Category: tiny houses

Regulated Dreams: The Struggle to Build Our Own Home

Here we are, imagining ourselves sitting at a kitchen table in a modest cabin, a simple home dreamed up and built with our own two hands. It’s a little rustic, a little rough around the edges, but it’s ours. Completely and utterly ours.

There’s something profoundly satisfying about the idea of creating a home from scratch, especially when it’s done with love and a sprinkle of stubbornness.

The Adventure of Building Your Own Home

Imagine deciding to build your own home, bursting with excitement. Who wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea of crafting a little haven tailored to your every wish? Visions of quirky nooks, a garden bursting with veggies, and a fireplace where marshmallows can be toasted dance in your head.

But as it turns out, building your own home isn’t all fairy tales and bonfires. It’s more like a quest, and not the fun kind with treasure at the end. More like the kind with dragons named “Permit” and “Regulation.”

The Bureaucratic Dragons

Even if you own the land, constructing a home isn’t as simple as grabbing some timber and a hammer. Oh no. First, you must navigate the labyrinth of building codes, zoning laws, and permits. It’s like playing a game where the rules change every five minutes, and you’re not allowed to read the rulebook.

Countless hours are spent filling out forms, attending meetings, and jumping through hoops just to get permission to build a small cabin. At times, it feels like the universe is conspiring to keep you from having your own home. But with determination, you press on…

The Joy of Creation

Despite the hurdles, the joy of building your own home is incomparable. Every nail hammered and every board placed is a testament to perseverance. Scavenging for materials, recycling old wood, and even learning to do some plumbing reveals hidden talents.

A cabin, with its wonky windows and slightly crooked door, can be perfect in its imperfections. It reflects the journey, filled with sweat, laughter, and a few words best left unsaid in polite company.

Self-Sufficiency: A Sweet Reward

One of the most rewarding aspects of building your own home is the journey toward self-sufficiency. Installing solar panels to harness the sun’s energy, setting up a rainwater collection system, and planting a garden brings unparalleled satisfaction. There’s nothing quite like eating a salad made from veggies you grew yourself.

Raising chickens for fresh eggs and setting up a compost system not only reduces the environmental footprint but also brings a sense of accomplishment. It’s a small rebellion against the consumer-driven world, a way to take control of life and live more sustainably.

A Thoughtful Pause

Building this home is more than just a construction project. It’s a lesson in patience, resilience, and the power of dreams. It raises questions about why it’s so difficult to create something so simple and essential. Why are there so many barriers to building a home, especially when you own the land?

Maybe it’s time to rethink our approach to regulations and bureaucracy. Of course, rules are necessary for safety and order, but shouldn’t they also support and encourage the dreamers and doers? There’s a balance to be struck between regulation and freedom, one that fosters creativity and independence without compromising safety.

The Future: Unscripted and Unstoppable

A little cabin can stand as a symbol of what can be achieved with determination and a bit of grit. It reminds us that despite the hurdles, the dream of building your own home is worth chasing.

So here’s to the dreamers, the builders, and the rebels who refuse to be boxed in by bureaucracy. May we all find the courage to build our own sanctuaries, one nail, one board, and one dream at a time.

In the end, it’s not just about the house. It’s about the journey, the struggle, and the sweet victory of creating a place to call home. Because even in a world of regulated dreams, our spirit to build and create is unstoppable.

Playhouse – Tiny Home

Ever fantasized about recapturing the carefree joys of childhood within the comfort of your adult life? We’re not talking about a time machine, but something you can actually touch, see, and yes, even slide down! Introducing the grown-up’s playhouse, the literal, swing-and-slide type!

Picture this: a tiny abode, where every inch oozes charm and begs for a giggle. It’s a place where you swap your front door for an inviting archway that leads to a living room with a twist – a slide that zips you down from your cozy loft bed every morning. Yes, you’ll have to make your bed, but who cares when the descent is so exhilarating?

But let’s talk timber and other wallet-friendly materials. Building your adult-sized den of delight doesn’t mean emptying your grown-up piggy bank. We’re looking at low-cost, high-fun alternatives that are sturdy, sustainable, and easy on the eyes. Let’s build the cheapest houses – tiny, charming, and best of all: full of fun!

The Building Blocks of Fun

Wood, Wonderful Wood: The skeleton of your fun house can be classic timber or reclaimed wood, giving a nod to eco-consciousness and keeping costs as low as your childhood ambitions.

Cobblestones and Charm: Used bricks or cobblestones can pave the way to your playful palace. They’re often available for pennies from salvage yards – sometimes even free if you’re willing to haul them away.

Sheet Metal Slides: A slide made of sheet metal can give you that swoosh without swiping too much from your savings. Plus, it doubles as a quirky design element!

