Tiny Home Tuesday ~ So Long!

Some things stay and some things go. Sometimes, it's time to go.

Because I've been realizing for awhile that there is, these days, a plethora of tiny home / small home sites (unlike not so long ago when if you looked for tiny homes you came up with playhouses for kids or garden sheds), I'm going to drop the Tiny Home Tuesday postings. Which I've sort of already done, but this time it's formal! 

Unless I see some place so extraordinary or just plain brilliant or beautiful. Then I'll post it like I used to do, without a special day for it. If you run across something you want to share from your part of the globe, send it in; I'd love to see it and share it too.

The moon is neither tiny nor home-like but it draws me just the same.

But if you need one more hit, here are some different tiny homes. Some I like, some not so much but different tastes are a good thing; sometimes we get to be surprised by learning to like something out of our normal realms and oh joy! at that.

Have a turnaround Tuesday. Do something tolerantly. 

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Houseboat Update

For some reason, the phrase 'Occam's razor' has been coming into my reading life on a weirdly regular basis in the last few weeks. I knew the basics, but it was becoming so prevalent I needed to look it up and find out more. There is way the hell too much for barely a sentence a lot written about Occam's razor, the original statement being "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." Isaac Newton rephrased it "We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances."

No one seems to agree on exactly
what was said by William of Ockham

My favorite (if you exclude the KISS option) is a quote sometimes thought to have come from Einstein, but no one knows for sure - "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." 

And away we stray from Occam's razor! But I've thought a lot about it in terms of tiny homes, mainly about making them work. In this case, about making the renovation and repairs on the houseboat. Constrained by time and finances, simple, well done, just works. But not simpler, meaning, not sacrificing integrity for either time or money. It doesn't bode well for much of anything, but particularly if you plan on living in a home on the water, rather than a home in water. It has taken longer, way longer, but in exactly the right time. Funny how that works.

I hope that makes some sense, because being simple without being too simple was and is a constant in this rebuilding of what is basically an unarchitecturally-graced-with-flourishes box into a home. 

Let the update begin!

After a priming, the entire boat is painted in elastomeric.
It will get another coat when this one totally dries.

Pan came up with the window surrounds, that serve a few purposes. They keep out the weather, which is the biggest purpose. Window, set in holes in whatever the structure , any windows but especially on boats, draw rot like, well, I was going to use a pretty gross analogy, never mind that. Point being, this boat is made of wood with fiberglass over it on the outside. Wood + water = bad wood. The rebuild, both inside and out, was mainly because of water damage, a long boring story that I will spare you.

Hence, anything that keeps water out is good. And if it can soften up the boxiness of the shape, which the surrounds do, even better. I'm not sure if you can tell, but Pan added some cool little overlaps at the top. The theory (which he says he saw work in the rain) is that the windows can still be partially open while it is raining. Which will keep me from being shriveled in a steam bath. Good thinking, Pan!

Oh, by the way, the surrounds are made of a PVC type of material. Now painted with the elastomeric (and continually maintained for as long as I live aboard), they won't rot or crack in our very hot sun.

Oh, it is calling for color!
Blue doors? Red doors? Murals on the doors? Trim color? Oh my!
There will still be a lot of white for the cooling factor. 

The gap between the two doors is now covered in a metal sheathing. A little crude but it will do the job for now. Metal doesn't rot either. Well, it does, but not for awhile. Especially when coated. 

I could go into a long explanation about elastomeric because truthfully, it's a learning curve as far as what kind to use and where to use it. After a lot of research, I picked the one that seemed the best and said, Screw it, let's cover the whole thing with the stuff. Sort of like shrink wrapping it. This one says it has a primer in it, but Pan insisted on using a primer first anyway. I like that, even if it does defy Occam's razor.

The elastomeric went on just like paint, I was happy to observe (hey, I don't do big painting anymore, if I did, I'd still be sailing). I've seen some brands that are much thicker and more difficult in application, and this type was exactly what I was hoping for, so hooray for research that sometimes works out right.

Back on the inside, I'm finally getting some order happening. 

Looking to the bow.

No, the floors aren't painted yet, the first step before some sort of wood flooring. Sure, I should have done that already. It will happen. I have the paint; that's half the battle around here.

Looking aft. What happened to the sweet little fridge? It's gone.
When the solar is hooked up, I'll need a different one anyway.
Some sanding, ospho and stove paint and it too will be new again.

I already know this is going to be a place I spend a good amount of time.
I could have had the option for this to turn into a bed, but chose not to. For now.

So happy with the galley split!
It is off center on purpose, to keep wind away from the flames, as well as leaving a space for a trash can, broom and mop between it and the hanging locker.

Hello world! Eventually there will be a futon there, but it's a wonderful perch for now
with plenty of storage while I sort out things into their new homes.

