Christmas Fire in our Tiny Cabin
My husband and I are big fans of your blog. We fondly rent a tiny home on the edge of Anchorage, Alaska. It is the highest residence in the city. It has no running water, an incinerator toilet, and gas heat. The main living space is approximately 250, and together with the unheated front room we use for storage, it’s just under 400 if you count the loft space in each room. It frequently blows over 100 miles per hour, and is guy-wired to bedrock to hold it down. It’s been on the hill since 1963, which is slightly historic for our town that suffered the giant earthquake in ’64. We are enjoying our 4th winter in what we call the Little Red Cabin, and hope to one day build and own our own debt-free.
Tonight we came home from our family Christmas dinner to a house fire. Our oven is old and according to the fire report it likely malfunctioned. Fortunately there was no serious structural damage or injury, but it won’t be livable for quite some time. We are so sad to have our little paradise destroyed by fire and smoke damage. As I try to unwind and get some sleep at a friend’s house, I find I am revisiting your blog and missing our tiny home. Continue Reading »
Life in a Yurt – Alaska Style
Jesse alerted me to this neat article in the New York Times about a couple living in the back country of Alaska in a yurt. It is a very good article “Broadband, Yes. Toilet, No.” and I think you would enjoy reading it.
It has no running water or working toilet, but this Mongolian-style tent, called a yurt, in the remote town of Seldovia, Alaska, is home to Erin McKittrick and Bretwood Higman, and their son, 11-month-old Katmai.
Read the complete New York Times article “Broadband, Yes. Toilet, No.”
©2010 Stuart Isett/www.isett.com
Alaskan Log Cabin
Aaron and Jill Bork have done what many of us dream of, running off to the wilds of Alaska and building a log cabin.
The couple fell in love with each other and the state and decided to build their own home. Armed with only a book and no prior knowledge of log cabin building, they purchased five acres of land with a spectacular view in their favorite area of Alaska and began to build a log cabin by hand with trees from their property. They built the cabin over the course of one summer, and spent the next year finishing up the inside.
Just about everything in the cabin came from the land: the countertops were built with rocks from a local creek, the deck from local saplings, the spiral staircase going to the loft is made of local timber and even the toilet seat is made of a tree trunk.
In order to simplify their lives and live in the area they loved so much, they decided to do without some of the luxuries. They built an outhouse, do their laundry in a Wonderwash, and warm the cabin with a donated woodstove. They don’t have running water and use a cooler and dry ice to keep their food cold. They also cook on a Coleman stove and use a generator for their electricity.
The cabin is furnished with furniture the couple built themselves and decorated with found objects. They own a small company called Alaska Antler Works where they create furniture and home accessories out of antlers.
This beautiful, hand crafted home is an impressive example of what can be done with determination, a few friends and love and knowledge of the outdoors.
Photos by Aaron and Jill Bork, Alaska Antler Works
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