Tiny House

[DawnM]

I have a question.  

 

And maybe some of you who camp or have a pop up camper or whatever can answer.

 

One thing I could not do.  Really, just could not do, is live in a tiny house/trailer that didn't have running water.  The compost toilets or the ones that have the plastic thing like a diaper pail and twist after you go.......yuck, yuck, yuck.

 

I have been watching Tiny House Nation some and the people who opt for no running water astound me.

 

Could you do it?

 

 

 

 

 

[Amira]

I think running water should be a basic human right and I don't think anyone should have to be without it. If you don't want it, that's fine, but I cannot understand it.

 

I lived in a house once with no plumbing in the kitchen (it did have bathroom plumbing in a separate building) and it significantly increased the time I spent on housework.

[Guest]

Yes, my grandparents farmhouse did not have running water. Not a big deal to use the well and we learned plenty of science as well as the habit of not wasting water.

[Mimm]

I think running water should be a basic human right and I don't think anyone should have to be without it. If you don't want it, that's fine, but I cannot understand it.

 

I lived in a house once with no plumbing in the kitchen (it did have bathroom plumbing in a separate building) and it significantly increased the time I spent on housework.

 

:iagree:

 

I was reading once about women in some rural part of Africa having to haul water on a daily basis from an hour away (on foot of course) and I was blown away that this was a part of their daily lives. How much would their lives be improved if only that one thing changed and they were able to put that effort toward something else for their families. And when you think on a global scale how many hours of people's lives are spent simply providing water for their family... It's something I think about when I don't want to do dishes.

[DawnM]

I grew up in rural Africa.  

 

Yes, carrying water is very much a part of some people's lives, and not good water at that.

 

In our house, we had to boil water for a solid 20 minutes before we could drink it.  We did have a rainwater container and caught as much as we could, but buying water wasn't a "thing" when I was a kid, and the nearest grocery store was over an hour away and sometimes in not passable dirt roads.

 

Our house did have running water as we lived next to the waterfall and they were able to plumb it in.  However, during droughts, we learned to bathe in 6 inches of water in the bottom of a bucket.  And we did sometimes use outhouses.  BUT, I would never CHOOSE to do that now if I didn't have to.

 

We were fortunate, we lived near the hospital, so we had more amenities.  We even had a full 6 hours of electricity per day.

 

Now, in the city, they had far more amenities.

[DawnM]

I can use an outhouse or portapotty if necessary, but that going into a plastic and twisting thing creeps me out.

[Amira]

Outhouses don't bother me either (and in many respects, I think they're easier to keep clean), but I do want a shower, especially in a cold place. A warm shower makes up for a cold house. I also wish every woman had access to a washing machine since that's hard, long work even with the most basic of clothing and linens available.

[JustEm]

I could do it short term but I certainly wouldn't want to

[DawnM]

Outhouses don't bother me either (and in many respects, I think they're easier to keep clean), but I do want a shower, especially in a cold place. A warm shower makes up for a cold house. I also wish every woman had access to a washing machine since that's hard, long work even with the most basic of clothing and linens available.

 

 

Yeah, I am thinking more about people actually CHOOSING to live this way.  It astounds me.  Why would you choose it if you didn't really have to.  

 

You know what I would love to see?  I would love to see one of these tiny house shows do a follow up 3 years later and see if these people are still in their tiny houses and still love them.

[Amira]

Yeah, I am thinking more about people actually CHOOSING to live this way. It astounds me. Why would you choose it if you didn't really have to.

 

You know what I would love to see? I would love to see one of these tiny house shows do a follow up 3 years later and see if these people are still in their tiny houses and still love them.

That I'd love to see.

 

And sorry for derailing your thread. It's just surprising to me that people would choose that. :)

[DawnM]

That I'd love to see.

 

And sorry for derailing your thread. It's just surprising to me that people would choose that. :)

 

Oh, not a problem to derail, it is just that I was asking if you could live like this if you have to.  

 

No one can argue that it would be wonderful if everyone had access to fresh water, running water, etc.....I wish everyone had it too.

 

And there are many organizations putting in wells and allowing people better access.  It would be wonderful if everyone gave something towards that end.

[historically accurate]

My mother lived in an RV for several years. She had a shower and a flush toilet. She just had to empty the tanks once a week or so. Not bad.