Windows of Opportunity: Hunt for second-hand windows to let the sunshine into your playhouse. They can often be found at salvage yards or local classifieds, and they add a touch of grown-up class to your playful space.

Swings and Things: For the swings, go for reclaimed wood or even an old skateboard deck – yes, it’s a thing! – and some sturdy rope. Who said upcycling couldn’t be uplifting?

Insulation Innovation: Keep your playhouse cozy with inexpensive insulation options like recycled denim or sheep’s wool. Not only will your heart be warm from the fun, but your playhouse will be too!

Now, before the fun police ask for your grown-up card, let’s remember that play is essential, no matter your age. So why not build a tiny sanctuary that embraces your inner child? It’s a place where you can sip a sophisticated espresso on a swing, draft emails atop a slide, and have meetings in a loft bed. All this, built with love, laughter, and a little bit of lumber.

In your very own adult playhouse, there’s no bell to signal the end of playtime. So go ahead, build that mini-mansion of merriment. After all, you’re never too grown-up to play!

3 Things To Consider When Moving Into A Tiny House

The coronavirus pandemic showed many people the importance of spending time outside. It showed to people how essential it is to have your own place to spend your time in a cozy and comfortable home that welcomes you after a long day and that helps you relax and unwind. A tiny house offers you the opportunity of living with less and of adopting a minimalist lifestyle. It helps you connect with nature and admire its marvels because a tiny home can be built almost anywhere.

But how were some people convinced by choosing a tiny home for sale instead of a big and family-sized one? Well, most of the people and couples that want to move into a tiny house are millennials. They are the generation that is the first one that was an adept of the nomadic lifestyle. They are mostly working from home or remotely, so they have the flexibility to work from any place. At the same time, tiny houses on wheels are among the most looked after by this generation. This is because you can take it anywhere. You basically have the possibility of moving with your house, so taking the comfort and coziness you have built with you. Moreover, a tiny house comes with reduced maintenance costs, so living on a budget and work from everywhere are just a few of the benefits people are looking for nowadays.

Moving into a tiny house comes with many restraints. At the same time, there are many things you need to consider and be aware of before you actually move. There are a few things you need to think about before actually starting to build your house. These 3 things will help you make the entire process smoother, but also be prepared for everything moving into a tiny house means.

Financial Implications

Many people decide to move into a tiny house because of the reduced costs. If the space you live in is smaller, you need less energy and resources to heat it and keep it warm, to cool it, or repair any things that might have broken. While there are people who are already searching for buying or renting a tiny house, many others want to build it by themselves. The costs of moving into a tiny house depend on this.

For example, you may decide to build the house by yourself. With all the materials you need, it may cost you up to $30,000. If you want to hire a professional to do it for you, costs might go up to $70,000. So, the difference is huge. At the same time, there is the possibility of buying a house building kit from Amazon, especially built and designed for people who want to build their tiny house by themselves. The kit can be up to $20,000, so a lot more affordable than hiring a professional to build it.

No matter your decision, you will surely have to think about other costs as well. For example, the furniture, the bathroom, shower, windows, interior finishes, electrical, and appliances are other costs that will add up to the final sum. But because the house is tiny, you do not need so many of these, so the total costs will still be smaller compared with a large house.

But what if you do not have the money to build the house by yourself but you really want this? There are many ways you can finance your dream: through personal loans, mortgages, or RV loans. Depending on which of these options suits you the best, you will choose the ones that are the easiest to obtain and have the lowest interest rate.

Design

Another thing you need to consider before moving to a tiny house is its design of. If you build it by yourself, you need to think about how you arrange the furniture. The main thing about a tiny house is that it is tiny, so you have limited space. You need to select only the essentials, but also find a nice way to use the space available optimally. Thinking about the design will help you decide how big you need to build your tiny house. If you will be living alone, then you can decide how much space you need. But if you will be living with your family, you need to consider the space each member needs. This will allow you to decide on the right size for your tiny house, as well as the interior design.

At the same time, it is essential to think about the appliances and your future plans. Many people decide to build a tiny house on wheels, so this is something to think about. Will you live off or on the grid? It is important to consider your environmental impact too and choose to reuse building materials and use energy and water-efficient appliances.

Utilities

Utilities are crucial and one of the most important things to consider when moving into a tiny house. The solution for your utilities depends on your plans. If you want a mobile house, then you need to think about the utilities and you connect to each of them while you are on the move. But if you want to have a stationary tiny house, then you need to think about water, electricity, internet, gas, and so on. To have a low impact on the environment, you could consider renewable sources of energy.

Ending Note

Moving to a tiny house is something many people think about during these times. Living in a flat while a global pandemic is happening and you are not allowed to leave your house makes many people yearn for a house. Millennials are among the ones that are looking for building or buying a tiny house. But before moving in, you need to take into consideration a few things.

