo ... too early to tear down the house (obviously ... camping all winter , not really), too early to start building, too soon to pack.
So what do you do ? Well ... start selling anything you don't need. That's what we are doing. Every Sunday we choose a room and dive in ... gathering items we no longer want or need, have never wanted or needed, or will not have room for. We aim for a minimum of 10 each week. Then we photograph them and upload them to a local yard sale site or Kijiji. And then the selling begins !! Sunday night is spent answering questions and arranging pick ups. Monday is usually a day of answering more emails, meeting the buyers, and collecting the money. Any unsold items go in a yard sale box for fall. And then I set the selling aside until next Sunday - I really do need to get actual work done too ! lol.  It may seem like little bits but the jar is filling up and the best part is that we are ridding ourselves of extra possessions and clearing clutter - at a profit !
And then there are the Sunday drives ... we drive around guessing at the sizes of houses, comparing roof lines, ogling siding, viewing colours ... all the while dreaming our little dream. I love Sundays.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

PLANS !!

Our plans have arrived ! There are a few changes ... like a window upstairs ( who has a view like this and doesn't have a window ??) and a few other small things but we are on our way ! It is so exciting to see it drawn out for real. On paper. A concrete plan. Thrilled.


Monday, July 20, 2015

Blocks & String

Tonight we went out on the lawn and measured out the house. A collection of paving stones, baler twine, and 2x4s mapped out our future home. A wee nook for a kitchen, a set of curving stairs, a tiny laundry room ... it all took shape out on the lawn. Then we went into our Glamper and measured those rooms to get an idea of rooms with actual walls ... it all seems clearer now ... small but functional and cozy. And it will seem huge after living in the Glamper for 4 months, lol.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

"So ... could you live in a tiny house ?"

Sitting in the living room in our way too big old house, feeling like I'm being crushed by all the "stuff" we've accumulated in 30 years of marriage , that was the question I asked my husband. His answer ... "yes". And so the conversation began.
Me : "Why don't we build one ?"
Him : "Okay." ... "Where ?"
Me : (deep breath) "Here. We tear down the house."
Him : "Sure."
And that was it. We both felt a huge sense of relief, a spark of excitement, and the thrill of a challenge.
We live in a 2 story 2600 square foot house that is over 170 years old. There were 20 rooms in the house when we moved in. Part of the house had been an old general store. It was huge, we were young and maybe (lol) a bit naive. It was rough but we were looking through young excited eyes. It would be magnificent ... and what would it take to fix it up, a year maybe ? We were in !
No furnace, just a space heater. No light switches, just shoelaces tied to pull chains. The only tub was a copper liner in a wooden tub with a garden hose attached to a tap. No cupboards, few closets, old lino flooring, cracked plaster. The list went on and on ...
It has been 29 years ... several freeze ups, small floods, snow drifting in windows ... we have replaced windows, gone through several furnaces, shingled the roof, added siding, painted, carpeted, put down tile ... and are still nowhere near finished. Actually the first roof is now 28 years old and needs to be replaced. So some of the work is even due for a redo ! We were hard core collectors, yard salers, acquirers ... ( some might say hoarders but that seems so harsh ...) and we have filled many of those rooms. We have stuff  treasures that we haven't looked at in years. There are actually rooms that I haven't been in in years ! We basically live in a few rooms now so it isn't much of a stretch to live in a small house. We are at the point that we need to invest a lot of time and an equally large amount of money to get this place fixed up and done. And then we will have a huge house that we have stuffed with things and struggle to heat, clean, and keep up. The choice seems clear, easy and exciting !
Why not sell the house and build elsewhere ? Because we love where we live. And buying that huge falling down monster house so many years ago has given us a piece of sea side property that we could never afford to buy now. There is no other place we would want to live.
Our view from the front step ... heavenly. 

And so our journey begins ... in the next 10 months we will purge as much as possible, edit and eliminate, and find creative ways to save and earn money. Our goal is to build this tiny dream as economically as possible and fill it with only the things we truly love and need. This is our story ...