The Joys of Living Small

The first building we put up on the piece of land that was to become our homestead was an 8 x 12’ garden shed. It’s a funny-looking garden shed because my husband Dan was feeling lazy. Rather than cutting the plywood sheathing, he built the shed tall enough so that he could just screw the sheets on whole. The extra height and peaked roof made it look like a small house, and allowed just enough room on the inside to install a loft for extra storage.

Which was a very good thing, because we ended up living in that little house for almost two years.

Here’s what happened.

We had decided to build our own earth-sheltered home. We figured we had enough time that first summer to have the slab and poured-concrete walls done and at least the shell of a small house up by the time snow flew.

Ha.

Those of you who have ever built a home know about the Delay Factor. It’s always a good idea to take any project completion estimate and at least double it. You never know what’s going to come up.

In our case we had our share of contractor delays, equipment failures and stormy weather. But it was a health issue that brought the home building to a screeching halt. Dan came down with a bad case of tennis elbow – in both arms. He couldn’t even lift a glass of water without pain.

So…we moved into the garden shed. With two kids. And two dogs. Fortunately, we had foreseen the possibility of having to live there for a few weeks while building the house, so Dan had equipped it with siding, insulation and a south-facing window. An outhouse and solar lighting completed the picture. We soon began to call the tiny dwelling “the Microhouse.”

Yes, we’re crazy.

But you know what? It was an amazing experience. And it really opened our eyes to the advantages of living small.

Not that I’d recommend going quite that small for a family of four, but there’s a lot to say for making do with a small home.

• Small homes are easy to heat. The Microhouse only cost about 80 bucks worth of propane to heat through the winter. Of course the Microhouse was insanely small, but you get the picture – a small home will save you big bucks.

• Small houses are quick to clean. Less housework is a good thing in my book. How about yours?

• Living small is clutter protection. You get very protective of your space. If it’s not something you love and use, it has no place in your house. You’d be amazed how much time is freed up by not having to deal with all that STUFF.

• Small houses are more environmentally friendly. Because of the fuel you don’t burn. And the stuff you don’t buy.

• Small homes bring people together. Those two years in the Microhouse, and a third spent in the 800 sq. ft. house we eventually built, really bonded us as a family. We had no choice but to interact – and to figure out how to settle our differences.

Times change. We ended up moving to a different part of the state for business reasons. Today we live in an old five bedroom home in town. There’s plenty of space, but I tell you…

…sometimes I miss the Microhouse.

Anne Michelsen is co-founder of Marathon Renewable Energy, Inc., specializing in solar hot water systems. You can read more of her work at YourGreenLifestyle.blogspot.com

Tagged as: Going Green, sustainability, urban homestead