I don't yet know where Happinest will end up when she is finished. Even if a tiny house community in this area becomes a reality, it is very unlikely to be ready before June, when I will be ready to move. I really don't want to have to put my new home into storage unless absolutely necessary. I have created a flyer to start distributing to find at least a temporary parking spot. There is an RV parking spot on the lower lawn of a house just across the road from one of my favourite beaches so that just might be my first ask. It's a long shot but you just never know!
Monday 23 January 2017
A house in search of a home!
I don't yet know where Happinest will end up when she is finished. Even if a tiny house community in this area becomes a reality, it is very unlikely to be ready before June, when I will be ready to move. I really don't want to have to put my new home into storage unless absolutely necessary. I have created a flyer to start distributing to find at least a temporary parking spot. There is an RV parking spot on the lower lawn of a house just across the road from one of my favourite beaches so that just might be my first ask. It's a long shot but you just never know!
Tuesday 17 January 2017
Vancouver Island - future home of a Tiny House Community?
It is in the very early stages yet ... but there is a good chance that southern Vancouver Island may have a Tiny House Community in the not-too-distant future!
Our planning group is looking to buy or lease a piece of property of at least an acre that is large enough for 15 tiny homes. It will probably be a combination of THOW's and ones on foundations. We have one municipality willing to work with us at this point and are having conversations with other local councils. We are also in the process of following up on some possible land options.
If this is something that may be of interest, please email me at pawprintscanada@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list. I will send you a brief survey to get a little more information about you and will send out updates as they become available. No commitment is needed at this point - we are just at the information-sharing stage.
If you live in the Victoria area, I would encourage you to join our Living Tiny on Vancouver Island Meetup Group. We meet monthly to learn more about tiny houses and to discuss the progress of the tiny house movement in this area.
Our planning group is looking to buy or lease a piece of property of at least an acre that is large enough for 15 tiny homes. It will probably be a combination of THOW's and ones on foundations. We have one municipality willing to work with us at this point and are having conversations with other local councils. We are also in the process of following up on some possible land options.
If this is something that may be of interest, please email me at pawprintscanada@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list. I will send you a brief survey to get a little more information about you and will send out updates as they become available. No commitment is needed at this point - we are just at the information-sharing stage.
If you live in the Victoria area, I would encourage you to join our Living Tiny on Vancouver Island Meetup Group. We meet monthly to learn more about tiny houses and to discuss the progress of the tiny house movement in this area.
Saturday 14 January 2017
Small business :)
Well, I think that a business that you can hold in the palm of your hand gives new meaning to the phrase "small business" :)
I was recently introduced to essential oils by my sister and have decided to become a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA.
If I'm going to do any form of self-employment in my new home, it will definitely need to be compact. I'm also an advisor for Forever, a company that provides online photo storage as well as digital scrapbooking and photo gifts. That business is all done from my laptop.
So I now have two businesses that will only take up one square foot of the 240 that I will have in Happinest! I wasn't looking for space-saving when I chose to represent these companies but I do think it's rather interesting that they will both easily fit into my tiny home!
I was recently introduced to essential oils by my sister and have decided to become a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA.
If I'm going to do any form of self-employment in my new home, it will definitely need to be compact. I'm also an advisor for Forever, a company that provides online photo storage as well as digital scrapbooking and photo gifts. That business is all done from my laptop.
So I now have two businesses that will only take up one square foot of the 240 that I will have in Happinest! I wasn't looking for space-saving when I chose to represent these companies but I do think it's rather interesting that they will both easily fit into my tiny home!
Monday 9 January 2017
Even tinier houses :)
In spite of coming from a long line of amazing gardeners, I have not inherited a green thumb. I have a hard time keeping any plant alive for long. As much as I would love to have a garden around my new tiny house (wherever it may end up being), that fact and the fact that I won't own the land anyway have led me in a new direction.
I've decided to make a "Tiny House Community" fairy garden. Although it will incorporate a few plants (hopefully some good hardy succulents), the focus will be on the tiny houses and accessories. I have a small simple fairy garden in my living room right now. The most recent addition is the tiny house on wheels :)
My new one will be outside in some sort of container - window box, planter or pots - and will be a combination of natural and bought elements. In addition, the fairy door that was a gift from my mother and sister will be added to the exterior of my tiny home somehow.
