Tiny House Heater

I received a email packed with information relating to Tiny Houses from Tumbleweed Tiny House today.  Included in the product information provided was stuff about a Tiny House Heater that looks pretty neat.  The size and capabilities look pretty good but the fuel source is the thing that caught my attention.  This is a propane heater for a small space.

So, here's my thinking: if'n you've done a good job building a tight house with good insulation, this heater could be a good source of heat for those nights when things get a bit chilly.  I was hoping to stay "off-grid" in terms of utilities and this little gem will go far to achieve that goal but allowing anyone to heat a small space like a Tiny House like the Hide-a-way Tiny House that I envision.

Thought you'd like to know.  Thanks to Jay and the guys at Tumbleweed for the heads up on this one.

More than a little weird

This is the movie poster from the 1988 Rowdy Roddy Piper movie, They Live, although it doesn't really convey the real message of consumerism that is being foisted on the American public.

This is a real cheesy movie about some aliens that have taken over th earth but the message is very relevant to the issues facing our country, our economy, and many of those struggling to make ends meet while conforming the "rules" or standards of what society considers normal.  If you decide to watch this film, I would suggest at least a six pack and maybe a 12 pack to get through the entire ordeal.  And smile, cause you just gotta laugh at some of the acting and actions sequences.

From a Tiny House perspective, this fuels the fire for opting out of the ideal that bigger is better and that maybe we don't have a responsibility to shop our way out of an economic crisis.

Gypsy Wagon on Tiny House Blog

George over at Paleotool Wordpress Blog has presented this finished product reflecting months of loving labor on his Gypsy Wagon as reported on the Tiny House Blog hosted by Kent Griswold.  George has been working on his Vardo Wagon and has completed this mini RV dream Tiny House that really captures the spirit of the Tiny House movement.  I've lifted this picture from George's web blog.

Dan Phillips, builder and philosopher on consumerism

I found this video posted over th The Tiny Life blog as I was so captivated by this speaker that I had to share it with you.  This is a little long but well worth the time.  Dan Phillips have leads us on a tour of a number of Tiny Houses he has built while relating his ideals about recycling and reusing materials that others consider scrape or waste.  This goes along pretty well with the Story of Stuff you see listed just to the right on the opening page of this blog.

It has started snowing!

Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later and actually I am glad that it waited until December 1st.  Now I can officially join in the coming holiday festivities with gusto!  I just can't get into the spirit of Christmas before Thanksgiving and I actively resent Christmas Carols and decorations before then.  It just seems wrong somehow.  Maybe because it feels like you're insulting the memory and intention of Thanksgiving.  Call me crazy, lots of people do so you'd be in good company, but I just gotta wait until after Thanksgiving before I can feel Christmasy.

The arrival of winter weather will put a serious cramp in the plans of many people who don't like the cold or being outside.

Tiny House News on Yahoo.com

BIG Big news posted over on Yahoo.com by the Associated Press that outlines the expanding interests in Tiny Houses and the people who are joining in the movement.  Although I don't really consider this a movement as much as a tiny hobby that seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

Slow down during the holidays?

For most people, the holiday season from Thanksgiving through New Year's represents a hectic time.  Shopping, and work are combined with wrapping and running to create mayhem.  From partying at corporate dinners, family gatherings, and friends just hanging out, it can seem like an endless opportunity to simply over-stuff and over-book yourself into a time crunch corner.  Getting other things done like the of construction of a Tiny House can take a back seat to many seasonal social obligations.

Another aspect of the celebratory atmosphere with regards to Tiny Houses would be entertaining in a Tiny House.  Obviously, you won't be playing Twister.  But I would be interested to hear from those who do entertain more than one other individual at their Tiny House.  Now, of course it can be done, and most party games would be out of the questions.  Hey, even doing "Quarters" in such tiny quarters could be hazardous.  But I would be willing to bet that in some extreme Southern climes that outside events continue unimpeded by cold weather but in the Northern half of the United States, I would bet that one option, for hosting a Christmas or New Years party could be to invite guests on a rotational basis.  But, since I don't actually have a Tiny House yet, let's hear your ideas!  If anyone has hosted a party at their Tiny House, I'd be interested to hear how you managed the festivities.

Hey, thanks for stopping by.  Now, let's get out there and make it a great day!

VirtualTinyHouseConference #3

There's another Tiny House Conference being hosted online to allow individuals interested in sharing ideas and gathering to find answers to issues and problems.  The conference is being hosted at Towards a Better Tiny House by 


This newest conference is titled VirtualTinyHouseCon #3 and is scheduled for Nov. 20 8 to 9 Pm Eastern Time.  You will need to sign in to participate but there is no software to download and it is pretty quick and painless.

Happy Halloween!!!

Hey, it's the weekend and I hope everyone is having a great holiday full of spooky stuff.  We partied last night, in costume, and had a great time.  However, that's the last time that I dress in costume wearing a mask.  Wow!  Was that thing hot.  I took my Batman mask off after about an  house and the inside of it was totally soaked with sweat.  Yuch!

