Tiny House Blog

by Jane Roarski

There are plenty of advantages to living in small spaces: fewer possessions, reduced impact on the earth, and lower living expenses are just a few of them. More people are choosing to live more simply, and for some that means using the bare minimum of living space.

While living in limited square footage poses many challenges, a growing number of people are proving that minimizing essentials, combined with some innovative custom remodeling, is enough to meet the task of tiny house living.

Whether your small living space is 1000 square feet or 100 square feet, these ideas can help cushion the transition from a bigger home.

Less is more. If you’re making the effort to live in a smaller space, you’ve probably realized that tiny house living leads to liberation from unnecessary stuff. Moving to a tiny space means letting go of non-essentials. In return, you’ll be rewarded with more time and money, as a smaller home takes a lot less of both to maintain.

Storage closets and a kitchen find room under a sleeping loft. Photo credit: Koch Architects.

Love the loft life. Bedrooms can take up a lot of space, but sleeping doesn’t have to. The sleeping quarters in a smaller home are often the same size as the bed itself. With a loft design, the bedroom can be located directly above another room, even though most tiny houses are single level. And when placed on a custom platform, a loft bed can rest on top of essential storage. Continue Reading »

Announcement

I covered SylvanSport’s GO back in 2010 and they are having a contest I thought you might enjoy entering so I am letting you know about it. Here are the details:

What’s your ultimate dream adventure? Surfing the sky-blue waves in Malibu? Kayaking the class five rapids of the Appalachian foothills? Star-gazing in Bryson Canyon?

There’s no better way to adventure than with your favorite gear in tow. A Swiss Army Knife of campers, the SylvanSport GO is the ultimate adventure aid. A GO can hold up to 10 kayaks or 5 bikes, or all your camping and a few surf boards, or an ATV and rock climbing gear, or…well, you get the idea!

Detail your GO adventure in this online essay contest for bold and creative outdoor adventure junkies—that means YOU—and you just might win a chance to GO on the adventure of a lifetime.

ENTER at our contest homepage, and in 400 words or less tell us what your epic plans are for a gear-heavy GO expedition AND how you would promote your adventure. Blogging? Stop-motion photo stream? Sky writing? Would you brag to your friends? How about your office, your ex or your grandma? Tell us!

The three best essays win a hooked up gear package from our premier outdoors sports sponsors including Yakima, Kelty, Keen, Black Diamond, Wenger, Jackson Kayak, SPOT, Grand Trunk Goods, and Orbea AND… the GO itself for up to three months to live and document your adventure story.

The most epic and well documented resulting adventure of the three finalists keeps the Go itself and bonus gear from our sponsors-That’s the GO, thousands of dollars worth of gear, major online publicity, and bragging rights.

Contest ends May 31st 2012, but don’t wait! Each week contestants are automatically entered into weekly giveaways for more great gear from our sponsors! The earlier you sign up, the more chances you have to win prizes.