Heres a bunch of pent up complaining I've (mostly) kept to myself.
We have been looking every day for land since moving here in August. Actually, I recruited some friends to search with me before we even left Ak. We had heard the market here had crashed and were hopeful we'd score a deal! After speaking to a lender we learned we would not be able to get any financing on bare land to park our tiny house. So the boys and I literally drove around every day hoping to find a FSBO with owner carry. Our original plan was to rent a place to park, save money and find our dream property to start our own small homestead. It is definitely not working out like we had planned, not at all!
We've had to move already, due to a neighbor complaining to the county about 'homeless people living in an eyesore of a trailer'. That first spot was on a 3 acre farm with fruit trees and gardens but we were literally parked in the middle of a horse pasture. This was before the kitchen was finished so we did not have the ability to hook up. Hauling water was a daily job in the seriously hot weather. I made the most of it, focused on the kids, made fruit jam and tried not to complain.
We were blessed to become friends with a colleague of Matt's who then let us park on his property. Here we are SO incredibly close to the neighbors. Their adult son is living in an RV about 15 feet away. He's complained to his parents who've asked how long we plan to be here. We do have a small fenced yard for the kids, dog and chickens but with all the rain it's pretty much just mud. We have had water leaks, moisture and mildew issues that continue to be a problem even after caulking, gutters, disinfecting and dehumidifiers.
We have been looking every day for land since moving here in August. Actually, I recruited some friends to search with me before we even left Ak. We had heard the market here had crashed and were hopeful we'd score a deal! After speaking to a lender we learned we would not be able to get any financing on bare land to park our tiny house. So the boys and I literally drove around every day hoping to find a FSBO with owner carry. Our original plan was to rent a place to park, save money and find our dream property to start our own small homestead. It is definitely not working out like we had planned, not at all!
We've had to move already, due to a neighbor complaining to the county about 'homeless people living in an eyesore of a trailer'. That first spot was on a 3 acre farm with fruit trees and gardens but we were literally parked in the middle of a horse pasture. This was before the kitchen was finished so we did not have the ability to hook up. Hauling water was a daily job in the seriously hot weather. I made the most of it, focused on the kids, made fruit jam and tried not to complain.
We were blessed to become friends with a colleague of Matt's who then let us park on his property. Here we are SO incredibly close to the neighbors. Their adult son is living in an RV about 15 feet away. He's complained to his parents who've asked how long we plan to be here. We do have a small fenced yard for the kids, dog and chickens but with all the rain it's pretty much just mud. We have had water leaks, moisture and mildew issues that continue to be a problem even after caulking, gutters, disinfecting and dehumidifiers.
The neighbor to our right.
Our chickens in the yard and the neighbor behind us. There's another house to the right side as well. We had to add the rock walkway after I slipped and fell on the mud.
Another worry of mine is the boys not having outdoor space. This is a must when living tiny! They are great at home. It's when we go to someone's house or grocery shopping they forget how to behave. You know, freestyle furniture leaping and racing down isles at the market. I halfway allow a little crazy because I know they have been not able to burn energy here. I don't allow them to play outside when the neighbor is home in fear they too will complain to the county and we will have to move again.
We've tried RV parks. The ones that don't mind the pets and kids are not okay for children to be around. Homeless camps nearby and people intoxicated stumbling, arguing and displaying other offensive behaviors that don't make for a good environment for kids. The nicer parks with more regulations don't allow children long term.
The past month has been super hard on me. I cried for the first time about missing Alaska. I'm not sure if it was being away from family and frends for the holidays or that I'm losing patience being stuck in someone else's driveway, but I'm officially stressed out. Also, having to keep Michael in the the house during this recovery has made me feel smothered in my tiny house for the first time. We are used to leaving the house daily and did not leave for 5 long days. Our pipes have also been freezing and going without water is something I'm not okay with on top of everything else.. I know this is a bunch of whining. But...THIS STINKS!
Family recently talked us down from making an offer on a cabin on 17 acres. I liked it but its not what we truly want. We had to use our downpayment on medical bills, thankfully or I think I would have regretted it. So, we came to the conclusion we will rent a cottage.
Some rentals don't allow children so obviously we cant live in those. Most don't allow pets and that's also something we aren't willing to sacrifice. Then we noticed there would be at least a 12 month lease. We don't want to be stuck in a contract in case something perfect does pop up.
The conclusion, for today anyway, is to buy a small (around 700sq ft) house instead of renting. Mortgage would be less than rent and we could move out whenever we decide. We still have our house in Alaska which we do plan to sell. We're praying there's enough equity there that we will have a substantial downpayment or will give us enough in the bank to finance land. So we save, save, save...AND wait for our dream land, A LITTLE longer. We would keep the tiny house for when we are able to purchase land to park it on.
We spent the weekend looking at a bunch of small houses. We have narrowed down the search to three choices. I think we are all sad that the tiny house might not work out right now but are thankful for the time we've had. Knowing when to move on (before breaking down)and being able to be okay when things don't go my way are things that I've recently been able to do! Maybe this was all an exercise from God to help with my stubbornness and inability to be patient.
Again, if you're reading this PLEASE send us your thoughts or prayers on this issue! You all know how hard we worked to build and live in our tiny house!
We've tried RV parks. The ones that don't mind the pets and kids are not okay for children to be around. Homeless camps nearby and people intoxicated stumbling, arguing and displaying other offensive behaviors that don't make for a good environment for kids. The nicer parks with more regulations don't allow children long term.
The past month has been super hard on me. I cried for the first time about missing Alaska. I'm not sure if it was being away from family and frends for the holidays or that I'm losing patience being stuck in someone else's driveway, but I'm officially stressed out. Also, having to keep Michael in the the house during this recovery has made me feel smothered in my tiny house for the first time. We are used to leaving the house daily and did not leave for 5 long days. Our pipes have also been freezing and going without water is something I'm not okay with on top of everything else.. I know this is a bunch of whining. But...THIS STINKS!
Family recently talked us down from making an offer on a cabin on 17 acres. I liked it but its not what we truly want. We had to use our downpayment on medical bills, thankfully or I think I would have regretted it. So, we came to the conclusion we will rent a cottage.
Some rentals don't allow children so obviously we cant live in those. Most don't allow pets and that's also something we aren't willing to sacrifice. Then we noticed there would be at least a 12 month lease. We don't want to be stuck in a contract in case something perfect does pop up.
The conclusion, for today anyway, is to buy a small (around 700sq ft) house instead of renting. Mortgage would be less than rent and we could move out whenever we decide. We still have our house in Alaska which we do plan to sell. We're praying there's enough equity there that we will have a substantial downpayment or will give us enough in the bank to finance land. So we save, save, save...AND wait for our dream land, A LITTLE longer. We would keep the tiny house for when we are able to purchase land to park it on.
We spent the weekend looking at a bunch of small houses. We have narrowed down the search to three choices. I think we are all sad that the tiny house might not work out right now but are thankful for the time we've had. Knowing when to move on (before breaking down)and being able to be okay when things don't go my way are things that I've recently been able to do! Maybe this was all an exercise from God to help with my stubbornness and inability to be patient.
Again, if you're reading this PLEASE send us your thoughts or prayers on this issue! You all know how hard we worked to build and live in our tiny house!
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