Springtime Is Here!!!

With the weather getting warmer, I am so excited to get going and building this tiny house! Unfortunately, we are still saving the money to get going on this endeavor. We want to be sure we have enough to get a good trailer, and to get the shell of the house up and waterproofed before we start, plus have a "rainy day" fund set aside as well. Alas, the construction will not start until June. But, it is so nice out!

We had a long and hard winter here in Illinois. The electric bill was always $150.00 and we spent $1,000.00 in gas payments for 4 months. That is a lot of money! We had more below zero days than I remember ever happening in my 19 years (I'm still very young, I know, but still). In October the temperature randomly plummeted and stayed down mostly below freezing until November. At the beginning of NOVEMBER we had several tornadoes around where I live in Central Illinois. Everyone I know and their houses are fine, but the city of Washington, IL, only 20 miles away from here was devastated. Clean up is still in process. After that, we had snowstorms that dumped 8"-10" of snow on the ground every two weeks until the end of February, with 2-3 days being below zero each week.

Now it is 55 degrees and sunny today! People in Florida would think that is cold, but after this winter in Illinois, it is so nice out! My puppies have spent the last week outside all day, from the time they wake up after their breakfast until they come in at night and go to sleep. They are loving it and are so much happier than they have been. Plus, they're not inside tearing stuff up because they are bored.

I am so excited that spring is officially here and I wish you all the best!

Regards,
Mollie

Why are we doing this?

We have been asked this question a lot since we announced our plan to construct a tiny house. From my older brother, "If you have the money to build a tiny house, why don't you just put a down payment on a house?" From my dad, "Why would you even want to live in a house on a trailer? Do you realize how small it will be?" From my boss, "What, you don't have enough money to live in a real house?"

Our society has really messed up thinking in regards to thinking. In America, bigger is conceived as better. Bigger houses, bigger burgers, bigger fountain drinks, bigger trucks, bigger everything! But, is bigger really better? I don't think so. The way we are living is destroying our planet. All of the pollution going into the air and into the ground from us. We are a parasite to the earth. We take and take and never give anything back. However, that is not the only reason we decided to live tiny.

So, one part is to reduce our footprint. Yes, we are only two people, but if 1 million people did this, imagine how much pollution could be reduced. What if everyone used composting toilets? That's even more pollution gone. Instead, every person would be giving back to the earth (if done correctly). Check out the Humanure Handbook for more info on that.

Another reason is the simplicity of it. Less house means less time cleaning, less time working for the money to pay for the house, and more time doing what you love. A tiny house that is paid for completely will allow us to work part time and still live a very comfortable lifestyle. This gives us more time to read books, go on hikes, visit family in Alabama, start a family, and just enjoy each other and our dogs. Enjoy the world, and everything it has to offer. And if anything happens, we will always have

So let's review. We decided to do this to reduce our greenhouse gases and to live a simpler life, working less. But that's not all. How many people can say they built their house themselves, completely, from the framing to the siding to the cabinets inside? Not very many. That is a major accomplishment, and that is the final reason we are going to build a tiny house.

Notice that we are NOT doing this to impress anyone. We are NOT doing this because we cannot afford a "real house," and this IS a real house. We are NOT doing this to go against society (although ultimately that is what is happening). We are doing this for us. A cozy, well built, well designed, beautiful tiny home that is designed for us and our lifestyle is way better than a large house that was just thrown together to please the market and get as much money out of it as possible while building it as cheaply as possible. Large homes are built to sell. Tiny houses are built to live in.

I hope this clears up the reasoning for some people. Everyone building a tiny house has different reasons, but one this is always the same: we do this for us.

Regards,
Mollie

Officially Going Tiny!:D

So  I want to start out by saying: I learned SketchUp, put my designing cap on, and got down to work yesterday! Two hours later, the house was finished! I will be posting those as soon as I figure out how to, so all of you can see what the house will look like when it is finished! :)
Now, we officially started going tiny today! First step: throw away all of the clothes! Since it is getting warmer, we had to get out our "summer" clothes anyway. When we started, we had two upright dressers PACKED full of clothes, and those were just our winter clothes. We also had a bookshelf with about 40 t-shirts and three boxes full of summer clothes. When we were done, we had pared down to just two dressers full of both winter AND summer clothes, and the dressers are not even packed full like they were before. It is amazing how much clothes you can own and not wear. Honestly, I do feel a little bit "more  free" right now, or at least REALLY happy our bedroom is a little bit less packed.
Second step was to go though everything else and throw stuff away. We really haven't gotten too far on that one, we went through a trunk and a couple of baskets in our bedroom and threw away a big garbage bag full of junk. We had empty envelopes just sitting around. What is wrong with us??

These are the clothes that we are giving away/throwing away (some have rips,etc.). It was enough to fill 2 55 gallon trash bags to the very top. Amazing!

So that's just my little update on what's going on today. Have a great weekend!

Regards,

Mollie

Got The Budget and Materials List Done!

As promised, I put together the (official) materials list and budget! The design is finalized now, I just have to put my blueprint drawings into SketchUp to make sure it all fits together like it should. :D I do not see us modifying this design at all; we finally got it how we wanted it. I will be sure to post the blueprints when they are finished. I am getting more and more excited. I found the PERFECT trailer, but it is an hour away in Springfield and is a goose-neck, so hopefully I will be able to find someone that can tow it here. If not, I have found a few others a little bit further away that my dad will be able to pull with his truck, if I cannot get a towing service or U Ship to pick up and deliver the trailer that I would like. And no, my design is not for a goose-neck, but my design is for a 24' trailer and this trailer is 28', so we will either enclose the goose-neck and put the grey water tank in it (so it doesn't freeze in the winter, although I am not sure if that will be a problem if we keep the tank open, I am not sure yet), or we will just use the goose-neck part as the outside platform for our propane tanks. Okay, here are the details!

