So, I live and work in a ‘green’, semi sustainable workshop space that was a shell of a buliding in which I built water systems, heat, and toliet/shower…..
The place is a ‘workshop’ basically, a commercial space that I use for my art/music studio and to live in. The place is in rural Colorado, no address (not on the city’s map), it was a shell building, a large garage basically…the house/studio is heated with a west bay door that opens to a homeade acrylic glass window that in the morning let’s the east sun in for heat, there is also 3 large south facing windows for all day passive solar heat, the ‘running water’ is all carried in (usage is around 5 gallons per day or less) and the sink is made from a water container with a spigot attached (properly) with hose clamps and gasket.
I fill the sink with water as needed but it runs on gravity, the toilet is a composting toilet inspired by the humanure compost toilet system, so I use either peat moss or good pine sawdust for cover material, I also have another toilet just for urine (number 1), the shower is a little less luxurious and is a large plastic basin that I use either a hung solar shower or water jugs with holes drilled in them. I have a small copper quartz heater for at night mostly and a wood stove for heat, the studio is about 1000 sq ft (so not exactly tiny), (but not a large ‘house’ either).
Everything is made from recycled materials, thrift shop finds (again recycled) or things I built myself, such as the toilet made from a vintage end table and one from a coal stove, the sink basin was free at a yard sale, and drain into a 5 gallon bucket in which I take to my grey water area, and the toilets are put into the compost piles.
I live/work in here (work mainly 😉 ) (it is zoned commercial), and it serves as a small living space, kitchen, bedroom(s) (2 beds and a nice sofa sleeper), and the rest of the space is my art (furniture, instruments, jewelry, audio sculpture…(all functional but still decorative), and my music studio, I play music live all over in Colorado. I release records on labels and our own record label and tour off and on. It is definitely a space well used!
All the best,
Matthew Hunzeker
http://thelonegaragemassacre.wordpress.com/
This looks really big for a tiny house, I presume what might interest us is the composting toilet / shower / washbasin arrangement.
However, there are likely fire code and building code violations all over the place. Commercial buildings are simply not meant to be lived in. I hope you keep this on the down low, county inspectors love love love to throw people out of spaces like this, fine them, and jail them.
This reminds me of a guy I used to work with who lived in a storage shed part time and in his truck the rest of the time. He was able to make it work but was always having to “hide”.
Did he do it as well as this guy?:
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/offbeat/x1876442083/NY-man-earning-100K-lived-in-company-paint-shed
Hee hee, perhaps the Story above about the guy living in the Shed is no mystery after reading this last bit in that Story:
‘The worker is being charged $2,500 for the time he lived there. Now he’s living with his wife at a home in Pearl River, about 3 miles away.’
Perhaps they’d had their fill of one another.
A fella I met at our local Dog Park is living in his very nice Van Conversion RV, parked inside a Storage Unit. He has means to move out his Car and leave it there on site, and pull his RV into the Storage Unit. And, vice-versa. He typically then drives his Car to work. We didn’t get into ‘the $$$ numbers’, but it’s saving him plenty. Apparently, this arrangement is kewl with the Storage Unit Mgmt. so long as he doesn’t furnish the Storage Unit and make that his ‘Home’.
The trick in this one instance may be as simple as keeping the lived-in RV out-of-sight from the local Powers That Be.
I thought this was a smart solution, given the givens. Most importantly, it works for him.
Makes it clear it’s his full time living space when he’s in the area, and it’s not even close to the 500 sq ft most articles seem to max out at.
Very inovative use of open space and portable low cost fixtures.you can set up living instantly in a wide range of spaces large or small.
i like it 😉
What this man is doing is illegal where I live and I’d be willing to bet it’s the same where he lives. I know that working for a living isn’t for everyone and this is better than being homeless but really go get a job like the rest of us and stop being a criminal.
It’s pretty clear that he does ‘work’ for a living. Certainly being a musician is working. A criminal? Really? Let’s not go over the top here. It’s ‘illegal’ to marry someone of the same sex too. Legality is all in the eye of the beholder. Building codes aren’t always in the best interest of the building occupant. He lives with his choices and they don’t effect anyone else. How is that being a ‘criminal’?
Not in the places that it’s legal.
That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Legality is in the eyes of the codified laws, and the jurists charged with interpreting them.
You don’t “effect” someone else, you “affect” them.
