Tiny House Christmas

My Christmas tree consisted of three sprigs of pine and some red and white berries in my mini flower holder. I got a couple of little glass doves for Christmas that are just the right size for decorating it. Small and simple ... but enough!

I didn't actually spend Christmas in Happinest. There was a forecast for snow on Christmas Eve so I decided to spend the night at Mum's as we were heading up to Jon's for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. I didn't want to take a chance on getting snowed in to my little place and missing out on the Christmas festivities.

However, as I had the week between Christmas and New Year's off (except for a few hours at my accounting job), I have been spending a lot of time there. Lots of relaxation time - curled up on the couch with a book in the afternoons and up in the loft watching movies in the evening!

Most of the week was gray and rainy and the driveway and fields are getting very muddy. Yesterday, I finally caved and brought myself a pair of rubber boots.

When I went to move a couple of boxes by the couch, I discovered moisture back there and have since found bits of mould starting on windowsills. Next purchase - as soon as the store opens after New Years - is a dehumidifier. This is definitely a problem (which I have since learned is common in small, well-insulated spaces) that needs to be nipped in the bud!

The reason for advocacy

Today, I drove home from work. As I neared the driveway, I noticed a van in the driveway across the street. It was a municipality van and the driver seemed to be sitting there taking notes. I immediately thought that my little house had been discovered and that he was in the process of writing an eviction notice. I drove away so that he didn't see me enter the property. After talking to the landowner, it seems that the van was probably there on other business as it was also seen on a nearby road. This makes me hopeful that an eviction notice is not in the works but I will probably worry a little for the next couple of weeks.

Although it is not something that I dwell on, it is this constant awareness that an eviction could come any time that makes me want to put whatever time and effort is needed to make tiny houses legal. All I want to do is live in peace without bothering anyone - this should not be illegal!

Adjustments

This morning, I woke up early. After a shower, I made myself a hot chocolate and went back up to my loft - just sitting there propped up on lots of pillows. I watched it start to get light outside. It was a little too early for the birds yet but it just felt so nice and cozy up there. I really do love my little house!

I was a little surprised that - after all the waiting - the Hollow and the house didn't seem quite the idyllic haven I'd been looking forward to right away. Although I still enjoyed being there, I found it took a few weeks of settling in before I loved it. It felt a bit isolated at first and I actually missed the noises of living in a basement suite with people upstairs and the feeling of being safe and secure with no responsibilities. It didn't help that there was no internet, no TV and the hydro was kicking out at least once a day.

In the last few weeks, I've put up shelves, rearranged things and made it homier inside. The electrician has fixed the hydro - although I still may never be able to have the heat on while I am cooking as there just isn't enough power to run the convection oven and heater at the same time. And I don't know if I will ever be able to use my washer and dryer. I've made a TV area upstairs and have been renting DVD's to watch at night sometimes. I've moved my toilet farther into the corner so my bathroom seems a little bigger. And I have curtains on the french doors and front window which seem to help keep the heat in and make it feel cozier at night.

Not having the internet drove me a little bit crazy at first but now I actually think it might be a good thing. I am reading more than I have in years and am starting to think about making some cards and making a photo book about Happinest. Between going to the library or a coffee shop for internet on days off and getting to work a half hour early on workdays to get some online time, I seem to be just fine.

Interior photos

Sorry for the delay! Here are photos of Happinest now that I am all moved in. I will post some exterior ones of the house in place at a later date (as they are on my computer). It has been over six weeks since the house moved to "Happinest Hollow" and I have been living there for the last two weeks. So far, there have been no neighbour complaints that have led to an investigation. Hopefully that will continue indefinitely! My sister arranged for me to meet a Shaman when I was visiting - she had booked a "house blessing" as a housewarming present. How unique and thoughtful is that!

Moving In Day

Well, today I am moving into Happinest! It is the beginning of Thanksgiving weekend and I leave on vacation next week. I am hoping that if anyone reports me for living there, the bylaw officer will come next week when I'm away. So for that period of time, I am legitimately not living there.

Sarah has given me a unique and inspired housewarming gift - a shaman! I will take pictures of my house with me when I go to Ontario and will go to meet her. She will bless my house (and hopefully protect it from further negativity) and give me any instructions for what I need to do when I get home. It should be an interesting experience!

Nesting

I spent lots of time over the weekend puttering and organizing everything. My aunt came and hung up my artwork which made it feel like home! There are a few little jobs that need doing but it looks really nice. Everyone who has visited so far is amazed by how spacious it is inside. I haven't decided what to do with the storage areas under the kitchen counter and stairs but will live with it before making any decisions. If I decide I don't need any cabinetry, I have more money for a deck and stairs. I love my little house - it was a long and sometimes painful wait - but it was worth it! I can't wait to be able to actually live in it.

