I am obsessed with tiny houses.
There, I said it. I love them and I want to build one of my own someday. This is a fairly recent development in my life. Tiny houses have been in the back of my mind for a while but I never really paid them much notice. I’m not quite sure how this all happened but one day I was reading an article about people who decided to live in tiny houses (I’m talking 250 sq. ft.) and the next I was checking out a stack of books and drooling over those unique, tiny bundles of joy. I may not have baby fever but I certainly have tiny house pneumonia.
I recently read Dee Williams’ Built-It-Myself memoir, The Big Tiny, and this book could not have come into my life at a better time. Williams lives in Olympia, which places her lovely book in the category “A Book Set In Your Home State” on my reading challenge. Not only was this convenient for blog writing and reading challenge purposes but it also instilled the absurd notion that I could one day meet the author and become best friends with her.
I love so many things about Dee’s writing. It is personable, warm, humorous, heart-breaking, inspiring and so very interesting. In addition to discussing her construction process, Dee allows us to share in the pain and fear she suffers as a woman with a heart condition. The passion and sheer stubbornness she exhibits while trying to construct a home for herself and her adorable Australian Shepherd RooDee, even while navigating the pitfalls of medical issues, is incredible.
The anecdotes she interwove with discussions of the building process were just lovely. Not only did I get concrete ideas and jumping off points for my own tiny house but I got to see the creation process through the eyes of a woman I now very much admire. It’s very clear in her writing that she is a joyful human being with abundant zest for life. While her preference for living without things like running water or indoor plumbing is not something I care to emulate, I do hope to capture something of her spirit and drive.
I am glad that I read about other tiny houses before delving into Williams’ book as I now know just how customizable they are. Paring down your possessions and space does not have to equate to living without things like Internet, hot water or a normal toilet. This relieves me because I’m not sure I could live without Netflix.
I recommend this wonderful little book to anyone who is curious about tiny houses or who really enjoys stories about people and their resourcefulness. I was so impressed reading about the work Dee did on her own to make her tiny house happen. The amount of bumps and bruises she sustained was shudder-inducing, but the love that she expresses for her little house made me feel what I know to be true—that building a tiny home is worth every struggle, every ache and stubbed toe. Her contentment (despite occasional longing for a shower of her own) soothes me. I know that my tiny house is still far in the future and I’m okay with that. Right now I’m happy with designing my own house and booking a trip to stay at the tiny house hotel in Portland. If Dee’s book taught me anything, it’s that the important things require hard work, but boy are they worth it!
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