My Tiny House Dream

Will my tiny house dream become a true reality? I am not sure yet, but I am working on it that is for sure! I have found my dream shell of a home. Well that is what I call it anyway. I have found the building that I want to convert into a tiny home, it is originally a shed but considering it is 16’ X 40’ it will be roughly 200 sq. ft. smaller than my Orlando apartment. With this I could turn the RV back over to my ex and build my little dream house.

Now with that said comes the question of “Where do I put it?” My Ex’s parents have some land, and to be honest I kind of miss my family. If I were to move out to their land and do my cabin there, my daughter could be right there with her dad and still have me around. This in no way would signify my Ex and I getting back together though. He and I are best friends and always will be, the relationship boat has sailed.

Now with that said I am not apposed to the living in the middle of the country, it has its perks like the quiet and slow pace. My only con is that you have to drive an hour to get anywhere that resembles a city, again not a bad thing. The whole point of living out somewhere in a tiny home is to get the peace and quiet right?

On an even brighter note I will be able to empty out my storage locker, and retrieve everything from my grandmothers house and put them all into one place saving myself near $100.00 a month. So there is one plus to this little venture in my favor.  The fact that I would not have to pay rent is another plus, however I would probably give them the 100.00 I saved as a gesture that I am sure they would appreciate.

I have been sitting here trying to figure out just how I would build it out on the inside. I have been able to total up al the important stuff like shower, sinks, toilet, stove, fridge and the like for around $2000. This does not include drywall, insulation, electrical wiring, plugs, light fixtures, etc. and so on.  But I figure if I get all the expensive things out of the way first that leaves room to get the rest done as I can… Right?

My other option is to find some land that I could put it on, that would be an ideal to say the least.  I would love to have my own little piece of property and my own tiny house to put on it.  Time will tell what the outcome of this little idea of mine.

Starting to feel like home…

Moving in...

Well it is official! I have been back in VA and in my RV for a little over a week now and it is finally starting to feel like home. The RV is much cleaner than it was last week when I walked in the door for the first time in three years. I have come to realize that I pretty much need to downsize the amount of crap that I have. I am even considering opening an e-bay store and selling off some of the things I have that I want to get rid of instead of just tossing it out. That is going to be work as I have a lot of crap that I really should get rid of.

When it comes to the house/RV I still have some scrubbing to do, mainly the ceiling as so much time in storage has left the RV rather nasty. I spent most of today scrubbing the walls, rearranging the stuff that was originally just shoved into the cabinets. Direct TV came out and installed my satellite. It was kind of a bittersweet moment. For most of my previous time in the RV I had Dish Network, however a change in their policy has made it an ill choice to go with them for my satellite. The funny thing is that when I sold my house in 2002 I had Direct TV and when I moved into the old RV I had to get rid of Direct TV for Dish for the very same reasons. Times have really changed.

One thing that I have learnt is that a “Magic Eraser” is a godsend for someone living in an RV. The only thing that I hate is that it seems to disintegrate when you’re using it, that is pretty annoying, but damn does it get rid of the crap you need to get rid of! I have yet to find anything it hasn’t gotten rid of. I honestly don’t think that the kitchen cabinets have looked as clean since I bought the RV.

Not going anywhere!
Bolted down like it is in a hotel.

A couple days ago I faced one of my biggest fears. I climbed up the back ladder, which was awkward to say the least. I am cool with being up there, and cool being on the ground, it is the in-between I have the issue with. The thought of falling 13 feet and breaking my neck is not appealing in the least, but I did it! And carrying up two more cans of spray rubber. I hit the front cap and the skylights again. The rain today leaves me hopeful that the non-leaking skylights have been fixed but I am not going to relax just yet. When it comes to the front cap however, I cannot for the life of me figure out how the water is getting in. The seam has been glazed like a doughnut and I have no clue how it is still leaking, but it is, sadly. SO after the rain today it looks like another trip up on the roof is in order. I am hoping a friend of mine will do it for me. Crossing fingers.

I was happy to find that my microwave from the apartment was the same size as the existing one, so I replaced the old with the newer, much cleaner microwave. It also works much better than the old one and is making my life so much easier at the moment.

Tomorrow I will be spending most of the day cleaning windows, washing the ceilings in the slides and most likely the ceilings in the bedroom and bath. I will leave the taller much larger ceiling in the living area for a day unto itself. That is going to be a back breaker.

For now, This saga continues…

YouTube… Great source of information!

