Sunday, January 15, 2017

Can You Live In a Tiny House in a Cold Climate?


Can you? Why yes! And I do. This is my third winter in my tiny house and the snowiest of the three so far. I enjoy this lifestyle, but it does come with some of it's own unique challenges. In the following video, I talk about some of the things you may want to think about or be aware of even before building if you are planning for life in a cold climate.




In these shots you can see just how deep the snow is around my house this year. More winter photos can be had in this post among others.



My amazing neighbor making sure I can get from where I shovel out to the main road.




It's almost level with the eves now! And we've had a lot of temps in the -20's to -30's F. range. So, I'm just saying, three winters in, I have some real winter experience in my tiny by now. 


Above and below you can see the condensation I used to get before my wood stove. A frozen and a thawed version. Thankfully, the dry heat from the wood has totally resolved this issue for me. See this post for how bad it used to be.



Gathering and splitting firewood for my winter supply.



And filling up my pallet wood shed above that is now well snowed in as you can below. Being comfortable in the winter does require some planning, preparing, and work ahead of time. 



And here's my tiny wood stove that has kept my house so warm and cozy. For a lot more info on this stove, see my posts on my latest update and tips, cleaning and lighting, initial review, first fire, and first look.


And looking down on my house from my path up the hill to the solar panels. Enjoy your winter climates of whatever sort you have. Let me know if you all have further questions!







20 comments:

  1. Ariel, I've been subscribed to your blog for quite a while now. I live in Fort Collins, CO, so it's not quite as snowy but I love the idea of cashing in my condo and finding a place like you somewhere up north, perhaps Montana. Your videos and posts are very entertaining and informative. (I'm living vicariously through them!) As a resident of Northern Colorado my entire adult life, I'm sad to see the hordes of people coming here. Thanks for your inspiration! It won't be long before I make the leap too! A tiny house would be just right for me in a more rural, remote location!

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  2. Wow the photos are so beautiful. Are you living in tiny house for health reasons like avoiding mold?

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    1. No, I'm more living in a tiny house for economic reasons, but some people do go tiny because of things like mold.

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  3. It looks so beautiful Ariel. We are the total opposite this year. Right now we have no snow at all, which is unusual for us. Love your videos, always so interesting.

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  4. Glad to see you are feeling better now. I have been dreaming of a tiny house for years now and hubby was planning on building me one when we moved to our property in Colorado but several months ago we lost everything in a flood where we live in Louisiana. Since then we have been living in an RV with our grown son since his house was right next to ours.
    Now he says that living in an RV has convinced him that he never wants to live in a tiny house. 😢 I'll still follow your blogs and YouTube videos and dream, maybe one day he will change his mind.

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    1. Thank you. I do have to say, a well built tiny is a lot different than a RV. Maybe talk him into staying in one on Air B+B or something? But they are certainly not the thing for everyone.

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  5. Hi Ariel,
    Just watched your video about the challenges of living tiny in winter on YouTube. Very helpful thoughts, as are all your videos on tech subjects. You do such a great job of injecting reality into the dream. Thank you and keep 'em coming!

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  6. Hi Ariel,
    I came across your video and blog by chance,as it were. You're a hardy soul.But I'm sure you've heard that before.I'm considering a rather radical break with my present way of life and embarking on a similar one to yours. You'll be one of my many inspirations. Best of luck and stay warm.

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  7. Here is a neat little stove review Canadian Made! https://youtu.be/kcGzjIx1QX4

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  8. Hi. Your little house and lovely snow is superb. Greetings from polish people from Wales :)

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  9. Hi Ariel, I LOVE your tiny house and off grid life, you definitely have a gorgeous area where you live! I'm also planning to go off grid in a THOW within the next year or two here in New York. :) I was wondering if the pot on your wood stove is merely for decoration or is it serving another purpose? Also I may have missed it in watching your toilet video...but what do you do with the solids when you need to remove them? Any regrets on choosing the model you have verses other options out there for tiny house toilets?

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    1. Thank you! That pot mostly just sits there but I can boil water if I want, and I have also simmered soups in it in the past.

      I don't have a video version of emptying the solids bin in the toilet, but I do have a detailed blog post you can check out here. http://fynyth.blogspot.com/2015/08/emptying-my-composting-toilet.html. I am totally happy with the Natures Head and have no regrets. I've never used any other ones, but also have never heard anything from anyone with a different model that made me wish I'd picked something different. Though I now suspect that I'd also be totally fine with a home made bucket version as well. And that would be much cheaper!

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  10. We lived in an RV in Northern Maine for quite a few years and the condensation on the windows was like having an open tap flowing into each one! I solved the problem by buying sheets of heavy plastic (Walmart) that most people use to cover tables with. I used exterior tape, but in your case I'd probably do something nicer, and completely covered the OUTSIDE of the windows with the vinyl. I bought the heaviest they had it was still clear enough to see through with no problem. Once I put the plastic up the condensation IMMEDIATELY stopped. It does not work if you put the plastic inside.

    Kept it much, much warmer inside too.....less fuel/wood!

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    1. I had to do that with an older house I rented at one point. The window frames were totally rotten and cold air just blew through. The plastic helped at lot. Right now though, my tiny stove makes my house so hot there is no need to hold any extra in. In fact I often have to open a window!

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  11. Hi Ariel, I love the idea of living off the grid! How much is the property along with the house?

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    1. None! See this post. fynyth.blogspot.com/2015/07/finding-home-for-your-tiny-house.html

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  12. Hi Ariel,
    Do you have to remove snow from your roof? How does that work?
    Thanks a lot, I love your videos and explanations!

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