I suppose a person could argue that anytime a person breaks a law, they are committing a crime, and are therefore a “criminal.” In reality though, what he’s doing is committing a civil infraction, and falls short of what is generally accepted as necessary to be deemed a “criminal.” In any event, it is against the law.
I suppose, by your logic, a person who drives around in a vehicle that hasn’t been registered, and doesn’t have insurance, isn’t doing anything wrong either. They aren’t hurting anyone (so long as they don’t get into an accident). What about a person who doesn’t pay their property taxes? They aren’t really hurting anyone either, right?
It’s real important that you don’t INfect them. I don’t know where he lives, but it would work well in my neck of the woods and wouldn’t effect, affect or infect anyone! Our society is too germaphobic. How about the good old sense of community? It may be all we have if times keep getting rougher. Rcok on Mathew! I have much to learn!
How the hell is he not working?!?! Full time touring, creating jewelry, music and art and selling it for profit. Sounds like he’s pretty busy. Not exactly a hobo living off a handout. Get over yourself.
josh obviously has some fear and guilt issues to sort out. why else would anyone need to lash out at people just trying to share ideas. and though he’s good at being a smarty pants, still didn’t make a case for how mathew is “affecting” anyone else…in a negative way. think of it as “freeing up resorces” for josh and others to use/waste. lol
I’ll have to take your expert opinion on that, doctor (I assume you have a doctorate in psychology. If it’s that’s obvious to you, you must be qualified to make that diagnosis based only on a response to a blog comment).
I wasn’t lashing out; I was pointing out the flaws in the argument that was being made.
I’m not necessarily saying that Matthew falls into this category, but if a person is skirting the law and not paying their share in property taxes and things of that nature, then it causes a larger burden on the rest of the community. That negatively affects everyone else in the community/tax base. It is a negative “effect.”
sorry josh. some of that was meant for jon. with the similar name and consistant negative vibe, i mistook the comments as being from the same poster. my bad. you still have a fairly nasty attitude though….no degree required.
I think the word you’re looking for there is “realistic.”
>stop being a criminal.
That’s an interesting statement. Most people think of crime as some kind of activity that’s harmful to other people, such as theft, acts of violence, vandalism, and so on.
What this guy does in his own property is his own business. His activities aren’t a danger to himself or to other people, and he’s not doing us any harm by living the way he wants to. The “get a job” refrain has also worn out its welcome; there is widespread unemployment and many people are either unemployed or underemployed.
My cousin is a musician near Denver Co. Many of his friends have lived in ‘storage units’ and or ‘workspaces’ in a commercially zoned part of Boulder. This was an accepted, if not exactly legal, mode of low rent artist housing for the city of boulder. Sure, there are towns that will fine and or boot people out of these zonings, but there are many others that support it.
I know a bevy of performers from the circus scene that do the same thing in other cities! It is often the only way to get access to a space large enough to rehearse/live in without paying $2000/mo rent.
Thanks to those cities for supporting the arts!
Makes me wonder if they actually support the arts, or just see it as a better alternative than having a bunch of homeless artists living in tent cities or congregating at homeless shelters.
Not trying to be a jerk, but using peat in a composting toilet is like ordering a diet soda with you big mac…. You are continuing demand on a very unsustainable resource and mostly defeats in the purpose as far as the enviromental impact is concerned. Pine saw dust is awesome though!
If you have a paper shredder to protect your identity, the paper shreds also work well in a composting toilet.
Thanks for bringing this up. There are so many resources that aren’t renewable that even people who are fairly environmentally conscious aren’t aware of their impact. +1 internets.
So I’m not sure why so many rude comments, ?? I’m a touring musician (work), so stay here (legally) intermittently, and also make art etc, show in museums, gallerier, sell that, (this means I work for a living, I’m an artist, (money involved), musician, (money involved, touring so not here all the time living)…as for the peat moss, for 10$ that last roughly 2 months, and then when composted is then reused, also use free fine sawmill sawdust. I try to make it a comfortable space for when I am here, and when I have visitors or other touring musicians stay. It uses barely any electicity, less probably than your computer is currently using, and yeah a bit on the larger size for a ‘tiny house’, but in the same vein with innovation/green living, etc…and the folks at the blog published it, I didn’t pay them or threaten them, so it seems to everything is in order. Thanks for the wild comments, I’m totally laughing out loud at some of the hypocisy, and absurdity! Thanks
I agree Matthew – I think your space is awesome!
