Tiny house updates

My little mobile retreat is taking shape. Two thousand miles plus, separates me from my out of state tiny home builder in the Ozarks.  He is keeping me up to date with pictures.  Working with an out of state builder is not for everyone, but with computers and phone communication it makes it easier.  It would be so nice to actually step inside my tiny home during the construction process, so that I could get a feel for the layout that I have chosen.  Instead, I have measured out a 8' x 18' area in my garage and marked it with tape. I  cut out cardboard pieces the size of my very tiny bathtub, toilet, bathroom sink, refrigerator,  kitchen sink, stove top and counter space and placed them along the floor to mimic the layout of my tiny home. And then I just imagine what it will look like. And I think about how much fun it will be to decorate.

Scott sent me some updated pictures recently so I will share them here with you. I have spent a few Sleepless nights here in Seattle as I wonder if I picked out the right layout, or purchased the correct toilet, sink and so forth. Most people who build a home or a tiny home look at appliance and fixtures in person and then purchase them for their tiny home. I have not been able to even do that. I have purchased all appliances for the tiny home online and I hope they all fit and work well in the limited space of a wee-home. I guess I just have to trust that it will all work out, at least I hope so.

I often sign my emails to Scott "Sleepless in Seattle", and he signs his " Scott - Anxious in Arkansas". That is because he is now backed up against winter and working hard to finish up the tiny home so that we can make a plan for it to be towed to its resting place, before winter weather makes the trip more difficult.



The back side of the tiny house. Interior area measures 8'x18'

Front side of the tiny house.  The front porch includes a 6' x 8 ' deck

 

 

 

Windows installed in back loft and rear cubby area

                                   


Inside the tiny home looking toward the back loft and cubby area.

Interior view showing part of the back loft.



The back cubby area. It can be used as an office, sleeping, sitting, eating or storage area.



My tiny bathtub. The other option was a 32" x  32" shower. The bathtub allows a bit more space.



The tiny tub measures 24" x 40".  I t will be filled with tiny bubbles and be surrounded  by a white lace curtain.



A little white vintage farm table and chairs will sit under this window.



Shingles were added to the top portion of the tiny home on both ends. This is just primer shown here, but I prefer this two tone look over the solid color it was painted. But that is an easy fix. 



View of  the tiny house after it was painted. I prefer a  rustic, vintage, or cottage style exterior,but choose this style to blend into the area it will be parked in. In the future I might consider residing it with rustic barn wood and add chippy painted shutters.



I kept going back and forth trying to decide if I wanted window grids. Grids represent the cottage look I love but being that the windows are so small I wasn't sure I wanted to interrupt the views. I can always add my own window grids later.



Shutters, window boxes & gingerbread trim as well as a vintage style front door will be added next Spring.

More pictures of the interior are coming soon !!!!!!!!

Stay tuned.

The chicken coop is dressed for Fall

I placed mini pumpkins, gourds, apples, Indian corn &  a variety of seasonal squash on a vintage ladder in front of the coop.

The seasons seem to be in a rush. We slipped into a late and very short summer here in WA State. I just said good bye, to my last tiny cupcake rose bloom as cooler weather is fast approaching and we are headed into the Fall season. Yesterday, I was at a big box store and they had roses on sale for 75% off of regular price. I couldn't resist picking up a few more pink and white varieties at that price, to plant near my hen house. Hopefully, they will welcome in next years spring with beautiful blooms and bursts of color that compliment the interior coop decor.  You see, my sweet hens and the rooster are a bit pampered. Check out prior posts to see more coop pictures and the interior, complete with wallpaper and chandelier. Anyway... As I went inside the store to pay for the roses I noticed that the isles were filled with artificial Christmas trees and holiday decorations, geez... can't they at least wait until after Halloween?  They may as well display the plastic pumpkins under the Christmas trees and use a ghost decoration as a tree topper. The overlapping, and rush of holidays just seems ridiculous to me.  For the stores, it is all about marketing and consumerism.  




The Chicken coop - for my pampered chickens.
To see the fancy inside area please see older posts.

On my way home I stopped at a country farmers market to pick up some organic fruit. I felt a sense of calm again, as I took time to appreciate the colors of fall that surrounded me at this locally owned farm stand and little market. I couldn't resist buying some of their beautiful gourds, as well as a few tiny wee-be miniature pumpkins that sat on golden bales of hay. The uniquely shaped gourdes capture the beautiful colors of Fall and are genetically modified man made creations at their best. It is not nice to fool mother nature.  After picking up some apples, edible squash, and colorful Thai chili peppers, I returned home with my bounty of seasonal food and décor.




