Relaxshax's Blog

Here’s a cool little photo gallery of EIGHT pretty amazing little homes/tiny houses from the new tiny homes/micro cabins book “Nano House. I thought you might get some ideas, inspiration, color and form schemes, and who knows what else, from checking these out….Its definitely a good book- TONS and TONS of color photos….   -Derek “Deek” Diedricksen

JULY 6-9th- FOUR DAYS of Tiny House Building, Learning, Touring, and MORE!

(Photo by Bruce Bettis)

     Here’s pretty much the final bill (well, unless we get crazy and add another person or two as speakers- which could very well happen!). I’m out the door in minutes for a Tumbleweed video and photo shoot in Boston, so I’ll add some specific photos later of the cabins you’ll stay in, the one’s we’ll visit, videos of the premises (the 10 acres where this will be held in Northern Vermont) and more details. Its a FOUR DAY workshop (last day isn’t a mandatory monday, its more of a fun, wind-down day, with some last min building and touch up, and a field trip to a tiny house/camp compound in a neighboring town). The workshop runs from 4pm on that Friday (sign up and set-up (where you’ll stay or camp), with a meet n’ greet campfire dinner, some touring of the grounds, and a campfire speaking/discussion group at night, and runs until 4pm on Monday. LOTS we’ll be going over- with some AMAZING guests……YES, we’ll collectively be putting together a tiny cabin too!

     I met Mariah last summer when she attended my sold out, backyard, tiny house and shelter building workshop. She was an instantly likeable person and VERY excited about her future prospects of making the move to living a tinier, simpler life. Well, she’s putting her money where her mouth is, and has been very busy. She’ll also be guest speaking at the Tumbleweed Tiny House Workshop in Boston, that I’m heading up/teaching, on May 19th and 20th AND will be coming up to my “Tiny House Summer Camp”- July 6, 7, 8, 9th in Northern Vermont– for more info on that, click HERE.

Anyway, I figured I’d hand the reigns to Mariah, so that she can explain what she’s been up to….

“Hi All, and thanks Deek! I’m Mariah: builder, maker, do-it-your-selfer, designer, tiny house and vintage trailer enthusiast, and student studying mobile and alternative dwellings (I design my own curriculum and major at school). I am building The COMET (Cost-Efficient, Off-grid, Mobile Eco-Trailer) as a response to the combination of dwindling resources on our planet and, ironically, the incredible amount of waste and excess that makes it’s way into the dumpster and the landfill every day. The plan is to turn this 1960’s Avalon travel trailer into an off-the-grid, self-sufficient, mobile tiny house that has virtually no impact on the environment and a big social impact by serving as a mobile green classroom. Using mainly re-used, free, and repurposed/recycled materials, and sustainably produced products where necessary, The COMET aims to empower, educate, and inspire people to live TINY, SUSTAINABLY, FLEXIBLY, AFFORDABLY and HEALTHY. In less than 112 square feet I will have 555 Watts of solar power, a self-contained rainwater harvesting/filtration system, a waterless composting toilet, solar shower, bumper garden, and most importantly, a HOME (all for under $8000!).

      I encourage people to follow the COMET and it’s progress at www.cometcamper.wordpress.com, as the website itself is meant to be a resource and tool for other DIYers who want to explore sustainable, tiny living. There will be tutorials and how-to’s aimed at empowering others to build their own composting toilet, solar power system, and build with re-purposed materials. My background in vintage trailer restoration and love for the Tiny House movement have brought me to this project.  When The COMET is done, we’ll hit the road, stopping all over the US doing open houses, tours, info sessions, and workshops. My hope is that people who see and experience The COMET will be inspired and empowered to live tiny and more sustainably.
I’m REALLY excited to be bringing The COMET to Deek’s “Tiny House Summer Camp” workshop this summer too. I’ll be showing you the camper itself and some really neat new stuff in sustainable building techniques, showing off my free and recycled finds that will be going into The COMET, explaining why vintage campers make great tiny houses,  talking about how to save $$ in your tiny house by having an entirely DC photovoltaic solar electric system like The COMET, and more! See you there
www.cometcamper.wordpress.com

A post on Mariah Coz and her Comet Camper- appearing at this year’s TINY HOUSE SUMMER CAMP ((July 6-9th in Vermont)- kidcedar at gmail dot com if interested)) will be coming later tonight most likely….

But first, another video I edited the other night, but one I actually shot last summer….its on a really cool campground or tiny house/cabin complex called the Pine Crest Motel and Cabins in Barton, Vermont. I’ve stayed there before and LOVED IT.  www.pinecrestmotelandcabins.com

And for those who missed it, since I buried it so quickly….. “TINY HOUSE THRIFT #3”

Pretty self explanatory, but here’s a brand new video showing you two ideas on utilizing otherwise ignored or neglected space in your home, and turning it into storage….. more to come, much more, and these are among the MANY things we’ll discuss at my “Tiny House Summer Camp” hands-on, building workshop in Vermont this summer- July 6, 7, 8, 9th….. kidcedar at gmail dot com if interested. We’ll have the full bill/roster tomorrow…          -Derek “Deek” Diedricksen

     I’ve been reading through the newish release “My Cool Campervan”– a side-themed sequel, of sorts, to “My Cool Caravan”, and yet again, its a total score for your personal library in terms of a pretty damn amazing array of color photos- especially drool inducing for any VW bus/camper van fans- not to mention many of the lesser known camping/living vehicles- A Skoda, Bedford Cf, Toyota Devon, Tonke, Ginetta Car Camper, Winnebago Brave, GMC Motorhome, Dormobile, Ford Road Ranger, and more, they’re all represented in the book…. (Pavilion Press)- and www.mycoolcampervan.com for more info…

               Its a total avalanche of some bad-ass eye candy for all the campervan nerds out there! 
                 

Haven’t seen “My Cool Shed” yet- the newest of the “My Cool…” books, but I’m sure its pretty awesome…

     Gaby Sunheart, one of the readers/contributors on our “Tiny Yellow House and Relaxshacks.com” facebook group/board, recently took up the offer to provide us with a guest post here on Relaxshacks, and one that I think you’ll find beneficial, in a HUGE money saving way. SO MANY PEOPLE ask me, whether its by email, at the workshops I’ve hosted, or in our discussion groups “But Deek, how do we go about saving for our tiny house when we’re stuck in a debt trap in the meantime?”. Well….here’s some of MANY approaches you might be able to employ….

BONUS: Hang up your towel in between uses. When you use a clean towel to dry your clean body off after showering…the towel is still clean. It’s just damp. You can use it for a solid week before it needs to be washed! Don’t hang it on a peg…that does not help it stay fresh. It needs to be completely aired out, over a towel bar. When possible hang it outside. You will save time, water and energy.