Kyu's Tiny House Blog

[Laurie]

I love all your inspirations and influences and feel you are going to build something very special. Go the tiny house movement which I think is really getting back to our ancient roots of handbuilding homes for shelter rather than austentatious displays of wealth. Just encouragement really.

I love that! So true, it's really just shelter.

 

[kyuuei]

http://kyuuei.blogspot.com/

I started this to have a more public source of the information in here. A lot more structured, where as I just throw stuff and inspiration here at random. Im going to have labels for different things.. I'm going to write our story as I go on throughout the year in there as well, and throw in many ideas ive been inspired by through others and the internet.

We're changing our whole household to make this movement happen, and it is those changes that will allow me to afford my tiny house. Every step we take brings me closer to my dreams, and while I can wait, the anticipation is immense.

It reminds me of when I was a teenager.. I was so eager to move out. I was ready. I did my own laundry, cleaned my room myself, helped with the cooking. I started acting like an adult all on my own because I wanted to prove that I was ready to move out and be on my own. I wasn't, but what I did do to pass the time was plan things out. I researched, and budgeted money, and created an emergency fund (which saved my life later on.).. I ALSO bought things I knew I would need in a home.

I had storage containers ready to be built, a book case, a microwave that toasted bread too, an air purifier.. I spent my extra spending money on these sort of things, and it made me feel a little victorious every time. "I won't need to buy this later on!" Yeah, it was sort of a pain storing it for.. what.. 2 1/2 years? Hah! But when I DID get my apartment.. I didn't need anything. I had dishes, and plates, and silverware, and pots and pans, and and and.. I just moved in, grabbed a few pieces of furniture, and called it a day. It was really quite easy. I also received a few house warming gifts, so the process was rather painless.

I find these projects we are starting to do.. minimizing our belongings, making our food instead of buying convenience food, reducing our bills so we only pay for what we really use, maximizing technology to work in our favor, sewing up reusable items instead of purchasing disposables.. while they help us out immediately, I find myself in the same mentality as when I was a younger girl. These projects fill my heart up and satisfy me for the next step that I know I must take.

 

[cochransarah]

Wow! I'm so excited to to see this finish. Please share some pics.

 

[kyuuei]

There have been so many changes floating around.. I find myself rather unsure of where to even begin lately.

Tomorrow is a big day for me, I finally go to the VA regional bank to find out what I qualify for on a land loan. Tomorrow pretty much determines what we will get, so it's a big deal. I hope it turns out well for us, but even if the loan is a small one we'll be okay.

I've pretty much had to make some major, and hard, decisions. I think I've made the right ones overall, we'll see, but everything is centered on simplifying both my life and the lives of my parents.

I've decided to stave off building my home. I'm going to buy a cheap, tiny manufactured one for now, and use it as an experimental home.

A 600 sq. ft trailer, refurbished, is about 15,000. It's the amount of money I have, and its 3 times the size of the house I was going to build. I haven't at all given up my dream of building a unique home of my own, but I'll have to start saving my money all over again for it.. For now, this will serve me as a temporary home, and it will allow me to focus on the tasks I have at hand that are overshadowing my tiny home.

I'm going to use it to experiment with wind/solar combination energy production, water cisterns, interior renovations to make the insides more functional and practical, etc. At least, that's what I'm telling myself to soothe myself of the fact that my dream's being pushed years into the future.

 

[Usehername]

There have been so many changes floating around.. I find myself rather unsure of where to even begin lately.

Tomorrow is a big day for me, I finally go to the VA regional bank to find out what I qualify for on a land loan. Tomorrow pretty much determines what we will get, so it's a big deal. I hope it turns out well for us, but even if the loan is a small one we'll be okay.

I've pretty much had to make some major, and hard, decisions. I think I've made the right ones overall, we'll see, but everything is centered on simplifying both my life and the lives of my parents.

I've decided to stave off building my home. I'm going to buy a cheap, tiny manufactured one for now, and use it as an experimental home.

A 600 sq. ft trailer, refurbished, is about 15,000. It's the amount of money I have, and its 3 times the size of the house I was going to build. I haven't at all given up my dream of building a unique home of my own, but I'll have to start saving my money all over again for it.. For now, this will serve me as a temporary home, and it will allow me to focus on the tasks I have at hand that are overshadowing my tiny home.

I'm going to use it to experiment with wind/solar combination energy production, water cisterns, interior renovations to make the insides more functional and practical, etc. At least, that's what I'm telling myself to soothe myself of the fact that my dream's being pushed years into the future.

