We are still in disbelief! The Pod has sold! That was very quick! And it might have happened even sooner, had we not been out of town for a week! The very first person to reach out to us, Sarah, saw the For Sale posted by our good friend Deek of relaxshacks.com and emailed us immediately. She told us she had seen the Pod the year before when we did our first tour with Deek. It had stayed on her mind since, as she loved many of the unique details about our tiny house. I honestly could not be happier with who the Pod will go to and once we learned her plans for the Pod, we were even more excited. She lives on a farm in NH and hosts several workshops surrounding farm practices, permaculture, and all that entails with such a lifestyle. She wants to be able to use the Pod as an artist in residence! For some basic care-taking of the farm property, a student or artist could enjoy a cozy and inspiring place to live and create. And get this-- she has invited us to attend a workshop in the future, with the chance to stay in the Pod! We could come visit our "baby"!! AWESOME!
As she looked around the Pod and we continued talking, we learned that she has a lot of the same values and priorities. She loved the layout, was happy about the lack of plumbing- which makes winterizing much easier! And she also said that all the re-used and reclaimed materials and labor of love that went into this place was just the best frosting on an already lovely cake! Congratulations to you Sarah, and thank you so much!
Needless to say, Dan and I jumped around and did a happy dance or two last night! Then we went out to celebrate with some beverages and dinner! WAHOO! This is by no means the end of our tiny house blog, either. We plan to keep tiny living close to heart as we take on this new chapter of our lives! I have still have some cool things to share about the Pod, and we have a lot of fun plans to visit other tiny houses throughout the coming years! Thanks for reading! Like Us On Facebook
I had been hinting about big changes earlier in the year, and now we are confirming those decisions by putting the Pod up for sale. The choice to give up our wonderful little home of three years certainly was not an easy one. In perfect circumstances, we would have loved to have kept it, even if we decided to move into another place. There was a time when we imagined this would become a cool guest house, or art studio on our own piece of land. But, as I am sure you have all experienced, life rarely goes as planned. That is not always a bad thing either! When I think about all that has come our way because of this tiny house, I am overwhelmed into laughter. The friends we have made, all of which are simply incredible, inspiring people in their own right- and we get to say we know them. We get to call them up and congratulate them on wonderful accomplishments, have lively informative conversations on common passions...this has enriched our lives to a degree I never could have imagined. Then there is the long list of accomplishments that Dan and I can now draw upon for strength, courage, and perseverance in all of our future endeavors. The recognition and reputation we have earned as part of this community. I never thought I would be in a magazine, multiple newspapers, gigantic online presences like Yahoo, AND become a published author myself!! I can say I was once referred to as a "tiny house luminary"... oh lala! Haha!
Perhaps the crowning achievement, however, has been to arrive at a much greater level of self confidence and a considerably healthier financial situation. This in turn gave me the guts to go after a long time dream, starting my own specialty foods business. I can say with absolute certainty that I would NOT be a full time business owner today, if we had not chosen to go tiny. All of it just makes us so damn happy! But alas, there are two sides to all coins. The business has been growing steadily, and as I am still a one woman operation about 90% of the time, it requires just about all the time I have. The business is also mobile, and farmer's market based, which calls for a lot of travel, most of which is to urban areas. Between the time I spend in the kitchen baking, and then driving out to markets, posting up and selling for the day, then going right back to bake more for the next day, I have found that I come home just to sleep more often than not. Being much closer to the action is becoming a must. Reducing my commute will give me that much more time to put effort into making this venture a success. Dan too, has a busy work schedule and is finishing up classes, so he is gone almost as much. Turns out maintaining an offgrid HOMEstead when are NEVER HOME can be quite difficult. Haha We knew the tiny house would be a temporary thing, we wanted that experience of building and living in a small space, and a chance to get our finances in a better place, full well knowing that we had many, many more chapters to write in our life together. We see now, that this chapter is coming to a close, and our new adventure is the baked goods business. We don't know where this thing will lead, but we are certain of a few things: we will return to tiny living when we retire, we will remain active members of the tiny house community, and we will be forever thankful for, and humbled by, the entire experience.
