Off to the Tiny House Fair

If you've been following along on my Little Life adventures you've probably noticed I've been lax about blogging these days. The past three weeks have been a whirlwind. I graduate from Portland State University today with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. But I'm skipping the graduation festivities this weekend to speak at the first ever Tiny House Fair at Yestermorrow. I know my classmates will take pictures and eat cake for me, so I feel safe leaving the wrap up in their hands. Instead I'm taking this commencement thing really seriously and getting started with new adventures! In the coming weeks I'll share more information about my new sustainable design consulting company Niche Consulting LLC. Meanwhile, watch for updates this weekend from the fair!

I've just arrived at the Burlington Airport and I'm thrilled to be back in Vermont. Dee Williams and Joan Grimm of Portland Alternative Dwellings will be fetching me soon and we'll head to Yestermorrow to get settled in and meet everyone. There's an incredible line up of speakers, including several other tiny house dwellers, designers, builders, and bloggers. There are also 100 participants signed up and I'm horribly excited to meet them! We're going to have such fun geeking out about nano houses.

I haven't been to Vermont since February 2011 when I wrapped up the last of my coursework for my Certificate in Sustainable Design and Building. But I've been in touch with the fine folks of Yestermorrow via my practicum project (building a tiny house on wheels). I also skyped in on the Tiny House Design Build course last year and I've recently been asked to be an instructor for upcoming Yestermorrow courses. I couldn't have been more thrilled to receive that invitation. I love Yestermorrow and can't wait to set foot on campus again.

Here's to commencement! Hip, hip, hooray!

Reciprocal Admiration

Yesterday I received my first fan mail via the Postal Service and it made my week. Rediscovering that inspiration goes both ways was both humbling and reenergizing. So I responded with fan mail of my own.

This lovely little note came from an 18-year-old woman who is so creative that I want to be like her when I grow up. When Addie attended our PAD Tiny House Workshop in April I was impressed by her reasoning for building her own tiny house. Before even graduating from high school this young woman has recognized that living in a small, simple home will enable her to save money, retain locational flexibility, and use her artistic talents to create a place that truly fits her and feels like home. I wish I’d been half as wise as she is when I was her age. And half as talented, too.

During our workshop Addie was sipping out of a wide-mouth pint jar that was etched with a cool vintage-looking picture. I’m a huge fan of wide-mouth pint jars. In fact, they're the only thing I really have a collection of at this point in my life. So this beautiful jar caught my eye right away. Over lunch I asked Addie where she found it and she told me she’d made it. Then I had to know all about the process and Addie happily obliged me. She explained she’s been selling these beautiful jars on Etsy as one of her fundraising strategies for the construction of her own tiny house.

I turned to the person on my other side at our lunch table and mock whispered, “The woman who made this mason jar is going to build a tiny house. It’s going to be a work of art and I can’t wait to see it!” I told Addie that I, too, am focused on keeping my expenses down so I can get my tiny house built soon. And that as soon as I’m settled into my tiny house I’ll be commissioning her to make me a whole batch of beautiful mason jars.

Addie had already secured herself a place on my growing Tiny House Heroes List.

So I was delighted to open the package that accompanied Addie’s note and find her business card and one of Addie’s beautiful mason jars. This was a very thoughtful gift on Addie’s part since this jar won’t count in My 200 Things Challenge. I’ve explained in Who’s Counting Anyway? that I’m counting my mason jars as a set rather than including each individual jar on My 200 Things List. So I’ll be parting with one of my other mason jars to make a spot for this special one. (Speaking of which… it’s getting to be time for a re-count. I was a little over 200 items last time I checked. I had 203 items at the time!)

Needless to say, Addie’s mason jar has become my instant favorite and my new to go container. I’ll be carrying soup and leftovers for lunch in this pretty jar and it will be a constant reminder of Addie and the other tiny house folks who inspire me.

If you want to buy an etched mason jar to add a touch of beauty to your kitchen while supporting an incredible woman’s tiny house fund, check out Addie's Etsy site. And if you want to learn more about Addie's reasons for going tiny and a write up about her stay in the Bayside Bungalow, check out Addie's post Why Tiny? on her blog Slice, Serve, Savor.

