A tall and sexy refrigerator

It has been a while since I last checked in. I work in healthcare management and have never had a fall season quite like this one. The past eight weeks have been a blur. A great deal of work has gone into H1N1 preparation and response, and of course healthcare is not without its challenges on its best day.

We have been doing some cosmetic improvements to our townhouse since we moved in back in April. I'm hoping to post some before and after pictures on this site as we get a room finished.

Yesterday we took delivery of our tall and sexy LG refrigerator. The unit is over six feet tall and is only about 24" wide and deep. I've wanted one of these for a while. The fridge that was sold to us with the house was experiencing some issues with the freezer compartment, so we realized it was time to consider a replacement. As our eat-in kitchen is modest in size, I thought it was the perfect time to invest in a smaller, sleeker refrigerator. So far, we are very pleased with it. The freezer section is on the bottom and is divided into separate drawers which makes keeping things organized quite simple. I also love not having to bend down to look into the fridge. If you're looking for a mid size refrigerator with a small footprint, you might want to check out the LG 389R.

Home Renovations - My DIY Habit

In my profile, I mention that besides loving smaller houses, I also enjoy DIY. To date, I haven't done a DIY post, so here goes...

The townhouse I currently inhabit with my partner Jennifer had dark laminate flooring on the main level when we moved in. Neither of us liked it very much. It seemed to suck the light out of the main rooms. We hadn't planned to replace it right away, but circumstances collided and presto! The old flooring is up, fourteen sheets of 3/8 inch plywood have been laid and screwed down with 1500+ wood screws, and tiling begins tomorrow. We've opted for a heavy vinyl tile with a matte finish and a warm mottled coloring. Our four dogs will have much better traction on them and they should help hide dog hair in between the daily vacuumings.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my little Ford Ranger! She may be small but she affords a level of independence that I've not had in many years. On Friday evening, Jenn and I loaded the sheets of plywood in the back of teh truck and made our way home. There was no waiting for the building store to deliver and no delivery charges.

Anyway, my hands are tired from the single speed drill I used today. I'll post before and after pictures once we've finished. Cheers!

Vermont Home Owner Downsizes to 425 Square Feet

WCAX in Vermont has posted an video about Vermont resident Norman Wells who is in the process of building a 425 square foot house.

http://www.wcax.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?vt1=v&clipFormat=flv&clipId1=4050423&at1=News&h1=From McMansions to Micro-Houses?&flvUri=

The reporter stresses that this will be his full time home, not a vacation cabin, as if to highlight how extreme a choice he is making. I found that a little funny considering the number of people embracing tiny houses and not just small houses. Anyway, the feature has some great footage of the little gem of a house and Mr. Wells has clearly decided to have some custom work done inside. The timber features and tree branch style railings are just beautiful.

The reporter also interviews a spokesperson from the local builders' association who asserts that while Vermont residents already buck the national trend (i.e. the average house size is 2000 square feet instead of 2500), she expresses doubt that the average size will drop below 1600 square feet, suggesting that house of 400 - 600 square feet are too extreme an example of downsizing for most people.

Personally, I think it is really a matter of personal priorities. As I read the stories of people who have opted to build smaller homes, I see a recurring theme: resource allocation. Some opt for smaller houses to reduce their carbon footprint. Others want to have more time and money for their friends, familes, hobbies and interests. For some it is an economical housing choice while they finish school. And others want more freedom from the work-a-day world and having fewer shelter expenses enables them to have that.

I agree that the 2000 square foot house is in no danger of extinction at the moment as house size is still very much connected with our culture's definition of "success." However, as more people begin to redefine what success in life means to them, they will also look more critically at the housing options available to them. Some smart and successful builders and architects have already acknowledged this growing trend and have small house options on their website. And a growing number of people are taking matters into their own hands and building their own version of a small or tiny home with the help of websites like Country Home Plans, Andrew Sheldon and Jay Schafer (see my website list for the urls).

Tiny and small houses are a part of North American history. I, for one, am glad to see them increasing in popularity once again.

CBS News Item on Jay Schafer

Hi everyone. CBS has recently done a feature on Jay Schafer's Fencl (the tiny house he built to take on the road). The video is great and is evidence of the growing interest in tiny houses. Take a look for yourself!