Materials List:

Materials	Amounts	Uses
Trailer: 8’x24’	1
Tie Downs	10	To help secure the foundation
Metal Flashing: 2’x50’ roll	1	To protect the trailer underside
Lag Bolts with locking washers		To secure foundation to trailer
2x6s: 8’	32	For floor foundation
Foam Board Insulation: 4x8’ panels	6	For floor insulation
½” OSB: 4x8’ panels	40	Sheathing material
2x4s: 12’	54	Wall framing
House wrap: 100’	1	To protect wall sheathing
Roof underlayment: 900 s.f. roll	1	To help keep roof from leaking
Steel roofing: 3x10’ panels	8	Roofing
Non-galvanized screws		For framing and sheathing
Construction Glue		For framing and sheathing
Hurricane Ties	26	To secure roof to walls
Windows	10
Front Door	1
Siding	7 boxes
Wiring	100’
PEX pipe: ½”	100’	For plumbing
Fuse box	1
Inverter	1	To convert solar d/c to a/c
Shower: Bricks	576	Building our own shower
Barn Doors	2	For bathroom and bedroom 2
Carpet	160 s.f.	For lofts and bedroom
Wood Flooring	128 s.f.	For kitchen and great room
Tile	32 s.f.	For bathroom
Paint	4 gallons
Cabinets	7	Kitchen and to enclose heaters
Bathroom Vanity	1
Couch	1	Built-in w/ water storage under it
Table	1	Built in: fold down (will build)
Benches	2	Built in: fold down (will build)
Shelving: 2’x4’	2	Built in (will build)
Stairs	1	Will build w/ storage underneath
Loft Ladder: 6’	1	To get to second loft
Countertops: 2’x4’	3	For kitchen counters
Sink	1	Kitchen sink
Grey Water Tank: 100 gal	1	Store water from sinks/shower
Water Storage Tank: 300 gal	1	Store water for use (not hooked)
Hot Water Heater: 25 gal or O.D.	1	25 gal or On Demand
Composting Toilet: Box and Seat	1	Building our own Lovely Loo
5 Gallon Bucket	5	For toilet
Propane Tank: 40 lb	2	For heaters and cooking
Solar Panels: 300 w	3	For electricity use
Propane Heater: up to 400 s.f.	1	Cold winters here in Illinois
Countertop Oven	1	Uses less energy than standard
Stovetop: 2 burner	1	“”
Refrigerator	1	Full-size
A/C Unit	1	For those hot summer days
Wind Turbine: 400w	1	For the water pump/back up
Washer/Dryer Combo	1	One unit does it all, saves space
Lights	10
Ceiling Fan	1

Budget:

Materials:	Cost Budgeted
Phase 1: May	$2,075.00
Trailer	$2,000.00
Flashing	$50.00
Screws, lag bolts, etc	$25.00
Phase 2: July	$1,350.00
Floor Foundation: 2x6s (12) $1.98	$25.00
Insulation (foamboard)	$120.00
Subfloor: (1/2” OSB) $11.15 (6)	$70.00
Wall Framing (2x4s) (47 10') 2.98	$140.00
Lofts (framing and flooring) 2x6s (8)	$150.00
Wall Sheathing (15/32 OSB) 24	$300.00
House Wrap	$100.00
Roof Framing (2x4s) 1.98	$25.00
Roof Sheathing        (6)	$70.00
Tar Paper	$50.00
Steel Roofing (3'x10') 19.98	$200.00
Screws, lag bolts, etc	$100.00
Hurricane Ties (26)	$8.00
Phase 4: August	$660.00
Windows (10)	$240.00
Exterior Door	$200.00
Window flashing/caulk/insulation	$20.00
Siding	$400.00
Phase 5: September	$675.00
Plumbing (PEX/PVC)	$125.00
Wiring: wires, fusebox, outlets	$100.00
Inverter	$100.00
Insulation (26 rolls)	$350.00
Phase 6: October	$700.00
Inside walls	$200.00
Shower	$200.00
Interior Doors (barn doors)	$100.00
Flooring	$200.00
Phase 6: November	$675.00
Paint and Trim	$100.00
Kitchen Cabinets	$250.00
Bathroom Vanity	$35.00
Built-In Couch	$50.00
Built-In Table/Benches	$50.00
Built-In Shelving	$50.00
Built-In Stairs	$50.00
Kitchen Countertops and Sink	$90.00
Phase 7: December	$710.00
Greywater Tank	$70.00
Water Storage Tank	$200.00
Water Heater	$120.00
Composting Toilet	$50.00
Propane Tank	$50.00
Solar Panels (homemade, 3 300w)	$300.00
Phase 8: January	$500.00
Heater	$50.00
Countertop Oven	$100.00
Stovetop: 2 burner	$100.00
Fridge	$100.00
A/C	$50.00
Wind Turbine	$100.00
Phase 9: March	$1,000
Washer/Dryer combo (maybe)	$1,000
Total:	$8,345.00

Hopefully this helps some people, or at least you can see what I am doing a little bit more. I will be posting the blueprints as soon as they get finished, but that part will take me a little bit longer. :D

Regards,

Mollie