It sucks when life kind of curveballs. That's not a nice feeling.

Thinking practically, though, a trailer might be more pragmatic for this phase of your life anyway. Never know when you're going to meet a guy and be ready to move! It's a kind of freedom that your other plan didn't have.

 

[kyuuei]

It sucks when life kind of curveballs. That's not a nice feeling.

Thinking practically, though, a trailer might be more pragmatic for this phase of your life anyway. Never know when you're going to meet a guy and be ready to move! It's a kind of freedom that your other plan didn't have.

It's true.. I'm a bit more excited about it now, having let it sink in. I can still make the interior look the way I want it to look despite the exterior being different.. And, I have some really cool things in mind to offset that as well to make it much more cozy. Instead of a porch, my father has some of these large, screened-in party tents in storage just being useless... so with some reinforcing done to them I could create a make-shift porch/chill area there that's more permanent.

My sister was talking to me about it, and I was telling her my plans.. and while she agreed with them, she said it was such a shame that I gave up on the bio-dome-house I was looking at. The company e-mailed me today showcasing domes they had on clearance for whatever reasons.. and I thought, "You know? I could make a pretty awesome gym/work out area out of one of those domes.."

The more I plan this land out, the more of a compound it seems to be. A fully functioning garden, herb greenhouse, orchard, and small farm. A nice, large spacious year-round outdoor kitchen with an in-ground swimming pool is second on the roster. A running trail and gym area potentially in the future... potentially producing our own energy and water supply. It's a really interesting idea.. I wonder how many people out there have this very same idea in their heads or already in fruition.

 

[1487610420]

There have been so many changes floating around.. I find myself rather unsure of where to even begin lately.

Tomorrow is a big day for me, I finally go to the VA regional bank to find out what I qualify for on a land loan. Tomorrow pretty much determines what we will get, so it's a big deal. I hope it turns out well for us, but even if the loan is a small one we'll be okay.

I've pretty much had to make some major, and hard, decisions. I think I've made the right ones overall, we'll see, but everything is centered on simplifying both my life and the lives of my parents.

I've decided to stave off building my home. I'm going to buy a cheap, tiny manufactured one for now, and use it as an experimental home.

A 600 sq. ft trailer, refurbished, is about 15,000. It's the amount of money I have, and its 3 times the size of the house I was going to build. I haven't at all given up my dream of building a unique home of my own, but I'll have to start saving my money all over again for it.. For now, this will serve me as a temporary home, and it will allow me to focus on the tasks I have at hand that are overshadowing my tiny home.

I'm going to use it to experiment with wind/solar combination energy production, water cisterns, interior renovations to make the insides more functional and practical, etc. At least, that's what I'm telling myself to soothe myself of the fact that my dream's being pushed years into the future.

This sounds cool, I approve of efficiency

Where will you park it?

 

[kyuuei]

This sounds cool, I approve of efficiency

Where will you park it?

On my land, hopefully with you at my side my dear!

 

[1487610420]

On my land, hopefully with you at my side my dear!

So you're actually buying the trailer & land. I thought you'd be vagrant hippie.

 

[kyuuei]

So you're actually buying the trailer & land. I thought you'd be vagrant hippie.

No no.. I'm quite the hippy when it all comes down to it, I can't help it, but I like stability.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-made-Sun-Jar/?ALLSTEPS

http://www.instructables.com/id/Ikea-lack-plus-light/?ALLSTEPS

Some really awesome lighted projects. I'm designing things in my head..

My party tent can be a light garden.. I'd like that a lot. Something very warm and comforting to be in.. and light gardens aren't very costly (besides any electricity you're using... which, mostly solar lights would mean very little.) or high maintenance.

I'm trying to find inspiration for a very apothecary-like inspired kitchen.. something part alchemist, part hedge-witch.. I like the idea of it all. The small details I have covered--funky bottles hanging everywhere, herbs drying on the ceiling, pots hanging from the ceiling, etc. I could even fit a cauldron in there somehow.. but the bigger pieces, like the cabinetry, I'm having quite some trouble with finding inspiration for those things. I'm thinking modern glass cabinets could get funky with the glass being frosted into shapes custom made by myself, and some old signs and knobs helping out.. .. I'll figure it out I guess.