To those absurdly negative commenter – why so judgmental??? Do you know every single detail about Matthew’s existence??? He offered up his alternative to conventional living – if you don’t like or don’t agree, or think it’s “criminal” then don’t do it yourself. Live and let live!
Before I get hung out to dry for my typo, “commenter,” should be “commenters.”
Oh and no ‘hiding’ here, and no code violations, so kindly take your rudness to some other place. Also I belive I covered everything pertinent, so ill not be commenting any further, if this was some kind of poltical site that there may be contreversy over I could understand the kid of comments, but its a building 🙂
Way to set your boundaries matthew!
I’ve often wondered about the overall “health” of Tinyhouse folks. The consumption of stored water and food prepared in such a limited space (not a full size sink to clean dishes) I have seen thousands of posts and not one single Tinyhouse has ever displayed a vacuum or near enough cupboard space to hold much in the way of cleaning supplies. And what really happens when you are seriously poo sick with a composting toilet? Do you handle it and bury it or do you carry it out to a dumpster somewhere? Now I know my cubicle farm job has more than it’s share of germs. And most tiny houses don’t have enough space to “entertain” more than 1 or 2, so cross germs are reduced. I would be interested in statistical data into the overall health of people living this lifestyle. How often are they sick? How often do they see medical care? And what percentage carry medical insurance?
Bill, I’ve lived in a 200 sq. ft. tiny house for almost a year, and my health is just fine. And believe it or not, I do have health insurance. Composting toilets still work just as well if you have diarrhea. (i use a natures head)
Whats up with all the negativity? The lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but it’s really great for some. If you’re not into it, move along.
Bill- that sounds more like a pre-judged statement than a question. Why in the world would it be logical to equate tiny house living with no medical care?
As for the health of tinyhouses, they are as healthy as you make them, just as larger homes are. You CHOOSE what goes into your home. Not all tiny houses have composting toilets, (though they are not bad in my estimation, just expensive).
Like someone else said, tinies are not for everyone and if you don’t like them, you are free to repose to your enormous RV dripping with “healthy” formaldehyde. For more info, I wrote a post called ‘How to Create a Toxin Free Tiny House’ Ironically, the HEPA filter vacuum is mentioned, along with other neutral germ-fighting methods…. It can be found here:tinyhousewisdom.com, if you really want an answer to your questions, (and YES, I have seen a pic of a vacuum in a tiny house).
A wee bit too sensitive Annie Blair. I made no assumptions or connections. I never equated tiny home folks with no insurance. I asked if they carry it (along with other lifestyle questions) Sounds like you are a proponent of tiny house living so think you would answer the questions rather than alienate someone considering a move in this direction. But since you brought attention to the topic. What I meant was MEDICAL INSURANCE. We all know medical care costs are high, and even higher for the self employed. Which is what many tiny house folks are. You save money by living small. Live a comfortable life outside of the regular 9-5 but are faced with a choice. Buy an individual health care policy at a monthly cost of $300-$500 a month or go without insurance and HOPE you never need significant care. Did you know if you wake in the middle of the night with extreme abdominal pains and go to the emergency room the cost average is $3K-$5K? A CT is not cheap. And depending on your location the ambulance ride will be no less than $1500. Need your gallbladder or appendix removed? Well, add another $8K -$10K. Now, you work for yourself, making/selling wares and have enough to “get by” are you/we/they able to put anything away for such an event? Probably not. So tiny house people evade the property taxes that support the county hospital, probably not paying sales tax on the wares they sell, and pay little to nothing towards the social costs. I get that most tiny house folks are Occupy Wallstreet types that feel entitled to any and all services they need without paying their fair share. I am not saying that is what this man is doing but I am left to wonder, about the tiny house group as a whole. What do you all do for medical insurance? T-19? Disability? Still on parents insurance until 26? or carry none and expect us 9-5 people that you all so despise pay our share and yours? I am looking for a happy medium. No “McMansion” a regular job that helps with my medical premiums. reduce my footprint/costs so I can maybe go part-time and enjoy life a bit more. Okay, now bring on the hate cuz haters gotta hate.
Wow! Talk about “haters”. I have “insurance”. I am a Veteran of the USAF so I have the VA for ALL my medical needs. I guess you could say you are “supporting” my medical needs but I did do my job in protecting OUR country and that was a benefit so I feel it’s a fair trade. I am self-employed and I pay taxes, including “personal property tax” on my vehicles. Since I also co-own a house in Ca I pay property tax there AND I pay on my land in Alaksa. Since I do not use the hospitals in any area and my children are long grown do I get those taxes back?