Fresh organic apples and miniature Indian corn add beautiful warm colors to the chicken coop garden area for fall.



Each window in the chicken coop has an outside window basket filled with plants and flowers. I found these little vintage chickens for .10 cents each at a garage sale.  They add charm to the outside of the coop.  Old scrabble game pieces spell out "Sweet Hen" in the window sill of the chicken coop. The super tiny pumpkin is the real deal. It is called a Wee-be pumpkin.

                                                  




(left)  Edible Thai chili peppers           (center)  Hens and chicks,         (right)  Sweet potato vine



Fall colors in front of the coop.



I purchased this old picture frame for .25 cents at a garage sale. I threw a coat of paint on it and then stapled some rusty chicken wire inside the frame. I found  wrought iron chickens at a flea market for $4.00 each and I  used one in the center to make a decoration for the top half of the french door on the chicken coop.  



Small vintage chick feeders can be used to also decorate a coop or garden area. They make great candy dishes for M & M's, candy corn or peanuts.  It may require little or dainty fingers and some patience for this purpose.



Thai chili peppers hanging to dry on a vintage gutter made of solid wood.



Vintage turkey or chicken feeders can easily be used as a planter. They also make an ideal container for a flower arrangement.  



I found these vintage feeders at a flea market. I paid $5.00 each for them.



The door to the chicken coop outside run.



I was able to get these flat surfaced stones for free. My sweetie spray painted a pattern on the grass and then laid them to form a perfect little pathway to the chicken coop. Hopefully next spring pink and white roses will be blooming on the side of the pathway.

                                                   
No sooner than when I was uploading my pictures did I notice this caption and story -  Unofficial Kick Off To The 2011-2012 Tahoe Ski Season | 10-14+ Inches Of New Snow Overnight!
http://unofficialnetworks.com/unofficial-kick-20112012-tahoe-ski-season-1014-inches-snow-overnight-45965/   It is already snowing in Tahoe, Utah and Colorado and some people are already skiing. Wow - winter is fast approaching. It just seems like the world is spinning so fast and so often days, months and even seasons of life, as well as whole years - just fly by us, way to fast. I need to remind myself to slow down and appreciate each and every single day as well as each season of  the year and of my life.

 The wonderful dogs in my life teach me so much. When you take a dog for a walk in the woods it is all about each step, each smell, each potty break - for the dog, it is not about the destination. As you go through life,  slow yourself down and embrace each day, so that you can be in the moment and count your blessings. Take time to smell the roses, the pumpkins, to notice your surroundings, and even slow yourself down and enjoy a good potty break. lol.


Food for Fall thoughts --- Where can you give up what you already know for what is possible. ?

Fall blessings to you all.

Tonita

Construction on my tiny house has begun

My little shabby chic tiny retreat is now out of my dream state and construction has begun. My builder, the awesome Scott Stewart of Slab town custom homes, in Mountain View Arkansas is working on it daily, well at least Monday - Friday. I ordered it from him online last Nov but time seemed to fly by this year and finally it is underway and becoming a reality.. It was a bit scary not knowing Scott personally but after viewing other tiny homes he built and speaking with happy owners of his creations I felt confident that he would do his best to custom build a tiny home for me. I think his work is amazing and after looking at the popular Tumbleweed tiny homes as well as other builders offerings I decided that I would order a custom built tiny home from Scott. He is more than willing to add any custom features I want, he is pleasant and  he is easy to work with. He also has a finished product that is a better value than the competition can offer me. My 8' x 24' tiny home with upgraded flooring, an apartment size refrigerator with a freezer, 2 burner glass stove top,  double granite kitchen sink, bathroom sink, tiny bathtub and custom faucets as well as upgraded loft carpets and other custom built features will cost  near to $15K. I will let you know the final cost once it is completed.

                 


This is the trailer that will be used for my tiny house on wheels.

Tiny homes are not inexpensive just because they are tiny. I have watched videos and followed blogs with great interest, as people take on a big project of building their own tiny home. It seems that many people spend an average of  $20k plus to build their own quality tiny home on wheels that measures 8 foot wide up to 22 foot long. Some pay around fifty thousand dollars for a carpenter to build a tiny home of similar size. That seems expensive for such a tiny home. However once you have it built and paid for you don't have a mortgage, and how wonderful is that?  Of course this calls for drastic downsizing and a huge lifestyle change. Many in America now welcome that change, as we live in such an uncertain world economy.