 

[kyuuei]

My certificate of eligibility is good to go.. Tomorrow I try desperately to get a hold of a man in Dallas that still does the sort of home loan I want. I'm hoping to get away with this idea:

1. "Build" a house on property via permanent foundation manufactured home.
2. Get VA home loan because it's only 4% interest right now for both the land we want and the house.
Plan B: Find land with a manufactured house on it already.

If that plan doesn't work, then I need to change my strategy and buy the land and the house separately. Which will suck, the land will cost more that way in interest (6.75%), but hopefully I pull of the plan above. I also get in contact with the realtor tomorrow.

 

[kyuuei]

Things I will build and place throughout my house and outdoor kitchen:

Aand maybe a couple shadow boxes of military items I have so that they have a home without being clutter anymore. I just look at all my awarded coins like "...k. Now what?" The military is fond of giving out useless trinkets.

Also, this has nothing at all to do with anything... But I don't see why people buy cribs. They're the most ridiculous investment I've ever seen in my life. A pack and play does the same damn thing when they're young, and a mattress on the floor cannot be beat--a twin mattress gives them plenty of space, and space for friends if they're over for the night, and if they fall off the bed no problem. No issues of them climbing out of the crib. They can just pass out whenever they want. I'd venture so far as to say a dog bed would be a better investment than a crib.

Back on target. This is super, super inspiring.

http://www.olderandwisor.com/2011/09/how-to-create-budget-craft-room.html

Creating a study/game/craft room would be pretty awesome and it would de-clutter all of my stuff and give me a place to put a lot of my treasures... I wonder if I can make that fit into my space since it's going to be so big now.. $75 seems absolutely do-able. I could pretty much nerd-rage the entire room out.

A bohemian room, a very zen-like dining room and living room area, with a hedge-witch looking kitchen and a nerdy study? Could I possibly want anything else?

 

[kyuuei]

Nothing drains me like kids and shopping.. and I've had to deal with both today.

Talked to the realtor for the first time today as well.. he's sent some properties to us, and found us a location we could really consider moving to. It's about the same distance from all the things we love right now, which is cool, but I don't know much else about it. Gotta start making some trips to these places. We're going to check out a property on the listing tomorrow.

 

[kyuuei]

Tomorrow we go survey a potential property. 21 acres within our price range in one of the areas we were looking for. There's another property we're going to check out in the morning before that too.

 

[kyuuei]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdAm9OFEyDg Very inspirational video for a 325 sq. ft. apartment.

I've been getting a lot of support on my tiny house adventure from surprising sources. It's pretty cool.

We've had a lot of set-backs, and education in the apathy of the business world and how hard it really is to fulfill the American dream now-a-days. It's been amazing, overall, just how difficult it really is, and the challenge has really fired me up. I don't have a normal source of income from a stable job--I make my money as needed and budget it accordingly. Proving I am good with my money and that I have enough to afford a large plot of property is nearly impossible. They want you to have enough income so that your loan is 40-50% of your total income. Highly inaccurate and irresponsible principles, your shelter should cost 25% of your total take-home income, not half of it. If something happens and you need to defer a payment, the next month you're paying 80-100% of your income! No one in their right mind can afford that, so you end up paying 60% of your income for a year or more. Those principles are why people fall into debt so quickly and take so long to recover, meanwhile the companies and banks rake your money in like leaves in autumn.

Anyways, my particular problem is that my school money I m guaranteed from the military is not "stable" income, since I renew it each semester, so they refuse to count it. Also, my father paying me 'rent' for the property also does not count. Also, the active duty training I do once a year as per my requirements for the national guard does not count. Nor does my bonus coming up in April, and the other bonus in 3 years, both of which are under contract. My assets do not count. Basically, all of the income I earn does not count. If I don't have a corporate-like 9-to-5 job well established in a field I am currently trained and educated in, then they will not approve me for a home loan. The instability of my income is, understandably, troublesome to work with, and without a clear interview with me to prove my terms (an impossible endeavor that no longer helps with loans) there isn't much hope with our current situation. An issue I had no idea was such a massively huge deal.

But! We have some plans up our sleeves and we're not near done yet, so I'll keep ya'll posted on how things progress. For now though, we're hunkering down, fixing our budget, working on getting my parents debt free, and continuing to shop for the perfect plot of land for us.

 

[Beorn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdAm9OFEyDg Very inspirational video for a 325 sq. ft. apartment.

I've been getting a lot of support on my tiny house adventure from surprising sources. It's pretty cool.

