{"id":11141,"date":"2018-05-31T15:30:30","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T13:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/?p=11141"},"modified":"2019-02-01T15:31:03","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T14:31:03","slug":"simple-living-more-free-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marjoleininhetklein.com\/en\/2018\/05\/31\/simple-living-more-free-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple living = more free time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some people seem to think that you have plenty of free time when you live in a Tiny House, and that it\u2019s easy and simple. That\u2019s what I thought too! But actually, living off-grid isn\u2019t that easy. It means you have to spend more time organizing and maintaining basic utilities compared to a regular house. After two years of living here it\u2019s time for a review.<\/em><\/p>\n

Water supply<\/h4>\n

You\u2019ll need a water tank, and you\u2019ll need to insulate it to protect it from sunlight and frost. You\u2019ll need to lay pipes and those need to be insulated as well. You\u2019ll need a pump, which might break down every now and then. And in my experience, it\u2019s never simply a matter of buying, hooking up and have everything run perfectly. Complex connections, setting the right water pressure, and again this pump needs to be protected from frost. The pipe towards your house can best be dug in, but it needs to come out of the ground somewhere and at that point it\u2019s sensitive to frost. The tank can start to leak if you\u2019re not careful, and you\u2019ll need an overflow where the surplus of water can escape to where it\u2019s desirable. Preferably into a second tank which you\u2019ll need to figure out. The tank including the pipes need to be cleaned thoroughly at least once a year. You\u2019ll need a water filter system and this material needs to be replaced in time. You need to make sure that dirt in the rain gutter is collected and that filters are checked and cleaned regularly.<\/p>\n

I have a Berkey water filter which needs to be cleaned regularly as well and for that I need a pressurized faucet and clean tap water. This means I need to do this at a friend\u2019s place.<\/p>\n

And sometimes you can run out of water when it doesn\u2019t rain for a long period. Then you\u2019ll need to fill jerry cans, shower at a friend\u2019s or wash yourself by the sink, do the dishes with a kettle of hot water, etc. It all takes up a lot of time. When I move to another location in the future, I at least want a (shared) back-up connection to the water supply. Water is the biggest hassle \u2013 a basic need you can\u2019t do without, and in my experience living off-grid means a lot less comfort when it comes to water. But I wouldn\u2019t have wanted to miss this experience! It has made me aware of the value of water, how much we use it and it has brought me the pleasure of feeling grateful for my water<\/p>\n

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Laundry<\/h4>\n

Laundry drying inside the house is only possible when you ventilate thoroughly and stoke it up warm enough. I\u2019ve had some bad experiences with that so in the wet season the local laundromat picks up and delivers my laundry for me. That\u2019s nice and easy for me. When the weather is fine and I have enough water, I can do my laundry at home. Roll my washing machine to the bathroom, fill it with water, and wash. And hang it outside to dry, but only if doesn\u2019t start raining, of course ;)<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Power supply<\/h4>\n

The solar panels need to be cleaned regularly, otherwise the yield decreases significantly. In the darkest months I need a generator every now and then, so I need to have enough fuel on standby. Other than that, the maintenance for this subject is relatively low. Unless there\u2019s a technical failure of course, but then I\u2019ll call Johannes or Cees from Victron Energy :)<\/p>\n

Heating<\/h4>\n

The wood burner can only burn when there\u2019s enough wood, so I need to make sure there\u2019s enough firewood, briquettes and night briquettes. Because my storage space is limited, I need to restock regularly. The stove pipe and chimney have to be cleaned by the chimney sweeper once a year at least. A wood burner takes a lot of your time: making the fire, keeping it going, sweeping ash, emptying the ashtray, getting firewood from outside and so on. But I love my little burner!<\/p>\n

Gas<\/h4>\n

That\u2019s really not so bad, I refill my tanks 3 times a year. That\u2019s also because I don\u2019t shower every day. Showering uses up way more gas than cooking. But you do need to keep an eye on the tank and have it refilled when it\u2019s running empty. And the geyser had a lot of problems in the beginning.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Cleaning<\/h4>\n

Sure, you can clean it in a heartbeat, a Tiny House. But it gets dirty really quickly too. And the dust! I never thought it would become so dusty in a Tiny House. One of my least favorite jobs is cleaning the composting toilet. It\u2019s just a hassle to clean it with all its ridges and edges. Other than that, it works fine by the way, and emptying the bucket every few weeks doesn\u2019t bother me at all. The windows get dirty pretty quickly too, <\/span>but cleaning them doesn\u2019t take much time. I don\u2019t have a vacuum cleaner, so I just keep on sweeping the floor. When you have pets, the house gets dirty even more quickly. But I wouldn\u2019t miss them for the world.<\/p>\n

Wear and maintenance<\/h4>\n

In a small house you use every m\u00b2 intensively. That means more wear and tear and things get dirty more quickly. So you\u2019ll need to repaint more often, varnish the staircase every now and then and wash your pillow cases more often. Things break down more quickly. But since you need more stuff, it makes sense to choose quality and reparability. That helps the environment as well!<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h4>\n

So yes, in a regular house that\u2019s connected to all utilities you\u2019ll probably spend less time on these things. Especially when you have the luxury of a dishwasher and dryer. But I wouldn\u2019t want to go back despite this. I can do very well with a little less luxury and I\u2019ve noticed how flexible I can be. And I have so much more appreciation of the basic things in life. You do however get the chance to have fewer working hours, because of your lower living costs, so you do win in time. And, of course, you don\u2019t have to live off–<\/span>grid; you can just as easily be connected to regular utilities in a Tiny House. These are choices you\u2019ll have to make for yourself. But it\u2019s good to be aware of the pros and cons of both options.<\/p>\n

Off-grid:<\/h5>\n

Advantages: no electric bills, independence, no municipal blackouts, you have more options for locations where you can put your Tiny House, you become very aware of your usage and you use a lot less energy and water.<\/p>\n

Disadvantages:<\/p>\n

High-maintenance, takes time to figure out what kind of equipment you need, you need technical knowledge OR handy friends, purchase costs are high, takes up relatively more space, you can\u2019t use all the equipment you might want, in the summer you have a power surplus and your panels are idle for most of the day.<\/p>\n

Connected:<\/h4>\n

Advantages: always plenty of electricity and water, not much room needed for equipment, maintenance friendly.<\/p>\n

Disadvantages: connection costs, subscription costs, feed-in will be less interesting financially, you\u2019ll miss the stimulation of being more frugal with energy and water.<\/p>\n

The choice is yours! Both options are equally desirable. I can still say I have absolutely no regrets in deciding to live in my Tiny House. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages: lots of nature around me, plenty of time being outdoors, leaving a smaller ecological footprint, having a nice tailor-made house without a big mortgage, nice neighbors, and all the extraordinary people I\u2019ve met and experiences I\u2019ve had because of it. The freedom to go my own way, the countless lessons I\u2019ve learned, and I\u2019m still learning\u2026 It has brought me so much more than I could have dreamt of. It\u2019s not suitable for everyone, this type of living, and it doesn\u2019t have to be. But if you get excited about Tiny Houses, there\u2019s only one thing I can recommend: follow your heart and make your dream come true!<\/p>\n

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