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!

1 Tiny House & 4 Bicycles

A friend of mine recently sent me an email saying he'd just stumbled upon a really good deal on a used road bike my size. Finding a used bike in excellent condition with a minuscule price tag is almost as rare as finding a bike built for a someone who's almost 5'2" when she stands up really straight. Finding both together seemed a veritable miracle! I was just about to get on a bus that happened to go by the outdoor gear store that was selling the bike so I decided to check it out. An hour later I was riding to school on my new bike, thinking It's really crazy that I now own four bicycles when my house is only 121 square feet!

When I first learned some people own more than one bike I thought it was even stranger than people owning a car and a truck. But then I realized that bikes serve different purposes, too. I have a little vintage Dutch folding bike that is super heavy, but horribly cute and really fun to ride. I get a kick out of taking this little cruiser down to the Alberta Arts district for a cup of roiboos almond bubble tea at Townsend's Tea House or a buttermilk old fashioned donut at Tonalli's. (BTW: I've been on a mission to find the best donuts in Portland and none of them even come close to Tonalli's!) It's not that I'm looking for hipster cred but, if I was, the Dutch folding bike would be a key component of my portfolio. I can't imagine parting with it because it makes me happy (and it's so little, especially when all folded up!)

My vintage Peugeot is a great little bike and I had a Cinderella moment when I first rode it. If the Bike Fits... it's probably a good idea to take it home and keep it. However, it's awkwardly small non-standard wheels relies on wheelchair tires. They've got deep tread designed for running parallel, not inline with quick turns. I'd been thinking about getting a new set of wheels and tires for my Peugeot road bike but was sticker shocked when I found out replacing the wheels would cost more than what I'd paid for the bike when I found it on Craigslist! Now that I have a bike that can get me to and from school quickly, my Puegeot will probably keep its funny tires and will become my hauling bike for trips to the farmers market.

Which means it's definitely time to find a new home for my mountain bike. I've never mountain biked in my life, so I have no special attachment to this bike's intended functionality. When you grow up in a household of 6 kids and you're the smallest, you're used to having things that are built to be durable so they can be passed down! I've taken good care of it and replaced most of its components so it's a nice hybrid commuter for people who like the solid, uprightness of a bike like that.

Meanwhile, I'm pretty enamored with my latest and greatest bike which is built for getting lil' ol' me around quickly and easily. I feel like this bike is working with me, not against me. It's a great tool and it serves an important purpose. I already understood people riding recreationally when it was just meandering along neighborhood roads admiring the architecture and cruising on down to the local coffee shop. Now I'm starting to understand why people like to go fast on their bikes and like to go for long bike rides. This lightweight zippy bike has made my commute much more enjoyable.

Speaking of which, I finished out the Bike to PSU Challenge last week with a commute rate of 81.5%, better than my team's average of 75% (and I have the longest commute of anyone on the team). I didn't end up Biking Rain or Shine, but I feel okay about taking transit on the four miserably wet days. According to the snazzy website, I commuted 296 miles by bike during the month of May and burned somewhere around 14,504 calories, saving 290 pounds of CO2. That's pretty cool!

Three (I mean, four!) cheers for having a bike for everything and making (almost) every trip on a bike!

Update: I ended up passing my mountain bike along to my youngest sister. I recognize that it's still preposterous that I own three bicycles, but I enjoy riding each of them for their intended purpose so much that I'm keeping all of them for now!

Update on Tiny Barn Build

Several of you have requested an update on the Tiny Barn Build, so I've uploaded a slideshow below so that you can see the progress. Enjoy!

As many of you know, I spent my spring break helping a friend build the shell of a tiny house. You can view daily progress of the intensive build week in the following albums: Day 1: Tiny House Foundation, Day 2: Tiny House Wall Framing, Day 3: Tiny House Subfloor & Sheathing, Day 4: Tiny House Plumbing & Wiring Begins, Day 5: Tiny House Takes Shape, Day 6: Tiny House Windows, and Day 7: Roofing in the Rain. I recapped the week in Tiny House Build Week: Lessons Learned.

