HOUSE FOR SALE!
After 6 wonderful years living in the tiny house…
Current Location:
Durango, CO
# Hours Building:
1448
Built In:
LANCASTER, PA
Read More About It:
BluePrints
GARAGE
LOFT
KITCHEN
LIVING ROOM
BATHROOM
Build
Materials
List as of 11/3/17
*Extended notes on material choices in the blog section.
Tools
Pencil
Caulk Gun
Utility Knife
Metal Snips
Extension Cords
Tarp
Hacksaw
Circular Saw
Reciprocating Saw
Crowbar
Scraper
Silicone Gun
Linoleum Roller for Cork Floor
PVC Pipe Cutter
PEX Clamp Tool
Measuring Tape
Hammer
Drill
Chalk Line
T-Square
Hammer Drill
Medal Bits
Paddle Bit
Quick Square
Wood Glue
Screwdrivers
Tile Cutter
Biscuit Joiner
Table Saw
Framing Gun
Level
Chop Saw
Socket Set
Tool Belt
Belt Sander
Ladders
Sledge Hammer
Clamps
Chisel
Wrench
Tape
Process
Deciding if tiny is right...
After hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2013, I swore to myself I would get off the trail and remember how great it felt to not have excess stuff. The problem is, when I got back and had the space it was so easy to fill it. Living in a tiny house I hope brings me back to only having what I need.
I also found that it was super important for me to walk through tiny houses. I think doing this gave me the assurance I needed that this was really what I wanted. Being in tiny houses felt really good.
Is the timing right? I didn't want to wait around trying to decide. I am starting my build in January and could run into weeks of snow. Alternatively, if I started in May I could run into extreme heat. Do I have enough saved? I did my best to save as much as I could this past year and though I don't think I will have enough for the whole build, I saved enough to get a good start. I figure getting a loan and paying monthly payments on that for a few months will go towards something that I own rather than am renting, and that makes it worth it for me.
What does my house look like?
This has been one of my favorite parts so far. I have so many decisions to make, all trying to determine how I'll best live in my tiny house and what makes it right for me.
Space to host people - I knew I wanted to be able to have people over and with a tiny house a lot of people laugh at that. But I walked through some tiny houses that encouraged this. Whether it was for dinners or to watch a movie, I wanted to have an area for everyone to sit. I found a couch on one of my first visits to IKEA that will sit in the far end of the house near the hitch. It's the exact width of the house and is a sleeper sofa so I can have friends stay over. I also added a projector that pulls from the ceiling so we can use that space as a living room area. My dining room table will be able to fit 5 and I will also have a 8 foot porch for outdoor seating.
Stairs - with a dog, I wanted him to be able to come up to the loft to sleep. The stairs actually provide me lots of storage space as well so I'm happy I'm going with this option.
Storage for gear - When downsizing I realized the thing I had the most of was my outdoor gear. With bikes and skis and everything in between I needed somewhere to have all of this with me. We added a 'garage' over the hitch which will fit this stuff.
Fully-functioning kitchen - this aspect makes the house feel most like a home to me. With a stove top, oven, sink and fridge, I will be able to cook everything I need.
Resources
My interest in tiny houses started a few years ago and at that point simply involved looking at any and all sorts of tiny houses. When I decided I was building a tiny house my list of resources and information quickly grew. Below is a list of the most useful sources I used. I'll update this as I work through the varying stages of the build.
TINY HOUSE LIVING: Ideas for building & living well in less than 400 square feet
By Ryan Mitchell
Great introduction to the Tiny House Movement and how to wrap your head around moving into or building a tiny house. This was the first book I got when I was pretty convinced that a tiny house is what I wanted, but this book persuaded me that it's definitely what I wanted.
Tumbleweed tiny house workshop
Oct 21-22, 2016 Philadelphia, PA
Alright, so this one I didn't actually go to. My dad who is one of my major tiny house helpers went to this workshop and came back with a book filled with helpful notes and pointers he took away from the workshop. He found this 2-day workshop to be very helpful and a great general overview of the building process and things to think about. He walked away with different suggestions on brands, appliances, materials, etc which we have been taking into account as we plan my house.
TIny house chat podcast
Hosted by Ryan Mitchell and Macy Miller
This became a daily listen as I sat at my 9 - 5 in the months leading up to starting my tiny house build. They cover most topics in the tiny house world so I imagine I will use this as I start to build as well.
Tiny house jamboree
August 7, 2016 Colorado Springs, CO
So cool! This was awesome because my family was in town so we all went on Sunday to the jamboree. The jamboree had tons of tiny houses of different sizes and styles. You could walk in them, talk to the owners/ builders, etc. I think this was one of the most important things I did leading up to designing my house because I found out what I liked and didn't by getting to walk through so many.
Tiny House Talk: Small House Freedom
Website by Alex Pino
Highly recommend signing up for these emails. This was is an email I actually look forward to receiving each day. Alex sends a super simple email with url links to tiny houses. Sometimes they're for sale, or just someones story about their tiny house. This has been super inspiring to see all the people living in tiny spaces out there. Also a great way to get ideas for your house.
SimBLISSity Tiny Homes
Byron
SimBLISSity Tiny Homes are high-quality, custom-built Tiny Houses on wheels. Our compact homes are designed for active lifestyles providing four-season comfort. Byron's given me lots of great advice!
LEZZER LUMBER
Lancaster, PA
Lezzer has been a HUGE help in ordering materials, windows, and giving building advice. A giant thanks to Will at the Lancaster location who was a giant help during the whole process.
Home Depot
Lancaster, PA
We go to Home Depot almost daily when building the house. We're working with Trina in the Bid Room Department who helps us get discounts on bulk purchases, organize orders and gets things delivered. There's constantly things being returned, reordered, special ordered, etc, and Trina's been an amazing help!
FABRAL
Lancaster, PA
Fabral is the premier supplier of metal roofing and wall panels for architectural, commercial, post frame, industrial, transportation and agricultural applications. For the roof on my tiny house I used the Horizon S Series, color Light Gray.
Groff & Groff Lumber
Quarryville, PA
Groff and Groff Lumber is a specialty company with a large supply of kiln-dried, premium domestic hardwoods. For the house, I have used Paulownia, Maple and Walnut, some leaving the natural edges for countertops.
