I was so happy to have found my tiny house, but after I put my deposit down I had a sleepless night wondering if I was going to be able to park it at my mother's house as I had envisioned. As all tiny house people know it is not technically legal to live in an RV parked on your property within most city boundaries. No one actually checks, but it is a complaint driven ordinance so any neighbor who objects can become the source of your eviction. I studied the neighborhood on google maps and saw that there was a very large RV parked in the driveway of a nearby property, but my spot was not paved and pavement was likely a requirement. All kinds of hinderances loomed in my mind.
The next morning my mother voiced her concerns too and we agreed that it was not a good place. I was so set on this being where I would put the tiny house that I had jumped headlong into ownership. It is not my style to birth the baby first and then look for a place to house it. But in the tiny house community people do it all the time. Or so I'm told.
Before I gave up my deposit I was determined to give it my best shot and leave no stone unturned in looking for a place to park it. I wrote up my own craigslist ad using the glamour shot of the tiny house that had won my heart and earnestly listed all that I might offer in exchange. I posted the link to the ad on Facebook and Twitter and to Nextdoor and to my professional colleagues Yahoo group. My friends and contacts sent encouraging responses and reposted the link ten times making me feel immensely supported in my quest. Here I include my ad for reference:
"Hello my name is Amanda. It has been my dream to live in a tiny house and now I have found the tiny house of my dreams. I am looking for a place to park it (and live in it) in exchange for a little rent ($300-$600) and/or trade for any of my many skills in organizing, home maintenance, carpentry, gardening, cob building, mud hut building, shoemaking!, sewing and generally being a conscientious, useful person to have around while I write my next book and continue with my organizing business. This could be a win win solution for anyone needing help on an ongoing basis even if just for six months to a year.
I have been a professional organizer for the last 20 years specializing in chronic disorganization, ADHD and hoarding. I have experience as a manager of construction projects. I have also developed vegetable gardens, solar powered projects and rainwater collection systems. I have designed and constructed closet storage systems and outdoor storage. An onsite workshop or work space will facilitate what I can do. I can help you take care of and develop your property, take care of your animals. I am extremely patient and skilled in communicating and synthesizing different points of view. I have experience teaching kids to sew. I work well with elderly people. I love dogs and cats. I also have experience with horses.
The tiny house is on a 7 x 14 trailer in need of a 13ft clearance. (About the size of a boat on a trailer in terms of footprint.) It is the smallest possible tiny home (7x14), but quite tall at 12 feet so is a livable space that will be fully self-contained with own bathroom and cooking facility. It is on wheels so can be moved and does not conflict with building codes as it is considered an RV. I will need a hose nearby and an electrical outlet to draw power for lights and computers, an electric kettle, toaster oven and hot pot."
I did get a handful of responses from people across the bay which would mean a complete change in my usual rounds. I was not quite ready to do that. I spent the weekend at a house party asking everyone present their opinion until finally I weighed my decision based on whether I would more regret walking away from this purchase or buying it and taking the risk of having to struggle to park it or ending up paying money to store it and not being able to live in it. This unknown future might entail moving out of the area or even the state. I decided that I would more regret walking away for I would always wonder what adventures I would have.
That weekend I got an e-mail from an acquaintance I knew from my Buddhist mediation center. We had done some solar oven demonstrations together, but I had not spoken to her in some time. She said she had a spot that might work in her backyard and she could use my help with her vegetable farm and eco projects. This was just the kind of exchange I was looking for. Best of all it was only ten minutes away from my current home. I went to see it as soon as I got home. The space was just big enough, but there was a lot of bottle brush and a kiwi arbor that would need cutting back hard. It could not be made ready in time for delivery.
I had one other option. My dad's house would be perfect especially for finishing the build. There was plenty of room in the driveway which was a cul-de-sac behind a neighbor's house out of view of the street. Only problem was he had been dead 14 years and the house was now owned by my step mother. She and I had not been in each other's lives much at all since his passing. It took me a few days to get my mind around asking her for any favors. I finally decided to keep an open heart for the possibility that she might be waiting for the opportunity to do something for me if I would only ask. I decided to be very specific in my request, explain the situation and ask for a month to park there. And I could certainly help her out with the yard and household chores while I was there.
She was out of town; when I was finally able to reach her she simply wanted to know if the house would block her way to parking her car in the garage. It would not and save for telling the neighbors she had no other concerns. I was relieved. After a tense two weeks I had some breathing room. I had reached out to so many people through so many venues, I realized it truly did take a village to live tiny.
A week later I had other offers from complete strangers who had randomly come across my post on craigslist. Two nearby wanted to support my efforts with generous terms charging no rent at all and just having me watch the house while they were away or they just wanted to see how a tiny house would work on their property. Another wanted to start a goat herd with my help. A third wanted some rent, 10-15 hours of my time per week to watch their two children and teach them the skills I had listed in my ad. In terms of my hourly rate this was the most expensive housing option I'd ever come across and I politely declined. I was already good. The tiny house not only had a place to birth it had forced me to reach out to my community and in doing so repair the past.
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