That being said, let's get to the facts that most people will have questions about: Price: $20,000 Firm Pictures: Please visit our blog and go to the professional photos tab to see some pictures taken in March of 2015. We have since stained the exterior. Video Tour: We just did a great little video tour with our good friend Deek Diedricksen of relaxshacks.com - watch the video here.
Deck included: Yes Solar Power System included: No, but willing to to discuss selling that too. Size: 128 square feet + 56 square foot loft Dimensions: Interior 8 ft x 15.5 with 10 ft ceilings. Exterior 8.5 ft x 16ft x 12.5 ft high. Length does not include trailer tongue. Trailer details: Bought lightly used. Heavy duty dual axle 5 ton trailer. Has a brake lights system, unsure if it still works, may need some basic maintenance. House weight: Never weighed at a station, kept a spread sheet of materials and did the math, it weighs an estimated 6300 lbs. Road worthy: Yes, but not designed or built for constant towing. We did not use hurricane ties in the framing, we recommend not exceeding 55 mph tow speed. I believe it is a 2 and 15/16th hitch. We moved it from our build site to our current parking space with no issues. Shower/running water: No indoor shower or running water, we use a super basic outdoor shower stall and camp shower bag. We store water in water bricks which you can keep. And poor it into a water filter and pitchers for everyday uses. Hot water is heated on the stove top and used to wash dishes in a bin, or added to the shower bag for hot showers. The shower stall is very basic, not really worth taking with you, but you can if you want. Kitchen: We have an RV propane cook top (3 burners) in the kitchen. We have a water filter set up a little higher than the counter and the spigot serves as "running water" when we need to wash our hands, etc. Sink is a stainless steel bin set into the counter. Pops out easily to empty water into outdoor gray water beds. Heat: HomeComfort direct vent propane heater to heat the house, and also an electric eco-heater to serve as some additional zone heating if need be. We have never had to use the second heater and the propane heater has never been put above the second notch. It is plenty big enough to comfortably heat the space. It is designed for a 320 sq ft space. Bathroom: Super basic composting toilet, a 5 gallon bucket and a place to keep wood shavings. No urine diverter. Electrical: We installed our own electrical. I owned a home once before and performed all the electrical wiring, which met code and passed inspection. The Pod's wiring is very basic. We used basic 120 house wire. One wall of the house is a daisy chain of three outlets, the second wall has two outlets and the three lights: the kitchen, great room, and porch lights. Picture each wall as a big old powerstrip, because two wires come out of the house ending at a three prong plug. We did this so we could plug each one into our inverter. The inverter is equipped with a breaker, so we did not see the need for a breaker panel. A small breaker panel could be installed with ease, and the house could be hooked up to the grid. Insulation: We used foam board insulation in the walls and the roof. The walls have a hardboard insulation reclaimed from a building that held industrial food coolers, so it is a solid board of insulation that is 3.5 inches thick, and fits snugly into the 2x4s of the walls. This foam board is rated at about R-26. We also spray foamed each seam and nook and cranny in the walls, so it mimics a spray foam application, which probably bumps up the R-value a bit more too.
The roof was built with 2x6s and contains one of the 3.5 inch insulation boards and an additional 2 inch blue insulation board, providing roughly 5.5 inches of insulation for the roof with total value of about R-35. We have lived through 3 New England winters just fine. We add a heavy curtain in front of the door to help with drafts during the cold weather too.
Roof: Flat shed style roof with minimum pitch, just enough for water to shed. EPDM rubber roofing, one solid sheet, so no large seams across any part of the roof. No leaks and no ice problems in past three years.
Storage: Ample storage, one large 9 sq ft closet, pantry shelves and storage spaces, and a small storage loft.
Location: Rhode Island, must tow or ship yourself, we will not deliver.
Unique details:
45% + made from reclaimed and recycled materials.
Completely unique design with high ceilings and an open area at the entrance of the house, giving it a much larger feel.
Barn board ceiling from a barn raised in 1776.
Pallet siding on 3 of the 4 sides, with eclectic array of wood species and great character.
