UPDATE: 4/1/14
We took down our (unused) donate button as we have nearly completed our build and have managed to pay in full up to this point! We thank anyone still interested for taking the time to read our story, but there are plenty of others out there dreaming of their own tiny home that could use the help and support. Let's keep this movement going!
-Jess & Dan
That small of a space and that tightly wrapped you're asking for carbon monoxide poisoning using a gas stove and the propane heater. I would rethink using both of them in your house! MO
ReplyDeleteHello, Thank you for your concern. We have precautions in place when using either. We have a combo smoke, o2, and monoxide detector. The small propane heater is also equipped with an o2 saftey shutoff sensor. Any time we use the gas stove, we open the window directly in front of it for air flow.
DeleteCongratulations from Brussels, Europe.
ReplyDeleteYour tiny home idea, design and built is fantastic, and proves once more that "All we need is LOVE".
By the way, do you know, that your name "Belhumeur" phonetically means "Nice Mood" in French.
I wish you both the very best.
Sincerely yours,
Michel
cornelman@yahoo.com
Michel
Michel
Hi Michel!
DeleteThanks so much for your kind words! I did actually know that about my last name- and if you knew my family you would see that it's quite fitting! :) We appreciated your support! :)
I am so happy for you guys! You are SUCH an inspiration in ways that you could not possibly imagine. Me and my boyfriend currently live in one bedroom. Our kitchen is a hot plate and a table. We live off of a small portion of our income. Sometimes I feel myself wanting the 'American dream' then I realize that that dream isn't our dream. And, we live rent and utility free while we pay off debt, go to school, and save for the future.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your hard work, dedication, and being an inspiration to those of us also following the tiny living movement- though not yet there.
Dee
Hi Dee!
DeleteThanks so much for reading and showing support! I can completely relate to realizing that it's not your dream. That's where we were at. The traditional way doesn't really work anymore. Kids coming out of school don't have a "clean start"... I walked out of school with quite a bit of debt and from then on I was searching for new ways to live that required less. Good luck to you!!!
Don't listen to the naysayers. Self-sustainment is tough and we really respect that you're doing it. You can be on my zombie apocalypse survival team any day!
ReplyDeleteGlenn
U.S. Navy
Haha! Thanks so much, Glenn! It's great to hear some positive feedback! We've gotten the whole gamut of reactions so far. Thanks for being supportive!
DeleteI guess the only thing I'm curious about is why you have a Donate / Sponsor tab. You built the house for around $10k and got quite a bit of the material on Craigslist. I'm just asking, but why should anyone donate their money to you or why should any company put their name on your house?
ReplyDeleteHi David,
DeleteWe started this blog at the beginning of our build, and that's when the donate/sponsor tab was created. We got the idea from a few other blogs we saw. We had no idea when we started that we would be able to build the house for that amount. This tab has actually never been used and I meant to take this page down a while ago, but we've been quite busy with other things. As far as sponsors, it would have been more of a networking/support/ad opportunity for small local businesses. I think any construction related business showing support for Tiny Houses would be a good thing. But, bottom line- we didn't use this page and I will be removing it soon. Thanks for reading!
I am wondering the same thing about the Donate/Sponsor tab.
ReplyDeleteAlso wondering you stay clean with no plumbing to take a shower or a bath.
Hello,
DeleteI just answered above, hopefully that covers part one. As for plumbing, we carry in water and have a basic gray water system. We shower at our local gym or at work. Thanks!
Sometimes I wonder about people.... David and Anonymous person.... did you read the article? With $45K in student loans, why not try to get donations/sponsors? Apparently you guys missed marketing 101. They saved money, may encourage others to save more on the environment and are doing something they believe in... you can't see the point in chipping in $20 to help them along the way? Some humanitarians you guys are.....
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteThank you for noticing! Yes, you got the nail on the head! We were driven by the need to be debt free. Since we didn't want to take out even more loans we knew we had to depend on what cash we had month to month, which was limited. We just thought, if there was someone out there who enjoyed our adventure, lived in a similar situation, or simply wanted to see this movement keep going- they could donate. I constantly donate to the National Parks Association, local charities, and even to friends taking on adventures of their own. A friend of mine is doing an intensive permaculture internship in deep woods/jungle of Panama! Needless to say, he could not afford this opportunity without help- and I was happy to do so. Spread the love I say! You never know what your few dollars can help to do! Thanks so much for being supportive! :)
Hi Jess and Dan -- I was reading your piece and admiring your energy. My husband and I built our own (2500sq.ft.) house in 1979-80, moving in on January 1, 1980, which we still celebrate as our true anniversary. We sometimes wonder why people don't build their own houses anymore and it seems the answer is the cost of land. I'm not sure that land was any cheaper back then relatively, but we have enjoyed the fruits of our labor for 40 years, NO MORTAGE! We also built a couple of large garages to work in at later times. If you are interested in a reasonably priced 2-acre lot in the midst of permanently preserved open space, let me know. Also let me know how to contact you without letting the entire world know also.
ReplyDeleteHello! I love your story! Very inspiring! Dan and I are hoping to reach that point one day and proudly say as well, NO MORTGAGE! I think a lot of people these days simply have other priorities. They don't really have an interest or want to understand the amount of work that goes into building a house and just how much you are charged to have someone else do it. The upcoming generation seems to be more concerned with technology and convenience - which is worrisome. I feel it's really important to learn how to do certain things yourself- like building a shelter, growing food, and other self-sustaining activities. We would certainly be interested in speaking to you! You can email me directly at looloobirdphoto (at) gmail (dot) com
DeleteThanks for sharing!
Hi I Love it I Love it!!!!!! I have been thinking about building my own little house and I am so happy to see that I'm not as crazy as I thought. You both have inspired me by sharing your story, and with all the pictures and info. I love that you used pallet wood also, people don't realize that you can. So many of the things you used I didn't even think of like the stove, and toilet. So cool. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca!
DeleteThanks so much for the kind words! We are so happy to hear we have inspired you! That was our main reason for putting in the effort to make and maintain a blog! We wanted to be one more voice out there for the Tiny House movement! That's great that you gained a lot of ideas from our experience- and I would love to hear of more people making use of pallets...there are so many of them just tossed every day. Thanks again for stopping by and taking the time to share your thoughts! :)