I think that everyone has heard “necessity is the mother of invention.” It might just be true in all cases, but when I found the photo below, I was totally blown away by the ingenuity of the fellow who made this place into his home. It looks humble but it may just have everything that a person needs to live comfortably.
Could you live here? I think I could, but I am not sure that I would want to; it looks as though it may be a bit spider rich for me.
Susan B. Anthony once said that “cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations… can never effect a reform.”
Recently, I have been distracted by some changes happening both within me and also with regard to the decisions that I have made. Some of the things that I am thinking about are personal while others are directly to do with Tiny House Ontario.
A couple of days ago I posted about my regret for not putting in a fruit cellar. Now I have to confess that my mind might be changing regarding the type of furnace that I want to put into THO. I have always, since the beginning of the project thought I would go with a Dickinson Marine Stove. About $1,200 US +++
A couple of days ago, while checking around on the internet for other Tiny House stories, I noticed a stove that appeals to me visually a lot more. The Mini Franklin Woodstock Soapstone. About $1,200 US +++
I like this one visually a lot better because the vent pipe goes STRAIGHT out the back to the chimney. No silly, wobbly, silver, tube climbing up the wall to find the exit. The chimney too, if that is what they are called on propane stoves. It also looks to me as though they offer a different sort of tidy looking chimney which sits flat against the exterior wall. Both of these look so much tidier in my opinion.
The cost is about the same for the two stoves I am not sure that the cost of shipping is similar, nor am I sure if the cost additional things, such as: wall mount, vent, pipes, chimney and so on, is similar. I am also not sure if the Mini needs a 12v electric hookup or even if it requires any electric at all. I can’t find this on their website.
AAAAUUUURRRRGGGHHHH! Rant…
I found it easy to navigate the Dickinson site and they have the manual right there for you to print and read. Which I have done and but truthfully, I feel as though, with this Dickinson I know what I am getting because so many Tiny Housers use them. Their website, though, is not ideal. I don’t know what beyond the stove I need to order; nor what it costs for these things I need to hook one up. I would like a nice neat package. I get that they are somewhat unique for every home BUT there are no images provided there either. In short they don’t make things nearly as clear as I want them to be.
The Soapstone Mini makers are not even as clear at the Dickinson people. Right down to the image they provide being so tiny that it is hard to see. I know… I know, you think I like tiny things, but this is really, really TINY. No manual either. You have to write them to find out more. I am not too wild about that idea, I hate it when companies are vague. Basically, if they just put the stuff on the site then I could do my own homework. I don’t want to talk on the phone or spend weeks chatting back and forth via email. The most frustrating thing is, I don’t know what questions to ask because the product information is basically just size and colours and the shipping method. I mean, I want to know about size… all we ladies do… I might also like to choose a different colour… but seriously who cares how they ship it? I don’t want to bash them totally, in fact, they had some things better on their site. They do provide a few (albeit TINY) images of the types of hook ups and this was most appreciated. Like Dickinson no packages with the extra stuff in it. They give a nice 360* (TINY) option I can see a tiny wire coming out of tiny bottom of the tiny back — unless this is a tail. In truth it is such a small image that I can’t see.
Before I have some knowledge I am silenced by not feeling I know even enough to ask a simple question.
So what do I want? I am going to assume that these businesses are both dealing with a lot of DIY people. I heard that Dickinson sells far more stoves to Tiny Housers than they do boat owners, so I would like to see them cater to our DIY philosophy!
Key stuff for me is I want user friendly, diagrams, images and explanation options in click out bubbles.
Examples would be more and larger images. Diagrams of the various packages that are needed to hook one of them up based on the sort of place that they are going into.
They know better than I what I need! In my naivety I think I will require a:
A wall mount thingy: $x
A going through the wall tube: $x
A turning up elbow: $x
A chimney of length x: $x
A bunch of other thingamabobs that only they know about: $x
Screws/nuts/bolts/any unusual drill bits etc: $x
Why do they not have a package that looks like this that has a nice little diagram showing you what you are going to have to do with the stuff when it arrives?