Because of inclement weather (read: spring in Portland, OR), we didn't quite get the house "blacked in" during that intensive build week, so I helped out in between classes Wrapping Up the Tiny Barn Exterior. (For those of you who want to geek out on the details of connecting a tiny house to a trailer, you can find them in Tiny Barn Build: Construction Details.) Once the exterior was complete, I helped my friend move her tiny house into its new home. She has continued working on it over the past couple months and has hired a friend who is a very talented woodworker to do much of the work. Stay tuned for more photos!

Smaller Than a Breadbox: Creative Tiny House Storage Solutions

The other day as I was showing my tiny house to some folks who plan to build one this summer, I pointed out some of the multifunctional objects, space-saving tricks, and storage solutions that make this 121 square foot space so livable and lovely. Here they are, in no particular order:

• Microwave = Breadbox: I didn’t grow up with a breadbox but I recently discovered that my microwave is a perfectly good place to store bread. No reason my microwave should only be useful when it's cooking food, right?
• Pencil Holder = Sound System: A handy little wall-mounted cup was probably intended for pencils, scissors, etc., but a friend showed me that it also makes a great stereo system. The hyperbolic shape amplifies the sound when I put my cell phone into the cup, eliminating the need for a separate stereo system. Audio nerds might protest, but it’s worked just fine for my dance parties!

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  Desk = Dining Table: Most of my furniture is built-in, including my window seat and sleeping loft.However, my desk is a free-standing table with leaves on either side that pull out from underneath. When I have friends over for a meal I shift the table over to the window seat so that one of us can use it as a chair.

• The Slim Version: Of course, having the svelte version of something that would otherwise be bulky is a major space-saver, too. A smart phone, a refurbished MacBook Air, and a Kindle keep my electronic files organized and portable. (To learn which books I consider essential enough to keep in my little collection, check out By Hook or By Kindle.) My Envi wall-mounted electric heater has a space-efficient and energy-efficient design, which you can learn more about here: How Many Lightbulbs Does it Take to Heat a Tiny House?

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  Wine Bottle & Glasses Holders: My wine bottle holder is tucked between the storage loft joists over the window seat. My wine glasses are suspended from a holder in the kitchen between the joists of the sleeping loft. These were Brittany’s ideas and my guests appreciate them as much as I do. (Especially when I’m cooking dinner in the wee kitchen and invite them to pick a bottle to go with our meal!)

• Baskets: Two laundry baskets slide under my window seat nook to provide storage for my hammock, backpacks, shoulder bags, and the set of sheets that aren’t on my bed right now.  A basket on my desk, which provides storage for office supplies like tape, rulers, and sticky notes, can be quickly and easily moved to my loft when I want to use the desk as a dining table.

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  Hooks: I have a set of coat hooks behind my door, which I use for jackets and another set which I use for scarves. Several people have asked why I don’t put my scarves in a drawer. I explain that I think they’re pretty and I like using them as decorations when they’re not decorating me. A couple more hooks in the bathroom keep my necklaces and earrings organized. Hooks under the kitchen shelf are just right for mugs. Hooks on the kitchen wall are perfect for hanging reusable grocery bags and my apron. A piece of string suspended from two hooks between two loft joists is a functional paper towel holder. My dish rack is suspended from hooks so that water drains into the dishpan. My silverware stays in the little cup rather than having a separate drawer.

• Shelves: Strategically placed shelves keep my dishes and pantry items within reach and within sight. All this use of vertical space keeps my countertops clear for food preparation. A magnetic knife strip below one of the shelves keeps my knives close at hand but safely out of the way. Storing knives on a knife strip seems to keep them sharper than putting them into a drawer or butcher block.

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  : My two dressers stacked one on top of the other other provide plenty of storage space for my clothing, craft supplies, tools, and paperwork. I haven’t yet gone paperless with all my LPOIP (Little Pieces of Important Paper), but it’s a project for a long rainy day. Two plastic drawers in the kitchen provide ample space for kitchen gadgets.

