What do you mean tiny living?
Camp Gingercake
Our family kind of stumbled into the tiny living craze. Our family home is a 1900 sf bungalow. Not tiny by any means, but definitely not a huge space for a family of four and dogs. Until recently we actually had four dogs under the same roof. We bought this home 12 years ago, before kids. At the time it was huge. Two active kids later and space is cozy. We use every inch of our home and wouldn't have it any other way. However, it proves to be a challenge when we have guests come to town. The only option is to sleep on couches.
A few years ago we decided we had to accommodate for visiting family and friends. We priced out building a guest house in the backyard but weren't ready for that kind of expenditure. One night an idea came to my head - what if we bought an Airstream to use as a guest house. I'm pretty sure Josh thought I was joking. It only took a few days of googling to find our future guesthouse that we later named Lark & Leigh. We flew to Portland, Oregon to purchase the 1974 Airstream Argosy and pulled it all the way back to North Carolina. You can read more about that journey in the Lark & Leigh posts.
Earlier this year I was searching on Craigslist again. Always a dangerous hobby for me. I found a tiny cabin for sale in the middle of the North Carolina mountains. Josh was more receptive than I thought and three weeks later, as we were getting on a plane to Switzerland, we became the proud owners of a 200sf cabin in the woods with no access to water, sewer or internet. It would be perfect! We named the property Camp Gingercake and we will be sharing our journeys with it here.
Our interest in tiny living has a lot to do with my focus on environmental work and efficiency. These projects give me a chance to test out new technology and gain first hand knowledge. They also give us opportunities to create as a family and focus on experiences we otherwise wouldn't be able to offer our kids. I can't wait to share along the way. It is sure to be an adventure.