Ideally too, they could also provide VARIATION to those packages based on different roof heights, wall thicknesses and slopes.
Then and only then would I want to be told to contact them personally if I have questions… once I understand what I need.
I can’t be the only one who is like this?
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If you are a Tiny Houser, I would appreciate a ball park on the costs of the other stuff and shipping. Also if you have a Soapstone Mini… what electric system do you need for her?
Please comment on this one…
Thanks for listening to me rant! xo L
I just brought some of my green tomatoes over to my friend Marilyn and while I was out, I went though the waterfront neighbourhood by the Hamilton Bay. The area is getting nicer all the time down that way!
The community did a lot of revitalization along the waterfront and this action by the community, really picked up the market and brought in some interesting new buyers. It is now attracting lots of artists, professionals and people who take pride in their homes. Unfortunately a lot of these lovely little small homes have (or are having) additions put on them but there are still a number of cute and solid little small homes that just need a bit of TLC to be AWESOME homes again.
Here are photos of a few of the old small homes that have been polished up and that don’t have additions bigger than the original home on them. Hamilton, Ontario gets a bad wrap because of the industry along the water front. A lot of people, even those who live close don’t know what this city has to offer. It is an interesting and pretty place not just because it is the waterfall capitol of the world either.
If you can’t find something to do or see here, then you are not looking very hard.
These are just lovely little old houses – within a few blocks from the waterfront, in Hamilton. Probably people raised 8 or 10 kids at a time in these houses… just 100 years ago.
Now, so many people think them too small for a couple. Not me… what about you?
At the end of the day when dusk comes the dogs are brought out for the last potty trip. I like the way that Tiny House Ontario looks in the semi darkness now, with its LED lights on, shining through the windows. Like the paintings of simpler times in cozy little houses, not too different from my own.
I can’t help but be reminded of a section from the the new Tiny House Magazine that Kent Griswold has put out. If you have an iPad you can download a free first edition preview copy until October 31 here. Unfortunately, this is only available electronically for the iPad. The discussion that I found most interesting is about how the McMansions that are all going up now are a fad that will not last because of the sheer magnificent cost of upkeep.
Through history, you know, everyone except the ~1% rich lived in small homes. Tiny Homes are not new thing. My friend Donna who is from Jamaica, says that “people all over the world have been living happily in Tiny homes for hundreds and thousands of years”. Space is not a luxury, rather it is the great burden of our time. So much TIME goes into paying for it, filling it, cleaning it, fixing it, decorating it and then starting over again and again. We give away our lives one short increment of time after another… just to keeping up those big homes instead of doing what we want with our lives. The cycle of it is quite out of balance. One cannot ever get that time back, not ever.
For me, the space in THO is perfect but when my husband stays I have found it too small. He is a big fellow; about 6 feet tall and close to 250 pounds. Hj simply fills the house. We bump into one another, he is always in my way. I am of the opinion that another square foot in width would have been better for us as a couple – 12 square feet more (in total) would make this house far more livable. I am a bit envious of the people who are allowed 120 square feet, for us the interior 97.75 is it. Another Tiny room would be really great! Still, we have the space that we are allowed, so I gave it a lot of thought and found a simple solution to this and it feels so much more spacious. Remove the table and chairs. This opened things up a lot. Admittedly, one chair still has to be moved back to Hamilton so we will have to wait and see the full result of this. In place of those items came Vernie’s ingenious little table that is sofa height and this makes a huge difference in the openness of the place already. It allowed us to gain back ~10 square feet of open space. Once the last chair goes, we will have about a 35 square feet rectangular open space to move around in. I think one can easily waltz on a 5×7 bamboo area rug. More accurately I think we can waltz around one another so that we do not invade one another’s natural space.
Another space saving item that I have planned is a breadboard in the kitchen. These are an old idea coming from a time when homes were more appropriately sized and still useful in the context of the Tiny House. When this is installed it will help with the livability because it will add another ~3 square feet of counter space when I need it. Still I have to wait for this until I get the sink, stove and fridge in because I want to be sure what I notch in is correctly located.
