Mother Nature Interferes Once Again!

Welding and rain just do not mix! 

We managed to get a bit of work in before the rain hit this weekend.  We worked on getting the metal support frame built for the bedroom platform over the tongue of the trailer.  We were able to get most of it done, thankfully.

Instead of going with a loft type bedroom like most tiny homes, we decided to build ours over the tongue of the trailer.  This way you just have to step up a couple of steps to get into bed.  The platform will hang out just a few feet, allowing us to build drawers for clothing and have a storage space also.  It's a bit hard for most to imagine looking at the pictures I took but I can see it clearly in my mind now.

It was a bit of work getting those beams clamped in place, level and spaced right to weld them!    

                                                                                 

  The main side supports are 6 inch channel steel beams, weighting about 80lbs.  Ronnie's cutting them to the right size here. 

 

The cross beams are 4 inch steel I beams.

Once we had them clamped in place, we were ready to weld!  By that I mean Ronnie welded and I handed him welding rods and such as he needed them.  

He makes such pretty, neat welds. :)

We have a bit more to weld on the frame before it is done.  Once that's done, then it's on to insulating under the floor!  Yay!

Living Small

When I first told people that we planned to build a tiny home, I met with a lot of negative views.  It did not change my mind but made me wonder why people are so against the idea.  I asked and most said it was due to being too cramped and not wanting to downsize their lives.  I had lots tell me I would not be happy living like that.  But do friends and family really know what's right for me?  It may not be right for them but I am ready to do it now!  Yes, there will be sacrifices but I am ready to make them.  Living small doesn't mean you have to give up everything you love or enjoy.  It means weeding out the junk you do not need.

Others couldn't grasp the concept of what we planned to do.  They had never seen a tiny home or read about them.  It became a mission to share this concept with others.  I know there are others like me not happy in the rat race of life and wanting to live simpler lives.  If I could point just one person in the direction, then my time was not wasted!  There are thousands of people all over the world  doing what we are planning to do and are happier because of it.  This is not a new concept at all, just one that has had little media exposure but there are those trying to get the word out. 

One of our favorite sites is a YouTube site: http://www.youtube.com/user/kirstendirksen

She travels around visiting people who live in tiny spaces.  Some of her videos are of tiny homes on wheels, some are tiny apartments but all are perfect examples of living in tiny spaces!  Some are simply amazing examples of what creative ideas can do to transform a tiny area. 

I hope to encourage others to think outside the normal "House" box and see they have other options.  Imagine moving to new places every few years without selling your old house and buying a new one.  Imagine the freedom of living you could achieve!   :)

A Trailer To Call Our Own!

We have finally got our 32ft gooseneck trailer! We were so excited to go pick our baby up.  Now comes the hard work and enjoyment of creating our tiny home!

We hoped to have the weekend to work on it but Mother Nature had other ideas about that.  We were able to get the custom leveling legs made and installed before the bottom fell out on us Saturday.  No work Sunday as it rained all day!  A real bummer for us.

Here are our custom drop legs to help level the trailer on uneven ground.  We used a 3500lb drop leg we bought at Harbor Freight and Ronnie welded a 2inch hitch to the trailer frame so that we can remove them when traveling. 

Getting ready to weld!  Making sure everything lines up and getting the hitches clamped in place.  We have one welded in place on each side of the trailer.  This will help to better level the trailer when we park it on uneven ground for short periods of time.  Once we park it for a long stretch, we will block it up to keep the back end level. 

The struggle to survive

What do you want most out of life?  Did you dream of debt, long hours and no end in sight as a child?  No, probably not, but that's what most people ended up with.  The struggle to survive.  But is it really a struggle just to survive?  Or is it more a struggle to "keep up with the Joneses"?  

About 5 years ago, my husband and I decided to drop out of the credit game.  We took a long hard look at our debt and decided to end it.  We set up a plan to pay off our credit cards.  We set up a strict budget and got to it.  We cut out our excess luxuries, such as expensive cell phone bills and cable.  We now have Tracfone  pay by the minute cells and free digital air TV. We paid off all our credit cards and are now debt free.  We do not have designer clothes and several cars.  We live pretty easy but we have a life we enjoy.

We have for years dreamed of how much more we could get out of life if we could live even cheaper and have the opportunity to move around the USA.  To experience and see more places, take more time to hike state parks and enjoy our time on this Earth.  We found a few sites about people living in tiny homes and how much they enjoyed it.  These tiny wooden houses on wheels got our attention!  They were just so cool and versatile!  Imagine being able to move about the USA, IN YOUR OWN HOME!  We looked at RV's but they are so temporary feeling.  Not like a home really to us.  But a tiny home looks and feels more like a small house. 

We decided to attend a tiny house class put on by Tumbleweed Tiny House Co.  It was a building seminar and we were able to visit a guy locally that built one and is living in it still.  It was an eye opener!  We decided to quit dreaming and do it! 

In the new year, we will be building our tiny home, down sizing our possessions and enter into the Tiny House Movement and we could not be more excited!  I will be posting pictures of the build as we progress and explain how we do things.  I will also explain and post some pictures of how we set up the water treatment and collection and the solar power stuff as well.  Our tiny home will be off grid completely when finally finished.  Our dream is to live as simply, cheaply and create as little of a carbon footprint as we can. 

So stay tuned and enjoy our journey!  :)