Good Intentions

I’ve been doing my best to only talk about the positive aspects of building my own home; it is certainly true that the good out-weights any negatives. There is those days that I just want to sit down a scream from the stupidity of some of the processes.
So here is a short list of the difficulties.

1. It appears that the government knows exactly how much space you need to live in. Forget the fact that Henry Thoreau tucked himself into a 150-sq.-ft. house on Walden Pond in the 1840s, or that dozens of architects and builders specialize in tiny-house designs. The government insists that in the state of Arizona one person needs 800 sqft. of living space. Thus my house is 3 times the size I originally wanted or need.

2. It isn’t ‘easy being green’ though there is all this talk about living green and not being a burden on the planet there are a lot of agencies out there that don’t want me being green. I wanted to use a composting toilet, and although the cost of the systems are not cheap they are very efficient, the local governing bodies of Yavapai County said yea, it’s possible to use them, but are you sure you want to, the permit fees are 3 times the amount of a normal septic permit.

3. I wanted to be off the grid, but you can’t be off the grid in most places. In order to get a certificate of occupancy (CFO) I would have to be hooked up to the local utilities, on the form for the CFO there is a check box to inspect the hook up for utilities; If you don’t have it you can’t move in, if you do then you will be fined $750 per day that you occupy. It appears that the one person who knew how to use Excel no longer works for the county, so they can’t change the form.

4. I’ve had to use massive amounts of materials for the foundation. I am surprised that the majority of the town I will be living in has not crumbled to the ground by now. Most of the buildings are 150+ years old and still standing on rubble or no foundations, I just don’t get it, the local building code clearly shows the foundation these building are sitting on are not sufficient to hold the building. The code said that my 17 X 23 house needs a 24” X 24” footer; of course a 5000 sqft house has to have the same footer; but it’s in the code.

5. I thought the idea of the local building inspectors was to ensure that the building created is done as specified; I was wrong. The sole purpose of the building inspector is to fail me at all cost. For the first inspection I was failed because I didn’t have a Port-O-Let on the property, It didn’t matter that my house sits 20 yards from my parents front door, and that they have a perfectly good toilet for me to pee in. I failed my second inspection because I didn’t nail through all the doors and window openings. I know this sounds too dumb to be true, but the inspector really did fail me because I didn’t have nails every 4 to 6 inches in the door and window openings, it was another on of those check box on the form.

There are a lot of struggles to building my own tiny home, but if I keep the goal in mind it’s always worth the effort it takes. If I didn’t work in the construction industry I might have given up a long time ago, may be that is why there are a bunch of massive, material eating, energy wasting homes being built in Arizona every day.

New Year Thought

In the coming year I am choosing to be less tolerant; yea it's a big step because I have always been taught that tolerance was a goal to reach, that to be a good person you had to be tolerant of all people. After a careful study and a lot of thought I've reach the following ideas on tolerance;

Tolerance is an hateful word. Tolerance means, "I tolerate you." It means that I am allowed to continue to believe the ignorant, backwards lies I have always been told about you, but I can manage to be next to you because I'm a really great guy.

Some people seem to think that tolerance is ok, and as long as your not getting bashed or bashing people, it's Ok. I Don't accept it and I will not be ignorant enough spread it around thinking I am being noble. I need to stop tolerating, and start understanding each person; ask questions if I don't get it listen long enough to hear what is said, think for myself.

I personally want people to stop legitimating love, stop being insistant that love be about laws, obligation, and oppression. No teaching anywhere expresses love works like that. If people are fond of quoting religion then they need to read and learn about what they are saying, stop pushing the same set of lies that were force fed. I want to love with all my heart all the time. Let that love be genuine, hate true evil, Love people with affection, and show honor to all people I love.

My ideal is simple; Treat everyone with Kindness, be relentless with respect, love equally, stop tolerating and start understanding.

The Pursuit of Simplicity

Simple is not something, which is easy, quick, and suitable for everyone. It’s also not something that can be done without experience or much thought. Simplicity is something, which has to be gained, it may appear clear-cut, but what’s hidden is the labor of love required to gain refinement. It’s only simple because the excess is laboriously removed, all extraneous detail is absent so that what remains speaks clearly to everyone.