While this may not look pretty to some, any boater knows it is beautiful. A dry bilge. This one hasn't been dry in a long time, so I am thrilled. Pan drilled holes between the ribs to let any water that might accumulate (WHAT????) go to the lowest point, making pumping easier. The hatch cover is on now, but I forgot to take that photo. It has been reinforced, but still needs some attention. It's a heavy, strong piece though and does its job well. This is where the water tanks and eventually, the batteries for the solar panels (along with other stuff) will live.

And this is what its all about. Home. On the water. Yes, there are plans for a
sleeping area and small 'porch' on the roof. All in good time.

Leaving my oh so comfortable, full of mod cons, large caretaking digs, where I could almost fit the houseboat in the bedroom alone, as well the bedroom being bigger than my entire home when home was the shack, for this tiny space might seem like it would be confining, but after I got things put away (no sorting or decorating until I get back in the fall from Turtle time), it felt good. The spareness feels right and comfortable. Small inside spaces suit me when the outside is water.

(There aren't as many around who remember Nancy, who owned this houseboat before me - and Harold of course, but it was, as we know, Nancy's. I think of her often when I'm aboard and I know she is approving, feeling her over my shoulder on occasion, sometimes bitching, sometimes grinning, and best, sometimes a pat on the back when I least expect it. Thanks, Nancy and Harold, for helping this dream come to be my reality.)

2008, brand new to me

Next update on the as yet unnamed houseboat (shall we have a contest?) will be when I'm living aboard, which is an amazing sentence to write. I've been blessed in so many ways on this journey of life, it's almost time for this new adventure to begin. I'm ready. 

Well, after the Turtle road trip adventure. Then I'll be ready. 

Have a tried and true Tuesday. Do something tremulously tremendous.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ The Unnamed Project

The houseboat project continues! I was looking for some old photos from when I first got the houseboat but only managed to wade through a few hundred old photos for now. Once upon a time it was very different and very put together, though I wasn't ever really happy with the set up. Now it is coming together in the way I imagined it years ago. Hooray!

The day of a lot of seagulls and the deposits they left behind quite a few years back

Those windows were old and corroded when I first got the houseboat. Now they are replaced with a bit smaller jalousie type of storm proof windows. Way mo' bettah!

The way it looked once upon a time

The old doors on the bow 

Those doors blew out in storms while I was in the states and the interior weather destruction started. That happened two years in a row. Poor boat. It will be an exciting day when the new ones are wide open!

Before the bench was removed and the galley cut in half

Dusty new floor replacing the buckled delaminated wood with solid marine ply, as well as along the bottom of the walls where the old windows had allowed a lot of water to cause rot up to about, well, as high as that blue goes.

The old steps were pretty, curved pieces but very narrow and also rotten. The new steps are sturdy, deep and are hinged for storage and access to the stern lazarette. 

The new galley configuration. 

This adds another 5 feet on the starboard side for a table and chairs or whatever ends up being there. The shelves on the floor will hang on the empty wall space there, a great solid wood side of the road find that will be sanded and painted and provide a lot more storage. On the counter end, a hanging locker is yet to be built with the beautiful old doors that were on the space wasting original locker.

Dinette table re-installed. There will be a box shelf at the end, creating more storage space as well as a spot for plants under the window. 

The old damaged flooring is being removed and the underlying fiberglass sanded. For now it will be painted until some new flooring is installed. Bamboo? Tile? Not decided yet. 

There is plenty left to do, though so much has been done. But poco a poco wins the race. Ask any turtle.

Big props to my son Elijah, who is making this all happen, at long last. There might be faster ways to get this done, but not any way with more love and care built in. That will last forever.

Have a teachable Tuesday. Do something transformably traditional.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Majuro and Holland

Every once in awhile a crew letter from my friend Chuck comes along that opens up my own tiny world enough to want to share it. Chuck's tiny home is his boat Deviant ("Deev"), home ported in Majuro in the Marshall islands. 

Chuck's latest adventure is...well, I'lll just let you read about it for yourselves. First, some reality check weather facts, then the adventure. 

Thanks, Chuck!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Ahoy Crew! Ahoy!
   

   Now hear This!

   Although I am currently in Europe in Holland's oldest city, Dordrecht, and involved in a boatbuilding project  there is a lot happening in the  Western North and South Pacific that I have been calling my  homeport for the last 7 years. The "Deev" is securely moored in Majuro again and under the watchful eyes of friends there. And the weather has been very bad with high winds and a lot of rain. A 999 millibar Low Pressure System sat there for  a few days before moving west where it will  most likely develop into a Tropical Storm. 

[I looked up the weather forecast for this area, check it out, it's pretty crazy!]