Boy, I dunno what’s up with all the snark, but there’s plenty of good ideas in this Post. I’m another rural CO fellow lovin’ Life in our Code-free County. A few notes…
1. The Building appears Recycled. Karmic Kudos right there.
2. It’s a Work and Business AND Art Space. Please remember that. There’s plenty of nice Instruments being housed. Would a separate Storage Unit make any ‘ethical’ difference? If this were a $60k Small House Trailer, as posted here, and a separate Work Space, would that somehow make it all ‘better’ to the PC sq. ft. Nitpickers? Would running a dividing Wall down the middle to rent out the other half to someone meet ‘The Secret Code’ of 500 sq. ft.? C’mon already… It’s not a Yuppie Mansion by any stretch.
3. My 12-year-old, ~24 MPG SUV might appear over the top, too, since it’s not a Prius. But, our new House I designed is Solar/Super Insulated w/some Recycled Components. So, perhaps we’re a bit ‘high’ in one aspect of our Footprint. But, we’re definitely ‘low’ in another aspect of our Footprint. It’s the ‘average’, on balance, that counts I think…
As is the case with this Post, things in the Real World offset one another. Putting our Calculators away for a moment, I thought this a laudable effort, right out of ’70s ‘Mother Earth News’ Magazines.
Keep the thinking flexible, folks. I could get enough free Sawdust from an Aspen Sawmill nearby to keep every Poop Bucket in CO smelling sweet forever. Sawdust is not necessarily some sort of ‘drain’ one has to pay for. Again, there’s that aspect of one ‘thing’ offsetting another.
I’ve seen Village Peasants right off the Bus in Shanghai with ALL their Possessions in a lil Sack on a Stick, like our old ‘Hobo’ imagery here. Compared with that existence, or one in India, some Small Houses shown here are indefensibly ostentatious! So, ~1,000 sq. ft. being ‘excessive’ all depends on your Mental Benchmark of comparison. Is the comparison Benchmark the Yuppie Mansion, or the uprooted Chinese Villager with a Knapsack?
I think there’s A LOT to ‘harvest’ from this Article, and all the snark mystified me, too.
Well done, Sir [and Madam].
Code ‘flexibility’ equaling ‘Criminality’ is WAY over-the-top IMO. We Camp/Live in our Vehicles at times [and Storage Units]; dump Grey Water ‘illegally’; drink while underage; you name it. Folks re-Wire and mod their Houses w/o Permits ALL the time; don’t Tag their Pets; etc..
Live and let live…
I suppose I will comment again 🙂 these two last posts and some previous posts/comments are very thought out, intelligently written, 🙂 and also a big thanks to all the folks above that are in support of my studio space!! …in response, I’ve never gotten sick from anything here, have a a nice vaccum with hepa filter and good cleaning supplies, keep the studio clean, etc…if you are referring to ‘being sick’ and using a compost toilet, well its pretty good actually, its way cleaner than a regular toilet, and also uses less compost, 🙂 I just (because of open floor plan, keep these cleaning products, vaccum, broom ‘hidden’ behind some screens…its become pretty obvious also that most people commenting are from America, well news flash, id say most of the rest of the world lives in way worse conditions than anything on the tiny house blog…and just for sake of infoormation check out japan, their health rates, cancer rates, and life expectancy… 🙂 …(the coutryside in particular where they really don’t have running water or electricity)…and I do have a little knowlege as I have a degree in cultural anthropology, and have spent years of my life studying, doing field work, etc with/about other cultures ways of life. Also just another fact is America well we just got running water, electicity, and antiseptics roughly 100 yrs ago, and due to the invention of antiseptics the problems that arise from the aforementioned are now minimal. But yeah I understand where everyone is coming from, but I chose this place because it suits me, and I’m betting most people featured on this blog bough or chose to live in places due to similar reasons, and also a ‘creation of ones reality’, but I’m just a lowly humble musician and artist. 🙂
my post wasn’t really directed at your space. yours is not a true tiny house but very efficient and multi-purposed. you have alot of space. i like the idea of work/live spaces. as long as the work is something you love and looks like you do.
Wow, lots of snark in this one! Sure its not a sub 450 square foot setup, but why so angry? I dont know how many of you people are musicians, so ill try to break down that end of it….