I was in Michael's recently and was surprised to see that the idea of fairy gardens has gone mainstream - with a whole aisle of miniature houses and accessories. The birdbath in the picture above (behind the doghouse) has a robin that is about 1/8" long. I personally do not think there is an age limit for believing in fairies! And if they are in the neighbourhood, I certainly want them to feel welcome :)
I've decided to make a "Tiny House Community" fairy garden. Although it will incorporate a few plants (hopefully some good hardy succulents), the focus will be on the tiny houses and accessories. I have a small simple fairy garden in my living room right now. The most recent addition is the tiny house on wheels :)
My new one will be outside in some sort of container - window box, planter or pots - and will be a combination of natural and bought elements. In addition, the fairy door that was a gift from my mother and sister will be added to the exterior of my tiny home somehow.
I was in Michael's recently and was surprised to see that the idea of fairy gardens has gone mainstream - with a whole aisle of miniature houses and accessories. The birdbath in the picture above (behind the doghouse) has a robin that is about 1/8" long. I personally do not think there is an age limit for believing in fairies! And if they are in the neighbourhood, I certainly want them to feel welcome :)
Saturday 7 January 2017
Buy, build or hire?
How to get your tiny house built is a major decision. I know that some people with little or no previous building experience have built their own tiny homes. However, for me, that option was - in spite of the lower cost - an easy no. First of all, I did not have months of free time available. Secondly, I am pretty sure I would have a few less fingers if I started using power tools. And finally, I know myself and even if I were to attempt a build, I know that it would be the little (or big) mistakes that would stand out to me instead of the sense of accomplishment from finishing a big project.
I was open to buying used and did look at a few. Most of the ones I've seen listed were too small for my needs/wants and all came with a loft bedroom, something I had decided against. I may have been able to save a bit of money by finding a used or half-finished house but I wasn't willing to settle for less than what I really wanted.
The final option - to hire a builder - is the one I chose to go with. I took great pleasure in designing the space and know that it will be built to suit my individual needs. I found a builder at one of our tiny house Meetup groups. Although he had never built a tiny house before, he had decades of experience as a contractor and was nearly as excited about the project as I was. That enthusiasm went a long way towards my decision to hire him! That decision will cost me a lot of money - over $20,000 in labour costs - but I think it will be worth it to know that everything has been done properly and safely and that the cohesive professional look of my home will be visually appealing both inside and out. I can't wait to see my finished home!
I was open to buying used and did look at a few. Most of the ones I've seen listed were too small for my needs/wants and all came with a loft bedroom, something I had decided against. I may have been able to save a bit of money by finding a used or half-finished house but I wasn't willing to settle for less than what I really wanted.
The final option - to hire a builder - is the one I chose to go with. I took great pleasure in designing the space and know that it will be built to suit my individual needs. I found a builder at one of our tiny house Meetup groups. Although he had never built a tiny house before, he had decades of experience as a contractor and was nearly as excited about the project as I was. That enthusiasm went a long way towards my decision to hire him! That decision will cost me a lot of money - over $20,000 in labour costs - but I think it will be worth it to know that everything has been done properly and safely and that the cohesive professional look of my home will be visually appealing both inside and out. I can't wait to see my finished home!
Monday 2 January 2017
Renting a spot - how much is too much?
Unless I win the lottery, I will definitely need to be renting a spot for Happinest. As tiny houses gain popularity, it is beginning to seem that people are having to pay a premium for a place to park. RV parks (in my area) start at $700/month. Private land (which is occasionally available even though it is not legal to have a tiny house there) lately seems to be in the $500-900 range.
I understand that the land-owner has to give up a bit of privacy and that they may have to invest a bit of money to have hydro/water and possibly septic available but some of these prices seem a bit excessive. I fully expect to pay for the privilege of having a spot to live and the costs to service it ... but I am still bringing my own house! No one is shelling out big amounts of cash to convert part of a home into an apartment or having to giving up a portion of their home. I'm just occupying a small piece of land that wasn't being used anyway.