We've had a lot of set-backs, and education in the apathy of the business world and how hard it really is to fulfill the American dream now-a-days. It's been amazing, overall, just how difficult it really is, and the challenge has really fired me up. I don't have a normal source of income from a stable job--I make my money as needed and budget it accordingly. Proving I am good with my money and that I have enough to afford a large plot of property is nearly impossible. They want you to have enough income so that your loan is 40-50% of your total income. Highly inaccurate and irresponsible principles, your shelter should cost 25% of your total take-home income, not half of it. If something happens and you need to defer a payment, the next month you're paying 80-100% of your income! No one in their right mind can afford that, so you end up paying 60% of your income for a year or more. Those principles are why people fall into debt so quickly and take so long to recover, meanwhile the companies and banks rake your money in like leaves in autumn.

Anyways, my particular problem is that my school money I m guaranteed from the military is not "stable" income, since I renew it each semester, so they refuse to count it. Also, my father paying me 'rent' for the property also does not count. Also, the active duty training I do once a year as per my requirements for the national guard does not count. Nor does my bonus coming up in April, and the other bonus in 3 years, both of which are under contract. My assets do not count. Basically, all of the income I earn does not count. If I don't have a corporate-like 9-to-5 job well established in a field I am currently trained and educated in, then they will not approve me for a home loan. The instability of my income is, understandably, troublesome to work with, and without a clear interview with me to prove my terms (an impossible endeavor that no longer helps with loans) there isn't much hope with our current situation. An issue I had no idea was such a massively huge deal.

But! We have some plans up our sleeves and we're not near done yet, so I'll keep ya'll posted on how things progress. For now though, we're hunkering down, fixing our budget, working on getting my parents debt free, and continuing to shop for the perfect plot of land for us.

There's always owner financing and you have a better shot at getting it with larger plots of land than with your typical residential home. You might have to start talking to some farmers to see if there are any opportunities that aren't being advertised.

 

[kyuuei]

I saw a quaint tiny home while driving along a place that sells storage sheds.. I think I may investigate it after the holidays and inquire on its cost. I could see it being effective as a house--and it had a wrap around porch, which was very nice.

I still dream about having my little hobbit house. How badly I want that I cannot begin to say. Watching the movie with the house being shown in details didn't help my urges at all either.

 

[kyuuei]

I see a lot of 'perks' written on tiny blogs about appliances and products when they fold up and out of the way..

Example: this Ikea dish stand that hangs from the wall (nice!) and folds up when not in use (why?) to be an inch thick. I mean, I guess it's nice that it folds up.. but most people have to wash dishes on a daily basis. It really doesn't make much sense to buy something that folds away when it is used daily.

I never understood that being a selling point. It's great for things you don't use all the time or change frequently--I opted for a card table in my small apartment because I could fold it out of the way by myself with no trouble whenever I needed more standing room for guests at my house, or to make room for people to sleep--but when it comes to daily things those should be fine just where they are.

 

[King sns]

I see a lot of 'perks' written on tiny blogs about appliances and products when they fold up and out of the way..

Example: this Ikea dish stand that hangs from the wall (nice!) and folds up when not in use (why?) to be an inch thick. I mean, I guess it's nice that it folds up.. but most people have to wash dishes on a daily basis. It really doesn't make much sense to buy something that folds away when it is used daily.

I never understood that being a selling point. It's great for things you don't use all the time or change frequently--I opted for a card table in my small apartment because I could fold it out of the way by myself with no trouble whenever I needed more standing room for guests at my house, or to make room for people to sleep--but when it comes to daily things those should be fine just where they are.

lol! This iron may regularly set your clothes on fire, but it's flattened compact design fits nicely in a drawer!

 

[LEGERdeMAIN]

I see a lot of 'perks' written on tiny blogs about appliances and products when they fold up and out of the way..

Example: this Ikea dish stand that hangs from the wall (nice!) and folds up when not in use (why?) to be an inch thick. I mean, I guess it's nice that it folds up.. but most people have to wash dishes on a daily basis. It really doesn't make much sense to buy something that folds away when it is used daily.

I never understood that being a selling point. It's great for things you don't use all the time or change frequently--I opted for a card table in my small apartment because I could fold it out of the way by myself with no trouble whenever I needed more standing room for guests at my house, or to make room for people to sleep--but when it comes to daily things those should be fine just where they are.

I don't really like IKEA, but I'm sure some people would like a fold-up dish stand. Maybe to keep the kitchen from looking cluttered when company is over.