Life in a Tiny House
I've been in my tiny house for a few years now, and life is good. If you've ever lived in a dorm room or in a small apartment, then you pretty much know the drill, at least where space and simplicity are concerned. Cleaning is quick, but you do it often. Stuff has to have a place, or else it gets in the way and/or it gets thrown out. And, of course, no matter what you do, there's always something more that needs to be tweaked.
But tiny house living has a couple additional wrinkles--most of them in other people's heads. It's not often that dorm or apartment dwellers get asked for a tour of their place or what kind of toilet they have, how they cook, or if they have a shower, but people DO ask tiny house dwellers these things. All the time! And I suppose there is a reason for this--tiny house dwellers are a diverse bunch and we have come up with a diverse set of solutions. Here, in no particular order, are the most common questions I get, along with their answers:
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A TOILET: I have a Sunmar composting toilet. Initially I had to work out a few things, including getting a new compost barrel because the factory had installed the wrong hinges. (Aargh!) Now it works just fine, but, if it were not for regulations that make this the only legal composting toilet in my area, I think I would prefer a bucket system, if only for its lower profile throne!
DO YOU HAVE A SHOWER? Yes, I have a shower and it's full size (36x36") because I wanted it that way.
HOW DO YOU COOK? I use a hot plate, a crock pot, and (occasionally) an Instant Pot. Works just fine, but I haven't hosted Thanksgiving dinner yet.
IS IT TOO SMALL? No I like that it takes just minutes to clean up.
FAVORITE FEATURES? Curved roof, under floor drawers, exhaust fans.
IF I WERE STARTING OVER, WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? I don't know what I'd decide, but I'd definitely consider in floor heat, mollycroft windows and RV style AC.
CAN I HAVE A TOUR? That won't take long. Just walk in the door and turn to your left. The bathroom is behind you now, the kitchen is to the right, the dining room/office are on the left, and the bedroom is straight ahead, all the way to the back, with storage underneath.
But tiny house living has a couple additional wrinkles--most of them in other people's heads. It's not often that dorm or apartment dwellers get asked for a tour of their place or what kind of toilet they have, how they cook, or if they have a shower, but people DO ask tiny house dwellers these things. All the time! And I suppose there is a reason for this--tiny house dwellers are a diverse bunch and we have come up with a diverse set of solutions. Here, in no particular order, are the most common questions I get, along with their answers:
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A TOILET: I have a Sunmar composting toilet. Initially I had to work out a few things, including getting a new compost barrel because the factory had installed the wrong hinges. (Aargh!) Now it works just fine, but, if it were not for regulations that make this the only legal composting toilet in my area, I think I would prefer a bucket system, if only for its lower profile throne!
DO YOU HAVE A SHOWER? Yes, I have a shower and it's full size (36x36") because I wanted it that way.
HOW DO YOU COOK? I use a hot plate, a crock pot, and (occasionally) an Instant Pot. Works just fine, but I haven't hosted Thanksgiving dinner yet.
IS IT TOO SMALL? No I like that it takes just minutes to clean up.
FAVORITE FEATURES? Curved roof, under floor drawers, exhaust fans.
IF I WERE STARTING OVER, WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY? I don't know what I'd decide, but I'd definitely consider in floor heat, mollycroft windows and RV style AC.
CAN I HAVE A TOUR? That won't take long. Just walk in the door and turn to your left. The bathroom is behind you now, the kitchen is to the right, the dining room/office are on the left, and the bedroom is straight ahead, all the way to the back, with storage underneath.
