Tiny Home Big Dreams

Have you ever wanted to live in a shipping container home (tiny house) on a farm?

I have.  For many years I have watched the tiny home movement with great curiosity.  I've never wanted a huge mortgage (even 200k, which is lower than average, seems huge to me) but I've also felt that I did not want to rent forever.  The tiny house movement seemed to me a perfect middle ground, and amidst the tiny homes, a shipping container felt to me like the perfect match.

Example floor plan for a 20' container.

A boat builder's 20' container (restroom is behind the kitchen area)

There are many pros and cons to various sorts of tiny houses.  I didn't really want a tiny house on wheels since I wasn't planning on moving it often.  Still, I wanted the capability of movement along with the ability to easily set it on a foundation (a foundation that's easily made).  I think a shipping container meets all of my criterion in that department in addition to being made of steel and being extremely durable and bug resistant.  There are some issues with shipping containers, especially with regards to getting enough insulation to make the container livable and comfortable without sacrificing too much of the interior space (i.e., you can't do a foot of insulation).  Thankfully these days there are many products to help overcome that issue.

But aside from my dream fantasy (living more simply, working less but saving more), what has made all of this a sort of reality has been the encouragement of a good friend of mine, Erin Slivka.  Erin and I met years ago when she began working at Evans Army Community Hospital as a physical therapist.  Over time we became friends and I was even invited to a few holiday family dinners.  When her husband had to leave for 10-months to War College (it's a thing in the Army), I moved into their basement rent free to help with childcare (shuttling the kids to and from school and sports, cooking once in awhile, being the adult).  Erin also recommended me for hire at the Hanson Clinic as I was transitioning from Active Duty into the Army Reserves.  So to say she's been there for me and I've been there for her is a slight understatement.  At this point, she is my sister from another mister.

So to get to the tiny house part...Erin has long boarded two of her horses at a small farm in Fountain which is just south of Colorado Springs.  She has been looking for land for probably over a year and recently found land nearby to have her own little farm.  She proposed long ago that I could live on the land for free and be a caretaker to the horses (she is unable to drive out twice a day to feed her horses with 3 kids in the house and part-time work at the Hanson Clinic).  This to me sounded like a great opportunity to move towards one of my own personal goals, escaping rent and owning a tiny home.

Currently her land is under contract and they close June 1.  I'm working with a friend who is a contractor to begin some planning on a tiny home shipping container.  Everything is still in the early stages but without a doubt there are plans in motion on all sides to make this happen.  What's my long-term plan?  Have a tiny house paid off in 3-5yrs and when my time is expired on Erin's land (if that happens), I will find my own land for my tiny container home (or find someone who wants a caretaker on their land or I could pay cheap rent for space if needed).

This is why I joke with my friends that I am lazy.  They almost always come back and say something like, "people who enjoy running 100-miles at once aren't lazy."  I agree.  It's not really laziness but rather a life philosophy that differs from the one we are sold as children.  I'd much rather own less but own what really makes me happy.  I'd much rather "work less," and adventure, explore, learn, and volunteer more.  I'm happy to trade hours of one kind of work (the stubborn and high-pressure 9-5) for more hours doing manual work on a farm.  I grew up loving the simple things and that's something that has never changed.  Since moving to Colorado in 2011, I've felt very at home.  In 2015 I officially became a resident.  Perhaps in 2018 I will officially own a tiny home, and in my mind, have put down some roots.  Looking forward the this next adventure and hoping to document more here on my tiny home farm adventure.

Colorado is HOME