We’re trying to heat our Tiny House for free!

November 11, 2014

WooHoo! 

The Craigslist Free section proves still useful even when we’re living the minimalist Tiny House lifestyle!

I love the hunt.  For several weeks I’ve been watching for free firewood for the Kimberly Wood Stove. The norm free-firewood-post requires chopping down trees, which is fine if you have a year to dry it out before winter. …and a chainsaw.

We have neither.  We weren’t prepared.  We didn’t know we’d be heating the Tiny House with wood until a few weeks ago.  And the first snow of winter came down today. 

Firewood from Mill’s Fleet Farm at $5 a tiny bundle was not looking like the most economical way to heat the Tiny House!  I snagged a pickup truck load to dry for next winter…  so that’s good!  Otherwise it’s been looking fairly grimm.

Yesterday I realized I hadn’t yet asked God for a little help!

Well geez.  Of course He provided the very next day!  Ryan just left to pick up a half of a cord of wood only 7 miles away!  We’ll see how much a half cord is when he gets here.   I’M EXCITED!

Go Craigslist Free Section!  Thank You God!
And Thank You MARK, super cool guy who chops down trees, cuts and piles it, and then just gives it away! You are supercool!  Mark = Generous.

*Ryan’s back!  He’s happy!

A photo posted by Kim Kasl (@kimkasl) on

The logs are super small which is actually ideal for the Kimberly Stove!  The door is extra tiny so logs need to be split really small to fit. 

A photo posted by Kim Kasl (@kimkasl) on

This is how I know the kids LOVE the Tiny House

November 5, 2014

Families with children have been sending me questions.  Messages show up on facebook, email, here, and apps I didn’t even know I had.  Everyone wants to know if they should really do it.  They want to build a Tiny House but they hesitate because of the kids. 

Well, you know your family and your kids best.  But if you’re wading through discouraging “you can’t”s and “how could you”s and are looking for a little encouragement, let me just tell you that Kids Love Tiny Houses! 

Besides our own kids, we’ve had about 20 pint sized visitors tour the Tiny House.  They step in and they light up!   I love telling them to go ahead and climb up to the loft because you can tell, that’s exactly what they’re itching to do!  They get up there and we hear joyful bursts, “Mom, come here, you gotta see this!”  It’s like they’re visiting a home that’s a “real, live” fort/treehouse/dollhouse.

And we’re just as excited!  🙂 
Sully and Story love everything that has to do with our new lifestyle.
This is how I know the kids LOVE the Tiny House.

I haven’t heard “Where’s my ____ toy?” even once.  They make no mention about the (huge excess of) toys they once had.  Every parent who has weeded out the old, unused toys can attest to this.  This time around has been no different.  They have fewer toys and they play just as much.

They’re volunteering to take on more responsibility.  They’re really taking ownership of our Tiny House and new lifestyle.  “Can I take out the garbage and then go play outside?”  Sully checks and reports on the wood burning stove’s flue (I think he knows more about the stove than I do.)  He makes sure the front door is locked at night.  Both kids do the churning maintenance on the composting toilet.  They make sure the dog has many walks and this morning Story actually insisted on picking up after her since the neighbor boy taught her how to properly use the dog poop bag.  There’s just so much less grumbling around here!  Sully and Story are proud to do chores and take care of their Tiny House.

They’re always doing something.  In the “big house” we would have to limit screen time. I would list all the options of things that they could do and be met with whining.  That hasn’t happened here in the Tiny House.  I don’t know why but they’re somehow motivated to always be doing something.  Very occasionally they’ll go on pbskids.org and even then I don’t have to put a time limit on it.  They voluntarily turn it off and start a new activity.

They have to take a bath every single night.  They’ve never been so dirty so many days in a row.  They play outside a lot and they play hard.

They are so done with the “big house.”  We stop there almost daily to do a load of laundry and/or to continue to prepare the house to be sold.  Sully and Story won’t get out of the truck.  When I come back out they haven’t even unbuckled.  They’re ready to get back to the Tiny House as quickly as possible.  “Should we stop and grab mangos and bananas?”  Nope.  They want to go straight home, no stops.

We haven’t been to the gym at all since we moved in.  We used to make it 12 times a month.  The kids would beg to go there to play, see friends, and run around crazy.  They haven’t asked at all since we moved into the Tiny House!  We’re keeping our membership though!  I’m hoping we get there regularly when the weather gets colder. 

They tell people they live in a Tiny House.  It’s something they’re proud of.  They get asked questions about it and they gladly engage in conversation.  They’re pretty jazzed about the whole deal.