Double brake axles for a long safe trip from the building site in Arkansas to Seattle area of WA state.



One of four leveling jacks on the trailer to help balance it.

  
As described in my other posts having a tiny home gives me more possibilities and options. For me, it is like an insurance policy. I will at least have one home paid for and mortgage free. That definitely is reassuring for me. While I am definitely not at the minimalist stage in my life, one day I just might be. I can see how freeing it can be to rid one's self of  "stuff".  In the meantime I get to try my tiny house on for size and consider all the possibilities it will provide in my world.



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The tiny house will be painted brown to match the trailer. White window trim and shutters will be added for contrast. Paint is not forever, and the color choices may change with my moods over time.

                            


 A hydraulic jack was added to the trailer. A really nice feature.

 Welcome to my front porch (below).  The tiny house interior measurements are 8' x 18'.There will be an attached 8' x 6' front porch. This is a huge front porch for a tiny home but I really like the idea of a comfy and usable front porch. I already have a wonderful white wicker settee to sit on one side of the front door. And I may put a rocking chair on the other side. OK, I am getting way ahead of myself here. I know I am rushing & jumping ahead, but my imagination works overtime.






Decking for the 6' x 8' front porch.

                           


The framing is going up.

 


Moving right along......



Thanks Scott, for sending me pictures of the progress on my tiny house.  

The tiny house walls are tall because there will be a sleeping loft on both ends. This tiny house will actually sleep 4 people in the loft space, and 1 - 2 people on the lower level depending on the furniture that is used. Not that there would be any reason to have that many guests in a space this small. It just gives you an idea of what is possible.





It is hard to believe that this will actually be a house in a couple of weeks.



There are so many great options for a covered front porch area.

Here is the cutout for the front door

The wrapping begins.

It isn't even Christmas, but Scott has decided to wrap up my tiny house anyway.



All wrapped up and no place to go....just yet.

Once the tiny home is completed, arrangements to tow it back to it's resting place in Washington State will be made. Stay tuned for more progress on my Shabby Chic Tiny Retreat.

Until then - Where can you give up what you already know for what's possible?

Tonita

Building the outside chicken coop run -

Keeping chickens seemed like the perfect solution, to my desire for fresh organic eggs. I try to take very good of all the critters in my life, and my chickens are no exception. After watching me re-purpose an old playhouse and turn it into a fancy little chicken coop, my friend decided that I needed a chicken coop run attached to the side of the hen house so they would have a safe and secure place outdoors, when they are not free ranging on the land. He built a secure enclosure that will keep any predator out. And now my hens have a great space that will allow them to go outside and still be sheltered from the rain.

I am a 'shabby chic, it will do' kind of gal while my builder and friend is a 'perfectionist plus' kind of guy. So, we continue to learn to work together and compromise on projects and areas where we both have completely different ideas. Most guys eyes just glaze over at the thought of the whole shabby chic decor movement. My friend thinks that items that are rusty or have paint chipping off them should be tossed into the burn pile or taken to the dump. I think those same items are treasures and I am thrilled with each old or vintage object that I can re-purpose. My coop ended up being a combination of shabby, vintage, old and also brand new. Sometimes it works well to blend opposing thoughts, ideas and plans.

The little coop is in it's final resting place, in a beautiful spot in the front yard. I wanted it to set it at an angle along the fence line, and the outside coop run needed to be built at a different angle to fit perfectly along side of the coop. It took a lot of planning and a lot of time. Being that my builder is a perfectionist he bought all new materials to work with and told me once he was finished that I could beat it up and fill the run with rusty and chippy painted vintage items to give it a distressed feel. What a guy. He is finally getting it, or at least it seems that way.

              Below are some pictures of the coop run being built and attached to the hen house.

    A trench was dug out and pressure treated cedar was laid below the earth to predator proof it.

                                                                               

               Gravel was dropped in along the foundation boards for drainage and reinforcement.

          The framing is put in place for the roofing material. Nothing shabby about this work. 

                                    

                                  

                                       Every board is plum and all the notches are perfect.

(Below)  - This is the doorway cutout that leads from the hen house out to the run.

It was cut this way because a fancy vintage wrought iron piece was used on the opposite side to frame out the archway and add a bit of style for the hens run.  Yep, that is wallpaper you see.