 

I just watched one of those tiny house shows, and the people built a house without an indoor kitchen or a shower.  It did have a cassette toilet though. We had a cassette toilet in our pop-up camper when the kids were little. It was DH's job to clean it when we came back. There is no way I could deal with it long-term - it requires a lot of high water pressure to clean it properly.

 

I don't know anything about the new composting toilets, so I don't know how bad those are to deal with.

[Cinder]

I wouldn't choose it for myself. My mom grew up in a rural home where they had separate buildings for kitchen, bath and sleeping. The kitchen house had running water and a water heater. The bath house had running water but not heated. I still remember, as a kid, hearing Mom talk about how important it was *to her* to have hot running water in the bath as well as the kitchen.

 

I've seen a few tiny house episodes on HGTV and I distinctly remember thinking some of those people seem to want to join in on the trend just for the bragging rights. We've been tent camping for a week at a time where there was only a cold water pipe--I couldn't live like that for an extended period. I could easily live in a tiny house if it had hot running water and indoor plumbing--like a regular house/apartment. Dh would not--well maybe if he had a giant workshop and acres of land to play on. But he grew up in a fairly small apartment with his parents and I think he doesn't want to live in such close quarters if he doesn't have to.

[City Mouse]

The composting toilet doesn't bother me near as much as no hot showers.

[Pawz4me]

I could do it but I sure wouldn't want to. It's one of the reasons we bought a bigger RV that has all the comforts and conveniences of home. ;) 

[kroe1]

I live in a Class B RV about 20 days a month. It has tanks for water storage. I fill the tanks every 5 days or so. The toilet flow, sink drainage, etc. also goes to tanks which get dumped every 4 days or so. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes for each chore. No walking for miles to a stream or boiling water is needed.

 

Since I live alone when I am in the RV, it works. But, I only have about 100 sq. ft. What amazes me is that people think they can live with others in these tiny homes. I wonder how many we see on tv, give it up in a year.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Minniewannabe

[Guest]

 

 

I don't know anything about the new composting toilets, so I don't know how bad those are to deal with.

The composting toilets installed at the state parks here are nice. They were put in about five years ago. No odor, and they are heated, plus have natural and solar lighting. A large improvement over an outhouse and they look a lot nicer on the environment in terms of construction materials used than a deluxe portapotty.

[Guest]

Tiny houses, or grandma pods,seem to work when they are used as dorms or tents or hospital rooms. I can see them for families if there was a garage, A laundromat, and good weather for outdoor play elsewhere. The shower doesn't bother me, I was raised on a Navy shower, which I thought was better than a washtub where we had to haul water from the well.

[KungFuPanda]

I think people choose it for a variety of reasons. Paying no water bill might be appealing. Keeping 2-3 bathrooms clean is a chore most people would happily escape. In a nation with an obesity problem, adding some regular physical exercise to your day makes as much sense as a gym membership . . . I mean why PAY to exercise when you can save and do real work instead and there's no option to wimp out. Also, you would get USED to it. It seems like a big deal to switch from a tap to hauling spring water, but once it's part of your routine it doesn't feel like that big a deal. Finally, people who haul water don't WASTE it. I think people who choose to live this way probably plant themselves VERY near a safe water source so the hauling might amount to 100 yards at most.

[rose]

We live in a cabin that is a 16ft x 20ft house with three floors. The third floor is the attic and is about half the size because it's in the peek of the roof. In total we have about 600sq/ft. It's not exactly tiny but it's still small compared to normal houses. The dc sleep in the attic split into two rooms, the middle floor is our office, sewing space and storage. The mainfloor is the kitchen, living room and where my bed is. We use and composting outhouse and we don't have water running into our house although we do have a drain for it to run out.

 

We get our water from a hand pump that is about 4ft from our front door. Every morning we pump several buckets of water and bring it into a barrel in the house. We use that water for the day. Drinking water is pumped into glass gallon jugs so that it will stay cleaner. For laundry I have a standard electric washer but we hand pump the water for it and haul it in. We then capture the rinse water and use it for the next wash. We hang dry all our laundry.

 

I also don't have fridge, although I do have a deep freeze. I just use leftovers at the next meal. Produce keeps in the root cellar. We cook and heat with a traditional wood cook-stove. I actually really like cooking with wood now that I've got the hang of it. Our summers aren't so hot here and I use a crockpot and rice cooker a lot in the summer.