They thank God.  “Dear God, thank you for the Tiny House…”  <3

They love the wood burning stove.  They will do anything to stay up until Daddy gets home so they can help him load the Kimberly Stove.  Then they just want to snuggle up, read a book, and watch the flames.

“When are we going to be home?” has tripled.  At least!  Long drives are torture for kids who love their Tiny House!

They want to live in the Tiny House forever.  We were reading a book about different kinds of homes and I told Sully that our family is going to build two more Tiny Houses when they are teenagers.  One for him and one for Story.  Whoa.  Too much for Sully’s sweet little heart.  He teared up and claimed he wants to live with us in this Tiny House forever!  I assured him that Yes, we can all live in this Tiny House together forever.  🙂   Oh, my sweet baby.  <3

A photo posted by Kim Kasl (@kimkasl) on
A photo posted by Kim Kasl (@kimkasl) on

Work, leveling, skirting. Mostly pictures.

November 4, 2014

The day we moved the Tiny House was a crazy, sleepless day.  And everyone helped!  Ryan’s parents and my parents took shifts (they live little over an hour away) and new neighbors kept popping in to offer a hand, advise, and tools. 
It was a blessing of a day.

It started with hitching up the Tiny House to the truck at 3am.  You can check out that post by clicking here.

I’ll tell you the rest in pictures.  (Some are blurry!  I was tired!)

First Grandpa Jack took us to breakfast at People’s Organic.
The following is a very bland, boring video of tired people rehashing a stressful night towing a Tiny House.  Recorded by 6 year old Sully. I don’t recommend this video.  Warning: boring.  Don’t watch this video and then me ask for two minutes and 35 seconds of your life back.

 

It was a lot of work but check out the reward!!!

My Mom set up a sewing station and made curtains for the kids’ loft windows.  This kids love them!

Ryan, my Dad, and Sully jacked up and leveled the house.  (Apparently super important.  Working in the house when it was all crooked made me nauseous.)
 

Neighbors gave input, parts were purchased, hoses and wires were connected.

Skirting was skirted.
We live in Minnesota and winter is ready to hit so the guys jumped on the skirting immediately.  It will shield the wind from reaching the trailer/floor and thieving away our heat!  We’re saving the Duraskirt for a more permanent location.  Because the ground situation will be slightly different at each location, the skirting will need to be customized each time.  The cement Duraskirt will likely be a one time use kind of deal.  Whatever this stuff is, it’s definitely not as pretty.  But, MAN, Ryan and Dad worked really hard and spent a lot of hours on it!

If you want details on Ryan and Dad leveling, hooking up, or skirting the Tiny House just scream and yell in the comment section; Ryan might be persuaded to do a guest blog post.  🙂  They worked really late into the night.  Headlamps and everything.   

The skirting was actually two days of work.  My parents came back the next day to finish the job.  And we’re so thankful for all the help and support!   We didn’t even ask, they just showed up with tools and mega gumption. 

The kids spent the day making friends.  They LOVE the Tiny House!  Serious.  No exaggeration at all.  I try to go to the “big house” to finish cleaning up or do a load of laundry but they won’t even get out of the truck.  They wait.  They want to get back home to the Tiny House as quick as they can!  I was never worried but goodness, if I was looking for a big, giant sign that they survived the transition, there it is. 

Here’s the view outside our front door.

A photo posted by Kim Kasl (@kimkasl) on

Moving in has had it’s challenges and it’s been so worth it. 
We love it.  Love it. 

It happened sooner than I thought it would.

October 31, 2014
I lost my keys in the tiny house. 

It’s possible that I was ever-so-slightly angrier about it than I normally would be in our “big house.”

BECAUSE HOW do I lose something in such a small space! WHERE could they be?  I can check EVERY POSSIBLE crevice in about a minute! -assuming the kids didn’t play with them and bring them upstairs.  I had them check that possibility since, of course, Story couldn’t remember if she played with my keys or not. 

So I started cleaning. I would never attempt this in the big house.  I’d actually do the opposite.  Dump out every drawer!  Overturn every table!  Tornado-ize the whole place because I’m more likely to find them much more quickly that way than if I spend the entire day cleaning every inch of the house. 

The tiny house was clean in about 10 minutes.  TEN! 
(Rage cleaning is faster than the normal calm cleaning.)

I did finally find my keys:

And I didn’t destroy my house in a fit of rage: 🙂 Woot!
I suppose I’m proud of myself.
 
Still frustrated they were lost in the first place. 🙂   Oh, wait!  I’m over it.
I’m not a fan of losing my keys.
But my house is clean!!!
When you lose your keys… do you clean or destroy?

What do four people, a dog, and a composting toilet smell like in 207 square feet?

October 27, 2014

Apparently, we smell amazing. 