4 ft loft allows for easy movement and comfortable sleeping.
We strived to use the least amount of toxic materials as possible. We used tung oil on the pine walls instead of a stain or chemical seal. We used minimal paint, and skipped noxious nail glue in floors, so yes, there is a squeaky spot here and there.
Recommended maintenance or additions:
Still some minor finish details here and there, like little sections of floor trim.
If we had kept it another summer, we would have extended the roof line on all sides by 6 inches, to give a better overhang and protect the siding.
The door sticks a bit after rainy weather.
An air exchange unit of some kind might be nice, we simply keep windows open or at the very least cracked at all times of the year.
A ceiling fan would be a great summer addition, we used a series of fans, but to save on space, clutter, and energy, a ceiling fan would do much better.
Well, I'm sure there might be something else you think of too, but I hope that gives a good look at what the Pod has to offer! We truly hope this place can become a wonderful home for someone else, and perhaps even provide them that stepping stone (or launching pad) to fulfilling other dreams!
If interested, please email anothertinyhousestory@gmail.com
After a super fun weekend at Tiny House Summer Camp 4 - we had the treat of visiting Ethan and Ann's tiny house!
Dan and I met Ethan back in May of 2015 at our first, and soon to be many, presentation as part of the Diedricksen brothers' hands on tiny house workshops. He had a great slide show of pictures, the lovely little home nestled in the Vermont hills. He was just beginning to put together his book, Tiny House Decisions, and since, has become a leading expert in many aspects of tiny living, especially cold climate preparation.
At last year's summer camp, Ethan was generous enough to offer up a tour to any and all of the 40 odd people milling about- if they were willing to take an hour road trip to go see it. Dan and I almost went, but since we arrived late that year, we wanted to spend as much time helping out with projects as we could, so we stayed behind. We did however, become quite good friends with Ethan after a couple late nights passing whiskey bottles, strumming guitar, and singing what we could remember (and mumble bumbling through the rest) of some of our favorite classics. So this year, we made a point to spend some good quality time with Ethan, and his other half, Ann, who also attended the workshop for a day. It was great to finally meet Ann, and hear great stories of their wedding! They had just married the week before, right by their tiny, and they still came to summer camp! When Ethan invited us to come check out the place at the end of the weekend, we just had to go! We were in Vermont, and we simply couldn't pass up a second chance.
The place is even more beautiful than the pictures can really show. They have the house parked right in front of a post card worthy scene- a small pond overlooking the blue mountain hills in the distance. I could get used to a view like that! It is always fun to explore another tiny. They are so varied and unique in their layouts. I always enjoy seeing how people choose to use their small spaces, and more often than not, it speaks to what the person is most passionate about. Ethan walked us around the property, showing us where the festivities took place, and the little buildings they had collected in preparation for the wedding. They had composting toilets for their event!! I love it! And they used one of Deek's buildings and another tiny building from Jamaica Cottage Shop, located right in VT.
We spent the last of the evening light relaxing on the picture perfect deck, the four of us chatting about living tiny, our favorite experiences so far, and the silly things we had in common as couples, ie: one being a great cook, and the other being hopeless in the kitchen. ;) We certainly didn't want to go, but the weekend was coming to a close, we had a solid drive ahead of us, and much work to be done with the business when we returned!
We didn't take too many interior photos because wedding aftermath is no joke! haha But you can check out Ethan's book, and his site to learn more about how they built, and the special things he does to prepare for winter in a tiny house! Like Us On Facebook Thanks for reading!
About a month ago, Dan and I were on the road, all giddy and looking forward to summer camp. I never thought I would say a sentence like that after the age of 14. Ha! But seriously! SUMMER CAMMP! This awesome event is hosted by Deek Diedriksen (and family and friends) in the woods of Vermont each September, and is officially one of our first yearly traditions as a couple. We attended last year for the first time, and we had an absolute blast! There was so much to explore, with over 10 micro-shelters (and counting) scattered throughout the site, guest speakers from every walk of life happily having candid chats with attendees, and multiple projects going on at the same time, ensuring that everyone could play as major or minor a part in creating each new tiny building as they desired.
