The No News is No News Purgatory Thread, Volume 9

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Maryn

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Having lived where it's ungodly hot and where winters are ungodly long, I'll take winter for the win.

I tried on a new thumb stabilizer at Walgreen's. It's better than the one I have on, whose Velcro is beginning to fail, but they wanted $21.99 for it. That's a lot for a person whose September check is not yet in the bank. I found it online for $12.50, so now the question is, should I just order two once I have some money?

I'm intrigued, Dys, by what motivates you and T to want a tiny house in particular. The cost? Having to live simply without acquiring "stuff"? How adorable they can be? How cozy you two will be in one?

BTW, do you know about Houzz? It's a website with lots of tips for building, renovating, decor, etc. Their daily emails often include links to tiny houses and info about them.

Maryn, who wants a ginormous house and someone else to clean it
 

dystophil

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Depends on how urgently you need one. If the old one still hangs on, maybe wait a few days?

I'm intrigued, Dys, by what motivates you and T to want a tiny house in particular. The cost? Having to live simply without acquiring "stuff"? How adorable they can be? How cozy you two will be in one?

BTW, do you know about Houzz? It's a website with lots of tips for building, renovating, decor, etc. Their daily emails often include links to tiny houses and info about them.

Maryn, who wants a ginormous house and someone else to clean it

Honestly? All of the above. Affordability is a huge factor, since we want the freedom to travel and not be over our ears in debt, but living simpler is just as big of a factor. We never wanted a big house and the more we looked into tiny houses, the more appealing they became, given our lifestyle and wanting a space that we could truly make "ours", which is often something you can't really do or afford with a "big" house.

Maintenance is another huge thing. Cleaning for one will take like half an hour tops with one of these, but the other thing is actual maintenance. One of my big fears is "what if everything breaks?" as soon as I buy a house. None of us has that kind of financial freedom and with a smaller house it's often a simpler or cheaper fix, so that's what we're going for.

We also decided not to build our own from the ground up, but rather have someone else build it and then customize the interior as best fits our needs (one of the lofts will be a reading/writing nook for me and we're including a downstairs office space in the back etc.). There is a model made by Tumbleweed that fits our needs and wants perfectly and we'll visit to take a look next month over fall break and also "test rent" a tiny house that serves as a "hotel" up in Washington come spring break, that way we can actually see how living in one of these works for us.

Really, we're not looking to commit, because we won't have the money and financial stability to commit for another two years, so this is all super early planning and educating ourselves as much as possible.

Sorry about the giant post and thanks for the website recommendation. I did not know about that one!

Also, my lesson plans are written and laundry is in the dryer. I think it's just about time to read. :)
 

Parametric

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I don't think we have many US-style tiny houses in the UK, but I'd happily live in one. I rent a very small studio flat - I'd guess it's no bigger than 20ft by 12ft, total - but I have so few belongings that the place seems much bigger. You learn to live on a small scale. I own four plates, four bowls, four forks. No television. No sofa. Nothing big or expensive. Just me, my laptop and some books.
 

dystophil

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I don't think we have many US-style tiny houses in the UK, but I'd happily live in one. I rent a very small studio flat - I'd guess it's no bigger than 20ft by 12ft, total - but I have so few belongings that the place seems much bigger. You learn to live on a small scale. I own four plates, four bowls, four forks. No television. No sofa. Nothing big or expensive. Just me, my laptop and some books.

It's pretty much the same here. We don't really own much as is and furniture etc. can be sold at a yard sale. It's IKEA stuff, so nothing expensive. The most "stuff" I have are books (which I have now less than half of what I used to) and clothes, both things I'm able and in the process of downsizing further, so it's pretty much just us, the cats and our gadgets. I like it that way.

Also, we'll totally invite everyone to a Tiny House Warming Party once we have one. Though that party may spill over into the yard really quickly. ;)
 
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elinor

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Yes write a frantic email to your professor asking for your groups email addresses and including mention of them maybe presenting tomorrow, and THEN notice that you wrote down on the paper syllabus that the presentation dates had been changed to next week. Good idea.
 

Maryn

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Follow up that frantic email with a quick "Whew, I see it's moved to next week. Where was that note when I was freaking out?" S/He will laugh rather than think you're some weirdo.

Maryn, professor-mom
 

Maryn

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Caleb, I'm not familiar. What's a cob house (corn cobs?) and pretty please link to pictures?

My WIP includes a cobblestone house, and in my research I learned nearly all of them are within 50 miles of where I live--except for those they can trace to people who lived here in the 1830s, built them, then migrated to other places, mainly Kansas and Wisconsin, and built them there. Fascinating.