Thank you Addie!

Bettering Things

Yesterday was a good day for Rainy Day Catch Up and I decided to make a couple of the things I own a little better. Since I’m doing the 200 Things Challenge I figure I better really like the things I own and I better make them work well for me. So yesterday I spent an hour bettering my bike lock, my broom, and my ostrich egg lantern.

I recently acquired a new bike lock because the lock I bought last fall was driving me crazy. I decided to purchase a combination lock this time so I won’t have to deal with a bike lock key anymore. (Even thought this is one less thing for me to think about, this doesn’t count as one less thing since I count even the lock as part of my bike. I explain my rules for counting for My 200 Things Challenge in Who’s Counting Anyway.) However, I preferred the lock holder for the old lock because the little metal bracket attached to the lock itself snapped tightly into the holder on my bike. I found it was much less likely to fly out of the holder when I go over a bump than the new one. So I modified the new lock to accept the metal bracket by slicing away a part of the rubber and adding a gasket. It only took a couple minutes to create my ideal bike lock.

I also recently bought myself a broom since I didn’t own one. I lived without any carpets for several years so I bought myself a Bucket Head vacuum cleaner when I moved into the yurt, which had rugs. This worked pretty well for me, except that the rugs contributed to the Moisture Management problems I was having. A few weeks ago I decided it was time for Spring Cleaning the Yurt and I removed the rugs. But then I needed a broom. I decided to buy myself a kid-size broom but it was just a little too short, even for me. I realized I could probably find bike parts to extend the handle of my little broom. My local bike repair shop hooked just happened to have exactly what I needed and $3 and 3 minutes later my little broom is better than ever.

Two years ago my little sister and I traveled to South Africa and we both brought home ostrich egg lanterns. My sister found hers right away but it took me a long time to find my giraffe lantern. We were Packing Densely but we managed to carefully transport our lanterns home. Unfortunately, once I tried using my lantern the first time I realized that there were too few holes providing oxygen for the lantern to work with a candle. When I switched to a little light bulb I found there still wasn’t enough light emanating from the lantern for it to really be interesting. So I bought myself a 5/32” masonry drill bit this weekend and enlarged the holes in my lantern. Now I can really enjoy my lantern. I’m even planning a special spot for it in the tiny house I’m designing for myself.

Cooking Al Fresco

Every Sunday my workshop team meets up for a working meal. We alternate between brunch and supper and we take turns hosting. The last time I was responsible for cooking for my team I was Living Large by housesitting so I had plenty of room to cook and host. When I lived in the Bayside Bungalow last year I was able to host a Dinner Party for Six, but here in the yurt that would be pretty uncomfortable. So this term I put off hosting until the weather warmed up enough to could dine outside. Fortunately, this weekend we had splendid weather so I offered to host brunch.

I set up milk crates and strung my hammock between the posts of my grape arbor so we’d have outdoor dining space. As I got my ingredients out to start cooking, I realized that in addition to dining outside I could also do my cooking outside. This is one of the advantages of my plug-and-play kitchen. I keep a one-burner electric cooktop in My Kitchen Cupboard and I usually place it on top of my mini fridge to do my cooking. This morning I brought my cooktop outside and plugged it into my power strip just inside the door. I used my outdoor shelf as my countertop and it worked splendidly.

I did have to remember to keep everything covered so that seedpods blowing in the air didn’t settle in my pots. But it was lovely to cook outside in the fresh air and breezes. This will be especially nice as the weather warms up and it gets too hot for me to want to cook inside the yurt.

I have always loved dining outside, but I hadn’t really thought about outdoor cooking as an option (other than grilling and camping, of course!) Now that I’ve discovered how nice it is to cook outside at home, I’ll plan an outdoor cooking set up for the tiny house I'm designing for myself. This is, of course, a seasonal activity especially in the Pacific Northwest, but for those days when it’s possible, it’s so delightful!

As part of My 200 Things Challenge I’m living with only two plates on hand and I didn’t feel like digging my others out of my storage tub in the shed, so we improvised. Two people got plates, two got cutting boards, one got a baking dish, and one got a pot lid. We giggled about our interesting dishes, but we’d done the same thing the week before when another of my group mates hosted, so it didn’t seem too strange.

