10/28/24
My shed to tiny house conversion is officially (basically) complete!
With just a few loose ends to tie up and a punch list to (first write and then) execute, I’ve been spending the past couple months getting settled in.
The cats are almost entirely integrated to outdoor-cat-life. Only coming in for meals, naps, and the occasional snuggle.
I’ve considered installing a cat door so that I don’t have to bother letting them in and out at the rate in which they like to go in and out.
I swear they wait until I’m cozy in bed to scratch at the door.
A cat door would be convenient, but then I run the risk of unwelcome guests discovering entry into my warm home, or the cats bringing in dead mice.
I’m both proud and disturbed by the amount of mouse corpses that I shovel up every morning.
At least this level of pest control should help prevent any mice from setting up shop in my house (or car again).
Each morning, I wake to a landscape of autumnal foliage outside my window.
I’ve had the privilege of watching the trees in front of my house turn from green to yellow, to now orange and bits of red, all from the comfort of my bed.
With four of my eight solar panels hooked up to my system now, I’m grateful to enjoy the spoils of electricity inside my home.
The best part of having power is that I’ve upgraded from outdoor-cooler-fridge to indoor-mini-fridge!
And while we’re on the conversation of being spoiled, allow me to introduce my composting toilet.
Gone are the days of squatting outside, or hiking down the hill, cheeks clenched, to the outhouse.
Though I’ll admit that I do still visit the outhouse from time to time. There are certain rules you must follow when using a composting toilet, so the outhouse allows a sense of…freedom, if you will.
The comforts of my indoor commode were soon interrupted by the intrusion of a new pest. Fungus gnats.
Thanks to Youtube University, I was able to troubleshoot this issue and discover the godsend that is diatomaceous earth – a fine white powder that I mix in with my composting material. Through trial and error, I figured out just how much of the stuff I’d need to keep the gnats away, that amount being a crap ton (no pun intended) of diatomaceous earth mixed with my coconut coir (4-5 cups of it, if I had to guess).
Cleaning out my composting toilet has been a… humbling experience. Especially when it came to evicting the larvae that contaminated it.
Nothing a little bleach can’t fix though.
My tolerance for grossness has certainly increased, through this process.
A few months back, I purchased a diesel heater to warm my space. Now that it’s getting cold out, I’ve finally moved heater installation to the top of my priority list.
Hesitant to cut holes into my own house, I’m awaiting the assistance of someone with a little more confidence in doing so.
For the meantime, Jenn has graciously loaned the propane heater that typically warms OG Homie to me.
Though I’ve noticed that the propane heater on my laminate flooring is not the most sustainable, as the laminate is a little more sensitive to such direct heat, than the tile in OG Homie.
I’m pleased to say that help is on the way, and hopefully, by end of day today, my diesel heater will be up and running. 🙂
That’s all for now folks!