We’ve had several instances where someone takes one step into the house, halts, closes their eyes and inhales deeply,

“I love that smell!”

Phew! 

It’s the smell of wood.  Natural building materials!  Most is raw, some is oiled, free of toxic stains.
One of many valid responses to the question, “Why don’t you just live in an RV?”

Today a neighbor boy stepped in, did a sniff double-take and said, “Oh, I love that smell, it smells like Whole Foods!” and then ran back out to the playground.
…I’ll take it!  🙂 

The Kimberly Stove has been burning for two days so now we get to smell a bit like a campfire, too!  We’re falling deeper and deeper in love. 

On good days it smells like a garden in the bathroom!  🙂
We ran out of our peat moss-hemp stalk mixture one day.  That day it did not smell like a garden.  I’m hyper-aware of any possible smell and have been told that whatever it is I’m smelling is not readable by anyone else’s olfactory receptors.  We’re still finding the balance of microbes, enzymes, “etc” and I think there’s room for a little improvement. 

Regardless.  The rest of the house trumps.

When we were in the planning stages of our tiny house journey the smell of our tiny house was not a factor.  Didn’t come up in conversation, no expectation or anticipation.  What a pleasant surprise!  The lovely, woodsy smell is a wonderful addition to the peaceful aura of the Tiny House.  It smells like outside! 
I had no idea I would ever be so proud of the smell of my house.    

So if you want to live in a delicious smelling home that makes you feel like Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, you should build a Tiny House just like ours!  😉

This is the best picture of smell that I can get. 🙂

Moving the Tiny House!

October 20, 2014

The wheels work!
The truck works! 
Pretty well, anyway.  It wasn’t a huge fan of uphill acceleration.

We attempted to get comp and collision insurance but met so many roadblocks.  Everything was covered for liability…  and then doused in prayer. 

We chose a super early Saturday morning to move the Tiny House it’s first 100 miles.  We officially left at 4:25am.  (Way after bar close and way before morning traffic.)

The roads were empty for the first half of our trip and got a little busier on the highway.  We were able to stay in one lane the entire trip, changing lanes only once to take the off ramp. 

The kids and I led the way.  Yes, we had our 6 and 4 year olds up and at ’em at 3:30!  They were so pumped and wanted to be included in this exciting job.  Of course!

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Leading the #TinyHouse caravan at 3:45am. These guys stayed awake the whole time! So much excitement! …for the kids, not the dog so much. 🙂

My job was to be the lookout and focus on the route.  Called if there was something ahead to be aware of.  Flashed the breaks like crazy to warn about sudden slowdowns and such.  I got a bit nervous when I saw a kitten on the side of the road.  Didn’t want it jumping out to attack our precious load, ya know.  🙂 

 
Ryan manned the Ford F250 (which is pretty awesome for ten years old.  If we were towing long distances often we’ll likely need to upgrade to an F350.  100 miles was a bit of a struggle for the truck!)  Ry did a great job!  Strong and Steady.  He wore a headset for hands-free communication.  Superman!  Towing the Tiny House!
Ryan’s Dad, Jack, drove behind.  Watched, buffered, ready to communicate clearance for lane changes. We’re so thankful for his early morning help and alertness! And for treating us to coffee and breakfast.  🙂
 
Ryan backed it in, Jack guided.

We’re here!  125 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes.  We drove really slowly, between 47 and 52 mph.  I’m proud of myself for keeping my cool.  🙂 
We remembered the story about the turtle and the hare.   🙂

The kids watched and cuddled to stay warm.  And I jumped up and down between pictures.

Isn’t our parking spot beautiful!?

Lovely Tiny House, coolest journey ever, and safety.
Thank you God!

The Tiny House Movement is SPREADING!

October 9, 2014

We have had the opportunity to share our experiences in so many ways! 

Late last night I found that we were on NIGHTLINE and we weren’t even aware. 

It’s so cool to be a part of this movement.  Sharing and inspiring.  Great people doing great things!  Normal, regular old people doing regular old things!  However you want to look at it.  🙂

I can’t get the video to embed right – so here’s the link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/tiny-houses-making-pint-sized-spaces-26035480

Here’s the link to the Good Morning America video, too! 
https://gma.yahoo.com/video/inside-tiny-house-movement-sweeping-131248514.html

Heat! And Little Visitors

September 28, 2014

Confirmation!  The Kimberly Stove has been shipped and is on it’s way! 

Once the stove is in the Tiny House will be headed to the rv campsite where we will be staying for the next year and we’ll complete our last bit of moving in!

Yeaaaa! 