Alas, dusk is falling early which means that the days are getting colder and the nights are getting nearly bitter. All the planning will have to wait for another year because now we must soon prepare THO for winter and tuck ourselves safely away in the heated house in Hamilton. Not really the best of both worlds as one might imagine – but rather, I wish that THO was finished and I could live there permanently.
Heat and water, heat and water, heat and water… So close and yet, so far… sigh…
I just got a note from the wonderful Rabia who interviewed me for her radio show on KBOO.fm in Portland.
It was a very cool experience and the opportunity to share was pretty awesome. Rabia made this really easy on me so despite my nerves I don’t believe that I sound like a total idiot. Thanks Rabia! Too, I have to say that I totally agree with you when you say that this interview adds so much. You give Tiny House Ontario a voice! Thank you!
I decided just to copy and paste her email to me so that you can check out not just my interview but also her other links because she is an interesting person and I am sure that her shows are great. I hope that I can catch a bit when I am on grid for more than a few minutes at a time.
A Tiny heads up: The interview is about 45 minutes in length so don’t start listening until you get comfy.
>>>>>>>
Hi Laura,
I think I sent this but I didn’t see it on your blog so here is the link to the audio interview.
http://www.kboo.com/node/48967
I’m certain your readers will love hearing your voice and the story. It adds so much.
Also here is a link for your ears to the show I do every Sunday night at Midnight called The Confessional. I’m pretty sure you will enjoy it. People listen around the world, even to the archive?? It’s the MOST fun thing I do. Happy Tuesday!
http://snd.sc/OrywQH, or try this if the link doesn’t work, both “should.”
http://soundcloud.com/contessa-1/confessional-august-13-2012
I have noticed many people in (and around) the Tiny House community wondering about building Tiny House Communities. I was out for a little drive around my community and decided to take a few peeks in at the beautiful Rideau Canal. On one of my stops I noticed a Tiny Cottage community which I realize is simply small rental cottages; however, I wonder since these are already built, would these not be a good location for a Tiny House Community? I also think that they set a precedence for Tiny House Communities to be allowed within Ontario. At least in the communities which have allowed these Tiny seasonal cottages. Any lawyers reading who have experience with municipal building codes, input would be excellent!
Adorable aren’t they?
I have looked in to putting a small addition on to the Tiny House. I was thinking about a 4.5×9 foot or 40.5 foot (footprint) lean-to style addition which would have a bathroom with running rain water and I would have also moved the kitchen out there as well so that I could have a little desk under the stairs for painting. I felt that it was important not just because of the bear that was seen there last year but because a person who strikes me as sort of a weirdo found this website and he feels a little threatening. I am not too keen on running into him at night with my pants down to tell you the truth. I think an indoor bathroom has suddenly become a requirement this year. BUT… Building inspector weighing in and basically the short version of what is said is: “you cannot do this”. So, there it is. No addition but you can have multiple under 120 square feet footprint places that are not attached to each other…
Still, I want a bathroom not just for safety reasons but one with running rain water and I need the water from the roof surface in order to collect enough to make this feasible. Therefore I have to have something close. I returned to the idea of putting a galley at the front but my friend Liisa stopped by and suggested that I turn it and this was a great suggestion! Thanks Liisa!
This little semi closed in “deck” 4×8 with a 4×4 footprint bathroom will be right off the front door . One will have to go outside of Tiny House Ontario to use it, but it will be on a screened in deck with a covered roof and this will be put on deck blocks – unattached so that if there is a problem I can move it. I know – it will not be easy to move a 4×4 structure but I do have friends with tractors that I am sure will help me if I get into any sort of bind. I don’t expect any problems because I won’t attach the buildings to one another – I will simply put up a bit of flashing on the house to keep water from going in between where they will meet at the roof (of the covered deck)/wall (of Tiny House).
The GREAT thing is that when my cousin Kenny dug the hole where the gravel was put in and pounded down, he made this quite a lot bigger than the cement would be. Great idea because the gravel allows for fantastic drainage. Great too, because now I just have to add the cottage blocks at the correct depth and they should stay put very well, and even if they do sink a bit it is reasonably easy to correct a small structure like this with a car jack.
