Back on Track

I apologize for the delay in updating. Things have been... overwhelming to say the very least.

The good news is we are almost back on track. (insert very loud screams of excitement here!)

After our last post we pushed the pause button. We talked to some outsiders, got some other opinions, which was both really reassuring and a lot to take in all at the same time. Josh from Tikun Collective and his partner Hans both gave us a lot to think about, and we so appreciate them taking the time to do so.

Brent continued to meet with our team and made some headway. We got the costs closer to where we wanted them to be and were able to add the roof deck back in, which was sort of the whole point of the design we chose.

Hopefully in the next couple weeks we'll have everything we need to move forward with financing, which means we can then start applying for process. I know there will be more hurdles. We both do, but I feel like everyone remembers now what we're trying to accomplish here and why they wanted to work on this project in the first place.

If we can all keep that in mind, I know we really can build the tiny house we've been dreaming of.

Thank you for being on this journey with us and for sending us your positive energy and wishful thoughts. Really. Thank you.

Tiny Dream Woes

The good news is we got the tax assessment on our property from last year and it was valued at double what we paid for it.

The bad news is our “team” doesn’t seem to understand our vision. My fears are coming true and the builder is trying to squish a regular house into our 500 square feet of livable space. The bid came in almost double our ideal budget and doesn’t include the temperature controlled garage, the finishing, the labor of the students… the list goes on.

It is like all the ideas and vision boards we have brought to the table were 100% forgotten or ignored. I cannot even explain my frustration.

I see countless stories of people building 300 square foot tiny houses for under $40k – you’re telling me you can’t build a house that isn’t even double the square footage for more than double the budget?! When you have student labor involved?

I’m sorry. I don’t buy it.

The problem is, I’m not a builder. I don’t have the knowledge to be able to push them. I don’t know the questions to ask. I don’t know where we should cut corners and where we should not. I don’t know what “cutting corners” looks like while still having a presentable house that we like, that is energy efficient and can be comfortable in all the extreme seasons that Minnesota offers us.

Mostly I just feel sad. Like the odds of us getting the house that we actually want are slim to none. And then it’s like, well, what’s the point? 

Here's to the next update being a positive one...

Decisions, Decisions

The thing about building your own house is that you get to decide every last thing.

The thing about building your own house is that you have to decide every last thing.

It's a lot of decisions. Things that should be inconsequential. But as a result, we decided to get ahead of the curve. Start making decisions before they start piling up and there's a time crunch.

Brent's dad has a tile store in Ft. Myers, Alpha Tile & Stone, and they have a sister company, Kate-Lo Tile & Stone in Plymouth. So we stopped out a couple weekends ago to have a look around. We had a pretty good idea what we wanted: natural. I don't think we were aware of how many options would fall under that umbrella.

Here's a sampling of what we liked. (A lot of the pictures were just of labels, so that does you zero good).