 

For bathing we have a plastic tub that is usually used watering livestock. I fill a bucket with warm water and scoop it over my head. It's really not that big a deal. I give all diaper wearing dc a bath in a rubbermaid every morning. We just dump the water from the tub into a bucket and send it down the drain. Sometimes I use it in the laundry.

 

We run our whole home on one electric circuit. This is way easier then you might think. It's also safe if you know what you're doing. Dh has some formal training in electricity so I'm comfortable with this.

 

The outhouse is just a bucket that we go in and then cover up with sawdust. When the bucket is full we dump it in a special compost. Each year we start a new pile and the old pile is left untouched for at least a year. At that point we use it for stuff like fruit. Technically it's supposed to be safe for your garden after a year but it's still a little icky to me even though all resemblance to sewage is gone. In the night we go in a bucket or jug and then take it out in the morning.

 

Honestly, the biggest deal to me is that I have a working washing machine. Hand washing laundry is so much work. The outhouse doesn't bother me at all. It's so much simpler. I never have to call a plumber or have leaks in my house.

 

Any questions?

[Guest]

 

 

Any questions?

Is it going to be a bandb when your dc grow up? You have good potential to attract romanticists who didn't experience the turn of the century farm life.

[rose]

Is it going to be a bandb when your dc grow up? You have good potential to attract romanticists who didn't experience the turn of the century farm life.

 

a bandb? I imagine that's a typo or else I'm totally missing something.

 

[Guest]

Bed and breakfast

[Guest]

I have, and could again.

 

I want to say that I could never walk any significant distance for water, but of course if I was in that situation, wanting to do it would have exactly zero to do with it and I'd do it.

 

But water on-site that has to be fetched  isn't a super big deal to me. That's exactly the kind of work I like doing, as a matter of fact.... Like I love to shovel snow. you have something to show for it. Washing dishes and similar household minutiae, otoh, is just never-ending slog.

 

Like someone else mentioned, the problem is not having a drain. A drain to take the water away from the house is a super must.

 

My priorities in order: {eta: internet lol}, drain, toilet, running household water.

Edited January 28, 2017 by OKBud

[KungFuPanda]

We live in a cabin that is a 16ft x 20ft house with three floors. The third floor is the attic and is about half the size because it's in the peek of the roof. In total we have about 600sq/ft. It's not exactly tiny but it's still small compared to normal houses. The dc sleep in the attic split into two rooms, the middle floor is our office, sewing space and storage. The mainfloor is the kitchen, living room and where my bed is. We use and composting outhouse and we don't have water running into our house although we do have a drain for it to run out.

 

We get our water from a hand pump that is about 4ft from our front door. Every morning we pump several buckets of water and bring it into a barrel in the house. We use that water for the day. Drinking water is pumped into glass gallon jugs so that it will stay cleaner. For laundry I have a standard electric washer but we hand pump the water for it and haul it in. We then capture the rinse water and use it for the next wash. We hang dry all our laundry.

 

I also don't have fridge, although I do have a deep freeze. I just use leftovers at the next meal. Produce keeps in the root cellar. We cook and heat with a traditional wood cook-stove. I actually really like cooking with wood now that I've got the hang of it. Our summers aren't so hot here and I use a crockpot and rice cooker a lot in the summer.

 

For bathing we have a plastic tub that is usually used watering livestock. I fill a bucket with warm water and scoop it over my head. It's really not that big a deal. I give all diaper wearing dc a bath in a rubbermaid every morning. We just dump the water from the tub into a bucket and send it down the drain. Sometimes I use it in the laundry.

 

We run our whole home on one electric circuit. This is way easier then you might think. It's also safe if you know what you're doing. Dh has some formal training in electricity so I'm comfortable with this.

 

The outhouse is just a bucket that we go in and then cover up with sawdust. When the bucket is full we dump it in a special compost. Each year we start a new pile and the old pile is left untouched for at least a year. At that point we use it for stuff like fruit. Technically it's supposed to be safe for your garden after a year but it's still a little icky to me even though all resemblance to sewage is gone. In the night we go in a bucket or jug and then take it out in the morning.

 

Honestly, the biggest deal to me is that I have a working washing machine. Hand washing laundry is so much work. The outhouse doesn't bother me at all. It's so much simpler. I never have to call a plumber or have leaks in my house.

 

Any questions?

See, this doesn't sound so bad to me. It would be harder with little kids, but my kids are big now and I could easily live this way for a month before it got old. I swear I need to drop off the grid for a few weeks with my paper books and projects and just disconnect from all the screens for a bit.

