Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Guts of the Hut

Coming to terms with the guts of our hut in April was quite a struggle. It looked pretty bad (pics below), but I could see the potential. I started researching yurts to see how people made the most out of a small space. I found some really interesting structures and I got excited about the idea of downsizing our lives. Simultaneously, a friend of mine who was really concerned about the peak oil crisis, gave me some literature. After reading the articles it seemed like a good idea to start thinking about reducing our family's dependency on fossil fuels.

The Hut had a wall that ran right down the middle of it, with two front doors. My thought was to pull down the wall and make the hut, like a yurt, one open space with high ceilings and loft for the kids bedroom. I was delighted to learn the next day after making the suggestion, that the wall as down and a loft started! My father-in-law, Jerry, master craftsman (could give Dick Proenneke a run for his money) did just that. (see below).

Front view and before the wall came down.
After the wall came down, the loft at the top; a backyard view.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Stuff

Why do we pack and unpack stuff that is not essential in our lives? This was the question that kept running through my mind while looking at our daunting stacks of boxes. How can we possibly have this much stuff!? Which got me to thinking about why we insist on lugging around nonessential items.

When I opened one of the many boxes marked 'kitchen', I took inventory: dish rack, dish cloths, dish soap, sponges, a pencil, some beads, and three spoon rests. Wait! This box held exactly everything that was on my kitchen counter when in Virginia. Could packing up every single thing, even though most items could be easily obtained once settled, be a coping mechanism?
Was I packing the secure surroundings of my Charlottesville, into a box hoping to transport that security to a new home? Hummmm. maybe. But really, three spoon rests? beads? a pencil?!

Yes, its time to purge...downsizing is more than just cutting our square footage in half, its cutting the ties, loosening the anchors, and coping with change.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

First Report


A year ago, Matthew & I decided to move in with his mother. Okay, not exactly move in with her, but move to the property that she and her husband own in Northern California. We were living in Charlottesville, Virginia at the time and needed to make the move back to our home turf. We were to make a home out of an old quonset hut, used by loggers decades ago. When I saw pictures of the property in April, 2010, I cringed and thought, "Cancel the plans! I'm staying in my cozy house with central air!" The photos captured the rotten insulation, rusted windows, well webbed corners, and plywood floors. Matt was even a bit skeptical that a home could be made of this building.

We arrived in Shingletown (population 2,625),tired, hot and dusty from our eleven day trek across the United States with our 6 and 4 year-old daughters, and Hank the cat. We tent camped at state parks which was both challenging and fun. The highlight was finding a hotspring in the middle of a dried up lake bed in Eastern Oregon. It was July 1st when we arrived in Shingletown, and I was relived to be at our final destination.

After the hugs went around, we walked the cedar & pine tree lined path up past the horse corral to where the quonset hut stood. We had our work cut out for us! The metal siding and half-circle shape make it look like a tin can cut in half. I was a bit concerned, my first thought was, "we have way too much stuff!" All our belongings were being shipped via PODS and at this point, I felt like we only could fit a 10th of it inside the Hut.

During Matthew's initial trip in April, he put in a vegetable garden and helped replace all the insulation in the Hut. The space would be livable but it will take some doing. Our idea was to downsize, live simple, try to live off the land as much as possible. And it does feel good to slow down, work hard, and to create a healthy lifestyle for the children.

We set to work right away, patching drywall, sanding, drilling, cutting, wiring, taking breaks to discuss where shelving would go, or outlets. Hot and dusty! The outdoor shower that we put in last year on our visit, was a welcome relief on the days that reach 95 degrees.

Its been 3-weeks since our arrival here, and we have made great strides. We moved in the Hut five days ago and on our fist night a four-point buck welcomed us by strolling through the backyard. The girls giggled with delight.