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Couple Downsize Into Dream Off-The-Grid Tiny House

Feb 27, 2020
When it comes to conventional housing, it's not uncommon for people to ask themselves: Do I own my

house

or does my

house

own me? And that's exactly the conclusion the following

couple

came to before they decided to tear them all up and build themselves a small house. on wheels today we traveled to Armstrong and British Columbia to check it out. Hi Sara, how are you doing? How are you? Thank you, nice to meet you, can I, all of them, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too. This is so. a lovely little house. First of all, can you tell me what really inspired you both to build this one?
couple downsize into dream off the grid tiny house
Yes, it was a big life change for us. We got married, bought the big house and worked so hard to pay for the house. Big bills on the big house and we found that we lost touch with what we really enjoyed in life, which was walking, climbing and just getting out and enjoying nature, so we were looking for a change and the little house was the change that Oliver had on the side of the building. of things and I had design skills, so we tried, yeah, the design of the house was kind of inspired because we wanted to create something that looked like a real house, something that had the features, the feel, the character of a kind of house patrimonial. or an old house that would have some of those elements and we took those elements and brought it into the house and tried to create something that didn't just look like a square box, you know, it had some depth to it. and it showed up really well and I've always loved heritage houses with characters so I wanted to take that and just scale it down to a small house.
couple downsize into dream off the grid tiny house

More Interesting Facts About,

couple downsize into dream off the grid tiny house...

The style of the house is really charming. You've really nailed that heritage aspect, especially the way we have these jewel dormers, it's really interesting, can you tell me about how you did all this? Yes, obviously we wanted to take out the roof line where the loft is to increase the ceiling height in the loft. This one here we wanted to incorporate that again just to try to give it a little bit of character and try to give it that Heritage feel, plus it obviously takes the load of snow and rain and throws it away from the front door, so that was something that gave it some architectural details as well as a feature that keeps snow and everything out of the front door Now that you have designed and built this little house together, can you talk to me about what that process was like?
couple downsize into dream off the grid tiny house
It was actually quite easy to work together. There were times when you had to trust me with your design ideas, but in the end he figured out that it was for a good reason and it worked and it was very helpful to have him on the other side of things for the building. because I could tell them what to do, yeah, there's always those design details that I questioned throughout the build, then I go, I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but obviously through the process, the color schemes, everything matches up and there is where the serious strengths are really good and that's where I may be a little lacking, you know, I can put it together, but putting it together in my mind on the design side can be a challenge, so Sierra took it by the horns and I made a very good job at the same time, it was great because Oliver was also able to control me because I had some crazy design ideas and Oliver was like, you know that's not exactly going to work, so I think that's where the teamwork really came in. two things and before you went small you lived in a bigger house and the inspiration for the design of this small house was actually taken from your previous house, wasn't it?
couple downsize into dream off the grid tiny house
Yes, our house in the city is actually a larger version of this, it has the color gray. the siding, the weight, the cool shingle details and when we moved into the

tiny

house, I loved our first house so much that I just wanted to take it, shrink it and turn it into a little mini version. I think it's so special how you do it. You've taken your favorite aspects of your previous big house and boiled it all down to this one, yeah, it's pretty unique. We wanted to bring those elements of our big house here to make it feel like a home and I think that was executed.
Alright, before we take a look inside the house, can we talk about this parking spot because you're in a very idyllic location? Yes, we are very lucky with this family land and we share it with our relatives. and we couldn't ask for a better place, it's private and it's all about nature and tranquility. Now I notice that you have some solar panels on the roof so this house is designed to be off the

grid

because I see that you are also connected to some services here so how will that work? Yes, it is designed to be completely off the

grid

.
We wanted to incorporate that into the initial build. We use the utilities when we have access to them, but it has three solar panels. on the roof, a panel in the floor for solar tracking and then all the interior heating is propane, which really takes the electrical load off the solar end. We also incorporated tanks so we can have some fresh water, if so. There was something we wanted to do, obviously we're connected to services here, but we wanted to keep the options open and really explore the potential of what a

