For those of you know who don’t know, my husband and I have been building a tiny house since September! The catch came when my husband was offered a job in Seattle at one of his dream companies mid tiny home build. To save money we decided to live in the tiny home while we completed the interior, here are the top things I’ve learned.
- Downsizing: I thought we had downsized a lot. Turns out when you load all the things you think you need into a tiny house, and THEN add all the tools and materials you need to finish the tiny house…well lets just say it can feel a little cramped. We actually rented a storage unit temporarily for our “extra” stuff in order to accommodate the tools/materials that we are storing in our home as we live and build here. After living without all that storage unit stuff for about 2 months I really don’t miss much of it, and most of it will likely be donated rather than brought back home. I would recommend taking what you think you need, then cutting that in half, and doing that process until you *really* have only what you need/love.
- Organization: Stacks of boxes, piles of clothes, and corners filled with miscellaneous junk
is not efficient. You are never going to get anything done because you don’t want to constantly shift your useless, unorganized stuff around. Plus you’ll never be able to find anything. We took the time (after a month) to set up our storage cubbies where we can keep clothing/food items, and it has made an enormous difference. It’s hard to take time away from what you view as progress on the house, but trust me, it is totally worth it. - Tools: In the past I let others who were more experienced with tools handle most of the more “complicated” stuff. I really only knew how to use the chop saw and drill. Being left to my own devices I quickly realized I needed to learn how to use more tools if we were ever going to finish this place! Its been really gratifying to step out of my comfort zone and use different saws, ratchet straps, haul wood, and learn about things like tiling a shower instead of relying on someone else to do it for me. Also, having a truck is the best thing ever for a tiny house project.
- Taking mental days: It can be really tough on a person (or couple) living in a small, unfinished space while trying to work as much as possible on the house. It is important to give yourself permission to just chill on certain days/evenings – otherwise you are going to have meltdowns. Trust me. When you are swearing at the jigsaw because clearly it is the saws fault that the cut is wrong….put stuff away and go watch a movie or drink some hot cocoa.
- Celebrate Progress: Every board up, every wall painted, every cabinet installed is one step closer to finishing YOUR HOME! You (hopefully) only get to build your tiny home once, so try to enjoy it when you can! It’s the small victories that keep you going.
You can follow our build on Instagram @huckleberrytinyhouse!
Natalie Gerding 