tinybluehome-blog

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Having a tiny house has inspired me to keep pursuing my dreams and this has led me to start Tiny Blue Travel, an accessible travel tour operator. Please show some support on instagram and facebook :).  instragram.com/tinybluetravel facebook.com/tinybluetravel

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#canberra

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On a lunch-time adventure

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Back from the hiatus

Had some ummm... disagreements with our tiny house builder, but won't go into that here. Just a reminder to get written confirmation for any changes you make to any building project!

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Reminder

It’s okay to start feeling better on a day you’ve called out sick.

You might be in a cycle of guilts, telling yourself it obviously wasn’t that bad if you’re doing better. That you could have gone in after all. That you were blowing it out of proportion.

No. Stop.

If you’re feeling better, it’s not because you made the wrong choice. It’s because you stayed home and rested.

That’s what the sick day is for. That means it’s working.

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On our street.

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Some final touches of paint... After a very painful build process.

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Some final touches of paint... After a very painful build process.

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Tiny update: And the walls go up

We've spent the couple of weekends getting nicely tanned (and sunburned) working on the tiny house exterior. It's been a whirlwind of activity that I haven't updated yet, my bad. Here are some photos of the progress! Thanks to Peter and crew for showing us the ropes and putting in the hard yards.

The frame's gone up... 

And this blue sheath thing, whatever this is (foil insulation)... 

And the wooden cladding (Baltic pine)… 

And today we started painting it blue! (Admittedly, this is more blue than I intended, but it's looking good). 

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Tips for tiny houses in Australia

It's been a while since my last post – apologies. Stuff gets in the way, life gets in the way, fatigue gets in the way. Trying to find a balance between work, play and everything else is difficult. More on that next week. 

Anyway, here's an awkward non-segue straight into it. Here are some Australian-specific tips for tiny living.

2. Don't rely on American or another country's tiny house plans

Yes, by all means, use theme as a launchpad for ideas and general structure. However, if you do purchase plans from overseas, you will need to tweak it for Australia's purposes. That is, take a look at the other points of this points, make sure it's well insulated and your windows won't take in too much heat. Really, most of the following points will be about the Australian heat. Don't say you weren't warned.

2. Be cool, I know it's difficult

Speaking of heat, another good idea for your windows is to install blinds so the harsh Australian sun isn't going to turn your tiny house into a giant oven. Although, if you did have a giant oven, that would be convenient for cooking since you will get minimal bench space for appliances. All of the obvious things like installing a cooling system and placing your windows for a good cross-ventilation also apply.

3. No dark colours

Australia is one of the hottest places on Earth. It receives a lot of sun. Something that is not good for reflecting the heat from the sun is dark colours. I'm sure I don't have to explain it to you. It's like how whenever I stood out in the sun at school, my head would be a lot hotter than a blonde person's. Take that with a grain of salt, however – if it's your dream to have a super emo or goth tiny house that's black all over, I don't want to stand in your way.

4. Insure for fire

You will need to purchase an insurance policy for fire damage. Because a lot of tiny houses are situated on acreages. It's just where most of the space is and the tiny house hippies want to be closer to nature and such. So it makes sense that there's a high fire danger living out in the bush. It also makes sense just in case it's another year of record-breaking hot summers, which it always is. 

5. Take into account local council and state regulations 

It's a bit of a touchy subject in the tiny house Australia community, but be aware of your specific state and local council regulations for tiny houses. That is... there isn't any specific legislation for tiny houses, so whether or not you've classed yours as a caravan, your individualised needs would differ. Unfortunately, in Australia we have a relative lack of experience so we're all just working out the kinks together. 

Photo source: denisbin

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Tiny Update: Buying appliances for a tiny house

It will be two months now until the tiny house is supposed to be finished and in terms of preparations besides the actual construction, it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing. Like building any house, there's a worry of cost blowouts and cashflow problems, and wondering what to do with all your stuff. 

The walls haven't gone up yet, which is a bit of a worry, but I'm excited for when that happens because we'll be getting our hands dirty with the build itself. Before that though, I impulse-bought a few appliances. You could build your kitchen first and buy your appliances after to ensure they fit, but I did it the opposite way in that we'll build the kitchen to fit the appliances. 

In terms of planning the layout, it's still up in the air since I'm pretty adamant about not having a the shower entrance near the kitchen, but because of the piping situation, they need to be close together. You should probably get this sorted before building, but be flexible enough to change. Just don't be indecisive like me.  

Other things I've been struggling with is paring down on possessions. I have somehow managed to gain more than get rid of since I first reported, which is why I haven't really been updating it here so much. Oops. Some of the new things purchases include appliances for the tiny house, so it does notcount. Or at least I'll tell myself that. 

The list of appliances 

Washing machine: Sphere 3kg Washing Machine  

This is the cutest washing machine I've ever seen, and I couldn't pass the chance to get it. It's good because it was built for caravans and is therefore smaller and doesn't need a complicated installation. However, we will need to go to a laundromat to wash larger things like sheets. If you're short on space, you could probably go to a laundromat for all your laundry, if there's one nearby. 

Stove and oven: Euromaid Benchtop Oven

We chose this one because you can place it on a counter and not forgo the storage space underneath. Most oven and hot place combos I've seen are cheaper, but they also don't allow you to use the oven and the hotplate. This one was a little more expensive, but it will at least let you use the small hotplate and oven at the same time.  

Fridge: Hisense 157L Bar Fridge

This is technically a bar fridge (and we haven't bought it yet, but it is on the list) but it is a little larger than the ones that will fit under a counter – great for those who like food. You could buy an apartment-sized one, but I was concerned about the space and energy consumption. Bonus: they come in different colours.

Dishwasher: Omega 60cm Dishwasher

This is the purchase we probably could have waited to purchase, but after being without a dishwasher for a while, I cannot go back. At around $600, it was by far the most expensive item in the list. You can also get even smaller ones that sit on top of the counter and even ones you can wheel around, but this one will have to be integrated into the cabinetry. 

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More relevant to my Australian house people, but includes some of my plans. 

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