Since last June I’ve been writing about us buying the crazy tiny house buy at the beach and our serious intent to fix it up and move there. Well today, we’re here. As a matter of fact, we’ve been here a week now. And what a week it has been. From hectic preparations to loading everything on the truck in a semi-organized fashion to arriving at the tiny house and finding out we would need to rent a storage unit ... (realizing that no way would all our – yes, already heavily culled—possessions fit in this little place, to realizing (as in really recognizing… ) that it would take a few months to get it to the spot where we wanted it to be. In essence, we would be more or less (more than less …) camping for a few months. And that’s ok.
Since the first day, we arrived in Central Florida, we wanted to live near the beach. It took us 17 years to get there. But we made it. It may not be the perfect place (yet), but it will be. Right now, it is ours. My husband deserves some kudos here. The time and work he’s put in this place are astonishing. And it is far from over. He’s been a rock – my rock (because -and I admit this- I have this annoying tendency to become quite overwhelmed when things don’t happen my way … the faster, the better …) dealing with everything, still working a full day job, trying to make this place a comfortable as can be while the remodeling takes place. I’ll admit, it hasn’t been the easiest nor rosiest three weeks, but I could not have gotten through them without his support and that of my children.
Today, I am writing from Le Shack aka the tiny house. We survived it all. All is well. The house is still in total disarray, but things are starting to take shape. We now have a working (albeit still in construction) shower as well as a working sink, albeit with only cold water. Its hot water line has not been connected yet. (Good piece of advice: do not turn on a faucet of a non-connected line! What can happen to your not yet remodeled but kind of clean bathroom is not a pretty sight – It took some time to clean up, believe me). We also are the proud owners of a working toilet.
Turns out the smell I had been complaining about all week came from … well, no need to go into details here …. Not a real funny story anyway! (We --my hubs that is-- fixed the sewage pipe this morning) And this weekend, my (our) kitchen/dining space will be closed up, and ready to start putting in the kitchen cabinets (that I still have to find since we are buying everything used/second hand just for the sake of being able to write about it …. 😉)
As you can see, It’s advancing. One step at a time. One tiny, tiny step at a time.
In essence, remember that before buying a tiny old house (trailer) it is of the utmost importance to do your homework and to do it well. Check the pipes 😉, make sure the exterior structure is good and sturdy. We knew going into this venture that we would need to replace the roof. That time will come … when the funds are replenished. In the meantime, we (again, my hubs…) stopped the leaks, and all is as dry as it ever will be. Keep in mind that you will spend some money. Even doing everything in eco-style, with recycled and reused materials. Remember that doing everything yourself is time-consuming. The only way to get through this sanely is to look at it as it is an adventure. A true experience. (and that’s not far from the truth.)
There will be positives. Many of them. In my case (being 10 minutes away from Playalinda on the Canaveral National Seashore), living in a quaint and rustic little town close to the Historic Village of Cocoa, have fantastic neighbors, living so much closer to my daughter … make life sweet and soothing. There are also some negatives such as the river smell on certain windy days (depending on direction), the darn train … Not nearly enough to make me want to go back to the dreary suburban life.
It’s all going to be OK.
I’ll keep you posted.
With a smile.
In the meantime, people of the page, have a lovely week. Namaste!
https://www.nps.gov/cana/index.htm
http://www.visitspacecoast.com/listings/playalinda-beach-canaveral-national-seashore/194/
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