I have my very own now. A tiny house. We're all moved in and settled. Life is good, very good. And while some might wonder why such a small house? Well, I'll tell you why. I like it that way.
I've had big homes before. I also had 3 children at home. Now, no children at home--thus there really is no reason to maintain a large home. A tiny house suits us just fine.
The last time I wrote about moving and the reasons why--we were staying for a few days with our son and daughter-in-law. We moved into our new house in July, just a few months ago. It poured down rain that day, so much so that our new little basement flooded. I mean flooded--as in, inches deep in water to the point that it ruined everything that had been stored down there along with the carpeting. Great.
After, the major clean up, with the help of our awesome sons, we commenced moving in and trying to get settled. Did I mention that the house was a major remodel/gut job? Also, I was on narcotics (knee replacement) when I first saw it, so I'm thinking that it clouded my vision. Just a bit. And that I also had a mini-meltdown when we moved in! Yeah, I did. I couldn't believe the work that needed to be done on my new tiny house--so much work. As in--every single room. And I do mean every single one!
We set about unpacking and making a plan. Which room should we tackle first? Well, our kitchen was a total disaster, and unusable, so let's start there, shall we? We gutted the room and had a completely new kitchen installed--that only took a couple of months. Only. I was using the hall bathroom sink and a toaster oven. Not fun, not fun at all. And we won't discuss our use of paper products, or that the fall of this planet rests on my head.
As our kitchen was being done, I painted. My husband had set his office up at one end of our small basement, so I had full run of the house. Painting (I did that), putting in new hardwood floors (I did not do that), and ordering new bathroom vanities and toilets. Oh, I had fun! We pretty much had the front half of the house finished when I came up with an idea. Why not take the utility closet, plus a few feet of unused hallway, and make a pantry? Good idea right? So, that is our next project. It's "on the list"--right after we finish our bedroom. And boy was our master bedroom a mess. Should I mention how badly the carpet smelled? OK, I won't. It's gone now, along with the stench. The walls are freshly painted, the wood floors are in and the bathroom is done. Thank God. And I seriously mean--thank God. I do thank Him, every day. I love this tiny house.
One of the very first projects that I undertook was the turning of an extra bedroom into my super closet. My everything room--clothing, shoes, makeup vanity, and hair station. It's my favorite room in the house. It's very bohemian, in that it's kind of a hot mess. But, I love it. I bought rolling clothes racks and lined the walls. I have wicker shelving for my pants, etc. It's freaking awesome. One-stop shopping--hair, makeup, get dressed--go! As much as I love it, my husband hates it. He wanted everything built-in and I did not. I won. My closet.
Believe it or not, we are almost done with remodeling the inside of our tiny house. The kitchen, family room, living room, and bedrooms, along with hallways and bathrooms are all painted. The flooring is in. The kitchen is done except for the backsplash--haven't found what I like yet, and all the furniture is bought. Do we still have projects, you ask? Oh, yes. So many. Remember the pantry idea? There's that. And also, another brilliant idea of mine-- let's take those stupid double doors off our entryway closet and make a really cute mudroom! How about that? He's not too happy, but he'll love it when it's all finished. He always does.
So, tiny it is--but, oh so cute. I call it my cottage. It's cozy, warm, and me. It's plain, simple, and very unpretentious. It reflects my personality--a little more traditional and a little comfier. I love it.
Now don't get me wrong. I love going into great big large spacious homes. I really do. I love professional decorating, and expensive decor. But--that's not me. I'm a jeans and sweater person, and I wear flip flops until the first snow! I'm a little on the plainer side, I admit it. I like function, with a little kick. And this tiny house provides that for me. I can clean it quickly (as I am the maid) and I can entertain quite a few couples at a time! I don't need nor do I want the big rooms (been there) since most of the time it's just the 2 of us. Watching TV, fireplace burning, dog on my lap, and oh so happy.
Want to hear something funny? This tiny house sits on 3/4 of an acre. My husband now has a riding lawnmower and several other yard implements. He complains a lot but I can tell he loves his new big boy toys. I think it's kind of funny. We went from no lawn maintenance to this! We have so much yard work to do, so many landscaping ideas and because of our long snowy winters, only a few months per year to get our yard looking halfway decent. We have oodles and gobs of things to do to this yard. It's going to take years to get it just the way we want it. However, we will have fun. We will work hard side by side, laugh, argue, and live life. In our tiny house. And we've never been happier.
We will retire here and spend the last of our days here. It's perfect. Small, manageable, cute, and cozy. It's warm and fuzzy. It's our very own tiny house.