 

My kids wouldn't enjoy it, but they're the first in my family line to experience ZERO rustic living beyond a camping trip for their entire lives. My great grandparents were subsistence farmers. My grandparents had a small farm. My parents gardened extensively and thought nothing of living without plumbing for a month or so if we moved and haven't put the lines in yet. My kids grew up completely in the suburbs with the Internet. They can't relate.

[rose]

Bed and breakfast

Oh! That makes so much sense.

I actually hadn't thought of that idea. We travel a lot and this is one of the reasons that we built this place so simply. No pipes freeze, nothing happens, we can just leave for month at a time. I suspect when the dc are older we'll do more international travel to poor countries. Dh has a heart to go serve the desperately poor. The property tax here is so low and because of the way it's built we could even leave it for a year or more unattended.

[bolt.]

While I would certainly not want to "live" this way, I don't have a problem coping (and choosing) to go without running water for camping.

 

We use outhouses for the daytime (and for #2 anytime) but have a small portable mini toilet for urine-only nighttime use.

 

TMI: We dump the urine from the portable toilet holding tank into the outhouse, which is easy (because there is no toilet paper in there) and reasonably sanitary (because urine is almost sterile, not the same as mixed sewage). I also wash the tank once a week with sanitizer.

 

It's no big deal to do without running water short-term: when you only need water for cooking, drinking, washing, and brushing teeth. Laundry, bathing, and real sanitation would be the tough issues. When camping we clean up periodically in real showers, do laundry when we get home, and sanitize the portable toilet after the trip. You couldn't do that if you didn't have real facilities elsewhere.

[Carrie12345]

Not by choice, but I did spend a few years without running *hot water, and that was hard enough.  Composting toilets don't seem too terrible to me, but I'd still want running sinks and shower or at least tub.

[rebcoola]

We do this every summer though it is definitely not a tiny house.   The house has no running water, an outhouse pit toilet, propane stove, propane fridge, propane heat and lanterns.  We haul as much water with as we can and than every few days we drive to a pump to get more.  We use a hand cranked washing machine for clothes its not bad at all, than we line dry.  We have those solar showers so we can have a warmish shower outdoors if its been sunny.  I find it relaxing even though basic chores take longer

[Anne in CA]

I've BTDT in Nepal for mission trips and it's relaxing to carry the water and wash your clothes by hand on the roof three times a week for three weeks. Day in and day out???? No. Way. I didn't mind it at all in Nepal because it was connecting me to the people I was serving. I could have paid someone three dollars for the week to do it for me and chose to do it myself. I think if you live that lifestyle it's important to you on another level. 

[Desert Strawberry]

There's a big difference between having a good, efficient set up, like Rose described, and just singing it or trying to make do with an inadequate set up. 

With proper planning and structure, yes. Definitely. 

Without a good set up, no. It's manageable, but hard.

[Carol in Cal.]

I would not want to do that.

 

Even if I had land, and a little 'tiny house' style retreat, I would want a functional toilet and sink in it.

 

I once stayed in a stunning B and B type room that had only an outdoor shower, BUT, there was a half bath off of the room.  The outdoor shower had a redwood plank deck-like floor, so it wasn't slippery or cold, and the water went through it into a catch basin that channeled into a grey water system.  There was some kind of privacy wall that was about 5 feet tall, and a porch-type roof over it.  I liked it, but I'm not sure whether I would want to deal with that much exposure all the time.  Depends on the climate, I guess.

 

 

Edited January 31, 2017 by Carol in Cal.

[Scarlett]

There's a big difference between having a good, efficient set up, like Rose described, and just singing it or trying to make do with an inadequate set up. 

With proper planning and structure, yes. Definitely. 

Without a good set up, no. It's manageable, but hard.

 

 

Yes.  This.  I loved reading about Rose's life and I can easily see myself living like that and being content.

 

When I was about 11 my mom moved us into a rent house that developed plumbing problems.  Backing up, etc...horrible.  The landlord refused to fix.  She couldn't afford to of course.  (as soon as we moved he sold the house to a bank and they tore the house down, but that is another story).  Anyway we moved into a little house that we called 'Little House on the Prairie".  It was a 4 room house in the middle of a cow pasture.  There was a fence around the house to keep the cows out.  There was a well and an outhouse.  We lived there from Summer through December.  Wood heat.  My mom was about 31 and my brother was 7 and I was 11.  No running water in the house.  We painted all the rooms and we pulled water up to bathe and cook.  We loved it.  It was clean and functional even though not modern.  In the summer we took bathes in a big washtub on the back porch (only the cows could see us).  When it got cold we brought it in the kitchen and mom would heat some water and we bathed in the kitchen.  