• Storage Loft: With all this storage conveniently located in strategic and useful places, I don’t end up with much need for a storage loft. My storage loft is the spot I stash away a suitcase of off-season clothing, my camping pad, and a couple empty boxes I used for moving. I’ve also slept up here when I’ve had company, offering my bed to my guests. I imagine anyone taller than 5’2” would find it uncomfortable, but it works fine for me, so my Tiny House Sleeps 5 Comfortably.

Tiny Houses Turn Their Backs on the Street

I'm confused about why not a single one of the tiny houses I've ever seen has the front door at the front. I've been looking at photos of tiny houses for years and I have yet to come across one. Now, I recognize that in big houses most people use their back or side door more often than their front door. Front doors are formal and tiny houses are anything but formal. But tiny houses usually only have one door so its placement is important.

It's awfully cute to see the front door facing you when the tiny house is rolling down the road. It's even cuter if it has a Shrinky-Dink Porch. But since tiny houses are more home than mobile, they are usually parked, not traveling. Why aren't the front doors over the tongue so that when the house is parked the entrance is facing the street?

Many tiny houses are backed into their parking spots

because it's usually difficult to maneuver a vehicle hauling a tiny house in such a way that the house can be pulled in and disconnected and then the truck moved away. This often positions the door near the garden/backyard/etc. which is certainly pleasant and more private. But by the time the truck pulls away the tiny house's door is opposite the entrance to the parking spot, which means that the house is facing its backside to the street. It seems so anti-social and impolite to turn away from the community. There's always an option to set up a private space on the private side in some other way.

Now, it could, of course, make sense to have the door on the side of a tiny house (as most RVs do), but since I plan to move my tiny house periodically I won't know where my tiny house will be parked. The chances of having the door face an undesirable direction seems high. It would be awkward to have the door facing a wall or a bush or the opposite direction as the natural entrance.

So when I build my own tiny house I plan to put the door over the tongue. It makes sense to me for two main reasons: 1) it will be more likely to be facing the street once it's parked and 2) the tongue will be a great support for the deck to rest upon. I plan to make a fold-up deck and a fold-down awning that can latch together to protect the door during transport. When the house is parked the deck and awning will be unlatched, the deck will drop to rest on the tongue, and the awning will be propped up with braces. This will enable me to have a front porch that is nice and big, much better than a Shrinky-Dink Porch.

It seems to me that the front of the trailer, over the tongue, is the most logical place to put the door. So why aren't tiny housers doing this? Are people building their tiny houses with the doors opposite the tongue because tiny house pioneers Dee Williams and Jay Shafer did? (For the record, Dee put her door opposite the tongue because her house was designed for a specific site where her house is backed into a yard via the alley, so her door intentionally faces her community.) Or because is it because that's how the gypsy wagons are designed? (It makes sense for gypsy wagons to have their doors at the back because it allows people to enter while the house remains attached to a vehicle.) Or are tiny housers following in the tradition of house trucks? (Which can't put the door at the front because that's where the cab is located.)

Am I missing something? Tiny housers, help me out here. Why are tiny house's front doors are at the back? Anyone have examples of tiny houses that do have their door over the tongue? If so, let me know. I'd love to see them!

"Look, it's a Tall Bike! Look, it's a Tiny House!"

If I wasn't already madly in love with Portland, Sunday Parkways would have won me over. Once a month from May to September Portland shuts down auto traffic on several roads, opening them up to bicyclists and pedestrians. Over 20,000 people cruised along the route in NE Portland yesterday. There were tall bikes, long bikes, and short bikes. There were streamers,  teddy bears, and unicorn helmets. There were bells and whistles, boom boxes and banjos. And everywhere there were smiles and waves. I especially loved seeing a man ride his X-tracycle with his sweetheart on the back playing a guitar. Their baby was in the seat between them.