To be around so many people with similar passions and goals is always a rejuvenating experience for me. Dan and I have met some really great friends through these weekends including Ethan Waldman, author of Tiny House Decisions, Vera Struck of Silver Bullet Tiny House, Palo Coleman an incredible artist and woodworking extraordinaire, and many others like Roy, Marty, Jeremy and Jen, and of course the Diedricksen brothers!
Each year Deek seems to take things up a notch. Not only were there three different micro shelters being built, campers had the chance to work on an actual tiny house foundation! Jeremy and Jen brought their trailer and began work on the base of their future home. Vera also brought her tiny house this year! The eclectic spread of guest speakers also included someone I particularly enjoyed this year- Matt, also known as Animal Man Survivor. He did several presentations throughout the weekend ranging from how to build basic shelters with nothing but what's laying around the forest floor, to basic fire starter implements, and my favorite, an edibles walk. This guy is an overflowing fountain on information!
Perhaps our favorite part of these weekends is hearing from attendees after we do our talk. Dan and I learned the we are kind of the comic relief slash inspiring and relatable speakers. Fine with us! We both enjoy making people laugh and breaking down intimidating aspects of the tiny house journey into more approachable steps. It also gives us an opportunity to bring light to subjects we are especially passionate about, like the environment and debt free living. I always make a point to address the fact that we live without typical plumbing and share how important it is to be mindful of what's happening with water in this world. It is our most precious resource, and it is being polluted, privatized, and completely overlooked.
THIS GUY! :D
Four or five attendees made a point to pull us aside and tell us that they found our talk very inspiring and they were now considering designing their future tiny houses without running water, or at the very least, minimizing features that use running water. I was over the moon! It's wonderful to know that our words, like ripple effects, can spread new perspectives and shed light on important subjects to several very different people, who then share with even more people. Needless to say, Dan and I highly recommend joining in the fun at next year's Tiny House Summer Camp! I know we sure will!
We had the great pleasure of touring Justin and Jenny's nearly completed tiny house! In late July, Dan and I linked up with our fellow RI tiny house friends, Justin and Jenny, to see how their tiny house has come along. We helped them out for a day last October, check out the post here. It has certainly been one hell of a year for the pair, better known as Mr & Mrs Tiny- and after over 10 years together as a couple, they made it official and got married! At the same time, they finally moved into their tiny after three years of living in an RV to make the dream a reality. That's a whole lot of awesomeness packed into the first half of 2016. Speaking of awesomeness, you should see this place!
Congrats, you two!!!! :D
Much like our place, and many others we have seen, their tiny house holds many eclectic, personalized details and stories. My favorite piece was absolutely the showcase of the house, the kitchen counter top. It's hard to notice much else, at first, as the gorgeous live edges and contrasting grains grab the eye immediately.
LOVE ME SOME LIVE EDGES!
Jenny told us the great story behind this lovely piece too! It was a bar built in her grandmother's basement by her father. After several years of no use- and Jenny eyeballing it all along- they snagged the major components and transformed it into a spacious, functional kitchen counter. We got to catch up with Jenny (and their dog that spends way too long staring directly into your soul- aka Benny) at the house - chatting and taking a bunch of great photos. Then we headed on over to Jenny's work, an awesome restaurant called Chomp, and met up with Justin for some booze and good grub. I know we don't see them that often, but I genuinely cherish this pair. They found us, at the beginning of our tiny house journey, and were enthusiastic supporters throughout. Just as we moved into our tiny house, they were moving into their RV. It was really awesome to share similarities and parallels to our story when they came for dinner, check out the post here. Not only that, but they have been super supportive of our business venture into gluten free and dairy free baked goods. One or both would show up at farmer's markets each week without fail. That's two damn good people right there. <3
It was so great to catch up with these two. We love their dynamic as a couple- Jenny's contagious, never ending bubbly energy coupled with Justin's steady, even keel and genuine love of building tiny. I've come to realize it truly does a tiny houser good to be around fellow tinies. We needed it more than we realized. We are doubly excited to attend Tiny House Summer Camp 4, hosted by Deek Diedricksen and bros, for that very reason.