-Large Space : yes, its big, its not trafitionally “tiny”. But its a recording/practice space, as well as art space and living space… My band (4 guys) gets together with a small practice PA system in a room that is 12×20 and it gets tight… Thats just us, gear standing in a small space and playing…. A bigger band, testing a stage setup might need 500 square feet just for that…. Its not going to fit in a tumbleweed home!
-“illegall living”. The op isnt living illegally, but to anyone in a large metro area, musicians are living illegally ALL THROUGH YOUR CITY!!!! The OP is embracing most of the tiny lifestyle ideas, most of my friends squatting in practice spaces are wasteful and create triple the amount of trash as an average person!! Think 4 guys sharing a 400 square foot room, filled with gear and space heaters, leavinng the taps running 24/7 through the winter to pprevent freezing. I had a friend Leave 2 toaster ovens on all night for heat!!! The OP is living pretty dang green overall! No furniture made from beer cases and wall decorated in pizza boxes.
So relax a bit, The OP is small/green in their own way….
And I do have health insureance 🙂 (don’t use it much though, just don’t really get sick), the code thing is another odd thing to be focusing on I think, because it is really ‘no address’, its not really zoned anything, it is for the sake of things ‘commercial’, but yeah not sure about any criminal activity taking place, I’ve made sure of all the legal parameters, codes, and all that is on the up and up. Meaning legal. And yeah I’m not really affecting anyone negitively, maybe postiviely, but I have a tendancy to improve things not destroy or damage them. Thanks agin for these previous posts.
And yes, the vast majority 95 percent of everything in the studio is either ‘recycled objects’, made from recycled objects, or simply handmade, some parts like say screws are made in factories, I thing most of the compost buckets are recycled and cleaned buckets, otherwise everything else is reclaimed and or recycled, and all my art/instruments are made from recycled objects, some furnishings are used (ie recycled or reused), and I just have to add the toilet smells really nice, waaaay nicer than a regular water running toilet 🙂 and by nature I’m just sort of a clean person, (except when making art/music) 🙂 anyway I do appreciate the turn this comment board has taken! Kudos to the intelligent thoughts added here, and many thanks!
Weird comments. I bet the OP regrets making the post. I know I’ve felt like that before. Who cares how someone lives. It’s none of your business. I like what he’s doing and I appreciate it.
I like it! It has a very good vibe to it and looks like it’s full of creative energy. The water-over-the-sink setup is genius!
Thanks Kent for posting this article, and thanks to Matthew for sharing it.
While it might not be a tiny house, there are some really cool solutions to living off the grid here. I especially like how Matthew has incorporated recycled furniture into things like a composting toilet and sink.. that is brilliant!
Very inspiring guys! Keep livin the dream Matthew!
Three cheers for recycled space!
Very nice.
So I will do one final post here to just further clarify things, first, the email I sent was the body of the blog post, I didn’t know that the actual email would be the post, or I definitely would have re worded some things, clarified things, etc….it was an email with photos to start a dialogue for a potential write up…then to address the sq footage I suppose that could be rationalized by the fact that the ‘living space’ in the space is about 350 sq ft, the rest is work space, …and I totally don’t reget the post, I like it, its just needed some clarification, its along the lines of what folks are doing in the ‘green’ aspect, (passive solar, carrying water, composting, recycling, etc) just the way it was worded there is a lot of room for (mis) interpretation you know…but yah its all ‘legal’, and I asked about all that, and I love it, it has features I hand built that work pretty similarly to any modern or green built home, and it is aesthetically pretty beautiful 🙂 the inspiration was japanese country homes, and victorian american…meets modern art studio/green living…all in all its a workplace, a studio, with a small living area,….so thanks for the publishing of the article, the positive feedback and I’m really frowning on the negative feedback, and many kudos and thanks to folks that actually either commented open mindedly/intelligently, and took actul time to ‘think about what this space is, what the value and aesthics are, to look deeper into what this actually is, and to realize there is some innovation, and a lot of ‘green living’ aspects, and to sort of read into the wordage to understand clearly that this is something of value! Thank you! 🙂
great stuff. you don’t really need to justify the square footage. your information is very helpful and offers some realistic options for providing utilites to a tiny house(or any house). i just completed a small house and found out that extending public utilities would cost more than the house and land combined! so off-grid solutions are my next natural step. being green is a bonus. plus i like that those systems could be moved with the house if needed. thanks for the ideas!