I've long wanted to live in one, but they rarely go on the market, and when they do, they cost a bundle--or are falling down for want of maintenance for the last hundred years or so.

Maryn, whose suburban tract house is pretty boring, though it suits her needs
 

CalebJMalcom

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Cob is uses earth as a primary building material. They are sturdy with high thermal mass. Some have survived hurricanes in florida. They can be as large or small as you want. Their over all impact on the environment is low. Some people put more traditional roofs on them others have living or green roofs. As long as you plaster them well they stand the test of time. Their versitile and free form on their construction. I've seen tiny homes around 300 square feet up to huge mansions. I've been researching them for around 8 years now and when every I buy property again I will be building a cob house on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob_(material)
http://www.thiscobhouse.com/
http://www.barefootbuilder.com/faq.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/cob-building-basics-zm0z13onzrob.aspx#axzz3CD7syPV7
http://www.barefootbuilder.com/faq.html
http://www.cobprojects.info/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...als-skips--current-tenant-pays-rent-MILK.html
http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-homes/cob-building-basics-zm0z13onzrob.aspx#axzz3CD7syPV7

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=cob house < here you can find lots and lots and lots of pictures of cob buildings
 

dystophil

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Caleb, have you seen this guy's video on his huge cob "mansion" project? T and I were watching that a while back and it's crazy. Cool idea though.

Not going that route. I'd rather pay a well-known contractor to build a Tiny House for us and then customize the crap out of it. This is what we're looking at.

Back to school craziness here and I actually feel like I may start to see land again in terms of prep and being super busy.

Also, picked up my ComicCon stuff today. I can't go on Thursday, but I'm meeting John Barrowman on Friday and Alan Tudyk on Saturday. :)
 

Tasmin21

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Tell John that I love him, Dys! And recommend my books to famous people who might talk about them to others.

Tas, shameless
 

Calla Lily

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Totally vegged tonight. Looked online for reasonably priced steampunk outfits.

I'll pause while you all laugh at that impossible adjective.

I'm going to piece something together from stuff on sale at different places, I think. I love so many of the outfits I saw, but :eek:.
 

dystophil

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Tell John that I love him, Dys! And recommend my books to famous people who might talk about them to others.

Tas, shameless

Will do! There will be photographic evidence. Also, I may be dressing up as a fem Captain Jack Harkness, just because. :)

Yep, steampunk stuff is expensive, even if you make it yourself, because it depends on the fabric and such.
 

CalebJMalcom

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Caleb, have you seen this guy's video on his huge cob "mansion" project? T and I were watching that a while back and it's crazy. Cool idea though.

Not going that route. I'd rather pay a well-known contractor to build a Tiny House for us and then customize the crap out of it. This is what we're looking at.

I have read about that guy. I wish him the best of luck.

Also I LOVE tumbleweed. I've considered buying the plans for some of the smallest of the houses and build one for longer road tripping purposes.

Caleb, I just started looking at pics of cob houses. Now I want one. They look like hobbit houses!!

The initial up front labor is high but I'm so in love with them. The freestyle format and how natural they are just suits me.
 

suki

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Hi all. Happy Wednesday! :D

Feeling optimistic today. Don't know why. But I'll take it.

I like our nice, big, with lots of room, house. We sometimes talk about the fact that I could work part time faster if we had a smaller house with a smaller mortgage, but the trade off of a few more years full time is worth it. We like having people stay with us, and room so we can each be creative in our own spaces. :)

Dys -- have fun at ComicCon!

Lily -- sometimes you just need to veg.

~suki
 

Calla Lily

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I like our house because it has an upstairs. :) I grew up in a 4-room house in the inner city and I always wanted to go upstairs in my own place. Plus, the mortgage is affordable.
 

Tasmin21

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Having a pretty crappy day, which promises to leak into subsequent days and get progressively worse, so I've decided to just have a poor me party tonight.

Just once, could something go my way? Something bigger than finding a dollar on the sidewalk or NOT getting crapped on by a bird? (because while wonderful, I'm looking for a bit bigger payout here)
 

Maryn

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Oh, are we snorpling? I snorple you all. Probably not as well as Lily does, but she's got more experience.

Mr. Maryn is watching baseball and the sound's too loud. He says he can't hear it if he turns it down. I have headphones and music and still cannot edit because I'm hearing every word of commentary in the adjacent living room and our bedroom overhead. I am trying not to be annoyed, since he doesn't often act this clueless and uncaring. How'm I doin'?

Maryn, thinking maybe a glass of wine...
 

Tasmin21

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Maryn - drink the wine, club him with the empty bottle.

Tas, grumpy at the universe
 
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