Historically The Marshall Islands, 7 degrees North of the Equator, have relatively few Tropical Storms but the area is a breeding ground for the suckers before they head west to wreak havoc on the rest of Micronesia, Palau Guam, The Philippines and Japan. However the water temperatures have been rising in the Marshalls every year and more Tropical Storms are now being predicted. With the average height of land in these atolls being only 10 feet above sea level (which is also rising) the storm damage will be devastating when it does happen. Food for thought... Where ya' gonna run???
   

   Fifteen hundred miles to the south of The Marshalls at about 15 degrees South of the Equator lies the beautiful island nation of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is only about 500 miles or so west of Fiji where I have spent a lot of time. My cruising plans for later this year include visiting Vanuatu its many mountainous islands.

   You have probably heard that Vanuatu was just slammed by Super Typhoon Pam, one of the most powerful cyclonic storms to have ever been recorded with winds in excess of 175 MPH. Those of us who have experienced Hurricanes in the Caribbean know what this means. TOTAL DEVASTATION! Hurricanes Hugo in 1989 and Marilyn in 1995 left the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in a shambles with housing and infrastructure in disarray for months and months. Many small villages in Vanuatu have very lightly built buildings of a tropical nature. I'm sure that as time goes on the death toll will rise. The capital city of Port Vila is a small modern city and reports from there are also bleak. Man, that sucks!

 
Back to Europe and the Wolfhound Project... I've already told you guys about this project and sent a bunch of photos from when I was there for the month of October. Now I am back for a scheduled 3 months (which is the length of my visa) to work on the decks. I am 2 weeks into a 12 week stint and I think that it is going quite well. The boat is 120 feet long on deck and I am covering it with 3 inch wide wooden planks. Starting with the middle planks we are working outboard. Careful measurements by myself and the builders indicate that after said two weeks I am slightly off,looking from the bow to the stern, by 1 1/2 millimeters. That's the equivalent of about 1/20th of an inch! Not bloody much! You sure as shit can't see it. I  am very pleased with progress thus far, to say the least! One and a half millimeters over 120 feet is nothing!! Cool!

 
















It is still cold here in Holland. The ground has been covered with frost in the mornings as I ride my old bicycle in the pre dawn darkness the 5 kilometers to the boat shop. The trees still have not started to bud but the first flowers are starting to pop up.

The above pictures were taken Saturday in the fabulous marketplace in downtown Dordt (Dordrecht). Granted, these flowers were greenhouse grown but I have seen signs of Daffodils and Tulips appearing. More shots of the Saturday market...

Speaking of markets, very close to where I have my lodgings are located 3 grocery stores. All very good  and each very different. One is a very high end Western European/Dutch Supermarket chain. Next to it is a fine market that specializes in Eastern European and Ukrainian foodstuffs. Nearby is a market that is strictly Turkish and Middle Eastern! What a selection of wonderful foods. Yes, I am getting fat again! Good thing that I work hard every day and ride the old bike, huh!

The food choices reflect the international mix of people here. I am happy to say that Holland, at least where I am, is a wonderful cultural melting pot of West Indians, Africans, Turks, Arabs and Asians with some white people thrown in. Everyone seems to get along... most of the time.

The apartment that I'm being lodged in is a small 4 room apartment located in the basement of what used to be an old Dutch farmhouse. The area that used to be gardens and crops is now all housing units but look what I found in an old shed on the premises where the bicycle is stored... These are authentic and NOT from a souvenir shop! Cool, huh?

On that note, Crew, I will leave you to your duties...

Carry On and Press On Regardless!

Dismissed!

   

   Chuck Handy, from the farmhouse but thinking of the sea...

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Friday Harbor

'Less is more.' You've heard it and reacted out of wherever you are in your life, falling on one side or the other of the heart of what this means - to you. Cliches are cliches for a reason and in the following case, the truth is contained on a few levels.

Tiny home living is evolving at a public awareness pace that could almost be called rampant (the first blog about tiny homes, the aptly named Tiny House Blog, only got its start in 2007 - now there are dozens) except that statistically the actual numbers of people living in recently built tiny homes can't even be accurately documented, due in part to some pretty bizarre zoning laws in existence. There are places that will not allow a home to be built to tiny or even small standards, as they aren't considered big enough to even be a home. Crazy.

And then there are places with hardly any zoning laws that ever get enforced. That can be a not good thing. Of course, I don't mean that about the home in this photo.

The flip side of tiny home builds affordable to many is the affordable to few side, where location and high end builds meet, commanding a price that puts them on the far outside planet range of many who want to go tiny, either by finding such a home or building it themselves (don't let that stop you though, there are beautiful, sanely priced places if you hunt with passion to find them!)

Welcome to Friday Harbor, Washington's offering. One bedroom. One bathroom. 598 square feet. A living roof, 5 acres and a killer whale view. All yours for $1,850,000. If you have been to Friday Harbor, you'll understand the price point a little more. If you haven't been to Friday Harbor, you should go if you can; it really is a beautiful place in a beautiful place. 