Love this space Matthew, it looks like an unconventional and charming lifestyle. Keep on doing what you’re doing!
I’d like to thank Matthew for sharing his place with us and thank Kent for bringing us to so many different places we probably never see. I’m glad the format isn’t so pedantically adhered to that we might miss some ideas, elements or perspectives from which I can glean and incorporate into my own little place. The critical replies have value too and I expect they were not meant to come across as venomous. They do inject some very real consequences and challenges the little house movement faces, namely legality. I’ve had to deal with it in my own project and it has added thousands of dollars to the cost. The state and county are starved for revenue and they see to it that every dept gets its cut – health, planning, assessor, auditor, building, dept of ecology, dept of revenue, surface water management, dept of… etc etc. Even after paying all the ransoms I am still not allowed to use my little house as a residence. Its non-conforming and big bureaucracies have trouble classifying (taxing) it.
As an artist I also felt one (seriously) final post….I am known as an audio/installation artist (and musician), so the space is philosphically ‘what my art is about’, it is a large scale installation work, that is fully functional, hand made furniture/furnishings/building, that is working and breathing, it is my largest scale installation art work yet, but I do consider the space an ‘art installation’. Recycled materials, as my art is ‘found object’, and is ‘functional’. So this would fill in one piece of what this space is about…creativity at use and fully functioning. And thanks again!
Great write up. This country is here because law breakers started it-not that he is breaking ANY laws…just a point re:previous posters concerns. Seeing the simple sink set up is cool and the windows/garage door set up. A creative alternative use of space and a practical small home…as “tiny” is often too small.
Hey Mathew. To try and help you understand the strangeness of the replies here. This is a popular website. I am guessing each post gets read 10,000+. 9,990 people read your article, a majority of them probably even enjoyed reading it and most liked your sink idea.
However there are a handful of readers that get really upset here when something stretches outside their notion of how people should live and what should be on this site. And then they relentlessy nit pick of all he things that don’t match up with there beliefs. Think about it, not a single one of them are posting their homes and there life choices. This is a very small %, but also very vocal.
A few months back there was a great article about a guy who hooked up electricity to his small home. By the responses, very similar to what is found here (people were complaining about his writing style even????) you would have thought he let the anti christ into his home.
So please do not allow this tiny few to ruin what was a great post. Please write a follow up, and next time just ignore these uptight people.
The sink idea is pretty neat.
Yeah so I can kind of understand where everyone is coming from, and Joshua’s comment helped a great deal, I wrote in to the blog because I have artist studio/music studio visits and folks trip out big time on this space….I’ve had a number of folks tell me to share this publicly, and I have in the past on my own websites, (currently really just one as I am pretty focused on the music aspect of what I do, traveling, and recording), so I sent an email, and some photos…I read this blog a lot because mostly when I’ve been booking tours lately I’ve made certain the accomodations from the booking or venue was a yurt 🙂 …and I’m also kind of thinking of building some sort of small structure for the ‘yard’, so I’m looking for easy ideas, and things that can be done with all recycled materials, are green, portable, etc….I really didn’t set out to make this place like an ‘off grid oasis’ but it turned out that way, like I said, I’m not breaking any laws, everyone involved knows full well what’s going on here, and really use it as a studio space, I do stay here sometimes, and I do have guest musicians and artists from out of town, basically I found this building, wanted it badly, but no running water…I had no clue how to make it work so that I would have a toilet, running water, sink, shower, etc…(if needed, and I do need these things), so I sat with drawing books and ‘figured it out’, used all recycled materials, (minus some ‘parts’ from the hardware store), and just did it, it was way more industrial about half a year ago, I was using as mostly art studio, but my focus now is on music so its not as industial, more home(ish) and it would look like a ‘house’, but the whole back half is just for playing music, I don’t sit and hang out there, if I did id be ‘working’ 🙂 ….so….I decided to share it with tiny house blog, as per reccomendations of friends, artists, musicians that visit….and yeah it seems real ‘weird’, not a ‘tiny house’, I sort of live here (sometimes stay), but all the fixtures, sink, shower, toilet, passive solar, wood heat, etc….is what I felt to be of interest, and the fact that EVERYTHING even the art/instruments/furniture, is recycled, reused, reclaimed….so I’m my humble opinion, isn’t that what ‘low impact’/’earth friendly’ living/building is all about?! …so thus the article…yeah some narrow mindedness, but its due to the fact that some things are simply not explained in the body of the article, also little ‘agreements’ and the like, not present, I have had to clarify this stuff. But all in all with an open mind, and really looking