We headed home that night with our spirits high, our hearts full, and a completely refreshed appreciation for the life we live. Dan and I wish nothing but the best for these two, and if you'd like to follow along as they near the completion of their tiny home, check out their blog or follow them (Mr and Mrs) on Facebook. Thanks for reading! Like Us On Facebook
The last day of June was a rare day. Hence, the just-as-rare post- ha! Life has been moving along swiftly, tossing a continuous string of challenges and chores our way. My lack of posts is in no way indicative of my level of passion for this way of life. We are on year three of the tiny off-grid life and we have settled into our rhythms nicely. It's to the point where it does not usually occur to us that how we live is any different. Often times, a lively conversation with a new fan of tiny houses gets us to rub our eyes and refocus. After each encounter like that, we find ourselves reveling for a moment in how unique this lifestyle is and how thankful we are that we dove in. So we are still loving this tiny homestead, but life has a way of pulling you in directions you couldn't possibly plan. I have slowly started to master the one-woman-band that keeps TLB rolling. As a result, just about all my energy and focus has gone into this venture. Not much time to play around at the Pod. :/ I'm quickly outgrowing my current production space, and that's a good problem to have! I've got a couple of different ideas on how to get us to the next level, and I'm excited to share them when I know for sure!
Back to the last day of June... It was truly a rare day for me. I had an open morning and afternoon before baking that night. I also had an open mind! Lately it seems that my every thought is somehow related to business needs, but on this day, that voice was silent. I had a break from business brain. I stood on the deck, breathing the fresh air, and memorizing details of our lovely view. Suddenly, inspiration struck and I felt like building. I knew exactly what to work on: outdoor shower 2.0! Some of you may remember the cool, re-claimed shower stall we made with fallen timbers. Well, our timing really sucked. We completed the shower last September and it promptly got cold outside. Through the winter, we looked at it wistfully, all covered in snow. Finally, spring was upon us! Hooray! Showers at the house! Wrong again. It's been an incredibly windy year- which I will come back to- and an especially fierce wind storm in April thrashed the stall to pieces. I was so peeved that I apparently needed a two month time-out before trying again.
Humungo compost heap, full of freely sprouted veggies!
You're comin' with me, tomato.
I set up some music and got to work. I certainly wasn't about to pay for materials, so I looked around at what I had to work with. I pulled out the hammer and the drill, going about things lazily, as it was a hot sunny day. Using 100% reused or reclaimed materials, and no measuring tape or saw, I put together our new shower stall. I didn't plant a garden this spring, which makes me sad. This spurred me to incorporate a living wall to provide privacy....eventually. HA I used our self-watering buckets (also 100% reused) and scouted out some veggies in the farm compost heap. No buying seedlings for this gal! I got three tomatoes, some kind of squash, and a cucumber. It was a bit of a rough transplant, but they all made it, and are growing nicely now.
Garden just transplanted...looking sad.
After finishing the shower stall, thoroughly burning my back, and soaking in sweat- I took the first, and oh so glorious, shower outdoors. Let me say- it is freakin' great to shower outdoors....at home! Not having to go elsewhere (gym, etc) to shower is quite a treat after that two month time-out. There's just something about bathing in fresh, open air. The other night, I showered under the stars and went to bed feeling more refreshed and more relaxed than I have in months.
Aside from the outdoor shower, we have been doing little touch ups inside- replacing bunny nibbled trim and refinishing cabinet doors. It's amazing how just a few key details can make the place look super new again. These touch ups were inspired by a very exciting project we will be doing, and I can't wait to share more details! I think you all will be pretty excited!
Big changes are ahead for these two peas and their pod. It seems like no coincidence that it has been such a windy year already- we are certainly feeling the winds of change swaying our life in new, undreamed of directions. I find myself holding tight to every moment before letting it pass. I understand that change is an inevitable part of life, but it won't stop me from wishing we could stay just like this. Thanks for reading! Like Us On Facebook