We’ve stayed for several weeks and we miss it!  (It’s an hour North of our big house and the commute for Ryan is too much to be staying there. So we’re using the time to prepare the big house to be sold.)  The kids are asking everyday, “Can we go to the Tiny House today, Mommy!?”

I’m just as anxious as they are. 

We experience so much more peace in the Tiny House and we’re craving the simplicity. 

I’m excited to experience the warmth! 
I’m gearing up to rave about every detail with you! 

I’d take a better pic of the spot we’re putting it in if we were there.  For now:

We’re planning to put in between the end of the kitchen counter and the end of the bookshelves.  I’m basically pointing to the spot in the picture. The bookshelves may have to be shortened a few inches.

About this (blurry) pic!  We had little visitors!
Sully and Story’s best friends, Taylor and Grayson, spent the whole day.  Ran around outside, ran around inside, climbed around the loft like it was a treehouse, played dress up, had a campfire. 
All the normal things normal kids do in normal sized houses.  Totally Normal!  

For story time we rolled Ryan’s dresser/ottoman over to mine and created an L-Shaped Couch!  I mean…  THAT is the coolest.  

I loved having my dearest friend, Stacy, and her sweet kids in our home. 
No one bumped into, ran over, or sat on anybody else.  😉 
We were all just happy to be together. 
Sully, Story, Taylor, and Grayson are planning a slumber party in the loft.  🙂
Pictures and post to follow.  🙂

Would you like to watch our episode?

September 21, 2014

I recommend that you first check FYI’s website.  If there’s a play button icon, you’re in luck!  If there’s a key icon you’ll need to enter you’re cable provider to watch. I hope this free option works out for you! 

If it’s locked and you don’t have cable, there are still two pretty cheap options.
Remember to select Season 1, Episode 8: “207 Sq Ft Minnesota Prairie Cottage.”

Amazon for $1.99 http://amzn.com/B00NC867XQ

iTunes for $2.99  search Tiny House Nation

I hope you enjoy it!
…Let me know what you think! 🙂

Uncle Pat! and our Tiny House Prayer

September 19, 2014

My Uncle Pat is the guy who built our Tiny House.  He did an amazing job!
Here he is, rocking out his first Tiny House, like a BOSS.

Uncle Pat is one of the best blessings of this whole project. 
Uncle Pat (who has always just been Pat up until the network people showed up.  Now he’s forever Uncle Pat) really went all in and dedicated himself to our build.

Uncle Pat is a skilled builder who really cared about this project and showed how much he cares for us!  He put dormers across the whole roof when we were told we could only have one a dormer in the kids’ loft!  He thought up the catwalk idea so Sully and Story would be safe in the middle of the night!  He advocated for our comfort and safety.  He dedicated so many hours on top of his already busy building schedule!  And he led an amazing group of men to build us a beautiful, sound home under a lot of pressure and in a really short amount of time.

We are so thankful for Uncle Pat.    THANK YOU UNCLE PAT!!!

And ya know what else is awesome?  He enjoyed it!
Yea!  I’m so glad this was a positive experience for everyone!
So if you’re thinking about having a tiny house built contact Uncle Pat!  He’s so psyched to build another he already ordered some trailers.  Oh, yes. 

Before the reality show opportunity showed up Ryan and I expected to be building the Tiny House ourselves.  I can tell you *with confidence* that it would not have been so awesome. 

But one part about that plan that I loved was that I was going to write Bible verses throughout the framing of the house!  I wanted to put God’s Word in the walls, as part of the structure of our home! 

Early on, when I found out we would not be involved with the build, I realized that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to work that in.  Which was okay, I was fine with finding another unique way to get some Bible verses in.

So when Uncle Pat was chosen as our builder (yea!), my Mom, knowing what I wanted, offered to write the Bible verses in for me!  YES!  I was so excited!

Mom, who always goes above and beyond, brought Bibles, Bible verse books, prayer books, and sharpie markers to the Tiny House and completely covered the frame!  Aunts JeanAnn, Gini, and Joni, cousins Allyssa, Marquee, Sarah, and Kayla, and Ryan’s Mom, Gail, all wrote Bible verses within our Tiny House for us! 

Thank you Ladies! 
I love it SO MUCH! 

Mom took pictures of all the verses before they were hidden away by insulation and sheetrock.  I’ll snag them soon and share a few more.
For now I have only one picture.

Here is the prayer my Mom wrote outside by the front door.

🙂 
Isn’t that just right? Amen! 
You can scroll back up to the picture of Uncle Pat to see where the prayer is. ^^^

I honestly feel that the Bible verses and prayers, along with the hands of all of the family and friends who helped build our home, greatly contributes to the sense of peace and joy we feel surrounded by in our Tiny House. 
It has an amazing energy.
It’s completely lovely.

 

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