View full post for links at the bottom.

            I have been doing a ton of research over the last couple days, Having a few days off from school has been awesome, although I have some family issues that have surfaced, mainly two family members in the hospital, one awaiting a new heart, and one with other heart/blood thinner, related issues.            Things are a little tough at the moment but everything happens for a reason.

            Anyway, In my down time I have been addicted to You Tube looking for information on gardening, farming, canning, Cheese making, off grid living and many more things. I wanted to share some of the links to my most favorite and the most useful videos that I have found. There are so many more and I will post the best ones as I find them.

You Tube Links:

            Magazines on my Ipad:

            Backwoods Home Magazine: I really like this magazine, Got the Chicken back issue and it is awesome!

http://www.backwoodshome.com

Gardening:

            This is the best gardening youtuber that I have found, I really like this channel!

            http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUnFheTbVpASikm0YPb8pSw

Butchering a Pig:

1)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsoK0gcG9as&list=TLSqrqvJVsGJo

2)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJy7nGS11VY&feature=share&list=TLSqrqvJVsGJo

3)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEWFbdOCZMY&feature=share&list=TLSqrqvJVsGJo

Chicken Processing:

            Awesome videos for Chicken Processing, The system they sell is not that expensive and I am thinking of purchasing one when I go off grid!

           

            http://www.youtube.com/user/buckley02

It is a process!

So I have sat all day in my recliner between doing my chores and watched a ton more of youtube videos on everything from Earth ships, Solar Power, gardening, and I even learnt how to Figure out Truss structures!  I did find a plan for the first of the building I want to construct on the land I want to buy. My Ex has even offered to help in the process, It is pretty much a garage with an office and an apartment on the top. I figure that I can live in the apartment while two of the three bays of the garage will be a workshop, one being a garage. and the office being an office. Once I get the other buildings in I would most likely use the apartment as a guest house while turning the office into a hydroponics garden. It is just an idea anyway, If all else fails I have an all in one solution. It is a goal any way and one that looks like something that I can accomplish. 

Got my New Yankee Workshop videos, I plan on purchasing more over the next few months. Like I said in an earlier blog I want to build my own furniture for my house and now is the time to design my own plans as well as buy the plans that I want. Anyway I am finally off to bed as it is almost 2 am. Night ya'll

In Need Of a Simpler Life.

            It is no big surprise that I have wanted a simpler life, as I get older. I have to admit that I am wanting more and more to move away to some secluded place where I can write and just be left to myself, well aside from family and close friends.

            Lately I have been taking trips back to the days of ole where I would sit in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother while they would cook, and can fresh fruits and veggies. I remember one time when I lived in Ocean View that my mother showed up with bushels of corn. We had to blanch and freeze all of it in the short time she was at my house. This was quite the feat in my little one bedroom apartment with the tiny galley kitchen. However, I nonetheless find myself these days, long after my mother has passed on, going back to those days of canning and blanching.

            Recently I have pulled out the old recipe books, Broken out my Martha Stewart caning pot, Purchased almost everything I would ever need to can food and have set off to do just that. I have started with the simple things like Jams and Jellies. On my list is a pressure canner so that I can get into the harder things. I am still in a tiny one bedroom but this time I am all to myself.  I also find myself utilizing my Kindle Fire to download books on gardening and canning. As well as books on Off grid living.

            Off grid living is something that I have though about for years. And lately it is appealing to me more and more. I have been researching the “tiny house” movement, solar power, and looking into untainted land for sale. I have a year at most from the start of this month to figure out what it is that I want to do after graduation. To be honest I am thinking that maybe prepping for something so drastic as going off grid may be right up my alley.

            It should also come as no surprise that I am a prepper! Yes, I do believe that something is coming that will drastically change the way we as a civilization live and function these days. And I have started with the Canning, and recently moved on you Gun ownership. And I have to admit I am quite good with a pistol, and a rifle! I go to the range every week, Purchase Ammo and spend time on the range practicing with paper targets.  I have also recently gotten me a dog that is becoming my best friend these days. She is still a puppy, and I hope to have her around for quite a while.

            So now I am starting this blog to chronicle my transition from City apartment dweller to living full time off of the grid! I am hoping to meet some fellow sustainable living enthusiasts along the way and learn a whole lot more!   

            In a perfect world I would hit the lottery and be able to do it all at once. However, the world is far from perfect, and I must do this as I can afford too.