into what this is, people are getting it, for me its all of what is in the body of the article and all the comments I’ve personally made, plus a lot of other comments have ‘made me think’, so its also enriched what this is! (Thanks for that…and that would be most all the positive and intelligent comments)! There is a lot to ‘explain’ here, and there is definitely a lot to think about, and there is space that leaves things to the imagination, and/or open to interpretation, such as legaity, etc. But for me that’s not an issue, for others it totally would be! So I understand (actually better now) everything posted here, I like it, I haven’t checked the stats on our music but I’m betting they sort of skyrocketed 🙂 so I smile writing that! I love that our studio (and all that it is) is public, and I love hearing the feedback! I’m somewhat of a public figure anyhow, so being on the spot is no big deal, and I love to write, perform, speak publicly, etc….and none of this is hidden, I’m pretty open to criticism, (I didn’t mention an addition to my degree in anthopology is another B.A. in philosphy), so while I understand the negitive comments, I can easily ‘pick them apart piece by piece and just sort of smile, (if you know what I mean…because they are in themselves meaningless to me, absurd, and basically I think uninformed, closed minded, etc…and the positive comments are great it one tells me what I do is ‘good’, but gives me further inspiration and ideas for what have you! All in all I think once I started posting the comments got a lot more positive and also it informed as to the issues raised in the ‘negative’ comments…basically I’ve shared this space publicly a lot, but not to this lage of an audience, just to people interested in what I personally do, so I’m glad ALL of this is up, good, bad, whatever, because even just this comment board is like a philosphical dialogue that is speaking to everyone reading it, posting, etc….and raises issues that are very pertinant to the ‘green building’ movement, and to anyone I would bet interested in this blog site! That’s due to all the thoughts and comments posted…..its something to think about, and relate to however one would want, I’m trying no to be too judgmental, because everything on here, the article, post has some kind of value in a persons life, so this is my ‘follow up’ if folks want I could take some more photos or whatever, I’m not certain how exactly the blog site works, but for me I’ve said all I need to say, and do what you will with it. Its certainly enriched my thinking to have this feedback, I was pretty weirded out at first but I can totally understand now why…..so again, thanks for sharing this Kent, and thanks to the folks that like what’s going on in this space, and I really hope I cleared the air for the negitive comments, and hopefully addressed most or all of the issues spoken upon here! (And sorry for the typos), I’m doing all this mobile and on way slow internet so it leaves out letters here and there 🙂 ALL THE BEST TO EVERYONE, AND A HUGE THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THIS SPACE AND THE IDEALISM, PHILOSOPHY, FUNCTIONALITY, ETC. OF WHAT THIS SPACE IS ABOUT! Matthew-
Why these negative comments?
We have been undergoing a very fundamental change socially, environmentally, and especially economically ever since the housing bubble collapsed.
Think of the enormous number of people who obtained their living from, on the one hand, the dozens of fees attached to the closing costs, or, on the other hand, the dozens of fees attached to the construction review process.
A rapidly rising market, like we had for 30 years, encouraged more and more of these fees as well as new norms regarding size, scope and “basic” living standards. In a rising market the buyer or builder, could dismiss these changes or even take advantage of them. The collapsing market, however, shined a very bright light, revealing the utter disproportion of all of this to the changing reality.
For the time being we are still stuck with the same financial institutions, the same construction industry, the same regulatory and legal framework that evolved over this period and ended up becoming so very dependent upon this enormous exercise in excess. (And, I can add from personal experience, most of these interests are still firmly committed and conceptually tied to the assumptions that built the bubble).
Little wonder that all those still vested in the front side of the bubble are nervous, and express their anxiety on these pages.
What makes it even more distressing is that current rapid advances in water, energy and environmental technologies, support the micro home alternative and render it safer and much lower impact than what is mandated as legal. (One recent study showed that vaporization during the flushing cycle left persistent germs on the underside of toilet seats–not a problem with composting toilets. The list could go on and on).
Most interested in tiny footprints/tiny living are also healthier because of their lifestyle choices. Walking when plausible, eating real food in lieu of food products, in fresh air more than not by opting for outdoor hobbies vs. facebook…mall…etc. Their homes tend to be healthier in areas for the same reasons…no carpet because it isn’t healthy..which eliminates need for vacuum. Manicured lawns are left in favor of mother nature’s design so again less money spent on ridiculous pursuits which leads to being healthier as well. Self sufficiency is more predominant than in Pleasantville, so money is not spent every repair and less runs to doctor for every sniffle. And not all are poor. They’re just not concerned with who knows it.