Seeing this photo was what drew me to include this home for the post

I'd have a completely different seating arrangement but it would certainly be facing those windows

What's not to like about a wall full of books?

I like a clean look, but for me this is a bit sterile. But a drainboard sink? Oh yes!

Where's my claw foot bathtub and fuzzy rug?

You can find more photos and more info here at the Zillow listing, which was used for the photo source as well.

I always think it is interesting how much attention is paid to bathrooms in homes. Maybe it's an American thing, maybe I just notice too much. But when watching home shows or reading much about tiny homes (especially the comments), the obsession about the comfort zone of body elimination stations borders on the bizarre. 

Interestingly, to me at least, the last two shows I watched about home buying in Alaska, it was the men who were uncomfortable with open bathrooms, where the toilet wasn't shut into an enclosed space for complete privacy (of the sort where you hold your hands over your eyes and assume no one can see you). I have no conclusive point here except to compare it to the majority of the world and wonder if our sense of not wanting to deal with our own literal shit doesn't have a lot more implications.

Oops! Tiny Home Tuesday goes off the rails! There is a dawn to watch, obviously a good place and time to stop.

Have a tsk tsk not Tuesday. Do something thrivingly.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Cracker Up

I still get an email every so often of homes for sale in Florida, from back in the day when the economy was in the toilet, well maybe already to the sewer itself, and prices were very, very low to live on the river in one of my favorite east coast areas. I can't quite bring myself to unsubscribe to this, it keeps me aware of what is happening in real terms with the economy, plus I just like looking at the river from different views. 

Sometimes it brings to mind the really old Florida homes, the cracker homes, and how smartly they were designed for the location. High heat, crazy humidity, no a/c and that was on a good day. These designs still work today, whether tiny, small or grand. Ok, maybe not grand. But absolutely worth reading about and incorporating some of these very old ideas with new technology (think solar panels).

All photos from Southern Living House Plans

Southern Living has a nice selection of house plans based on the cracker style.

At almost 1500 square feet (both levels total), this is a small, rather than tiny home. 

There could be a wrap around porch with a screened in area for a 'sleeping porch' spot as well. House plans are just that; plans. Like recipes, they can usually be messed around with to suit your own taste. 

For today, taste some cracker style. It works!

Have a touchthepast Tuesday. Do something toward forward.

Tiny Home Tuesday ~ Culebra

First, a personal hat's off to six amazing people who pulled off the fastest move I've ever made in my life, complete with plants! Color me shockingly blessed and humbly grateful. On to sorting and sifting to find the houseboat life worthy, the giveaways and the junk, and put each in its respective new home. Now back to our regularly scheduled etc. etc. 

Some of the features on the place I was housesitting a week ago really impressed me. First, I love traditional Caribbean architectural design, because to me it ticks off everything I look for in a home, the lines are clean yet have great visual style. Also, while building in many practical aspects, beauty is still achieved. At least, my idea of beauty.

Keeping it simple with style

One of my favorite things in this home. 

The top window is opened and closed by a slender piece of rope strung through a drilled hole in  the lower corner of the window frame and knotted. This goes through a hole in the upper window frame to the inside. On the inside window framing about the midpoint of the windows is a small cleat. Loosen the rope, the window closes, pull it taut and secure it to the cleat, the window is open. This means lots of air space but the window can be closed and opened (from the inside, handy at certain times of year) without any mechanical bits and parts to get corroded by salt air and Sahara dust. We have plenty of both.

Plus, the shutters are just smart. No nasty metal wind catchers to cut your hands or heavy pieces of plywood to take on or pull off during H season; rather, just...shut or open them. Shutters.

A door on a barn door slider takes care of the windows and louvers on this (side of the house). Slide it, latch it, done. 

The smaller cut tile makes for a less slippery walk and keeps a clean look. Deep overhanging eaves....well I don't need to explain the value of them, do I? And they look wonderful.  

I know, I should have taken a photo of the whole place but I didn't. The roof is done in the traditional style of old Caribbean homes, with four pitched sides.  So even though this is not an old home, many of the positive aspects in island building were applied here. That works for for me.

For a good look at Caribbean architecture from the USVI's to the BVI's along with Cuba (including a lot of well done historical info on same), take a look at some of Michael Connors books. I met Michael many years ago on St. Croix and learned most of what I know about this style of home - and the furnishings within - from him and my at the time boss, George Tyler. While many of the homes in the books are grand, there are plenty that are small and simple, reflecting the best of what can be had in a tiny / small home. Islanders had it figured out, partly from an understanding of the weather here, partly from circumstances. A good combination, knowledge and necessity and an eye for symmetry, with some whimsy tossed in for the ride. 

Have a trustable Tuesday. Do something trippingly transcendent.