tiny

house could do off the grid and what size tiny house is. house this house is 24 feet long, eight and a half feet wide by 13 feet and six high and is approximately 225 square feet, it is quite compact.
I really love the look of this house because of the way you've broken up the lines with the interesting window shapes and these jewel dilemmas it's really nice and I'm really intrigued to see what the inside is like. Can we look around? Let's take a look. Thank you, this is very nice. Thank you. I especially like the way it comes in. here you have this incredible view of the forest even from this beautiful skylight that you have here in the center, yes, it was very important, the number one thing on my list was Windows on Windows and Windows.
I'm a big natural light person and For us we didn't really need a lot of wall space to put things, it was more important to be able to look out and see the nature around us, mainly because we have a fantastic parking spot, but I think even if you are in. it feels like you're outside yeah the space with this amount of natural light brings everything in we have 15 windows we have 3 3 by 3 skylights so it really opens up the space when so much natural light comes in. For a house this size, 15 windows is almost ridiculous, isn't it?
Yes, there were definitely times during the framing stages where I thought: too many, can you have too many windows? But I mean, now we look at it and we're happy that we made every window have its purpose, yes, and again, that's kind of a trade-off with all the windows and skylights, they'll gain some heat in the summer, but they'll also gain they will get in the winter. that can definitely help with heating costs and just keeping the space warm, having the sun coming in if it comes out definitely benefits the house as the winters are very long and cold, there are days when you're a little late and it gets dark. early, so I think having all the windows around you, even though you're stuck inside seeing all the snow and beautiful winter around you, it doesn't make you feel as cooped up as you normally would, the style here is absolute.
I

dream

that you have done a great job with all the decoration here. Can you tell me what kind of inspiration you were looking for with all this? I've always been a fan of white on white, lots of white, it's just very calming, it's relaxing, white never goes out of style and it makes the space feel bigger and brighter. We added a little extra warmth with the hemlock accents on the floor, stair treads and shelves, so I found that gave it a nice balance and brought in a little pop of color with the gray-green cabinets, one of the things which I really liked the way you decorated the house, as well as the use of plants here, because you have this wonderful view of the forest and then you almost bring it inside with all the plants that you have here, so it didn't start with a lot of plants.
I was always a big fan of fake plants because I could never keep them alive, oh and no, but then he started with one plant and it survived, his name was I think Henry or something and then it started growing and now Oliver jokes saying, "I'll to come home one day and it will be like a jungle and I will have to do it. move because there are too many plants that would make a banner, she asked me one day, she said "There are too many parts" and it was like I was starting to think maybe there are at this point, it's nice.
I mean it definitely brings greenery, but yeah, it's getting to the point where a small house definitely only has a certain amount of window sills and things that things can get crammed on, so this is very true. I'm still personally on the side that there is no such thing as too many points, it's on my team men, well I'm not a big fan of fake plants either so I'm glad you definitely replaced them with real plants and it's really gorgeous here, now tell me about the living room because it's really lovely and it looks quite clever what you've done with the office next door and on the TV here too yeah so we know we wanted a good size. sofa we are pretty active people but we really enjoyed our movie nights when we first moved in we thought we wouldn't need a tv and we could just wash things on our laptop but we are big movie fans so we added the tv which is under the window and swivels so I can turn it while I'm doing the dishes and watching the same show or if I have someone sitting on the couch and they want to watch it, which is very helpful in the small space. space too and then we have our desktop unit which isn't a lot of storage space but it's enough if I want to answer emails when I get home and do some work and store the computer underneath and it's just what I need.
I also like the way you've built it with the little cubby for the laptop, but being able to pull it off the table and keep it clear during the day is really nice when we first designed the little one. house is the most important thing, like Oliver said, you know we don't really have any space for an official dining room and I kind of pointed out that even when we lived in a big house, the dining room table wasn't just used to put things on. so we compromised it on the small desk, yes you put some things on it, but it's so big you can't put much on it.
We wanted the living room to feel as spacious as possible, obviously being in such a small space. We wanted that relaxation space at the end of the day to allow you to put your feet up and take it easy. One of the things we did to make the living room look bigger because it was quite small was we added the bay window feature which makes it feel bigger than it actually is by reaching out to the windows and then underneath it is very of course the outside access to our propane storage, although I like how you've done it and now tell me about the kitchen, this one definitely has a very country feel.
Totally, this is our