These are great ideas! I may likely use the toilet idea for my tiny house that I hope to build! Thanks. I will check it out in more debth after yoga.
Jeannine
Back from yoga and read a bunch of the string. Glad it came North after heading way far south with the negativity! I am very curious about indoor “composting toilets” and smell. Is it a problem having the smell waift through a tiny house with the commode inside? How often does one empty? Mathew, I may have missed some stuff (it wouldn’t be the first time!), but where are you located in your tiny sustainable home? Also, would have liked to see a pic to put a face behind the ideas (avitar way too small!
Thanks for shareing!
The inverted water container is a nice idea. Liked the story. Those two guys must be republicans.
Pedantic is the best way I could describe the digression of the conversation. It is sad how sanctimonious some people have gotten about who is better than who based on how small their house is.
REALLY? I just attended a workshop with Jay Shafer and apparently he is no longer considered to be a legit small house person according to some blogs, since he has a pregnant wife and child and lives in a 500s/f house, with a Tumbleweed as an office. Get over yourself people. Regarding the composting toilet. I started an experiment just within my regular bathroom and learned a big lesson. I originally just bought a big bag of kiln dried pine shavings from a pet store and odor was a real issue. I figured out my mistake and then got fresh damp sawdust from a local lumber yard. Night and day! Virtually no smell and what smell there is, is the earthy smell of the damp sawdust.
I read enough of the comments to just have to bypass the rest to comment myself. First of all, it is a commercial building and obviously property taxes are being paid on it. So the issue with Matthew voiding property taxes is a immature statement as with the term criminal. As far I see paying any kind of taxes is criminal because of mainly what they are being used for. The other reason is this fucked up government is too damn greedy to use them for the people, instead they are being used for wars and to make their selves richer.
The whole idea of coming up with ways to live smarter and cheaper is what this movement is all about and Jon must not be a happy camper where ever it is he has his tent pitched. People like him are all over the place, they are easy to spot due to their unhappiness and the viruses they spread to others throughout their days. Cheer up and and think about buying the world a coke so we all can live in perfect harmony. If we want negative issues then we will turn on the news dude.
And now I would like to comment on the original blog. Matthew, hats off to ya bro. No address is way cool and myself being an old Telluride, CO resident, your livin’ the dream. You mentioned a wood stove and to me that sounds like hot water when needed. At Lake Powell we use to use soft copper tubing coiled up in our fire pit, pulling water from the lake (12v pump) heating the water in the pit then filling a gigantic hole lined with thick plastic to make a hot tub on the beach. Of course we had an overflow tube to strategically route the water back into the lake not to disturb our beach area. Just an idea for ya as I do know it snows and rains in Colorado and reclaiming some of that H20 in a 55 gallon plastic drum, a home made hot tub could be an added attraction to your space. Good job!
Success my frend,doing what you love and living where you want.
Love the sink set up.
Would like to here your music and see some of your work.
Blaze your own trail, keep it going
I strongly agree! How about a follow up with some UTUBE’s of you playing some sweet tunes Matthew?
Great space! I think, sadly, the “laws” have not kept up with the reality of our disintegrating world. A pirmarily low energy use, recycled home is the way too go now, and anyone who doesn’t understand that needs to do more research. It is “illegal” for me to have a gray water system, although I live in the desert, why? Because the powers that be just don’t care. And I’m not rich, so I can’t legally challenge it in court, and have a long protracted court battle with the city. Do I care about the “law”? No. I will just work around it 🙂
Wow! Nice studio, I’m jelouse.
I didn’t see it mentioned, but how big is the space? Do you rent our is it something you own and built? Looks like the perfect size.
How are the accoustics? Hope you don’t mind the questions… but being into the arts myself and looking at others ideas for small live in studios.
I was in Denver a few months ago and they had at the library a display of photos on some community that built octo homes and a Yurt as well (i think) looked comfy. Can’t remember the name of the community, though you probably do.
Send your link, love to check out your music and art work. Oh, Nice Sitar. Is that your main instrument?
Nice job on your studio, looks great! Love to see the view come spring time… Bet that is something to see.
Take care,
– chase –