Our Tiny House

(Blog begins with the sound of victorious trumpets...)

(Bum di da DUM!!!)

(The suspense is building in your veins, and you can't WAIT to see what the Winters have been up to this time.)

(Has Justin dug another large unproductive hole in the ground? Did a delivery guy fall into our moat? Did one of our children invent a new form of renewable energy? ... the suspense....)

We have A NEW TINY HOUSE!

(Oh, why did you have to spoil the fun by pointing out that the title already said that!? Fine, let's get down to it.)

This was our well house.  The tank that holds our well water is in there.  The structure was dirty, creepy, and falling apart.  Since we needed to fix it, we decided to fix it right.... enjoy the transformation:

First order of business was to unload all the insulation and broken pots from inside.  Then a friend came over to help destroy the old, dark shack.

BEFORE

Next, Justin and a buddy built a floor (not so even or level, but hey, it worked).  The kids and their cousins helped Justin frame the new well house.  We even let the kids all lift one of the walls into place on their own! (thanks cousins!)

This provided lots of great nailing practice for the kids.

See all the insulation and junk that came out of the old well house?  The new house accidentally ended up with a taller ceiling than we planned for, since the standard height has increased since our house was built back in the 70's.  Turned out to be a great thing for our loft, though.

A contractor starting building a new house across the street... so the race was on.  Could Justin finish our new tiny house before the big neighbor house was done?

Ok, so they finished up first, but it was nearly a tie.  Our finished product?  A livable, usable space!  Welcome to our new tiny house.  (bells on the door are from my cousin, Lilly)

AFTER: It is a little piece of relaxation.

Come step inside and have a look around.

We had a pretty specific size of table we wanted in here, so Justin built one.  It has a nice industrial feel with legs made of pipes.

Since the table went in about a week ago, I have used this space as a little get-away to lesson-plan or write a note.  "Justin, you watch the kids... I'm going to the well house."

We have a lovely sink area... the idea is that you could make a cup of tea or a bowl of oatmeal in here... no major cooking, but enough.  Also wash out some paint brushes and get a sip of water.  No fridge in here, but we will probably put a microwave below the sink.

This was a lovely space to hang some of my watercolors.

The bead board walls and ceiling are the ONLY thing Justin hired help for.  The guys that put in our new siding helped with that part.  ALL the rest of the credit goes to my amazingly talented husband (and my brilliant ideas that he so beautifully executes...though I gotta say, he was the primary brain power on this project).

Oh yes, and see the door under the loft?

Justin put a potty in there.  Just use wood shavings to flush!  The kids are enjoying testing out the toilet, and so far the wood chips do their job of eliminating the smell.  That dark space to the left of the toilet is the well tank.  The bathroom wall slides back for access to the tank.  Let's go upstairs!

The view from the loft up above, complete with a railing to keep youngsters from falling down.

An AC/heat unit is up here in the wall (with remote so you can control it from down below).  We have a new mattress coming next weekend for our bedroom, so our old queen can go in the loft space to the left.  That will be the final piece of this house!  (and my cue for a full night of sleep while Justin wakes up with the kids... thank you, Justin!)  Up above the larger loft space is a storage space for a suitcase or shelves.... or enough space for a kid to sleep.

If Justin wants a quiet space to work from home, we now have it.  If you want to come visit us and stay in a tiny house, you now have it.  When Lea comes to visit us from Germany, she's pretty sure she wants to stay in here.  And when I want to step away to paint, this is a great spot.  Just call to book your next vacation ;).

We will enjoy adding more details, like my patio painting (photo from Silas' birthday party... hence the funny pinata, which, of course, normally isn't there)... hopefully a picnic table and outdoor patio lights to come.

    (Sound of trumpets play once more, the finale... BA di DUUM DAAAAA DUUUuuuuuuuummmmMMMMMM!!! And timpani drums BUM BUM BUM BUM BA DU DU DUM!)

The end.