tiny house interior

I Married a Cabinet Maker

~ chelsearedmond ~ 8 Comments

You know when you are really busy in life and you still find time to build cabinets all by hand? Me either…but I live with a mythical creature who did just that. _IGP4794 There were a few things that didn’t get finished in the house before Adam started Academy, the biggest was the kitchen cabinets.  Until now we just had open shelves beneath the countertop, which worked fine, just didn’t look as nice as finished cabinets.  I didn’t think Adam would have the time to try his hand at custom cabinetry, but a couple of months ago he decided to start working on them.  He likes having projects to work on and it seemed to be a nice break from studying and thinking about work.  Though he has never built cabinets he did an amazing job!  He added some great features that we couldn’t have had when purchasing pre-made cabinets.

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IMG_0883 I would give the cabinet-maker 6 stars out of 5 on yelp
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They are the same color as the exterior of the house
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Countertop is birch butcher block from ikea
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The bottom drawer is designed for dog bowls, they will be recessed in and out-of-the-way when needed.
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Leaving the drawer half-open for access to the water dish will be much better than having it on the floor and constantly kicking it over!

Another update we did recently was to paint the exposed plywood walls. Originally we had white washed the plywood and really liked the look of seeing the wood grain, but after a few months it seemed like the walls looked more yellow than white. We realized that we probably should have put a stain-blocker on first to seal the wood and prevent any oils in the wood from bleeding through. We ended up putting on a coat of stain-blocker and then painting all the walls the same color (Designer White). I really liked the wood walls but this made a big difference visually, it looks more finished and brighter overall.

http://www.stikwood.com

I recently discovered Stikwood and think this will be the next addition to the back wall in the house.  If you haven’t seen this stuff check it out, I recently discovered it and wish I had known all along! It is real wood but cut super thin, it has adhesive backing so you can create accent walls, headboards, anything really!  http://www.stikwood.com

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This pullout is great for stool seating
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I think its safe to say Jesse has fully adjusted and is enjoying her small domain

Lots to Love

~ chelsearedmond ~ 6 Comments

When we first set our minds on building this house we didn’t want to lose excitement or give up on the idea so we became very focused…for me this came in the form of finding small things and exclaiming “This would be PERFECT for the tiny house” like the small utensils pictured below.  Adam’s method was simply saying “Tiny House” at random points throughout the day to keep us on the right track and avoid any fading enthusiasm. It seemed to have worked!

useful equipment: only smaller
Very first purchase for the house: mini tongs and spatula

A Few of the Things We Love:

  • Tiny House Jokes– Adam and I don’t take ourselves too seriously, and if we did we would have to stop immediately because living in a tiny house is hilarious, not only is everything in general more humorous when done in a tiny house but there are naturally situations that occur that are pretty darn ridiculous and we love to entertain our friends and ourselves whenever possible. http://vimeo.com/dawnjones/small-house
  • Delighting curious strangers with a tour– Our house faces the park which attracts lots of pedestrians, I’ll never forget the first morning waking up in the house… realizing that two cars and a small gathering of people had formed on the edge of the lawn. It was odd feeling on display at first but we learned to embrace it, or at-least laugh at it. We get questions like: “That’s a garden shed right?” or “Is that one of those IKEA houses?” Once in a while we meet strangers that we are especially fond of and we invite them in to see the house (which never takes too long).  
  • Company: One of the biggest challenges of living here is not having the freedom to have as many people over as we would like.  We reach our capacity pretty quick around here but having people over has been one of the highlights in the house so far.  It’s always our closest friends, the ones up for an adventure.  I love being a gracious host as much as the next person but some luxuries just aren’t possible when you are working within these dimensions.  Our conversion rate is solid with 2 of the 4 visitors on their way to building their own tiny houses.
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Garret, Carlee and Cooper
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My sister Katie and her boyfriend Alex
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Playing Games Taking Names
  • Laying with our heads out of the window in the loft- We haven’t installed the skylight yet so this is the next best stargazing option and it’s awesome!
  • Watching sunsets from the deck– Nothing makes an Excel report seem more enjoyable than this view.

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  • Watching our dog find the most plush places in the house to plant herself:
If there is a cozy blanket or soft surface this dog can find it and work her way under it!
If there is a cozy blanket or soft surface this dog can find it and work her way under it!
  • Turkish Bath Towels– These things were made for tiny houses.  I’ve actually always wanted these, tiny house or not, they look awesome and the colors are far superior to any normal towel I have seen.  They are very light and don’t take up as much space.  They are made from a curly cotton that is extra absorbent and quick drying.  I don’t think I’ll ever go back to regular towels even if I had a bathroom the size of two tiny houses.  http://www.indigotraders.comTurkish TowelsTurkish Towels