Laura and I hiked out into the back-back field this afternoon to double check the placement of our new cabin so I could get some pictures.  This first one is from our driveway across the field looking at the access to the area.  It's hard to tell, but we will have to carry all of our materials through a gate at the back of the filed shown, just past the horse standing under the tree, and across a ravine.

This next shot shows Laura hiking through the ravine and up the other side.  Before you get to thinking that we're idiots and just making things hard on ourselves, let me say that we plan to use our four-wheeler "Teddy" as much as possible.

This last one is the picture of the spot we have selected for the location of our shed/cabin thingy.  I will be calling the Planning/Zoning department this week to double check that I am allowed to build storage shed in this area of my property.  We are going to proceed with the assumption that if we stay under 120 square feet, that we won't need any permits for our shed.  Also, there will be no "improvements" like water, plumbing, or electricity so we should be OK, but I want to check just to be sure.  Laura's holding her hands out to display the orientation of the 8 X 15 structure and how it will lay out on the land.

I still have a few pallets to strip but I have contracted a bad cold that has really worn me down.  I was going to visit with Silas, my grandson, to share in his first Halloween, but I don't think it's a good place to share my virus with him or his parents so I'll be sitting this one out.  Anyway, this is the spot.  Laura asked if'n we need to mark it with an "X" or something but I'm pretty sure it's not going anywhere.  So, that's the spot.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you're planning a safe an scary Halloween.  Let's get out there and make it a great day and a scary night!

On Walden Pond

I have been reading Thoreau's book, On Walden Pond, and have found it incredibly interesting.  There are many people who associate with the Tiny House Movement that cite Walden as one of their motivators in creating a "hide-a-way" cabin in the woods.  Tiny House Design has posted a fantastic link to Derek “Deek” Diedricksen's visit to Thoreau's cabin that includes a video tour.  Deek is the author of the book Humble Homes Simple Shacks… and micro house creations like the Boxy Lady. You really gotta check this out if you into Tiny Houses.

I'll be posting more stuff later tonight but I just had to share this link quickly.  I hope you'll come back later.  In any case, thanks for stopping by.  Now, let's get out there and make it a great day!

Fantastic new Tiny House under construction

in Northern Minnesota.  Y'all should take some time to read about the big dreams of Kyle Hart.  Kyle has started a blog at Big dreams of a Little House that I'm following that will document the progress that he and his dad are making on the construction of his Tiny House.  There are some pretty cool pictures of the work they are doing as well as some pretty well thought out research for materials and heating options.  Keep up the good work Kyle!

New beginnings...

This is the first post for our new blog site.  I wanted to begin at the beginning where we are still in the planning stages of our Tiny House to be built on Rebel Ranch in Lincoln County, Kentucky.  I have been researching this project for some time now and have been joined by my wife, Laura, in examining construction methods as well as design ideas for our project.  A few of the places that I have been reading regularly include Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Tiny House Designs, The Tiny Life, and Tiny House Blog.  I would encourage anyone interested in the Tiny House movement to visit these sites.

I am pretty excited and have been having a very hard time containing my enthusiasm to the current remodeling projects that we have undertaken in our home.  We have been working of a significant number of remodeling projects that I have secretly been using at OJT (on-the-job-training) to improve my lack of formal construction knowledge that will be required to build our Tiny House.  It has been a tremendous learning experience and while I have been telling myself that each job is one step closer to the Tiny House project, it has made the act of patience much easier to absorb because I can convince myself that the remodeling is actually bringing me that much closer to beginning the Tiny House.  I know that this is a weird idiosyncrasy that amounts to psychologically tricking myself into completing my "honey-do" list.  But, hey, it works for me.

Another weird thing that we do around Rebel Ranch is name everything.  Yup, everything.  Cars, trucks, dogs, horses, goats, motorcycles.  We name it all.  That way, when we're discussing which field what animal is grazing in, we can be specific.  This naming fascination has been extended to the Tiny House project and I have begun thinking of names for the Tiny House; "Love Shack" or "Get-a-way Cabin" are on the top of the list right now, but it will be a while before we settle on anything.  What we have found is that most of these things have a way of naming themselves, like the goats that were borne early one morning at just about breakfast time.  They became "biscuit" and "gravy" and I was always hungry when we started talking about those two.  Anyway, the Tiny House will most probably name itself somewhere along the way so I'm in no rush to settle on anything specific right now.

The biggest question we have been wrestling with is location.  Where on our small farm do we want to build.  We have discussed this twice and I feel like Laura and I have a general understanding about placing the Tiny House in the "back-back" field.  (I know, that's a crazy name for field, but it works for us.)  That would mean that all materials and supplies would be packed in for construction since we can't drive back there because it's on the opposite side of a semi-deep dry steam bed that is too dangerous to attempt to cross with anything other than an ATV four-wheeler.  We may be forced to press "Teddy" into service for delivering some of the building materials and act as gopher to pick up those things that we usually forget and have to go back to the big house for.

Well, I will get some pictures of the proposed location for our Tiny House and promise to put them up here very soon.  I intend to document as much of the construction process as possible.  Thanks for stopping by our 2 Coyotes blog spot.  Let's get out there and make it a great day!