The Move

Friday, September 15:

9 a.m. - the tow truck is confirmed and the move is a go.
11 a.m. - email from Jamie to say that the truck driver called and has broken down. At this point in the whole process, this is unbelievable on one hand and yet, on the other, not even surprising!
1 p.m. - tow truck company confirms that the truck will not be fixed in time to get the house.
2 p.m. - I manage to find a tow company in Nanaimo that can do the delivery today and try to reach Jamie to confirm.
4 p.m. - I hear back from Jamie but he consults with tow company and they decide it is too late in the day to do the deliver. However, the company does work weekends so tow is rescheduled for the next morning.

Saturday, September 16:

Jamie emailed at 8:20 - the house is on its way! I wait - mostly patiently - for the ETA of 11:00 - 12:00. Around 11:30, the landlord's brother comes down and says that the house has come but came to the front entrance instead of the back. This means it now has to be backed down the street and around a 90-degree corner. It took 20-30 minutes to get the house from the front of the property to the back. A few branches were a concern but fortunately, the landlord's brother had a chainsaw and ladder and was able to cut them down. The backing in was a slow process as there was not much room to negotiate. However, the driver did an excellent job and got the house right where I wanted it.
We were short one board to level it out so Jamie will come back down to do that and to make the corners more stable. However, a slight slant is no big deal for now. The family helped me move all my stuff into Happinest and then I headed back to the apartment for a final clean. I had done almost everything already so it only took about an hour to clean the bathroom, vacuum and wash the floor. 
By that time, I was totally exhausted - but very happy! Unpacking and organizing will wait for another day.

Final inspection

Well it's not all good news but overall was a good day!

I now officially own my tiny house - payment made and key received. And it will most likely be arriving on Friday afternoon :)  

The not-so-good part is that some things that I thought were included in my house build were apparently not. The biggest of these missing items is kitchen cabinets.  I'd also expected living room shelves, a little closet under the stairs, and railings in the bedroom and boot closets. None of this will prevent me from moving but will mean I can't fully unpack and settle in. 

So now to find a carpenter with spare time (not easy) to put in some cabinets and do a few finishing jobs to make Happinest a finished home. I can't wait to get settled in - it has been a stressful journey. The house will still only be stored at the Hollow but I will be spending as many daytime hours there as a I possibly can!

Tiny House Showcase

 Two members of our advocacy group (one of which is me) were going to have homes finished by the end of the summer and we found a free spot to hold an event. So even though we didn't have much time to plan, we decided to put on a Tiny House Showcase. Press releases and posters went out, I was interviewed for a newspaper article and we thought things were going well. Then house #1 was not going to be ready to move in time. We tried everything to try and get at least one more house with no luck. And then, five days before the event, I found out my house wasn't going to be ready either. It would cost over $1000 to bring it down for the day and then return it to Nanaimo to finish. I put out a plea and we have found an alternate house. I'd really hoped to have at least two on the site but I have no control. This week has been very stressful - another big dip on that roller-coaster ride of going tiny!

Although I won't have it here for the event, my house is now supposed to be finished for the end of August. I certainly hope it will happen.

On a positive note, I received this email from someone that I've yet to meet that helped remind me that our group is and will be making a difference to future tiny house dwellers:

I read about this weekend's event and Affordable Housing Alternatives in the Peninsula Review. In digging for more info about it, I came across your blog. I wish I'd found it a year ago when I started looking at TH designs and thinking about land and zoning options! Your Happinest looks great! I am also planning for retirement and absolutely committed to a stable, tiny house life. I'm close to settling on a design but still have many things to consider.

I'm so grateful to you and others who've started blazing this trail for the rest of us who want this lifestyle. I'm sure it hasn't been an easy road. 

Tiny House Advocacy

Although the news of not being able to move to the Hollow was very difficult, two good things have come out of this delay.

First of all, it has forced me out of my comfort zone and into a role of advocacy. An email I sent to Saanich councillor Fred Haynes led to a meeting with me and about ten other tiny house enthusiasts. Fred is a strong supporter of tiny houses and other affordable housing alternatives. The meeting led to the forming of an advocacy group that will start working on public education and awareness through events and media coverage as well as trying to work with municipal councils to get zoning bylaws changed to allow tiny homes.

In terms of advocating for myself, Cyndy and I met with the city planner for Central Saanich. Although it only reinforced what we already knew for the most part, it was still a good meeting and the first step to working together. I have drafted a pilot project proposal to request an opportunity for Cyndy and I to test out living tiny before Council decides on any blanket changes. It would have to be approved by Council as well as the Agricultural Land Reserve Commission so I think it is a long shot. Nonetheless, we have nothing to lose by trying!