I cooked up huevos rancheros with a delicious salsa verde from the farmers market and fresh homemade guacamole. For dessert (since all our brunches involve dessert, of course!) I cooked up a strawberry rhubarb compote (also with fresh local ingredients) to drizzle over vanilla ice cream.

Hooray for cooking fresh food in fresh breezes!

Tiny House Movement Gains Momentum

The weekend before last we hosted a build weekend to construct Casa Pequena. This past weekend 29 fabulous folks joined us at the Kenton Fire House for a Portland Alternative Dwellings (PAD) Tiny House Workshop. Participants traveled from as far away as Wyoming, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Several of them were just beginning their foray into the world of tiny, so they are going to noodle over the information to decide if a tiny house is right for them. Others have already started on the shell of their tiny house and came to the second day of our workshop to refine their gas, fresh water, grey water, humanure, and electrical systems.

Our workshop covered those topics as well as structural considerations, moisture management, regulations, code, and community building. Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings kicked off the workshop by sharing her story of going tiny nearly nine years ago and watching the Tiny House Movement begin.

Dee, Joan, and I tag-teamed most of the presentations but we were lucky to have several other presenters join us. Derin Williams of Shelter Wise used a life-size model to demonstrate how to install a wall system that minimizes thermal breaks to increase energy efficiency. Carol demonstrated the assembly and use of the Air Head Dry Toilet. Chris and Malissa Tack of Tiny Tack House presented information about their tiny house design-build process with spell-binding graphics and answered questions about the systems they chose. (Check out Chris Tack's website to see more of his incredible photography!) It was a lot of information to cover in just two days, but workshop participants who came from across the country said they appreciated the chance to learn as much as they could and ask all their burning questions.

Some of the participants had been dreaming of living in a tiny house for years. For them this workshop was the first tangible step to making their tiny house fantasy a reality. On the other hand, one participant from the East Coast had heard of tiny houses but hadn't looked into them. He began exploring in earnest on Tuesday and on Friday hopped on a plane to come to our workshop! It was fun to have people from a wide spectrum of familiarity with tiny houses because it provided the chance for all of us to learn from each other. I'm grateful to everyone who taught me about new products, systems, and strategies that will make me a better tiny house design-builder, too.

The folks who attend tiny house workshops are wonderful people. They're collaborative and intentional. They're open-minded and open-hearted. They tackle big questions about needs and wants. They carefully consider what makes a place feel like home. I've come to expect that of tiny house lovers.

What was really special about this workshop was that the momentum of the Tiny House Movement was palpable. In June of last year I assisted with the Portland Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop led by Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings. That was just 10 months ago. At the time a handful of the 50 people in the room planned to build a tiny house over the summer. This year 16 of the 29 participants said they're considering building this summer!

The Tiny House Movement is getting bigger and I'm thrilled to be part of it! We've agreed that this summer will be full of tiny house building work parties. I can't wait to see the results as people craft their dreams in three dimensions:

• Margaret's rainbow speckled walls from stained glass windows,
• Carter's hammock-slung dance studio tour bus,
• Nicole's tiny house collective in NE Portland,
• Malcom's yurt built of structurally insulated panels,
• Joan's treasure box of salvaged materials,
• and many, many more!

Please keep us posted everyone! Thank you for the chance to be part of your tiny house adventure.

Sunshine for Bike to PSU Challenge Kick Off

Last May Day it was pouring as the Bike to PSU Challenge kicked off. This was disappointing since I was committed to Biking Rain or Shine. Others weren't so brave and my bike was the only one in the racks for a good portion of the morning. This year the challenge started out with glorious weather and I had trouble finding a bike parking spot.

During the month of May I'll be logging my miles on Portland State University's snazzy Bike to PSU Challenge website. Last year I was on a team of 10 and we helped hold each other accountable to riding every day at least one way. Unfortunately, it was a drizzly spring so I didn't stick to my 14-mile round trip commute consistently. I took transit on 4 super soggy days. Nevertheless, as I described in my post 1 Tiny House & 4 Bicycles, I did manage to commute nearly 300 miles by bike in May 2012!

