On Time and Under Budget

Those are 2 items that are just not heard in construction these days, but that's where I am. I had to move in by March 18th, I got my C of O (that coveted piece of paper saying my house is fit for human habitation) on March 15th. The original budget was just under $24,000 and the numbers punch out to a tiny bit over $22,000. I am happy with my new home, I feel like I've been living there for a long time, like it's HOME.

Almost Complete

I was committed to building a tiny house that would have minimal impact on the land, but I wanted something with design, value and that would blend into the historical town I was moving to. Several of the tiny house plans I saw looked liked dressed up mobile homes of the 1970’s, I am sure these would work great for a lot of people, but they were not what I was looking for. What I found in building a home of my own design is there are a lot of people who are interested or actively living in tiny dwellings of a more permanent nature.
Down sizing has not been a issue for me, I’ve gone from a 4000 sqft home with a 4 car garage to a 370 sqft home I have not given up anything in contrast I feel as though I have gained, living tiny does not require deprivation.
Reduction of scale makes sense, so much space in a conventional home is superfluous even in 370 sqft there are areas of the home that I will not use on a regular basis. What minimal square footage means is reduced maintenance costs, less upkeep, reduced energy consumption, reduced site preparation, moving time, development, waste…… the list is only limited by what a person is willing to live without.
Just the same when I started designing I never wanted a ‘slapped-together’ cabin; the design scale of my new home means that I have been able to afford the elements that I want. Even though I make a decent living, I don’t have a ‘Gates’ style budget so the economy of scale paid off in that I can afford that custom vessel sink in the bathroom because I have to buy one, not four. I was able to use reclaimed lumber because I didn’t need massive amounts of board feet. The benefit to this is when the house was completed I had instant curb appeal.
The final bill on my house will be just under $25,000 the estimated value of my house when it was appraised $140,000, that breaks down to almost $380 / sqft.
Although the numbers are appealing a person has to go into this with open eyes, zoning laws, land restrictions, building permits, restrictions and building codes vary within states and counties, and all of these impact what has to be done on site, and how.
I still enjoy looking at architectural books and periodicals of massive mansions people build in testament to their success and skill, as long as it is in the shelter of my own tiny home.

Turning Inward

I’ve had a flood of web inquires about my humble Humboldt home; the vast majority of the questions have to do with the interior spaces of the house. It is kind of ironic because this is the simplest part of the house, but may be to most people that’s what makes it interesting.
The inside of my home is really basic, which is really what I want. Downstairs I have one room, which seems really large to me, with a mechanical closet and a washer/dryer closet. I will be using this room as a hobby room and for a place for people to congregate when I have barbeques.
Upstairs is an open floor plan. The living area and kitchen area are one and the same. The bathroom has it’s own space. The Items that really set the room off are the use of materials. I’ve used a lot of the reclaimed wood in the space, the Purlins, the pony wall in the stairwell opening, a column in the bathroom partition wall, and the door and window jams. I was able to recover some very old French doors that were curiously diminutive; I turned these doors into a French window that will open to let plenty of fresh air into the space. The simplicity of the space works because of the quality of materials, the solid plank floors, the size and selection of the finish materials, the thoughtful selection of fixtures. Every item is thought out, measured, and scaled for the space.

Home Is Where The Dog Lives

We have been together since he was a small puppy he’s always been around the house. I raised him, feed him, nursed him through sickness, played for endless hours, and traveled with him. He is a well-mannered, beautifully behaved dog devoted and willing to do anything I ask of him. I am proud of him, in all aspects I think of him as my personal gift from God. He has done nothing but give me his endless love and devotion for years.

Even though I am particular about keeping my house clean, when you walk into my new home, be careful not to trip on a stick, a ball, or even a bone. These are my dog's treasures and I will not take them away from him. He knows where all his toys are. They may not look like much, but to him, they are worth more than gold.

I will always have a open door to my house and hope that it's a place that people will be comfortable in, but for those people that think that dogs are dirty and smelly, you will not be comfortable in my house. I will not lock my dog away when people come to visit, for he is well mannered, the most he might do is expect a pat on the head.

UNO likes his new home, and for me Home is where the dog is.

Tidy, Tight, Thoughtful

When designing a tiny home a lot of extra thought has to go into the design and placement of the MP&E's (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing). There are a limited amount of producers that make elements for a small home, and the items that exist tend to be over-priced, so I've had to develop detailed schematics for the careful placement of items that were designed for houses much larger than mine. The one exception I've made is the heater, I spent the cash and got a super efficient small heater to keep me warm on cold winter nights. On the surface this seems like a simple issue of planning, but remember that developers and engineers around the world spend billions of dollars on squeezing technology into tiny little boxes. I've had to think about the value of each item, and make choices on is function. I keep in mind my belief that "excess is immoral" and is the particular piece of technology worth having, or do I have to expend too much effort and resources to keep that technology; It is surprising how easy it is to live without something you really don't need.

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.