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5244589n

An Update on the Last Posting

I had a lovely email from Jonny Barker regarding my most recent post about the tiny house and office he is building in the UK. He kindly let me know that the blog link I posted is somewhat outdated and suggested that I direct tiny house fans to track his progress via the following link www.tinylittlehouse.com

Another Beautiful Tiny House

Today I discovered http://www.tinyhouse.vze.com/ Jonny Barker's blog where he documents the building of a tiny house and a tiny office. The tiny house is built on a reinforced 7' x 13' trailer chasis. These exterior dimensions do not include the 3'6" deck which folds up for transport. The height from chasis to roof peak is 10', and 11' if measured from the units legs up. He is currently exploring what it will take to put the house on twin axels.

The tiny house has a charming wooden exterior that has been stained a warm oak. The entrance consists of a lighter stained dutch door with darker trim. He has fitted frames to hold flowers boxes under the side windows and has hanging baskets as well. He even recycled an old dog bed to act as a planter for green onions and herbs.

Unlike many tiny house designs, he has placed the bathroom/wet room near the front door and the kitchen just beyond that. An interior window cut out to the left of the kitchen counter allows long sight lines from the front door and gives a place to hang mugs. By closing in above the bathroom, the water tank and other mechanical bits are easily accessible yet nicely hidden.

What struck me as I looked at the many pictures of his projects was his attention to detail and creative use of found or used materials. The stainless kitchen sink was found on freecycle. The small freestanding kitchenette cupboard was purchased for £12.50 at a car boot sale (i.e. yard sale).

Mr. Barker has a short video on his website that provides a brief tour of his tiny house. The "progress" sections contain numerous pictures that give a detailed look at the construction of both the tiny house and the tiny office. If you are a tiny house fan, you should check out his blog!

Compact Camping Options

I recently purchased a small truck (Ford Ranger) and have been looking at camping gear options. Since small trucks can only handle so much towing weight, I began looking at older fibreglass trailers in my local online classifieds. Because I live in a town house and have limited space, my thinking switched to finding suitable camping gear and once again I turned to the internet. That's when I found it - the Adventure Truck Tent at http://www.adventuretrucktent.com/

As the website states:

"... (the) ENEL Company, is an engineering company that designs a wide variety of high-tech and innovative products. The Adventure I Truck Tent was first designed in 1992 and was patented (patent 6,481,784) and 1st released to the public in 2001. Thousands of truck tents have been sold and with an almost 100% satisfaction rate, showing you the customer that The Adventure I Truck Tent is the best truck tent on the market. The Adventure I Truck Tent allows truck owners to set-up camp on any ground surface, sleep comfortably and adapt their truck box into an enjoyable camping experience, and because of our unique design no floor is needed. No floor means, EASY TO CLEAN and MAXIMUM use of your truck bed. Thousands of families, campers, fisherman, mountaineers, cyclists, sportsmen and hikers have enjoyed turning their truck into an affordable recreational vehicle.

The Adventure I Truck Tent is constructed with quality in mind, and only top-of-the-line materials are used. High-strength fiberglass poles (aluminum poles are also available for additional charge), double-taped seams, nylon fabric and high quality zippers are just a few of the outstanding features. The Adventure I Truck Tent is designed to encompass the tailgate and due to its patented conestoga tent style design, the tent is extremely spacious with 145 – 195 cubic feet of tent and truck box space. You can walk in and out of the tent ( 5ft. 6 inch for all models), no crawling in to stand up, no other truck tent can match that. That means that there is 5ft 6 inches throughout the tent, not just in the middle. No other tent can match that! The truck tent is lightweight, weighing only 11 lbs, and is stored in a small stuff bag, measuring 22" x 11". The simple and easy to follow instructions enables anyone to quickly set up the Adventure I Truck Tent in about 10 – 12 minutes. Customers are amazed at the ease of set-up and the comfort and spaciousness that comes with an Adventure I Truck Tent. The truck tent is affordable and available in different sizes to accommodate most truck models."

At $249, it is definitely an affordable, well designed and compact alternative.

Combine this with the mini camper found on http://www.minicampingtrailer.com/index.html and you will have everything you need for an enjoyable camping experience. This unit is a mere 40" x 48" x 48" and sits on a small utility trailer that can easily be pulled behind a small vehicle. It contains a kitchen space complete with sink, stove top and cooler, and a bathroom with port-a-potti and shower. It also features a water tank, outside spigot and lighting. Check out the video showing how the unit is set up.

The plans to build your own mini camper are available for free at this website. The plans are copywrited to Brad Flickinger (2008).