Part of the afternoon I was helping with the fresh donut stand at Cully Grove with Orange Splot. Making donuts with Eli and Noelle's three year old was such fun! I'm not sure whether she or I got a bigger kick out of it "snowing" flour onto the table (and floor). Every time she'd scamper down from her chair to peek out the window she'd say "ooh! It's a party!" and she'd report the bikes she saw go past.

The groundbreaking ceremony itself was very pleasant with most of the future Cully Grove residents present. The festivities included writing letters and placing them in a time capsule, digging up little jars of dirt so that the families can have a little bit of Cully Grove with them at home while their future homes are being constructed, and, of course, champagne toasts.

I hadn't realized that my tiny house was going to be on the route, so it was pretty cool to see the swarms go past. After the groundbreaking I headed home again and found that there were still oodles of people biking by. I stood on my porch and a man on a tall bike hollered out "Look! It's a tiny house!" I replied "Look! It's a tall bike!" and he grinned. It seemed a quintessentially Portland swapping of novelty. So I decided to host an impromptu open house. For the next hour whenever someone noticed my house I invited them in and showed them around, answering their questions about everything from my RV shower to how often I grocery shop.

One woman turned to her nine year old son and said "It seems she has everything she needs as just one person. Can you think of anything she doesn't have?" He took a look around and said "Yup, no TV!" I told him he was right. "What in the world do you suppose I do instead?" I asked. He grinned and asked, "Do you like to read?" I assured him I do and I showed him my wee library and my Kindle.

It was such a delightful day and it got me thinking a lot about the relationship between community and streets. This evening PSU's Urban Planning Club hosted Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogeta, Columbia. He, too, talked about cycling, community, democracy, and transit. He talked about bus rapid transit and how a transportation network can be transformed overnight by restricting travel lanes to buses. It's given me lots to consider. My favorite new idea is to make all of our diagonal streets active transportation streets. Let's give the cyclists, buses, pedestrians a shortcut and make cars go the long way!

Home is Where Your House Is

I'm now settled in my new parking spot and I think I'm going to like it here. This morning I woke up to sunshine and rolled over to discover two hummingbirds sipping nectar from the flowers on the bush outside my skylight. Glorious deep purple blooms of the old lilac trees just outside my window seat provide shade and a lovely aroma. My front door is near the street so I wave to neighbors passing by. Ella is settled into the chicken coop (It's totally amazing that I happened to find two parking spots with empty chicken coops!) The folks who live in the house seem very nice. And there's a garden and a hammock just steps from my front door.

I had fun showing the place off this afternoon to Hannah Doyle, a journalism student at the University of Oregon who is doing a story for OR Magazine. She and her colleagues visited with me on a picnic blanket, munching chips and salsa, asking questions about the Little Life, and taking tons of pictures.

One of her questions was "What has surprised you about living in a tiny house?" I told her I've become more attuned to the weather. I explained that when you can see every side of the house from where you're standing you know where the moon rises, which way the wind is blowing the driving rain, which constellations are hanging over the skylight.

It's incredible how rotating the house 180 degrees from how it was oriented at the last location really

changes the feel of the house. Now my windowseat is to the south and my kitchen window is to the north which is completely opposite how it was before. I've especially been marveling at how the light moves through the house differently.

My kitchen gets direct sunshine first thing in the morning before the sun rises behind the trees. That morning light is fresh and bright, but without the rich golden hues of evening. By the time the sun makes its way south it's partially blocked by the lilac trees which dapple the light coming into the house. Even though we have had a streak of unseasonably gorgeous weather the house hasn't overheated. Unfortunately, I can't see the sunrise from my bed anymore and I'll miss the pink sunrises. But now my kitchen window now faces west so I can see sunset skies while cooking supper.

It's neat to see how the same space can have a different atmosphere because of it's orientation. It's a great argument for strategically siting and orienting a house that is fixed to a foundation! Nevertheless, my tiny house still feels very much like home in its new location. I hope someday to live in a tiny house that can be transported easily so that I can try out different settings. Way better than rearranging the furniture!