My little chicken coop is a work in progress. I am currently painting the outside run, and of course I will be decorating that also. However, that part may have to wait until next spring.

I will post more pictures and updates from my coop as time goes by. Thanks for visiting.

Waiting for my tiny home ... guess I have to decorate the chicken coop instead

As time goes by . . .

                                                    

Back in Nov, of last year I noticed what looked like a very well built tiny home that was designed and built by a custom tiny home builder from Mountain View Arkansas. I have been looking at tiny homes for many years and I know that to build your own tiny home you can easily spend twenty thousand dollars for a 8 x 22 foot home on wheels. So I was thrilled to discover Scott was offering his tiny homes at a very reasonable price. http://tinyhouseblog.com/stick-built/the-slabtown-annemarie/ .  I spoke to him on the phone a couple of times and really liked the fact he would customize the tiny home to my desires. I communicated with others who bought tiny or small homes from him and heard great things about his work and customer service. I decided to order the Annemarie unit from him. Once it is built I will have it towed from Arkansas to WA state. Even after transport to WA state it is a wonderful deal. I had hoped to be decorating my tiny home by now but there have been some delays, but hopefully It should be built and finished in about a month or close to it. As soon as it arrives I will paint it, shabby-chic it, decorate it, girl-ify it and fill it with vintage treasures . OH, my little chick shack - I can hardly wait. Scott, (my tiny home builder) - I am counting the days.

 

 

 

In the meantime, I am going to fix up a chick shack of a different kind - The ultimate chicken coop.
This little  6 x 8 foot, old play house has been re purposed and made into a chicken coop for my rare breed lavender Orpington chicks. I can't wait to move them from my bathroom into their new home. Take a look -

A  fresh coat of white paint will brighten it up. Yeah, I already hung the chandelier. I knew that would be a must have in the little fancy hen house. The hens will need a bit of bling bling in the coop. Why not?

I found these wonderful vintage nesting boxes on Craig's list. They came from and old egg production barn that was over a hundred and fifty years old. I just love them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 They are  finally attached to the wall. They were just one inch shy of being a perfect fit. My honey had to carefully  retrofit them, so that they would squeeze into the proper place in the coop.  I have two old table legs that I purchased for $1.00 each that will fit nicely underneath the nesting boxes to make it appear as if the nesting box is a piece of standing furniture.

I found this old  rusty wrought iron piece at a garage sale for $1.00. The mirror was broken in it, but I think it will be a nice addition to the coop. It will  frame out the door way where the chickens will  eventually go in and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought washable wallpaper for the coop. It is a chicken wire  pattern with little pink roses, how appropiate for spoiled chickens. I purchased it at a closeout sale. I thought one roll would be enough for a 6 x 8 space. Not....(sigh). It was a discontinued pattern and I bought the last roll. Thank goodness for the Internet. After searching the world for a matching roll or paper, I found one more roll in the crevices of some old warehouse in the Midwest that  someone was willing to ship to me. So, after a 2 week delay in decorating the coop, the hens were happy to know the wallpaper had arrived. I can't believe a roll of wallpaper has shrunk so much since the last time I wallpapered. Why is it, that everything keeps shrinking, except my jeans that is?

A old milk can makes a great place to store the organic chicken feed. A vintage tractor seat makes a nice place for me to sit and hang out in the coop and watch my little chicks grow.
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I filled the nesting boxes with organic hay. Pink roses and white painted scalloped trim adorn the roof of the nesting boxes. I added a bit of stenciling and bling bling to the inside of some of  the nesting boxes. Only the top egg producing hens get to occupy these extra fancy little nesting condos. Just kidding, don't send me hate mail.

Just in case my hens start to squabble over what space belongs to them, I put their names above their space. I named some of my hens after my favorite Aunts who have passed away as well as  mother hen figures in my life.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some of the chicks that will be living in the coop. I can't wait to get them moved out of my bathroom. They sure create a lot of dust. I guess a vacuum & duster is in order for the upkeep of their coop.

. The recipients of fresh organic eggs, once they arrive. Are they waiting for eggs or the chickens?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The outside coop run needs to be build now. It will be a chick playpen of sorts. A place for them to be safe when I am not able to supervise their free-range activities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The coop is still under development - More chick shack (coop)  pictures to come.

Wait till you see what I've added to the coop for my lavender fuzz butts.