Pedalpalooza ADU & Tiny House Tours on Saturday, June 29th, 2013

Last year, in conjunction with Orange Splot, I coordinated the Pedalpalooza Accessory Dwelling Tour and Tiny House Tour, which each drew around 100 riders. This year I’m co-coordinating with Kimber, who has completed the Oregon Tradeswoman pre-apprenticeship program and now helps out with Portland Alternative Dwellings once in a while.

We decided to host both tours on the same day this year so that people who are curious about small spaces can see a wide variety of them in real life. The tours are guided by a fabulous bunch of small space builders, designers, owners, and inhabitants, so it will be a great chance to ask questions. We have a great line up again this year.

On the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Tour, riders will see:

• A super energy-efficient basement apartment built by Shelter Wise
• A backyard cottage built as a sister-in-law house by Small Home Oregon
• An eco-friendly and accessible granny flat in an idyllic setting, which was My Summer Garden Cottage last year
• A basement mother-in-law which provides flexibility for an extended family
• A set of houses with ADUs that create a little community called Sabin Green
• A house with two detached accessory structures in a garden setting called Ruth’s Garden Cottages

On the Tiny House Tour we will showcase:

• A tiny house built for a couple and their cat
• A garden cottage by Small Home Oregon
• The world's first tiny house hotel called The Caravan, which features 3 tiny houses (one of which I built last summer as my Yestermorrow Practicum project!)

Those who choose to join us for both tours are in for an epic adventure!

I’m still in touch with many people I met during the tours last year, so I’m looking forward to meeting this year’s riders. We have received more than a dozen inquiries about the tour, many of them from folks who are coming from out-of-state for the tour. There are no RSVPs required, so come join us if you’re able!

• Pedalpalooza ADU Tour (9AM-1PM), staring point Shelter Wise’s ADU (2726 NE 66^th Ave, Portland, OR 97213)
• Pedalpalooza Tiny House Tour (2PM-5PM), starting point Rigler Elementary School (5401 NE Prescott Street, Portland, OR 97218)

Portland Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop = Brilliance + Connections

It was a delight to attend the Portland Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop this weekend! I was honored that Dee Williams asked me to participate in a panel on Saturday afternoon and open up the tiny house I'm renting for a walk-through for the participants afterwards. I arrived bright and early and had a chance to meet several of the participants, including Denny who is so tiny house obsessed that he decided to celebrate his birthday by attending the tiny house workshop. He even brought along the tiny house birthday cake commissioned by excellent friends who support Denny's passion. As people introduced themselves we discovered that there were participants from as far away as Plano, TX and Anchorage, AK. Some had recently learned about tiny houses and some had been fascinated for years. People looking for a place to park connected up with people who own property and people who are eager to turn their designs into a structure met experienced builders.

Throughout the day Dee Williams, in all her glorious exuberance, wit, and wisdom, shared tiny house considerations such as wall systems, trailer and roof attachments, and moisture management. Over a lunch of food cart deliciousness, I joined a group of tiny house enthusiasts for discussion of downsizing and community-building. In the afternoon Brittany, Michelle, and I shared our experiences of living in a tiny house, including our inspirations and what we would do differently. I explained that I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to try on the little life before building my own tiny house. We encouraged participants to rent Brittany's Bayside Bungalow by the weekend this summer to see what it's like to live in a tiny house. Brittany's website is up and running and she's now taking reservations.

Then fifty-ish people came over for a tiny house tour of Britt's Bungalow, taking turns in small batches to note all the details of the wee abode. A dozen or so workshop participants stuck around for the tiny house potluck afterwards, which was the highlight of an already splendid day. There's a fantastic tiny house community here in Portland and several tiny house dwellers joined us for the potluck. It was fun to watch the synergy as workshop participants asked questions of Portland tiny house dwellers, builders, and designers. My friend Emily Morris, who is a videographer, started filming for the movie she's making about Portland's tiny house community. I also got confirmation from a couple leaders for the upcoming Pedalpalooza Tiny Home Tour on Sunday, June 24th from 10AM-1PM which will feature 5 tiny houses in Portland.

Brittany and I were too exhausted by the end of the day to participate in the World Naked Bike Ride, but we considered it a Saturday very well spent. I look forward to seeing what comes of all these connections. Thanks for coming to Portland everyone. And special thanks to Dee, Brittany, and Tumbleweed for an incredible workshop!

A Tiny Truck House

For a week earlier this winter every time I caught the bus on Alberta Street I admired the tiny house built on the back of a truck, which was sitting across the street at the transmission shop. I stood there and memorized it: the graceful arch of the front door and the window matching the curve of the roof, the brass clip near the door for hand-delivered mail, the wee windows, and the storage hatches tucked near the cab. When I had a long wait I'd tiptoe around the little wooden gypsy wagon and try to peep in the windows... with little success since they're high and I'm short. The folks working at the auto shop were protective of the little house so I didn't want to push my luck by asking for contact information. I could only imagine that the space inside was wonderful.

Luckily, the tiny house world is, well... tiny. This week I finally got to see the inside of this delightful little abode and meet its owner. In fact, I had the chance to swap tiny house tours with the fellow who built this little house on wheels a couple of years ago.

Entering John's house is like unwrapping a present. John's artistic touch is evident in every ledge, knob, and surface of his cozy home. Sitting on John's window seat on a rainy day, sipping tea, and talking for three hours about the process of designing this tiny house I was impressed by the high level of thoughtful consideration he committed to his live/work/play spac. While John's quick to give credit to the craftspeople whose expertise he relied upon, including Dee Williams, the design is very much his own. I was particularly fascinated by the details that make John's place uber multi-functional. His desk can convert to another sitting space or a dining bar. His bed also serves as extra lounging space. His mom used the window seat as a bed the last time John took her and the house for a road trip. There are little latches that hold the drawers under the window seat closed while the house is in motion. The space under the bed provides easy access from the inside for pantry staples and deep storage for camping gear, accessible from the outside. Did I mention that this house is only 14 feet long?!

John is probably my nearest neighbor if you count only tiny house dwellers. I feel very lucky to have found him since it's always a joy to "talk shop" with someone who shares my passions. It was fun to have John over for tea at my little place, too, and to show him drawings of my tiny dream home. He's already given me plenty to consider as I revise my tiny house plans.

In a future post I'll share more about the tiny house design considerations we've discussed. For now I wanted to introduce John and his wee house, Polymecca. John's house will be on this year's Pedalpalooza Tiny House Bike Tour in June. Mark your calendar for June 24th so you can see it, too!