The costs of building a tiny house depend. If you want to hire a professional, the costs will be higher because you will pay labor too. You can also buy a tiny home building kit from Amazon. Next, think about the design and how many people will be living there. This is important because it will help you decide on the right size and design for your tiny house. Think about the utilities too and consider using renewable energy to lower your impact on the environment.

Author Bio: Charlie Svensson is a fast, engaging freelance writer working at a dissertation service. Skilled in content writing and blogging, he writes college essay papers at an essay writing service. The favorite topics of his posts are education, social media, psychology, design, and self-growth. Excellent adaptability of skills to reach diverse audiences.

Image by WinnieC auf Pixabay 

5 Ways to Make a Small House ‘Bigger’

Having a small house comes with the benefit of ensuring that your bills are always lower. With a small house, you will also have minimal cleaning and maintenance needs.

The problems set in when you wish to arrange your items inside the house or host guests. The items would clutter easily, and just a small mess would feel more significant in your small house.

Besides, your guests would feel ‘squeezed’ inside the house. There are, however, a few tricks you may use to make your small house ‘bigger.’

In some instances, a little creativity goes a long way in making your house feel bigger. In some instances, though, you may need to make major adjustments to help you achieve the intended goal. Use these simple strategies to make your small house ‘bigger.’

       I.            Remove Accessories and Furniture on the Way

Elements like furniture and accessories which would cause blockage in the view into your room will make it look cramped. If your house looks small and you have accessories and furniture lined on the walkways, you may need to consider removing them to create space in those regions.

Removing such elements will help open up maximum space in the walkways. This will, in effect, make your house feel bigger than you actually thought.

If you do not have furniture or accessories in the walkways and the ones you have in the room are taller, it would help if you substitute the taller furniture with shorter ones. For example, you can go with shorter tables in the open and then remove your taller and large pieces of furniture to the wall.

The bottom line, in this case, is to be able to see the floor. Once you make your floor space more noticeable, your tiny house will feel dramatically bigger than it really is.

    II.            Check your Lighting

Did you also know that the lighting of your house would also impact how you feel inside the house? Well, if you go with poor lighting selections, there is a risk of your house feeling smaller even if it was large in size.

To use lighting in making your house bigger, you will basically need to allow as much lighting into your house as possible. To begin with, if you can access natural light, be sure to let it into your room.

It will certainly make it feel bigger. If you cannot access natural lighting for your house, it would help if you try artificial lighting.

Here are a few tips that may help make artificial lighting resize your room;

  • Do not use just one source of light in the room. Spread light using different light sources in your room to create space.
  • You may benefit from installing table lamps on sideboards and floor lamps in different corners of your room. This will ensure that light is distributed throughout the entire room.
  • You may also try long pendants. When installed correctly, they can help you to significantly make your room feel larger. This will most commonly be applicable if you have a high ceiling. Hanging a long pendant from your ceiling will help draw the eyes of the occupants in the room high up and down to emphasize its height instead of the smaller floor space.

 III.            Consider Switching Colors

Using color to expand your room’s size is more of an optical illusion. Well, it isn’t even a secret. Your light paint colors play a role in making your rooms feel bigger or smaller, and a good interior designer should help you with this when you’re selecting color options for your house.

If you wish to make your small room feel bigger, it would help if you ditch dark shades and go with light and bright walls. Dark shades aren’t recommended because they absorb a lot of light, implying that there is a risk of the dark shades making your house feel ‘squeezed.’

On the other hand, if you go with light and bright walls, the walls will be more reflective, which will be a massive boost for you if you’re trying to maximize the effect of natural lighting. To achieve the best effect of using colors to make your small hours feel bigger, you can use soft tones such as off-white, greens, and blues to pull up this trick.

Alternatively, you can also use lighter colors when painting your wall moldings and trims instead of using the same color schemes for the wall and moldings. This will help ensure that your walls appear further away and make your house feel much bigger.

Accent walls are also not outdated, and they can leave a massive impact on making your house feel much bigger. Therefore, you may also choose to go with accent walls. They will also add to the decorative space in your colors of choice.

 IV.            Make use of Glass and Lucite

Another powerful hack in making your tiny house feel bigger is actually investing in materials that you can see through. This is where the glass and Lucite also fits in so beautifully. These materials make any other items arrange behind them seem to be placed further back.

A simpler way to achieve this in your tiny room is to check if your shower enclosure glass is an opaque one. If that’s the case, you may want to use a clear and frameless alternative.

This way, you will be able to see all the way to your shower’s wall back to make your house feel larger than it really is. Another hack that you may try in this regard is going for glass or Lucite for your tabletops.

This will open up the view beyond to make your room feel bigger instead of squeezed. It may sound like just a tiny adjustment but one that is guaranteed to leave a remarkable difference.