The second good thing is friends. Between meetings and conversations with the advocacy group and getting together with Cyndy to talk about our predicament, I feel that I am developing friendships that will extend beyond just working on tiny house stuff.

A visit to the house

As I hadn't seen the house since it moved up to Jamie's new home in Nanaimo, I figured it was time for a visit. Between moving and settling into his new home, Jamie had just restarted work on the trailer. I was thrilled to see that the windows had arrived and been installed. I'm glad I went with the black trim as I think the cedar and black are a great combination. The white door will be painted in a rich "Peacock's Plume" (a deep teal). Inside feels very spacious and bright and the pine ceiling and cedar lofts look lovely. The white walls just have primer on right now but will be a semi-gloss white that will brighten the place even further. The kitchen, bathroom, stairs, window trim and finishing touches still need to be completed so it will be a few more weeks until everything is done. I can't wait to get settled and live in this space!

Update

It has been a while since my last post so it's time for an update. Although it is a definite long shot, I still haven't given up on living at the Hollow. I am postponing looking for a new spot until all avenues have led to dead ends. I have an appointment with Central Saanich city planner next week to ask some questions and get some information. If that does not even yield a glimmer of hope (even for a temporary solution), I will have to give up and start the search for a new place to park.

Fortunately, my landlords have been great - they would rather wait to have the extra space downstairs than have me live in a tent. I have already postponed my move-out date twice and am now staying on a week-by-week basis.

On a positive note, I am now involved with a small advocacy group. We met Saanich councillor Fred Haynes last week. He is a tiny house and small living supporter and has been working on a report for the council on affordable housing alternatives. It was a very positive meeting and was wonderful to have someone talking about all the possibilities instead of just the obstacles. And this weekend, Alexis and Christian from Tiny House Expedition will be in town and meeting with some tiny house people as well as Fred and Mayor Lisa Helps. Nothing will change in time to benefit my current housing problem but it feels like the tiny house movement is gathering support and momentum.

I'm not quite sure what is happening with my house build. Jamie took a couple of weeks off to move to Nanaimo and I don't know if he is back at it yet. He usually sends pictures every few days and I haven't had any now since the house got towed up there. However, I think windows is the next project so it will be nice to see pictures of the completed exterior. Even if I can't find a place for Happinest just yet, I am anxious to see it finished.

Emotional Week

Three days before we were to get the nearly-finished house to the Hollow, I received a very upsetting email from my soon-to-be landlord. A neighbour had heard that two tiny houses were moving in and made it clear that we would be reported as soon as the houses arrived. I had found my perfect spot and now would not be able to live there. Needless to say, it caused a very emotional and stressful few days! Fortunately, my current landlords are awesome and let me rent my apartment for another month. And we arranged to get the house moved to Nanaimo. It was a big expense (over $1000) but it made the most sense. That way, Jamie can work on it up there until it is finished and I can concentrate on seeing if there is any legal way to move to the Hollow and, if not, start working on finding a new location and advocating for acceptance of tiny houses. Things have to change!

Getting closer ...

I have ceilings and a floor now! The ceiling is pine tongue-and-groove. Both lofts have been done with cedar that was left over from the exterior. I think it looks great so far. The centre area walls are going to be horizontal tongue-and-groove in white. I am really looking forward to seeing what it all looks like together!

The house will be moved out to the site on June 15. There are still windows, stairs, kitchen and bathroom to finish so it may not be totally finished before the move. As Jamie will be moving at the end of the month, if there is anything left to finish, he will come down in early July. Either way, it should be ready for me to move my stuff into and hopefully live in next week. It may be a bit like camping for a few weeks but I will at least be in my own home and on site in Happinest Hollow!

Build Update

It's getting closer :)  Although the build is going to finish a bit later than hoped for, I am still optimistic that it will be done for June 15. Fortunately, my landlords were not planning to rent my suite right away so I am able to continue to stay as long as needed. However, as I am paying for both the land and my apartment starting in June, I am definitely hoping I won't need to stay much longer. I am so eager to be living out at Happinest Hollow!

The exterior is almost complete. The cedar siding looks - and even smells - lovely! The roof will go on in the next few days. The window order is due in a couple of weeks and they will probably be the last thing to be done.

There was some extra cedar left so it will be used inside as well. The walls of the loft bedroom are cedar. The rest of the house will be wide horizontal planks of pine tongue-and-groove and will be painted white to make the house feel as big and bright as possible. I'm so looking forward to seeing the interior come together.

Flooring was ordered this week. As the ceiling and counters will be light coloured, my personal interior decorator (my aunt) and I chose one with a greyish tone that will add some contrast but that will still (hopefully) hide muddy footprints and Golden Retriever hair as much as possible.

