housetheseibertsbuilt
housetheseibertsbuilt
| Forum role | Member since | Last activity | Topics created | Replies created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Jul 31, 2012 (13 years) |
- | 1 | 3 |
- Forum role
- Member
- Member since
Jul 31, 2012 (13 years)
- Last activity
- -
- Topics created
- 1
- Replies created
- 3
Bio
Hi! My name is Jenny and my husband's name is Mathew. We have decided that the whole "buying a house thing" is overrated. Besides, what am I learning when I buy a house? (No, this is not an Onion article; bear with me...) After we've watched the Sallie Mae people run around trying to align our credit star numbers and we've signed a bunch of papers, we are left worrying about the potential house problems we've inherited. ("Why is there no air vent for the kitchen sink?" and "I'd rather have that cabinet on this side.") We are also trying our hardest to accept the fact that a large percentage of our house payment is not actually a house payment at all, but a fee and a government "gift." Can someone say, "no taxation..."? I don't think anyone could sum up my view of home ownership in the United States better than Joel Salatin: "Why saddle ourselves with a lifetime of debt, and saddle the next generation with our mistakes by building houses that will last a century?...We need to keep the door of innovation, creativity and refinement swinging freely for the next generation." While there are many positive things about buying a house (I am, after all, writing this in the comfort of my mom's home), my husband and I decided that we want more control over our home's evolution. We want to be able to know what was used in the building and construction so that there are no surprises. We also want to simplify our lives, to have and need less stuff. We want to work less and have more free time to spend with people we care about. "For he who does not have two thirds of his day to himself is a slave," as stated by Nietzsche, so it must be true. :)
We decided the only way to accomplish the aforementioned goals is to build a tiny house, with our own hands. Building a tiny home, in general, is more cost-effective in many ways: no mortgage (we are building it little by little), and lower energy and resource expenditure. Also, because you have less room, you are less likely to buy a bunch of stuff to fill your giant house. It is also easier to maintain a sustainable lifestyle in a small area.
For the long-term we'd like to build our own tiny house on a foundation in a TBD location. We just don't know where that location is at the moment. So we decided building a tinier, less costly house that is moveable satisfies our needs in the short-term and gives us the opportunity to "practice" our evolving skill set, which is something we'll need when we construct our more permanent tiny home later. This makes more sense to us than buying a house and trying to sell it after two or three years. (Again, this would not be possible without my mom so graciously letting us stay at her house and letting us use her land to build on!) Most importantly, the overall learning experience is priceless, cannot be devalued and is able to be passed down generations with high growth potential. Therefore, it's a good spiritual and cultural investment. So join us on our journey as we build a tiny home on wheels!
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