Tiny House on the Move

My tiny move only took me a few hours. Packing was a piece of cake. My to do list read like this:

1. Wrap breakable kitchen items (dishes and mason jars of rice, lentils, oats, etc.) in towels and put them into a storage tote
2. Snug shiftable things (spice rack, olive oil, office supply basket) into laundry hamper
3. Take wine bottles out of rack and tuck them into dresser drawer (ditto with candles)
4. Strap kitchen drawers and refrigerator closed with a bungee cord

Since I was taking my whole house with me there were all sorts of things

I didn't have to pack up at all. My jackets remained on the rack, my shoes in their basket, and my pots on their shelf. My bed stayed made up and ready for another night's sleep. I left all my clothes in their dresser drawers and just strapped the drawers shut with a bungee cord. For me the last step of feeling settled in a new place is getting art up on the walls, but this time it was already there!

A few neat tiny house details made the move simpler, too. I have a little shelf with a bar across the front for my empty mason jars (read: drinking vessels, aka glasses), so I left them where they were.  Since my dishrack hangs on hooks I knew it would likely sway a little but that nothing would fall and break. So I just left the dishes drying in the rack. I even decided to just leave my Christmas cactus hanging from its hook on the ceiling! No problems there. As I design a tiny house for myself that will be more mobile than this one, I will try to remember these little tricks made hitting the road much quicker and easier.

Once I knew everything was secure inside I headed outside to disconnect the house from its utilities. I unscrewed the water supply hose and disconnected the waste pipe from the corrugated drainage pipe of my greywater system. I unplugged my electrical cord and unscrewed my propane line and wrapped the lines up with zip ties so they wouldn't drag along the way. Then I closed the shutters so they would protect the windows in transit. I removed the wheel covers and tire blocks. With the propane tank, front steps, and jacks safely tucked inside the house, we were ready to roll.

We got the tiny house parked in its new spot, stabilized on jacks, and hooked up to water, power, and propane. Simplest move I've ever made!

A Tiny Move for a Tiny House

A new tiny house is moving into the parking spot I've enjoyed for the past seven months, so the tiny house I'm living in is moving on down the road. Literally. I found a new parking spot just three blocks away, so tomorrow morning I'll be packing up my breakables, strapping down my shiftables, and unhooking my utilities. We'll open the gate, hook my tiny house up to a neighbor's 3/4 ton pick up truck, and move the tiny house three long blocks to a new spot where I'll live for the next two months. After that Britt's Bungalow is on its way back up to Olympia where it will be a vacation rental for the summer. It's a tiny tester for people interested in living in a tiny house (or just curious about them).

I feel so lucky to have been a long-term tester of Brit's Bungalow. It's totally Lina approved. I love it! And I've really enjoyed the spot I've been parked, too. Today I'm savoring the delights of this place: the bamboo grove, the clover patch, the chicken coop, the garden, the view through the tree tops, the covered bike parking. It's been a perfect parking spot for a tiny house.

Showcasing Accessory Dwellings in Portland

 

As part of my internship with Orange Splot, LLC, I've been doing case studies of accessory dwelling units in Portland and guest posting on the Accessory Dwellings website. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are separate living spaces on the same property as a larger house. They're also called mother-in-law apartments, granny flats, or backyard cottages. Sometimes they're build in attics or basements or over a garage. I think ADUs are a brilliant way to increase density, utilize existing infrastructure, build community, and provide housing flexibility and adaptability.

Here are the Accessory Dwelling posts I've written:

• Shawn's Live Work Accessory Dwelling
• A Sister in Law House
• The Granger House: Own Two, Rent 

The system development charges (SDCs) that make building an ADU cost prohibitive for most

families have been waived until 2013. This can save families thousands of dollars! So I'm working with a group of space-efficient housing advocates to share ADU stories so that people consider building ADUs while the fees are waived. We're hoping that if we can show that there's a demand for them the waiver will continue, making ADUs an affordable and efficient development strategy.

This week several space-efficient dwellings were showcased on a tour as part of the Living Future Unconference. Several more ADUs will be featured on the ADU Bike Tour I'm coordinating on Sunday, June 10th as part of Pedalpalooza.