It is quite possible that it is not realistic but I have a mental sliding scale of what I am willing to pay to live somewhere - $300 for an average place (that meets some of my needs/wants and that will probably only be a temporary stay until I can find what I really want), $400 for a nice place (but not my ideal location) and $500 for something that meets all of my needs/wants (especially being close to off-leash dog areas and/or the ocean).
Assuming that I am going to live for at least twenty years, renting a spot to me (particularly that ideal one that I will never want to leave) is a very good investment for a landowner. It may cost a few thousand dollars to have a serviceable site but if I find that perfect $500/month location, they will be getting back $6,000 a year. Even after that initial investment (which would probably be recovered within the first year), they are going to be making well over $100,000 for renting that bit of land for the next twenty years. And, as an added bonus, they also have the extra benefit of having someone on site that provides extra security and possibly even animal/house/plant care if they are away.
I understand that the land-owner has to give up a bit of privacy and that they may have to invest a bit of money to have hydro/water and possibly septic available but some of these prices seem a bit excessive. I fully expect to pay for the privilege of having a spot to live and the costs to service it ... but I am still bringing my own house! No one is shelling out big amounts of cash to convert part of a home into an apartment or having to giving up a portion of their home. I'm just occupying a small piece of land that wasn't being used anyway.
It is quite possible that it is not realistic but I have a mental sliding scale of what I am willing to pay to live somewhere - $300 for an average place (that meets some of my needs/wants and that will probably only be a temporary stay until I can find what I really want), $400 for a nice place (but not my ideal location) and $500 for something that meets all of my needs/wants (especially being close to off-leash dog areas and/or the ocean).
Assuming that I am going to live for at least twenty years, renting a spot to me (particularly that ideal one that I will never want to leave) is a very good investment for a landowner. It may cost a few thousand dollars to have a serviceable site but if I find that perfect $500/month location, they will be getting back $6,000 a year. Even after that initial investment (which would probably be recovered within the first year), they are going to be making well over $100,000 for renting that bit of land for the next twenty years. And, as an added bonus, they also have the extra benefit of having someone on site that provides extra security and possibly even animal/house/plant care if they are away.
Wall of whales
I was going to write a post about fairy gardens and/or finances today. However, after finding out that my favourite orca - Granny - is missing and presumed deceased, this post will be about whales instead. Granny is the oldest orca known (believed to be 106) and the beloved matriarch of J-pod. She was a constant reminder of how much better and longer orca can live when not kept in captivity. Thousands of tourists (and locals) on the west coast take whale-watching boat tours each year with the hope of catching a glimpse of the famous Granny. My favourite animal for most of my life has been the beautiful white tiger. However, since moving back to B.C. and having a couple of special encounters with the magnificent orca, they are now in the #1 spot (with humpback whales close behind). Here is a photo from one of those encounters:
This seemingly has nothing to do with tiny houses. However, several months ago, my daughter and I found a Sue Coleman tile with a humpback whale. I decided that it would make a great focal point for my kitchen backsplash.
Since then, I have become a little obsessed with making a bit of a whale theme for my new home. After several months of looking, I have now found an orca suncatcher for my bedroom and three orca prints that will go above the kitchen window on the same wall as the backsplash. I also have a number of orca postcards and my own photos that may be incorporated if I choose to go with a collage-style "wall o' whales" collection (although it may well make it too "busy" for the space). I would also like to incorporate a haida-orca stencil in some way on the exterior of the home if I can figure out something that is inexpensive and that will look nice.
If you are truly gone, Granny - rest in peace! You will be missed!
This seemingly has nothing to do with tiny houses. However, several months ago, my daughter and I found a Sue Coleman tile with a humpback whale. I decided that it would make a great focal point for my kitchen backsplash.
Since then, I have become a little obsessed with making a bit of a whale theme for my new home. After several months of looking, I have now found an orca suncatcher for my bedroom and three orca prints that will go above the kitchen window on the same wall as the backsplash. I also have a number of orca postcards and my own photos that may be incorporated if I choose to go with a collage-style "wall o' whales" collection (although it may well make it too "busy" for the space). I would also like to incorporate a haida-orca stencil in some way on the exterior of the home if I can figure out something that is inexpensive and that will look nice.
If you are truly gone, Granny - rest in peace! You will be missed!
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