Hadley,Hi
I've lived in a tiny trailer house( 8'x20') from March through November for 4 seasons now. It is in a temporary location on friends' land and I have not set it up for winter living( I'm in southern Canada). I love it!
The challenge of building it myself was at times very stressful( and yes,I would do things differently,if I were to build one again) What's missing: a covered enclosed entry( the minute the door opens the whole of the cold weather comes in and quickly cools the house); more 'living' space( I chose to not have a loft..just couldn't envision climbing up and down) and having the bed down lessens living space;a true bathroom( I have a bucket composting toilet in the corner behind the door) ..guests ..well...don't use it because??
By the way,I love the bucket toilet...it has no smell and most people don't even know there's a toilet in the house. Okay,I'm already on to what I do like... the richness of a space that feels like a hug,waking up in a house I built with lots of recycled materials, the hardwood floor( which is also on some of the walls), the creativity of using what I had to make functional things, and yes, cleaning takes much less time but in my wee house it seems to need cleaning a bit more often( no place to hide the dust) and when the windows are open it affects the whole space not just an individual room.
I greatly enjoy a more intimate connection to outside/nature,primarily because it's small so you tend to be outside more and for me,I have no running water so must fetch and carry water in and then take it out( I refer to it as 'walking water') I constructed a high ceiling in the middle ( the peak goes width wise not lengthwise) and this makes the space feel so much larger than it is..that is the most often heard comment from people who visit...that from the outside it looks so small but when they're in it ,it feels much larger. Because it's essentially one room with windows on both sides and ends,you observe the climate, the sunsets and sunrises and simply nature more easily/readily. Also, I appreciate living with much less stuff( in fact I continue to pare down and have a rule that if I buy something then something has to go to make room for it...I confess I don't always follow that rule but then am faced with the chore of sifting through and getting rid of again.)
Hmmm..what else,I discovered ( well I found this out before I moved into my wee home) that less is MORE,that my life grows in richness and meaning as I live with less and on less money. Living 'tiny' allows me to be more in the moment and thus have increased inner peace.
Best wishes with your journey into tiny home living.
Kate
