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!