Back in the Burgh

I have returned from my adventures in the Rockies in one piece, though burned in some places. But I climbed a friggin' mountain and now feel determined to fight just as hard to get my tiny home completed. Hopefully it be quite as physically painful... Here are some snapshots from the trip!

5th generation cowgirl lead us through the mountains.

Why am I smirking? Just conquered a friggin' mountain!

Even in the beginning of spring, it is magical here.

While I was away, my wonderful brother, his energetic wife, my supportive father, and a reliable friend from church picked up the science cabinets I hope to use in my kitchen. Even if they think I'm crazy (which I'm sure they did before I ever started this tiny house adventure!), my family has been wonderful through this journey. I don't think I would have ever attempted this without such open minded and supportive people in my life. :) My cabinets are now added to my accumulated inventory and await the construction phase.

Anyone else ever travel halfway across the country to avoid heavy lifting?

On the subject of land, I may have mentioned before there were two properties I was excited about possibly purchasing. They were in neighborhoods I liked (close to work and good dog walking roads) and under $20,000. Before my trip I had driven past them both and was very disappointed to find the land very uneven and wooded- making them practical for my home would likely be out of my budget. My aunt is in reality and was able to talk with the representing agents, but I haven't touched base with her since returning from Colorado. Fingers crossed she has encouraging news!

Another big purchase I made recently was for a tiny house bundle from Ok Tiny that included blueprints for multiple houses from multiple designers, books about downsizing, personal tiny house stories, classes on Sketch Up, etc. It was $99, and I cringed making the payment but think the plethora of resources will be worth it.

I'll leave you with an image of the creepiest motel sign in Colorado, possibly the nation.

Blinded with Science (furniture)

As the lack of activity on this blog has likely relayed, I've hit a roadblock with finding a place to park my home. 

But I did just buy these awesome cabinets from Construction Junction for my kitchen. They used to be in a chemistry lab. 

Tomorrow I leave for my first vacation in almost 8 years to spend a week in the mountains, so radio silence will continue.

Retail Therapy

This time of year is often a gloomy one, drained from the holidays and gloomy from the dreary weather. What better way to lift one's spirits than with spending money on material possessions!

A while back I had found this wonderful little sconce at Construction Junction. Without any idea originally where to put it, I couldn't pass it up for just $15.

While browsing Craig's List, I found another light. It kept popping up in my searches for lights and eventually was being offered for free. At first glance it looked quite tacky, and not a surprise that it was being given away. But looking closer at it, the glass looked similar to the sconce I bought- the pair could be good for my bathroom. I took a Saturday morning and drove 40 minutes south of Pittsburgh to pick up the light and a bathroom door. We rendezvoused at a BP and to my delight, the glass was an exact match! The light as a whole was in nice shape too, just needs some cleaning and paint. (Remember if you can't have someone go with you, meet in public places!)

While I was in the area, I planned to pick up a door on clearance at 84 Lumber. First hurdle, the place is a friggin' maze! There are at least half a dozen buildings but none are labeled well from the outside and there wasn't a soul around to ask. When I did find the retail shop, second hurdle; the staff said they didn't have the door, was in their book but nowhere in the warehouse. I had called the day before to confirm it was still for sale, had cleared out my car and drove almost an hour, and now they don't have it?! The guy went back a second time, still nothing. I was so angry and frustrated- this was the first and only door I have found in months of searching that fit what I wanted. The second staffer went to look. He found the door and thankfully I did not have to write a scathing review about a horrible experience and incompetent staff (though the one kid light a cigarette while in the warehouse. Seriously why does anyone under 30 even try smoking? Expensive, gross and we all know better).
So my new $15 bathroom door and light made the trek back home! It was a bit crowded in the car if I'm honest, and I may have broken some laws since I couldn't see anything to my right.... Still worth it.

That is the top of my door. It is about 3 inches from the windshield.

My latest trip confirmed a vision for my bathroom. Once again I stopped off at Construction Junction after church and found the perfect medicine cabinet. Solid wood with an aged mirror, with a little paint and tlc it will fit wonderfully in the shabby chic white bathroom in my head. But the cherry on my recent shopping spree was in the lighting section. Can you find it?

If you look closely, you can see a sleeping cat in the reflection.

Another glass cover exactly like my lights! I have never seen this design before in my life and now I'm stumbling upon it everywhere. I'm sure I'll find out it is something made by Wal-Mart in the 90s that I'm just naive too, but for now it is a fun treasure.

Happy little family.

Oh look, a cat in the middle of something. How surprising.

Tune in next time folks for a riveting tale of zoning laws, the department of transportation, and occupancy laws! Stay sexy and don't get murdered!

Nothing really matress, anyone can sette...

One of the staples of a tiny house is the creative build in furniture. People build special storage into every corner and make beds that convert into stoves when not in use. I love to see the creativity that goes into make use of every space and multifunctional furniture. For my house I decided to take a different route by having free standing furniture. Multiple reasons for this decision:

• I can rearrange the furniture to my liking after living in the space. There could be a list of logical reasons why to put a table by the couch, but if you find that you smack your leg off it every time you go past- that sucker has to move! 
• Sometimes I just like to rearrange a space. Half the time I put everything back where it was except one lamp, but I like having the option.
• If something needs replacing, I don't have to tear into the structure of the house. I just have to haul it out the door (depending on the size, maybe bribe some friends with food to help).
• Not having built-ins makes the blueprints of the house simpler. I am not an architect, nor do I have the money to hire one to articulate creative whims. My home will be an empty canvas that I can fill.

Obviously any piece must be space savvy, multiple uses is a huge perk. I have a few pieces currently that I would like to put in the house; a small bookcase I've had since I was a girl, small cabinet I saved from the trash, and an antique sewing table (minus the sewing machine).

I was drawn to couch designs with storage access from the front. I currently have a chest that opens at the top, and every time I need to get something the cat or dog has to be on top of it. So front storage! I enjoy the look of wicker baskets- they also are easy to 'install' and I can always change it up if I choose. A single long cushion for the seat and oversized pillows for the back. The couch will always be against a wall, so no reason to add more work giving it a back. One of my pet peeves is furniture that is flush against the floor. No matter how hard you try, dirt, crumbs, and hair will always get wedged under the edge; so I am sticking fun feet on my couch.

I am still up in the air about my desk. My current desk is a large corner desk; it is home to my desktop computer and serves as an art space. Originally I was in love with this country style desk with leaves on both ends. Then I found some amazing desks created from pallets. I love reusing materials and some of these designs are just fantastic.

And finally there are those wonderful Swedes at Ikea who have created furniture that seems made for a tiny house. The Norden table would be perfect in the kitchen, lots of storage and takes up little space. I also love the look of their utility cart- maybe it could work as an end table or under desk storage?

Now, I just need to build the house to put all this stuff in...