​I love to cook! I love prepping the food, smelling the food, arranging it on the plate, the whole experience. Now don’t get me wrong, I too, have my frozen pizza days but I find that I’m cooking much more these days than I used to and I attribute this to the balance that has been brought back into my life from going Tiny. Home cooked meals were usually one of the first things to go in my old gig. I came home mentally exhausted and honestly just wanting wine (not the healthiest of diets). So when I started rediscovering myself and this new lifestyle, I happily dusted off the recipes and donned an apron. 

My kitchen is, well, TINY. And I love it because it is also FUNCTIONAL.  I’ve been in some very large kitchens where drawers went unused because of where they were placed. Or loading the dishwasher was a pain because it was not close to the sink. Poor layout is a poor layout whether it’s in a large space or a small one. This is why a lot (I   mean A LOT) of time went into designing my kitchen area. 

Pulling on my process improvement background, I walked through the daily processes performed in the kitchen: washing dishes, throwing away trash, cooking, snacking, unloading groceries. If it happens in the kitchen, I thought about how it would work in a space one fourth the size I was used to. This is how our current design came to life and by working with our awesome builder it turned out even better than I originally imagined.
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Every inch of the space is used. We have a full stove, dishwasher, under cabinet trash (highly recommend if you have pets and to help with odors), a deep sink, produce baskets, a pantry, tons of storage and plenty of counter top space to prepare food 

Oddly enough we cook more meals and eat around a table as a family more often. Just this morning, I commented to my husband that we rarely eat in front of a TV now. I can’t put my finger on the “why” behind that change but I’m happy it has occurred. We pull out our space saving table and hidden stools each night (takes about 60 seconds) and purposefully connect with one another. It is a daily habit  that I’ve come to treasure each day. So yes, tiny kitchens+ good food can contribute to a fuller life (see what I did there 😉 )  

If you’re going tiny and wanting any tips on design efficiency feel free to reach out! I love nerding out on that stuff and be sure to join my facebook group to get the latest tiny life news. ​https://www.facebook.com/groups/479222586335815

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 It’s the most wonderful tiiiime of the year…. Too soon? It’s also heading into the coldest time of the year for many parts of the country and when you’re living tiny- that matters. Time to button down the hatches and winterize your little house so you can stay toasty warm!

So let's start with what winterizing means. Winterizing is when a tiny house is prepared for colder weather/climates. This includes protecting your hook ups, turning on your thermometer heater hose and ensuring you have insulated the base of your home to reduce cold and energy waste. 
First, your water hook ups. Just as with any type of faucet connection, if exposed to harsh cold climates these can freeze and bust. To avoid this, we have taken two preventative measures: a heated drinking water hose and an insulated outdoor faucet cover (links below to the ones I recommend).  

opThe hose is ideal for water line freezing protection down to -20 degrees! It has a sensor which activates when a certain temperature is reached outside and it will keep the hose warm enough to continue the flow of water. The insulated outdoor faucet cover is waterproof and reusable. Insulating your water spigot will help prevent bursting and blowouts. By implementing these two super simple solutions you’ll be saving yourself headaches and possibly expensive repairs. 

Now onto skirting your trailer! This step in winterizing is extremely important because it protects the undercarriage of your house. Skirting acts as a barrier to keep cold air out and contains the warm air inside. The following benefits are achieved through this preventive step:

• Protects pipes underneath house
• Saves energy (you won’t have to use your heater as much because warm air is contained underneath and cold air is blocked)
• Keeps critters out
• Gives your house a cleaner, completed look 

​There are some extremely innovative ideas out there for skirting a tiny home; I went pretty traditional and snagged some used trailer skirting online. We first used foam board insulation (yep that ugly pink stuff) and cut it to fit tightly around the base of the trailer. After securing it with strong double sided tape, we placed our siding over it and secured the panels with small carpenter nails. To give it a more polished look we capped the siding on the top.

Other options for siding include using billboard canvas! You can purchase used billboards (Yay upcycling) for a reasonable price and attach it to your trailer frame. Another look that I love is painting the board insulation a different color and then placing lattice on the outside.

While this does take a bit of investment and some elbow grease, it is well worth it to protect your house and keep you warmer!  Happy Winterizing- Who wants hot chocolate?!