I can hardly believe that I am writing this post from the smaller of the two lofts in the tiny house which has finally touched down at it’s new home!!!
Deep breath…
It has been a long time in the making, just over a year from the time we got the trailer, and about 16 months since we first got the plans, but the house is mostly finished and settled in a cozy corner of a budding new community that has welcomed us with open arms. We are really excited to be part of the planning phases of this amazing little oasis. There will be more tiny houses here soon, but we’re the first to land.
Although we have spent 5 nights in the tiny, we are still adjusting to all of the new systems. There are so many variables, like adjusting the temperature of the on demand hot water heater, to figuring out how many hours it takes to complete a single load of laundry in our quirky little washer/dryer unit, and of course having to deal with gray water systems and a toilet originally designed for astronauts.
That said, so far so good. The tiny really feels like a real house. Most everything works…(industry friends: think MVP). There’s still a few features that need to be built out, but we’re doing it! The dream of the 90s IS alive in Portland!
Although the move itself went smoothly, it nearly gave us all a heart attack. Thankfully we didn’t have far to go because just the sounds of the trailer creak and moan as it moved for the first time since the house was built on top of it, sounded like Godzilla. The driver we hired was cool as a cucumber and had a great sense of humor, so many thanks to Tim from Gerlock Towing! You helped us all from freaking out and not a single thing was out of place after the move.
The tiny survived the journey with just a few scratches along the side from a branch in our own driveway and one broken scissor jack from trying to level the house on our supremely uneven pad. Don’t get me started on the uneven pad, but lets just say I had to dig a hole under the tongue of the trailer just to get it level. Sad pandas.
This week we are supposed to get our permanent 50 Amp power connection, our wired and wireless internet, and our gray water irrigation system hookup. For now we are running on extension cords, using a MiFi device, and filling our gray water tanks, hoping it won’t be much longer before all systems are up to par. (tiny dojo v.2)
Tomorrow I start installing the trim and shou sugi ban siding with my step dad. He has been pivotal in helping us get over the goal line with the stairs and interior trim right before we had to move. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. I am hoping we can wrap up the outside of the house within the next 4 to 6 weeks. Then we can truly be finished.
Until next time, I’m off to check the levels on the propane and water tanks.
tinyportland 