Next Chapter

Obviously it has been a while since an update here... I am sad to report my tiny house dreams as detailed in this blog have diminished. The house I was so excited about in the last post was a mess upon inspection, I have left my previous career, and now have a new goal I've been focusing on.

Last fall I began working towards a masters degree. I hope to find a career that is more financially supportive, while still making a positive impact. This has lead me to sustainability and environmental education/activism.

So while someday I do hope to have my own home that is smaller than average size and more environmentally friendly than the horrid McMansions that litter our country- first step is getting that degree.

I will leave my past posts up for the time, they may prove useful to someone somewhere whether for guidance or a good laugh at my naivete.

Happy birthday to me!

This past friday I turned 29. I also bought a house. Sort of.

In my hunt to find an apartment, my neighbor suggested buying property instead of throwing money away into renting. On a whim I was searching Craig's List for houses and found "Unique home for sale in suburbs". My jaw dropped.

It's a frickin' dome house! This house is located on a dead end street, around 600 sqft, even has a fenced in yard. Best of all- it is in my budget. I was almost jumping out of my skin in excitement going to tour the house. Coming up the walkway I was greeted by three big happy dogs, always a good sign. Turns out, I have met the owners and their adorable pack at the local dog park years ago! Their dog Balto is a doppelganger of my former foster, Kaiser (or is Kaiser Balto's doppleganger...). Small world or destiny?

This adorable derp belongs to an awesome family now who love him. to pieces.

The house is a little odd looking from outside (okay, it is kinda ugly)- but inside it is charming and spacious! The walls are composed of interlocking triangles, with triangle windows throughout. Much like the tiny house I was planning, the bedroom is lofted above the kitchen and the living area feels spacious with a high ceiling. The house also comes with a door into an H.P. Lovecraft universe...

Can't help feel a Zelda vibe with all the triangles.

Cthulhu, you there?

Friday I mustered my courage and made an offer that is just contingent on the inspection. Now I'm just trying to keep my hopes in check incase the inspector discovers the house was built over a cursed burial ground or was built using a hot glue gun, that may be a deal breaker.

This house could be the perfect transition while I continue to work toward my tiny house on wheels, or I may even find myself happy to remain there for years. It is a tiny house after all! Curious, I had made the goal a few years back that I wanted to be moved into my tiny house before I turned 30. That goal seemed unreachable recently.  This whirlwind seems designed more than coincidence, like God is pushing for me to get a tiny house too. I'm going to keep thanking him for it.

And that is how I bought myself a house on my 29th birthday.

If wishes were horses, we'd all be eating steak

Here is where things currently stand; there is a little pie shaped lot nestled in an older housing plan for $11,000. There used to be a house on the property but it was demolished a few years back- which means utility hook ups already in place! There is the ever present issue of legality and money. The township this pie piece is located in does not allow any RVs to park anywhere. Slowly there has been progress in different areas of the country to legally allow tiny homes, so I am not discouraged by the current zoning laws. The money is another battle.

Even with diligent saving, I am not even halfway to purchasing just the land. Then I'd need funds for the actual house. Loans for land, I'm learning, are not as easily granted as for homes. Factor in my limited credit history, student loans, and meager income- few banks are likely to be supportive.

When I left my apartment to move back with family, I believed it would be a temporary situation. One or two years tops before I'd be living in my tiny home. It will be three years in the fall, and despite small steps- moving into my house is still years away. Time to reevaluate my strategy.

At first it felt as though moving into an apartment would be giving up on my tiny house. But if I am going to invest such a large amount of time and money into a project, I want to do it right. I don't want to rush construction, buy subpar materials, and I really don't want another loan over my head. Not having my own place has made me anxious to jump into the water head first without checking the depth. One piece of advice from multiple tiny home builders is to take the time to research and plan before building.

So that is where things stand. My goal of living tiny before I'm 30 is no longer feasible, a realization that lifted a weight. The stress of bringing this large project together in a short amount of time has dissipated, just leaving the stress of finding an apartment, trying to find freelance work, getting some semblance of a social life, being aware of current events but not overwhelmed by the news, learning how to meal plan, planting the right flowers so bees don't die out....