 

It was work, but it was clean.  And we were happy there.  

 

In December she got a job in a town about 40 miles away and we moved there into public housing...which was modern....3 bedrooms, super cheap...fairly nice by public housing standards...but we did not like it there.  We only stayed a year and a half until mom found a simple little house in the country.  Well, not really country...just about 5 minutes from town.  

 

Sorry to ramble going down memory lane.  But growing up we had a huge variety of living quarters....and the Little House on the Prairie was the least modern but one of our favorites.

[Catwoman]

Yeah, I am thinking more about people actually CHOOSING to live this way. It astounds me. Why would you choose it if you didn't really have to.

 

You know what I would love to see? I would love to see one of these tiny house shows do a follow up 3 years later and see if these people are still in their tiny houses and still love them.

I would love to see an update show like that! I'll bet a lot of the people on those shows don't last more than a few months in their tiny houses, especially the ones with the composting toilets. :ack2:

[Catwoman]

There's a big difference between having a good, efficient set up, like Rose described, and just singing it or trying to make do with an inadequate set up.

With proper planning and structure, yes. Definitely.

Without a good set up, no. It's manageable, but hard.

I don't care how well it's planned and set up; I would never choose that lifestyle. Never.

 

I'm not criticizing Rose because she and I obviously have different preferences, and as long as we're both happy with our choices, it's all good. :)

 

But Rose, if you're reading this, I think you must be a saint to be able to live with eight other people in only 600 square feet! It would drive me absolutely insane to be in such close quarters by myself, let alone with other people! And I'll admit it -- I don't even want to be without indoor plumbing or central heat and air conditioning for a day, let alone as a regular way of life.

 

Thank you for sharing all of the details about your life, though, Rose -- it's very interesting to read how you manage to make it work so well for your family. :)

[Seasider]

I live in a Class B RV about 20 days a month. It has tanks for water storage. I fill the tanks every 5 days or so. The toilet flow, sink drainage, etc. also goes to tanks which get dumped every 4 days or so. It only takes about 15 to 20 minutes for each chore. No walking for miles to a stream or boiling water is needed.

 

Since I live alone when I am in the RV, it works. But, I only have about 100 sq. ft. What amazes me is that people think they can live with others in these tiny homes. I wonder how many we see on tv, give it up in a year.

This what I've always thought I'd need - running water and to not have to share the space! I could live in a tiny house like that!

 

When these threads come up I always think that it would be great to have a compound of tiny houses, and one larger "dining hall" type common building for gatherings.

[Petrichor]

I like the no-plumbing thing when camping, even the kind where you have to haul water a short distance.  I could do that for weeks, maybe months. 

 

I think it's easier though if you don't have to worry about the lack of drain. In the wilderness, just about everywhere is your drain. Cooped in a tiny house, when it's raining or night or freezing cold outside? Not as much fun. 

 

Fun fact: In Pakistan (and other places I'm sure), houses have drains in every room. Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Right in the middle of the floor. It's awesome for mopping, especially since walls are cement and floors are marble. Need to mop? Throw a few buckets of water on the floor, scrub as needed, and squeegee into drain. Not so awesome though, are the cockroaches that climb UP the drains...

[rose]

I don't care how well it's planned and set up; I would never choose that lifestyle. Never.

 

I'm not criticizing Rose because she and I obviously have different preferences, and as long as we're both happy with our choices, it's all good. :)

 

But Rose, if you're reading this, I think you must be a saint to be able to live with eight other people in only 600 square feet! It would drive me absolutely insane to be in such close quarters by myself, let alone with other people! And I'll admit it -- I don't even want to be without indoor plumbing or central heat and air conditioning for a day, let alone as a regular way of life.