So far the deck blocks cost me $70. The 2×4′s were left overs and I have still two more for reinforcing it. I have to buy some more 2×4′s a used window and door and a screen door as well as some plywood… I have 2×6 and the steel roof already.
I will let you know what it costs and show you more photos when I have this all done.
Tiny House Ontario is in the process of installing a little place to wash up with our collected rain water.
The drainage is fantastic on the escarpment due to it being limestone bedrock with natural faults every few feet, so even when it is raining like crazy, for days, the ground is not wet. Thus a simple drain tube should do the trick. A sink and shower will be added… hopefully… on a raised platform. It depends on what the building inspector says about adding on to a non existent building/art project…
Here is the beginning.
The forest where Tiny House Ontario sits, has had very little human intervention. I had a few trees go missing on the South East ridge in 2010 (a former neighbour cut them down, to burn for fire wood; they were not his to take). This was all the damage done to the land when I considered my Tiny House build.
I would like to live there but I also do not want to harm the forest. I did not want to cut any trees at all, but reasonably, I needed to have a route in. An entry just makes life so much easier, not just for my own purposes of living, but for the cement delivery, lumber delivery and so on, I required a road.
I did not go about this all helter-skelter and without a good deal of forethought. In order to put in my driveway I chose the point of least damage through; I made a lot of effort to keep from taking any trees over 3 inches in diameter, and I also did not want to cut a single shag bark hickory. These hickory trees are rare and protected so it is not only illegal to cut them, it is unethical. I managed to keep every hickory, but there were a few maples that had to go, so I could have an entry point. My friends John and Leo cleared the lane all the way back to the ridge, but got four pick up trucks of firewood from a 600 foot long and 8 foot wide lane way, which is a very small and reasonable loss. They did not clear cut, certainly, but did cut a swath out of the woods. About half the wood they got came from a large dead maple which wanted for reuse, and thus put the driveway right over it’s old trunk. Aside from the large dead one, I believe that there were about 20 trees that were larger than 3 inches were cut, but only two were larger than 8 inches.
There were no trees cut down in order to make space for Tiny House Ontario. A spot was chosen where there was a natural clearing.
It was not just trees and that had to go. As I mentioned in an earlier post, a lot of what was removed to get through was a swipe through the “prickly pear” (which I think is a sort of a fruitless rubus cane). There were also a lot of small saplings and trees that were less than 3 inches in diameter, these were sacrificed. I also covered a lot of leeks, wild lilies, mayflowers, a few trilliums, and a small patch of wild ginseng too. What I mean is that you cannot buy land which has a low yielding potential for farming, to build on and expect that you will not damage any of the natural features in the process. It is a pity but it had to be done, if I am to actually enjoy the use of this land.
A nice side effect of the little bit of clearing, is that the new openings will allow two more benefits for me. Both are because now there is light coming in. I will be able to add a vegetable garden and solar panels.
While I did my best to be as conscientious as possible, I absolutely caused damage to the forest. Here is what I did to get it in step by step, with a small slide show for you to see the process.
I have written before about the cloth porch. A few dollars worth of deeply discounted fabric, some left over boards and two boxes of staples as well as a screen door is what it is comprised of. While I was building it, then banging in the staples, I resigned myself to having to redo the cloth covering annually because I assumed that the thin, semitransparent, fabric roof would never stand the weight of the winter snow on it. We have had a couple of pretty good snow falls now, so I thought for sure, when I arrived to check in, it would be down. It is late January now, and to my surprise the cloth porch is still standing.
I know! I know! It is not the most beautiful addition that was ever put on a Tiny House but if you have ever been to Ontario in the spring (and summer) you will know that if the black flies don’t get you in the spring, then deer flies, horse flies, ticks and mosquitoes surely will get what is left of you before you freeze to death in our winters.
I am starting to believe that buying and installing new cloth is one job I may not have to do in the spring! Time will tell.