    V.            Coordinate your Walls and Furniture Colors

Now, this piece wouldn’t have been wholly complete if we didn’t touch on the effect of using contrasting colors in your room. Ideally, if you go with contrasting colors in your house, they will not really work to your advantage if you aim to make the small room feel bigger.

The problem, in this case, is that the contrasting colors will break up spaces. This means that your house will remain looking smaller even than its natural size.

To ensure that the colors of your furniture and the walls don’t make your room feel smaller, consider going for pieces of furniture with color selections matching your wall color selections. This will ensure that the colors blend with the spaces to give the illusion that your room is actually bigger.

Final Word

Room redesigning can be a whole lot of work. It would help if you take it step by step to avoid being overwhelmed. If you feel that you can’t nail it still on your own, consider finding a professional interior designer.

Author Bio

Charlie Svensson is not only fast but also an engaging blogger and freelance writer for EssayAssistant. Other than his prowess in assignment writing help, Charlie is also a skilled blogger and content writer who also provides essay writing service.

His excellent adaptability skills for connecting with varied audiences also makes him a dependable dissertation help services provider. When blogging; Charlie likes to write about self-growth, SEO, social media, education and motivation blogging.

Image by Richard Hay on Pixabay 

The safety features every tiny house needs

Living in a tiny house seems like the way to go nowadays. Proponents of the ‘tiny house movement’ argue that it is more economical and promotes a sense of mobility – many are built on trailers for easy transportation. Cynics argue that having to live in a small space with all of your belongings squeezed around you would quickly outweigh the positives – especially with the inevitable compromises on facilities and features taken into account.

But what about safety and security? Although you may think that having a smaller home means safety and security present a smaller challenge, this isn’t entirely true. In fact, living in a tiny house presents many of its own unique challenges! Just like any other living space, a home security system is obviously paramount – and there are other safety features that must be included too.

Whether you’re thinking of living in a tiny house yourself, you’re already the proud owner of a tiny house, or you’re simply interested in tiny houses in general, read on to find out more.

1. Trailer brakes

It is vital to have electric brakes if you are building your house on a trailer. In case your mobile home detaches from the vehicle towing it, the brakes are activated. It’s obviously an essential safety precaution to test that the brakes are working as they should before you set off on the open road.

Additionally, ensure that the trailer you select can withstand the weight load of your house, as they have different maximum load capacities. Moreover, the tow vehicle you choose should be able to withstand the trailer’s weight.

2. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors 

Smoke detectors are a quick and essential means of informing you of a fire. It goes without saying, but every house – no matter how tiny – should have one. Some smoke detectors can even connect to an app on your phone, allowing you to receive alerts regardless of your location.

It’s also important to make sure that you have a carbon monoxide detector. These are a necessity in any house, but even more important in a tiny house. In confined spaces, carbon monoxide can spread and overwhelm you even more quickly than usual.

3. Fire extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are crucial firefighting tools to have in your home. Space is obviously more limited in tiny homes, but this is one item you should not be tempted to store away. Keep in it an open, easy to reach area – and ensure that it’s still working and within its expiration date!

4. Automated controls

Automated controls help you to protect your home during an emergency, even when you’re not there in person. If your smoke alarm activates, for example, an automatic control system can immediately turn off the main gas supply. This will decrease the fuel for a fire and minimise its spread.

5. Indoor and outdoor security cameras

According to figures from Direct Line, a property is criminally damaged every five minutes in the UK alone – underlying how attractive our homes can be to potential criminals. Tiny home owners may also benefit from the peace of mind of having a video surveillance system. It’s a good idea to install cameras inside and outside your home, making sure that all points of entry are covered. You can even connect the cameras to your phone, which will alert you when there’s a disturbance and show you a direct stream of the cameras’ viewpoint.

6. Exhaust fan

Every tiny house needs to have this powerful tool. Exhaust fans maintain the air quality in your home by removing moisture, fumes, and bad odours. This is vital for small houses, which can be more prone to damp and grow mould. When using a propane stove, it’s best to ensure that your exhaust fan is always on.

Tiny houses may be smaller, but that doesn’t mean you can get by with a smaller number of safety features! A house is a house, no matter how big – and every house needs to be safe and secure. Although tiny houses come with some of their own safety challenges, they also come with their own positives. They allow their owners to live a simpler life, with fewer belongings, a healthier bank balance, and the freedom to take their home with them wherever they go.

Author: Hubert Day

Tiny houses – What is the BIG deal?

Tiny houses seem to be the new BIG thing as they offer a solution to a variety of modern problems.

As property prices go up many had to either abandon the dream of ever owning their own home or they had to find another way. Many people did find another way by reducing their wishes to a minimum and voilá: the idea of tiny houses was born. Continue reading Tiny houses – What is the BIG deal?