This year my commute is much shorter. I'm only 2.5 miles from campus instead of 7. But I'm also much more likely to ride consistently because the distance is shorter and because in the past year I've upgraded my tires and added fenders and better lights to my commuter bike. This past week I also replaced my old U-lock which drove me crazy with a new one which uses a combination lock instead of a key. One less thing to keep track of! (But it doesn't count as one less thing for My 200 Things Challenge since I actually consider my bike lock as well as it's key part of my bike. If that doesn't make sense to you, check out my logic in My Things Challenge: Who's Counting Anyway?)

This year there are 271 riders on 79 teams logging their mileage. So this month stay tuned for photos of Portland by bike. Cheers to bike rides and sunny days!

La Casa Pequena Shell Constructed in 2 Days

On Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 I teamed up with Derin and Andra Williams of Shelterwise, and Dee Williams and Joan Grimm of Portland Alternative Dwellings to put on a 2-day building workshop to construct La Casa Pequena. The workshop was part of La Casa Verde green building festival in McMinnville, OR. (Stay tuned for lots more photos!)

With Derin’s dad DK and seven fantastic workshop participants from as far away as British Columbia, California, and Utah we built the shell of a tiny house on wheels in just 2 days! (Of course, Derin put many more hours into designing this wee abode and prepping the workshop so that everything was ready to go. Derin had the sheet metal pan installed in advance and two of the walls pre-built. Thanks for your meticulous planning, Derin!)

La Casa Pequena has a simple form with a shed roof, symmetrical sidewalls, and the short wall towards the tongue end of the trailer for aerodynamics. However, the wall system is quite sophisticated since Derin is an expert in energy efficiency. He’s a stickler for building excellent wall systems so we included building science lessons along with construction tips. (You don't have to take my word for it! You can read Angela Ramseyer's and Dee Williams' recap of the workshop, too!)

The tiny house was constructed on a 12-foot long trailer custom built by Iron Eagle Trailers. (Read more about Rob and Iron Eagle Trailer in Trailer Lust.) We started out Day 1 by securing the floor box into the trailer frame with ½ inch bolts through the sidewalls of the trailer and insulating the space between the joists.

Next we finished constructing the frame, using one of the sidewalls as a template for the other. The workshop participants had varying levels of familiarity and comfort with speed squares, impact drivers, and saws, so we shared tricks for building in a safe and smart way.  By the end of the first day we had raised the four walls and secured them to the trailer and to each other with HTT tension ties and fastener plates.

We raised the roof at the beginning of Day 2 with the help of a few folks from Casa Verde booths. Together we hoisted the roof system up onto the walls and secured it with hurricane ties. Once the roof was in place we wheeled La Casa Pequena into the middle of the Casa Verde celebration. We wrapped the house in drain wrap and stapled it in place with plastic washers. (This house has its sheer panels on the inside so we installed the house wrap directly onto the studs without sheathing it first.) Then Tate from Dupont demonstrated how to install a window, using flexible flashing. (Dupont donated the housewrap and flashing for this build. Thanks Dupont!)

Installing windows is my favorite part of the construction of a tiny house shell because it add so much personality to the structure. All of the sudden the house comes alive. In this case it was also exciting to install the windows because we were able to wrap up the workshop once the last window was installed.

Throughout the summer La Casa Pequena will serve as a demo house for micro workshops on plumbing, electrical, and interior finishes. Stay tuned for more information. Meanwhile, we’re switching gears to prep for our upcoming PAD Tiny House Design Workshop next weekend!

Spring Cleaning the Yurt

Friday was a lovely day and I found myself unfurling after being hunkered down for the winter. The yurt was feeling pretty stuffy and musty so it was nice to open the skylight and get more fresh air flowing through. Even though knew it would be better for both me and the structure to ventilate it well, I’d been keeping the skylight closed because it had been so darn cold out. With my busy schedule this winter I never took the time to develop a good ventilation strategy. It seemed that if I kept the skylight cracked while I was gone during the day at class or work all my hot air went through the roof (literally) and it took too long to get the place warmed up again. So I would crack it on warmer days or when I was going to be home for a few hours.