dream

kitchen in a very small size, which I think is actually pretty big for a small house. We chose quartz countertops and then we want custom cabinets with soft linen, so it's super easy to use, just if you're not arguing and you're angry, you still can't close it great, we won't miss your classic white hex on the backsplash again. I love the white on white, it can be hard to clean sometimes but I love the crisp shine. Check it out and then we opted for a 20-inch propane stove here, which is also easy to clean.
I love it so you can take the grills off and go in because honestly I'm a pretty messy cook so yeah I mean the stove is perfect. for a compact space like this for two people, I mean, unless we're doing some kind of crazy Christmas turkey dinner or whatever that should never happen, it's more than enough for two people to cook and then obviously you have a small oven with a grill on the bottom and is a perfect size for this size of house. We wanted the kitchen to feel large with plenty of counter space and a large prep area, but perhaps sacrificing a little on appliances, we opted for a 24-inch. farmhouse sink here we also made a built in extractor hood on top and it looks like you've been able to build in plenty of storage here on your stairs as well.
I can see the washer/dryer in there, you have the refrigerator full and a

couple

of extra drawers too, yes, so our dog owns this space here, she has a little kennel and luckily she can go to work with us every day, so that that's just at some point we have to put her there and then her. She has a full drawer for herself, I'm not going to lie, she also has a couple of drawers in the kitchen, but we won't get into that. Yes, we store the washer/dryer combo underneath, as well as the refrigerator, and then we just have an extra drawer. drawer in the parttop for things like laundry detergent and extra toilet paper.
It's nice to be able to use the stairs for basically all your appliance storage and yeah, in terms of the big stuff and then have some extra storage for things like pets or whatever. I absolutely have you and then it looks like you have an extra storage bag, they kept what's in there yeah so there's a door on each side and we have a his and hers closet which is a big deal for me. I wanted space. For some clothes and have them spaced apart so that mine is on the right and gives you enough hanging space and you also have storage shelves. full clothes and then enough space for your small laundry basket.
Yeah, it's nice to be able to have, like seriously, said separate area, you know, we see some small houses where that space is combined and that can be kind of a creation. "make it or break it" factor when it comes to living together in a small house oh yes, here's his space I have my space sometimes my space is tidy sometimes his spaces not so clean some leaves he has more clothes than me, I swear Yes, yes, I'm not going to take sides in this and behind all that is the bathroom. I guess so, it's actually our favorite room in the house.
I think it turned out so spacious and bigger than I thought and should say. I had to choose the clown foot which is adorable it looks like a mini cast iron tub yeah so the most important thing is I always wanted to have a claw foot my whole life and I never had one so even though we are little , I told Oliver. We're still getting the clawfoot and that's okay, it's going to be small, but we'll make it happen. I can take bubble baths here, no problem, but are you really? Do you want me to prove it?
I think you have to do it, yes. I'm going to show you how it works, so this is me, okay, it's kind of a cross between a clawfoot bathtub and a Japanese bathtub, everything. Tom is absolutely right. Oliver ends up showering in it. It's like a shower sink and once you wrap it around the curtain. around it is completely enclosed which is good, have you ever tried bathing in that Oliver I have? Yes, there was about six inches of water at the bottom and it was overflowing. It is a good use of water. He is conservative.
You don't need much, but. go in, it comes out nice and loud, that's definitely thinking on the positive side. I like that, so you also have the composting toilet here. Yes, I was very hesitant about purchasing a compost toilet when we were designing the small house we had. I had stayed in a couple of small houses with different units and they were in debt. You could definitely notice some odor after a couple of days, but this one is totally worth it, it doesn't smell and we just couldn't imagine using anything else, yeah for us. Obviously, the amount of water a normal toilet uses was a big factor in obviously deciding to go the composting route.
We were shocked by the amount of water consumed by a typical North American toilet. substantial, so when you calculate that for a year with two people, that's a lot of water for a time when we need to watch where our water is used and literally flushing it down the toilet is not one of those ways and totally with you on that, good thought on that and then your sleeping loft is upstairs, yeah, we can take it out, absolutely, let's go see it, okay, oh, this is so cozy. I especially like how you have the double skylights here yes, it was very important to open up the space, it is a slightly narrower loft, that's why we chose a window on each side, as well as the skylights.