This week was a bit depressing as Jamie broke the news that we were overbudget by several thousand dollars. We had made a few design changes and added a few windows but I wasn't expecting that much of extra expenses. It took a couple of days to process it but, in the long run, I know that I am getting a great house that is exactly what I want and the extra money (and time to pay it off) will be worth it in the long run!

Irony

I was thinking the other day - as I was spending money on more garden stuff and bird stuff - that it was rather ironic. My main reason for going tiny was to save money and live comfortably when I retired. However, now that I have a garden and hundreds of bird "dependents" (and a few squirrels, too), I really just think I will be rerouting the money I save with lower rent payments to different things. However, as I expect these things will continue to bring me peace and pleasure, it may be ironic but it will also be money well spent.

Tiny T

On several visits to the Hollow, I saw a little grey bushtit. I had never seen one alone before as they generally hang out in groups of 10-20 that stay close together. I think I've figured out why this little one is alone. He/she only has one leg so may either not have been able to keep up or has been ostracized from his/her gang.

This sweet and photogenic little thing only has one leg! However, he/she is still able to hang upside down on the suet feeder so is managing in spite of his/her disability. I will make sure that feeder is never empty!

I wanted to give this little one a name as I hope that he/she stays nearby and visits regularly. Mum suggested Tiny Tim. However, as we don't know if it is male or female, I went with Tiny T instead. Sierra calls him/her TiTi. I'm not sure which name will stick yet.

House update

The house is coming along great! This photo is prior to putting on the house wrap and cedar siding:

The cedar siding is thin horizontal tongue-and-groove. It will not get stained or painted and will just weather naturally over the years. It looked even better than I expected! I forgot to take any pictures on that visit though so will have to wait for Jamie's weekly email with photos of the progress.

The window order went in last week. Unfortunately, it is a very busy building/renovation season so the estimated delivery is five weeks instead of the usual 2-3. Jamie is still able to finish everything else and leave the windows until last. However, it will probably delay my move-in date by a week or two.

The electrical and inside walls are next on the agenda. I'm very excited to see the interior come together in the next few weeks!

Neighbours

Even though it might be another month before my house is ready to move out there, I am enjoying getting to know the neighbours. I visit almost every day - some days to do a bit of work, some days to feed the birds and some days just to sit and take photos. It is such a peaceful place to be!

Roof ... and worries!

The roof of my tiny house is well underway. The height of the house will be the 13 1/2 feet that is legally allowed. I woke up early the other morning with the worry of getting Happinest into her new home. There are some trees but I think the overhanging branches can just be brushed aside as it gets towed slowly in. However, there is a hydro line across the road that seems low enough to be a potential issue. And it is a tight corner - with no area to adjust the turn if the driver doesn't get it right the first time! Fingers crossed that it will all be okay. I do not have a Plan B!

Fairy Garden

It is Easter Sunday today so, although I did pull a few weeds on my visit to Happinest Hollow today, I mostly just played. I cleared an area beside the wishing well to start my fairy garden and surrounded it with the driftwood I had been collecting for the last couple of weeks. It is a work-in-progress but I have set up my fairy houses (six so far) and a few bits of moss, some rocks and shells and a few store-bought fairy garden supplies (including adorable pink and red toadstools). This area is in constant shade so I will have to find out what fairy-sized plants might be happy growing here.

Birds and more birds :)

When I decided to put up bird feeders at my current apartment, it took 3-4 months before the birds started coming regularly. So when I found my new spot, I decided to put feeders out there right away so that the birds would be coming by the time I moved in. Well, it didn't take more than a day or two for the birds to find these feeders. In fact, I may well need a second job just to buy bird seed! In the last couple of days, I have seen an assortment of sparrows, robins, juncos and chickadees along with two downy woodpeckers, a nuthatch, two varieties of hummingbirds, a pair of towhees, a northern flicker and a bushtit (yes, just one - I'm hoping it will return with lots of friends next time). And two pileated woodpeckers have visited twice as well. It will be so lovely to sit on my deck and watch "my birds" everyday!

Healing space

My father died last week. Although it is a very sad time, I have found much peace by spending time at the destination for my new home. I have done a lot of weeding (getting rid of the invasive daphne) and a fair bit of just sitting and watching the birds. I am very glad that I was able to bring Dad out to the future location of Happinest just a few days before he died. Dad had ordered a tree that same day and Judi let me reroute the delivery of his last purchase to my new home as a memorial. In addition, I took out two of my special Robin Hopper pieces to the property - a bird planter and a ceramic mushroom. I've since added a lovely azalea bush that will produce beautiful red flowers next spring.