With all the fresh air and sunlight streaming through the skylight, I felt inspired to do my spring cleaning. I hauled my table and chairs outside so I would have enough room to play rubix cube with my furniture. With some help I was able to move my dresser, bed, and kitchen cupboard and remove the rugs that covered the yurt floor. The rugs had provided a barrier between my cold feet and the cold floor, but they’d also become mildewy.

When I rearranged my furniture I discovered that there were a few spots where the mold had grown back where the wall meets the floor. Back in November I’d discovered that I was having Mold & Moisture Trouble and I’d cleaned it up with vinegar and water. I thought I’d taken care of the problem, so it took me a while to realize that the sinus trouble I’ve experienced the past couple months might be related to my indoor air quality. It turns out that although vinegar is a long-time home remedy, it isn’t the most effective mold killer since it doesn’t kill all types of mold. So I decided to step it up. I purchased a spray bottle (gotta add that to My 200 Things List!) and a little bottle of tea tree oil and headed home to do some mold remediation. I removed the insulation I’d placed over my windows on the inside, rolled up the flaps that cover the windows from the outside, and removed the clear window covers. Then I opened the skylight to get the fresh air moving. I filled the spray bottle with a mix of tea tree oil and water and then sprayed the perimeter of the yurt.

Now my house smells fresh and clean and I think I’ll breathe a little easier. I know this weather is a tease and that we have several weeks of cool days ahead of us, so I’m going to put the clear window coverings back on the windows as soon as the yurt is aired out, but it will be really nice to have the additional light and views from having the windows open again. Hooray for springtime!

First Ever Tiny House Fair at Yestermorrow in June

When I talked to Elaine yesterday I learned that the first ever Tiny House Fair is almost sold out! If you want to secure a spot, register immediately on the Yestermorrow website.

The Tiny House Fair will be hosted by Yestermorrow Design-Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont June 14-16, 2013. Elaine, who lives in a tiny house and participated in a women’s building course at Yestermorrow, created the Tiny House Community website because she recognized that tiny houses would be even more wonderful together. She decided the next step was to get key players in the tiny house world together, too. So she encouraged Yestermorrow to host the first ever Tiny House Fair and she’s been helping to coordinate it ever since.

I’m delighted that I’ll be presenting at this year’s tiny house fair, along with fellow west coasters Dee Williams of Portland Alternative Dwellings, Tammy Strobel & Logan Smith of Rowdy Kittens, and Able Zimmerman of Zyl Vardos. I’ll also have the opportunity to get to know folks I’ve been wanting to meet for years: Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed and Four Lights, Derek "Deek" Diedrickson of Relax Shacks, and Alex Pino of Tiny House Talk. Together we’ll be covering everything from tiny house design tricks to zoning code and legal considerations.

Join us if you’re able! It’s going to be epic.

La Casa Pequena Tiny House Construction Workshop

Here is a note from Portland Alternative Dwellings (PAD) regarding our upcoming La Casa Pequena construction workshop. I am so excited to participate in this workshop. Please join us if you're able!

We are super excited to let you know about our upcoming (first of the season!) hands-on tiny house construction workshop: La Casa Pequena. 

During this 2-day intensive building workshop you will construct the shell of a tiny house, including building the floor frame, installing insulation, framing the walls, sheathing the assembly, wrapping the house, installing windows, and anchoring to the trailer.  You will experience the building of many of the major components of a super tight tiny house.

Every workshop participant will receive personal attention and instruction from our tiny house construction experts: Dee Williams of PAD, Derin Williams of Shelter Wise, and Lina Menard of Niche Consulting. Whether you’ve never used a power tool or you’re a seasoned builder looking for tiny house building experience, this weekend workshop will provide you the experience and community you need to take the next step toward tiny.

There are only 15 spots and we expect it to fill fast, so register today! 

La Casa Pequena Tiny House Building Workshop will be April 19-20th, 2013, held during Cellar Ridge Construction’s annual La Casa Verde Earth Day Festival in McMinnville, Oregon. To sign up, register on the PAD website.  Keep in touch with us about your tiny house journey via email, Facebook, the PAD website, or an old-fashioned phone call.

Best regards, Team PAD Dee, Joan, Derin, Andra and Lina PAD Tiny Houses  |  www.PADtinyhouses.com <http://www.padtinyhouses.com>  |  503.381.9083