 

Thank you for sharing all of the details about your life, though, Rose -- it's very interesting to read how you manage to make it work so well for your family. :)

 

Aw thanks. :)

 

Seriously, the small space does get on my nerves. I love the summer when I can kick all the dc out of the house. Like I said earlier, we travel a lot. When we travel we live in a 40 foot converted school bus sometimes for extended periods of time. Whenever we get home I feel like we live in a mansion. We've also talked about building a small extension. There are some perks though. Potty training is much easier when your dc can't go to another room and hide. :D

 

[YaelAldrich]

 

Fun fact: In Pakistan (and other places I'm sure), houses have drains in every room. Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Right in the middle of the floor. It's awesome for mopping, especially since walls are cement and floors are marble. Need to mop? Throw a few buckets of water on the floor, scrub as needed, and squeegee into drain. Not so awesome though, are the cockroaches that climb UP the drains...

Israel also has this.  The mop (and the action of mopping) is called sponga (spun-ja).  I never saw cockroaches crawl up the drains though!  :scared:

[Carol in Cal.]

When my husband and I were looking for a cabin, one of the places we visited was a one room log cabin with no electricity or bathroom.  It was on 15 acres on a lake, dead quiet, very hard to get to, absolutely gorgeous.  It was probably only really accessible for 2-3 months out of the year, and very iffy beyond that.

 

It had an outhouse, but there was no pit under it.  Just a seat on a platform on the ground with a little shack around it.  I could not believe it.  

 

Oh, and it had a rifle over the door.  Decoration?  What you take with you to the bathroom in the pitch black night in case of bears, mountain lions, or trespassers?  Who knows?  

 

We loved it, but sanity prevailed and we didn't buy it.  It's still for sale, having been on the market for at least 4 years.

[J-rap]

I wouldn't choose to do it, but if I loved everything else about the place, I think I could do without running water and be okay.  At least at the age I'm at, and with the good health I have.  And it would need to be somewhere with a warm climate, and it would need to be efficient.  

 

 

[LMD]

We have a tiny house and semi-running water.

We have 6 people and a cat in well under 1000 square foot. Probably closer to the 600sq ft mark.

We have a bore with a solar pump which brings up water near the house, we run electricity on solar and a generator. I hooked up the washing machine to the generator because I got well sick of our stop-gap solution. We have a solar pump for the shower so we manually fill the receptacle, but then the shower works like a normal shower.

Wood stove for heating and cooking, and a natural gas hotplate too.

We have an indoor composting system which dh deals with lol. It's fine though, similar to a drop except the pit is far away from the house.

 

We've been here 18 months and love it.

[J-rap]

 

Fun fact: In Pakistan (and other places I'm sure), houses have drains in every room. Bedroom, kitchen, bathroom. Right in the middle of the floor. It's awesome for mopping, especially since walls are cement and floors are marble. Need to mop? Throw a few buckets of water on the floor, scrub as needed, and squeegee into drain. Not so awesome though, are the cockroaches that climb UP the drains...

 

I remember that in Jordan too!  I worked in a hospital there for awhile, and it seemed so easy to clean everything.  We're in South Africa right now, and only the bathroom has this.  The shower is on the ceiling (in the middle of the bathroom...not in its own stall) and the drain is on the floor.  Everything gets wet when the shower is on, and it all goes down the drain.

[lewelma]

We lived in a 200sq ft cabin without water, heat, electricity, or sewer for 3 months in rural NZ.  It was by far one of the most awesome experiences of my life. We would have stayed but it looked like other people in the eco-village were doing tax fraud, so once we caught on, we were out of there in a flash.

 

Yes, it was cold.  Our oil lamps were freeze every night.  My oldest boy was a baby then, and he got seriously fat to stay warm.  He slept in bed with us.  We didn't need a frig!  We had a hose with fresh water than came near to our door, but it froze every night.  So we would fill a bucket of water at night so we would have water in the morning.  We had a gas cooker, which we also used to heat our water to do dishes.  The farm house was about half a mile away and it had a washing machine and hot showers. We used cloth nappies and hung them to dry.

 

Like Rose, we just used a bucket with sawdust for sewage which we emptied into a composting area out in the back paddock.  Seriously, it was not a big deal at all.  It didn't smell because you simply covered all waste with sawdust.

 

There was no TV, no internet, no phone.  We read by candle light.  We cuddled our baby.  We watched the moon.  It was enough.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited January 31, 2017 by lewelma

[foxbridgeacademy]

We have plans that once the kids are out of the house (or we're down to only 1) we're going to start building something small just for us.  I'm currently leaning toward shipping container since DH is better with metal than wood.  I'd like to be off-grid as we can but having running water is a must.  I do hope to do the compost toilet thing but not the cheap version.  DH would never agree to use that kind and while I'm ok with using them (my sister lives mostly off grid) I could never clean them.  So instead we'd do something like this Central Flush System.  I need a shower with hot water but I could be okay with using a rain catchment/cistern style for everything but cooking/drinking water.  

