Cornerstone Tiny Open House!

If you missed the Cornerstone Tiny Open House yesterday; let me give you a re-cap.

Cornerstone Tiny Homes are now RVIA certified!

(Open House welcome center)

“We are proud to distinguish ourselves with this prestigious certification. Owning a tiny house that is RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association) certified allows you to enjoy living tiny with peace of mind. The industry standard increases options for financing, insurance, parking, and rental/resale of your Tiny House RV. We’ll provide more information on the key advantages of owning one of our RVIA certified tiny houses soon, or you can call, email, visit our website (www.cornerstonetinyhomes.com) or visit us at our manufacturing facility (please call for an appointment first).”

Hanging the new RVIA signs.

https://youtu.be/PlmodtILR8w

https://youtu.be/AGRz_xr1tb4

Be prepared for many pictures in this blog post. First I would like to show the interior/exterior of one of their new models that has been finished. And remember – everything is customizable!

28 feet long tiny home.

Entry way into tiny home.

Loft space.

Stairs leading up to loft.

 

Including closet and storage space built in.

More storage space… Which doubles into…

Another bed!

Washer & dryer stackable unit.

Ceiling fan above the kitchen and living space.

Kitchen space.

Additional storage/display area above the kitchen countertops.

Mimi-split air conditioning unit.

Plenty of windows for light to shine through.

Bathroom sink (also includes shower to the right and regular flush standard toilet to the left).

Can’t forget the tiny home amenities!

Hard at work in the office.

Cornerstones first tiny house (my own).

So there you have it! Cornerstone is also in the process of building two more tiny homes to be completed shortly.

Thank you to those who stopped by and to all of my readers!

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Tiny House Talk

Recently I was featured on www.tinyhousetalk.com. A beautiful resource on the tiny house movement that is very inclusive of all types of “tiny”; including micro, tiny and small.

The site is probably best explained by the creator himself, Alex Pino. So here in his own words is why he created the site:

About Tiny House Talk:
“Hi, I’m Alex Pino. In 2007 I started to simplify because I wanted to take more control over my life, was unhappy with where I was at and wanted to do something about it.
So by 2009 I went from working as a government computer technician and living in a 1400 square foot home…
To writing about tiny houses and simple living while building my own Internet publishing business out of a 500-square-foot apartment. Since then I’ve tried living out of my backpack and explored many tiny and small homes of all kinds.
In 2009 I created Tiny House Talk and the Tiny House Newsletter because I wanted to share my passion for living smaller and being more purposeful with anyone who was also interested. And that’s still what I’m doing today. So this is a place for you to explore and share inspiring simple living stories.
From people who live in 120 sq. ft. tiny houses on wheels to those who live in 825 sq. ft. solar powered homes and just about anything else in between.
The purpose of Tiny House Talk is to spread the message of freedom, peace and happiness through simple living.

(Andrea and Me In Front of One of Dan Louche’s Tiny Houses)

In March of 2010 I got to attend Jay Shafer’s tiny house workshop in Orlando, Florida.
This helped me gain an understanding on how to build a house, when I do it myself.

But I couldn’t stop there. And I still wasn’t ready to tackle a build by myself, so..
In July 2011 I attended Derek “Deek” Diedricksen’s Micro Building Workshop
In July of 2011 I was invited to attend Deek’s micro building workshop.
This was another opportunity for me to learn from someone who has designed and built several micro structures.

Building Your Own Tiny House:
If you need help building, designing or getting your own tiny house built start with my free eBook, Plans to Build Your Own Tiny House.

Read more at http://tinyhousetalk.com/about/#yhAcbqsxko7oRAie.99”

I have come back to his website and blog many times and will keep continuing to do so… I highly suggest that you go and check it out!

tiny time for BIG honest

I LOVE living in a THOW community. I never have had any regrets since I took the leap of moving into my THOW. I do believe though, as a THOW owner and full time resident, that there are some things that should be considered when thinking of going “THOW” tiny. These are a few things I have experienced since living in my THOW.

1. Space Boundaries: I get along with my neighbors great! The reality is though, that there are just some people out there that for whatever reason, just may not like you; no matter how kind of a person your are. Personally, as a community resident I welcome my friends to sit on my back patio (even when I am not there), allow my next door neighbor to use my hose (since he doesn’t have a dual hook-up for his own), help put together community cookouts, etc…. Buttttt… Here are some of the downfalls… since living here I have had the water to my house (the connection is outside) shut off four times. I know it’s not my neighbor, who is the only one that uses my water connection (the hose), so it is just something I have experienced and have no idea why someone would do that. I also find garbage around my house at times. I get it, it happens, it could even be the wind blowing it by my THOW and getting caught in my landscaping, but all I know is that I pick up after myself.
2. Hot water: This is a tricky one, so let me explain. I have a tankless water heater. Since the day I moved in it has been consistent; if it is between 6-7am or after 8pm I have perfectly endless hot water. So, theoretically, that shows me that my tankless water heater works. Yet during the rest of the day when I try to take a shower I am not getting hot water (and I mean unbearably cold!). I can’t seem to figure it out – am I not getting hot water during that period of day because it is during the time of day that the rest of the community is using hot water as well? On the other side of it, being that I have a tankless water heater, the use of water from the rest of the park shouldn’t matter! I have not addressed the issue with the park owner, park manager or my builder and have just learned to live with it thus far. It’s one of those things that cannot be possible, but it is.
3. Privacy: As an Ayurvedic practitioner I do much of my work from home. I run my own website, do my own marketing, research/write and submit articles to publish, sell product, etc. One of the things that you give up living in a tiny home is privacy. My neighbors understand not to knock on my door (they can text me to see if I am busy) but I can’t control the people who think it is OK to knock on the door of my home (or try and peer through my windows). My largest concern with this (other than being interrupted from my work) is that I have a dog who spends a lot of time up in my loft while I am working. When someone knocks on my door she immediately bolts down the stairs (more like tumbles – only because the knocking startles her) and I am terrified because I know that at some point it is going to cause her an injury. I plan on buying a “please do not disturb” or “please check in with the front office” sign to hang by my door in the hopes that it will help. Our community open houses have helped reduce the number of random knocks, but it is definitely something I would have reconsidered had I known it would be such an issue (I suppose I thought… “I don’t just randomly go up to other peoples homes and knock on their door to ask for a tour, so why would my home be any different?”). Don’t get me wrong, I know people want tours of tiny homes (I mean I did too) – but I didn’t realize the lack of (for use of a better term) “common sense” some people would (or would not) have about it. When I originally wanted to see a tiny home for the first time, I called and scheduled it. Pictures from a community open house:
4. Time Management: When living by yourself in a THOW, it can be a lot of work. So that is definitely something all people should take into consideration when looking to go tiny. Since I don’t do much cooking at home and only have a mini-fridge, I have to consider the time it takes out my day (or every two days) to go out for food. Just a little example… I need to manage my days around taking care of my dog, work/bills, shopping/errands, cleaning/laundry, working out, being of service to others and trying to have a social life when I can lol.

Moral of the story?

No matter where, or how, you live – there will always be struggles. I don’t regret living in my THOW – not for a minute; but there definitely are things to consider when looking to live in one yourself.