We love the side windows because we can open the windows all the way and then at night you get an amazing cross breeze. The most important thing, like we said with the skylights, is that we can see the stars, but I swear, every time we come here and we are. Well, let's look at the stars, we ended up falling asleep, like we never had a chance to enjoy them or we were too tired, but the idea was there and another thing we did with the skylights was we made the solar shades. so they're closed and open which is great because I think if you have these skylights and the sun is on the house it's very hot in here so it's very important to be able to close them it's definitely nice to have that option and now what is this? unit up here yeah so we chose a plug in air conditioner for us, we didn't use an air conditioner enough to justify it as a built in unit so we chose one that sits on the floor and didn't use it.
That space in the corner doesn't really matter to us anyway, so it's there when we need it. So how long have you been living in the hood? We've been in the house for about two years and haven't looked back since. I mean, it's been an amazing experience for both of us to be able to get back to the things that originally brought us together as a couple and have more free time and be able to enjoy the outdoors and be able to embrace you know where we live and what it has to offer I think the question The most common thing we can ask now, after two years of living small, is: do you ever see yourself going back to the big house and not believing it?
The only reason I would go bigger would be maybe a slightly bigger tiny house in the future but other than that I am very happy with it, yes it has really simplified the way we live and we haven't really sacrificed a lot. going from basically, you know, 2,500 square feet to 225, so yeah, this really gave us an opportunity to go back to our roots and establish what was important to us and it's been interesting because before when we had the big ones at home we worked opposite shifts I was a dance teacher and you worked in gardening, so he was there during the day, I was there during the night and we never saw each other, so when we were little we went from never seeing each other to living in a small house. and we're going to work the same job working together because we're in our business together, so it went from zero to 100 and we're still married, so that must be a good testament to that, then fixing the little house in our life, right? what is it?
What it brings us is simply a feeling of relaxation and it takes away a little bit of stress when I get home. I get excited when I go into the little one, I also go in and I like to breathe deeply and then I'm home and when I go on a trip, I think man, I just want to go back to the little house, no matter where we are, so it must be a good home for us, yeah, it also brought us, it brought us a business, I mean, really at the end of the day. we wouldn't have been able to keep the house we were in and move into a new business venture, so not only a small home business, but also, you know, it gave us the opportunity to have the financial freedom to be able to feel like a little bit more confident to enter something like a business as young entrepreneurs, that is the big challenge: you still know, the rent payments and the mortgage payments and the bills that are coming up that need to be paid and the door was opened for us not to do it. get those things out but alleviate as many of them as possible so we can focus our attention on building the business and what the budget was for this little house.
We had set a budget of around seventy thousand that did not include anything. Our labor cost probably came to over eighty-eighty-five, so we blew that budget a little bit, but we were pretty confident that that money would be well spent, so things like solar and finishes that we wanted in the house they really achieved it. Feeling at home for us was very important, so I think those numbers really made sense to us, but I think at the end of the day it's money well spent, certainly being able to do all the work yourselves will have saved you a lot of money. there and I think you can certainly see where the money has gone to this house.
There are very high quality accessories and some really beautiful details that have gone into this, so I completely agree with you. Money very well spent. Thank you. I appreciate it. I think you've done such a brilliant job with this house. I love how you took some of those character elements from your previous house and put them all into this one and I can see that this is a house that really works absolutely beautifully. Thank you both so much for sharing, thank you all, I appreciate you coming out. Thank you, this little house really is so beautiful and although it may not fit in this tub, it is filled with so many items that really give it that homey feeling.
However, what I like most about this house is the lifestyle it has given Oliver and Sarah. This house has given them back the chance on the weekends to venture outdoors doing the things they love and even start a new business and realistically there are very few of them. home options that can do all that for you

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