[DawnM]

I remember that in Jordan too!  I worked in a hospital there for awhile, and it seemed so easy to clean everything.  We're in South Africa right now, and only the bathroom has this.  The shower is on the ceiling (in the middle of the bathroom...not in its own stall) and the drain is on the floor.  Everything gets wet when the shower is on, and it all goes down the drain.

 

We had that in Indonesia.  In fact, there was a large tub like thing (more like square tile tub) with water in it at all times.  And a large bucket with a long handle.  The drain was in the middle of the room.  We just took the bucket and poured water over ourselves and soaped up.  

 

It was so hot there that if you went to visit someone just for some coffee, they would offer you a shower to freshen up.

 

Funny fact about the coffee too.  I like coffee with cream, no sugar.  They serve it with a bunch of sugar on the bottom of a glass, no cream is offered.  I once asked if I could have my coffee with no sugar.  The answer, "Yes, here, just don't stir."  as they handed me a cup with lots of sugar on the bottom!  hahahahaha

[kewb]

I could do it but I don't want to.

 

I love the idea of a tiny house but only if I was living alone. Some days I don't even like sharing the house so I can't imagine sharing a tiny space.

[Epicurean]

We are a family of three, soon to be four, and we live in a 400 sf apartment. It's way too small and we're looking for a house to move into.

 

If we didn't have books, didn't save baby clothes and toys for future kids, and didn't have hobbies, we could live tiny. But I am frankly tired of having to store my pots and pans in the oven and our glasses in the fridge. I don't want to room share with my kids. I want to be able to pee by myself or brush my teeth without someone else barging in to our single bathroom. And besides, tiny houses usually come with huge price tags. I like them in theory...but life at 400 sf is cramped enough that I know it isn't for our growing family.

[brehon]

We're a family if 8; so, I think a tiny house is a non-starter for us. I'd be OK with no electricity; running water (or at least sewage) is a must. However, I must have space. I become twitchy in my own house if I can't have time & space to myself.

 

In my younger years I participated in a paleontological dig or otherwise lived rough for weeks on end and it was fine.

[Carol in Cal.]

I've always wanted a big rambling house, and I've always wanted Community.

 

A collection of tiny homes with a clubhouse might fit the bill for some, but I need space for a library (OK, that could be shared), and a yarn stash, and my weaving loom(s), and paper supplies and craft space (OK, that could be shared, not the supplies, but a joint studio with lockers might work).  And DH needs space for woodworking, although I guess that could be shared as well.  And then there is exercise equipment (could be shared, but I don't like to work out in public), bikes (could have bike lockers at the clubhouse I suppose).  Badminton and croquet would be nice.  Actually, a little ceramics studio would be nice, too.  More importantly, I need a place to set up paperwork and crafts and leave them set up, (needs a big space), and I like to cook and to use good cooking equipment in a very functional configuration (needs a big space), and I like to read quietly (needs quiet!) (but I guess there could be a tiny house library that was quiet, on site) and work on the computer quietly.  I definitely would want a nice bathroom.  

 

No, this is not for me. 

 

I know some tech folks who tried a cohousing set up.  There were 3 or 4 families involved.  The family that was well to do bought an old summer horse camp in the local hills but not that far from the freeway.  It was a lovely, gently sloping setting with a pond, a main house, and three little single walled cabins for summer field hands.  There was a corral and a little barn.  The concept was that the main house would be living quarters for the well to do family.  The other families would live in the cabins but all would use the kitchen, living room, and dining room of the big house.  The techies built an enclosed but windowy tree house office where two programmers could work back to back in the quiet, with excellent (elevated) wifi.  That enabled them to avoid the horrendous freeway commute several days per week.  The group also planted a decorative and functional veggie garden to share.

 

I observed that the cabins were drafty, and it seemed like they wouldn't be comfortable in the winter, though winter is not that harsh here.  Also the common areas of the big house reminded me of college coops--no real decor, a bunch of mismatched furniture, never really dirty but never really tidy either.  I think that esthetically that would be tiring after a while.  But the children who were being raised kind of together were really happy, and the shared work made life so much saner and easier for the adults.  It was a really nice set up.