Changes of Plans

Well, we are officially 77 days away from my new tiny life, and I figure it’s about time I gave you all an update.

Several things have changed since the last time I blogged here, and most of them are AWESOME! I want to tell you all about them, but I also want to tell you that things could still change again. I've been hesitant to blog about this stuff because some of it isn't completely finalized yet. But I guess if/when things do change, I can always update you again later. Anyway, here's what's going on:

1. I found a new place to park.

2. I changed my mind about my floor plan.

3. I talked to my builder and worked out a few things.

4. I started to realize that this is all really going to happen!

It started with the new parking spot. A few months ago I found out that another tiny house enthusiast in the area was looking for someone to park a tiny house on her property. At first I was only curious. But as we talked, we both quickly realized that this was completely meant to be. Her spot happens to be only a ten minute walk from my office in a beautiful, private location. If I had made a checklist of everything I was looking for in a place for my new home, this would've ticked off all the boxes and even added a few more I didn't know I wanted or couldn't have come up with to even know that I should be dreaming of having them. It's honestly perfect for a tiny house, and especially perfect for mine.

There will still be a few challenges presented by this spot, but all in all, I feel beyond blessed. In talking about this change with a few friends and writing about it in my journal, I've come to realize that it feels like more than an answer to prayers. It's almost like a heavenly endorsement that not only am I on the right path with this tiny house thing, but because I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and wants me to be happy with whatever path I choose in life, He will magnify my wishes and plans into a way cooler life than I could've imagined or executed by myself. And I am so grateful that He does.

After I found out about this parking spot and things started to look more and more promising, I went back to my house plans and started to reconsider things. Because of the way my house will be situated in this new spot, I realized it might be beneficial to make a few changes to my floor plan. For instance, in my original plan, my front door would now be at the back of my house, facing a fence. This seemed like a pretty annoying problem. I could've stuck to my guns and gone with the house I wanted, but it would've looked kind of silly from the outside, and frankly, I know I would've gotten frustrated by it. Sometimes it's just better to adapt. 

The funny thing about tiny houses is that because your space is so limited, changing one little thing in the plan usually means you end up changing everything. And that's what happened to me. As soon as I put the door along the side of the house, I realized that I could put a long bench/couch along what had been the front and would now be the side. And because the door was in the middle, I'd need to extend my sleeping loft and that meant losing the storage loft on the other side of the house. Then I started playing around with my bathroom and kitchen placement. And once I did all that, I decided that I might as well reduce the entire floorplan by a foot or two in all directions because now that things are more open, I really don't know what to do with that extra space. 

So that's what I did. Instead of being 8x16 feet and around 115 square feet, my new plan calls for a 7x14 foot house that's around 98 square feet.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to think that I'll soon be living in less than 100 square feet. I know it will sound extreme and absurd to most people reading this, but I was honestly starting to feel like moving into a tiny house would be a little too easy. I had figured out where I was going to put all of my things and it wasn't even a challenge to imagine myself there. But I wanted that challenge. Part of the reason to go tiny is to force myself to consider each object I own and whether it truly adds to my life or whether it's time for it to move on and help someone else. My old house would've helped me do that, but not nearly as much as this new one will. 

I know it will be hard letting go of things, like that table I bought a few years ago specifically because I'd seen it in a tiny house and to me the table represented the dream of owning a tiny house someday. I had always planned to include that table in my house. But as it turns out, I don't need that specific table in my house. I just need a table space. And I'll still have that.

This process would be a lot harder if I didn't find so much joy in giving things away, but I do. I think I get the same level of thrill from dropping stuff off at the second hand store as a shopaholic gets walking out of the mall with her new purchases. It's a release and a rush. I feel lighter and like my life is better when I get rid of something. That wasn't always the case, but it definitely is now.

Anyway, in case you are wondering, my new plan is somewhat loosely based off of another Four Lights Tiny Houses design called The Zinn.

This is kind of sort of what it might look like. Except the colors will change and a lot of the materials will be different. And it will be on wheels.

In some ways, it will actually look more like this one. . .

Except that my house will be closer in size to this one: 

These last two are houses that my builder just finished for other clients. Mine won't look exactly like either of these. And it won't have that rock section at the bottom. But if you click on either of the links above, you can see more of what the interior finishes will sort of look like. Although, like I said, some of the materials and colors I choose will be different. So far I'm really pleased with Upper Valley Tiny Homes. They've been really good about working with me and letting me design my own unique house.

Which brings me to my third point: I met with my builder (Mike at Upper Valley) and told him about my changing floor plan. As we talked about my needs and budget. It turns out that with the smaller size and a slight increase in budget, he will be able to finish out the whole house instead of building a shell that I then finish myself. This is great news for a couple of reasons.

While I liked the idea of finishing my house myself to save some money, as it got closer and closer I realized that I was dreading the process instead of looking forward to it. I didn't want to dread my move-in date. Going tiny is something I've been eagerly anticipating for years, and I didn't want to feel like I might fail my house or my life plans through my own ineptitude or lack of foresight. I also didn't want to have any immediate stress that I couldn't handle on my own.

I could go on and on about my reasoning, but ultimately what it comes down to is that building a shell wasn't right for me. And I'm just glad I found that out now instead of a few months after attempting it and being miserable about the whole thing.

Anyway, the reality of all this is finally settling in for me, and I am really enjoying this part of the process. I can see it. I'm almost there. And while I haven't figured out absolutely everything, I now have the tools I need to get there. I have a plan and I can actually make it happen. And that's a really, really good feeling.

Till next time,
Keep dreaming,

Heidi