I often speak about the simple – simple ideas, beliefs, actions, the simple life. Just last week a coworker said to me “every thing is so simple for you”. I realize that they may not have meant it as a compliment, yet I know that to achieve the apparently simple, I had to go through a process of refinement to get to that point.

Therein lies the beauty of simplistic for me. Being honed, detailed, and worked on until it becomes what it is supposed to be or accomplish. Achieving this has often been hard, and complicated; some times it has been pleasurable and easy. I hope that the people I know realize that when I set upon the simple it is with much thought, intent, and and love.

After all a simple walk in the park with a loved one, may have come at a great price.

240 hours and counting

When I had the opportunity to use some doors that came out of a house that was 200 years old I jumped at the chance. I knew it was going to be a lot of work to get the doors and hardware in a condition they could be used, but was it worth the 240 hours I have invested?
If you would have asked me a week ago, I might not have said it was. Looking at the end results changes all of that. It was a lot of work and most of it pretty miserable; but that type of history can’t be bought off the store shelf. Most of all I am excited for my friends to see it, I like seeing peoples reaction to some thing that is not homogenized.

New Home Rising

When I stop to think about all I've learned, and the time shared building my new home with my Dad, it takes my breath away. There is something deeply satisfying about building my home using skills, and abilities given to me by the very person who is working with me on this project. Looking at the results at the end of the day is almost as satisfying as sharing the time with my Dad.

Tiny Home Big Ideas

The summer of 2006 I started to build a house in the town of Humboldt. The idea of the house was to develop a home that was warm and full of thought, All the while minimizing the impact on the environment, and the waste that is normally associated with new construction. I've, along with my Dad, have been able to achieve this goal. There's been a lot of hard labor and long weekends going into this project, but seeing the results I have to say, "it's been a journey I wouldn't have wanted to miss".

Dammit the Dog

I read a funny story that I thought I would share with you, so if you are busy or have better things to be doing, by all means 'keep on moving on'.

At the top of this particular article is a picture of the perfect golden short hair retriever, sporting the typical red collar, looking every bit like the quintessential happy go lucky dog.

In the first line of the article the reader learns the dogs name "Dammit", Now I naturally thought that this was the name the dog obtained after the owner realized that this is what the dog had engrained in it's head after the puppy months, but was wrong, indeed this pup had been called Dammit from day one.

He, (the owner) thought it would be the perfect expletive to yell in a dog park during a lively game of fetch.

"Dammit, SIT."

"Get over here, Dammit."

"Dammit, find the ball, Dammit."

"Dammit, it's over there."

"Dammit, don't eat that"

"Dammit, Dammit, Dammit".

I could see the good soccer mothers shooting glances of disapproval as they raced to cover their children's ears. The elderly ladies with their pugs, and poodles cutting a wide path to get around the overly aggressive pet owner.

The story was mostly devoted to Dammit. He was entertained with simple things, and though it could be argued that he was not the most intelligence, Dammit was was a good dog with a big heart.

What struck me most ironic about this story was the name of my dog UNO and the reaction people have when I call him; I particularly notice a 'keep your distance' look on elderly women faces when I walk or play with UNO.

Of course I always thought people naturally shied away from the lively personality of UNO, but over time I would notice that they would pat UNO on the head, or shoot him approving glances when they thought I wasn't paying attention.

The truth was people felt sorry for him, " why would they feel sorry to the most spoiled dog in the world"?

It's all about " What's In A Name"; See, UNO sounds an awful lot like "NO", this is why people feel sorry for him, they think I am yelling

NO treat,

NO ball,

NO drink,

NO fetch,

NO run, NO, NO.

The funniest thing of all is UNO has this all figure out, he knows if he acts all pathetic and hangs his head low, that he gets extra attention from people, and the occasional treat.

I think next dog I get I will name it "Dammit", at least it'll be obvious.