The Land - recent past to present

So now let me bring you up to speed with the most recent RSQ progress.  After the events of 2006-2007 not much happened except that we had rolls of insulation delivered and we stored them in the garage for many years.  We both were working stressful full-time jobs and didn't have the energy to devote to the homestead.  Then we started our family.  I gave birth to two babies out of five pregnancies between 2008-2014 (miscarriages as a result of uterine fibroids).  I share this because I spent a lot of time thinking about being pregnant, being pregnant, and recovering from being pregnant during the intervening years.  After Sister was born in 2014 I was positive that I did not want to go through any more pregnancies.  Due to continued medical issues I ended up having a hysterectomy in 2016... I give this bit of background because it reinforced the fact that health is a necessary precondition to any project.  My health, and having small children, are the main reasons why RSQ was on the back burner for a while. 

We visited the land in 2015 when Sister was seven months old.  We did some organization, stacked up the rolls of insulation that were taking up the main floor space of the garage and even put up one roll just to see how it would go. 

Insulation rolls in blue bags stacked

First roll of insulation on the wall

We purchased the insulation when we thought this building would be a garage with a bathroom.  Now we want to make it into a fully functional tiny house.  Another way to insulate the building would be to frame up the inside and put insulation behind the drywall. Our plan does include some framing, but not just for the sake of cosmetics.  Also, we want to use everything that we already purchased and we have a plan to decorate so that the insulation is not very noticeable.  So we proceeded with hanging the insulation, but realized quickly that we couldn't hang insulation with a baby in tow.  First there is the dust that the kids should not breath and secondly these suckers are heavy!  It is a two-person job and one of them can't be holding a kiddo. 

The next time we worked on the building was in 2016-2017 when Sister was two years old.  We rented scaffolding from the big box store on two occasions.  It took several trips over eight months to get the job done...

Husband on the scaffolding attaching insulation to the building

The first step in attaching the insulation was to lay it out and we used the scaffolding
and a ladder to raise it up.  The top of the building is 12' tall.

Yes, it's currently a big padded room. 

Our tent has been set up inside the building for a while.  We have a futon mattress
and all of our sleeping bags inside ready to use when we visit. 

We do have a bit more insulation to use on the end walls, but we need to get the framing for the lofts and rooms up before the insulation goes in.  In a future post I will try to share the floor plan we have drawn up.  

The current state of affairs is that we are storing our remaining possessions there so the building is very full.  I hope that on our next trip we can organize things and start to plan the next steps in this adventure.

Hideout living 18 months later...

It's crazy, but I am kind of in love with living in this tiny space now that the weather is good.  While I am not going to deny that there are things I miss (like some decent counter space in the kitchen), the pros to this life far outweigh the cons.  I think the biggest reason I don't want to move from the Hideout is the cost of living.  Lot rent is cheap, the Hideout is paid off, and living in a small space limits how much stuff we can buy.  In the meantime our savings is growing which means we will continue to live free of debt far into the future.

In the past month we rearranged the kids' bunks.  We ditched the flat full sized mattresses that came with the Hideout and bought two twin foam mattresses from IKEA.  We also bought IKEA bins that fit between the mattress and the wall to better contain their toys and clothes.  They both like the new organization and said it is easier to find things.  They also have been spending more time in their spaces - which is the biggest proof that they like the changes we made.  We've talked to Brother about whether he missed having his own room - it seems he misses some of the things that were in the room that we can't fit in the Hideout, not necessarily the room itself.  I don't think Sister cares too much.  18 months of her four years have been spent in the Hideout - this is home for her.

Did I mention Brother broke his arm three weeks ago?  He was playing outside and riding a scooter that is too small for him....he tripped, fell off of it, and caught himself with his right arm.  He has a buckle fracture of both the radius and ulna.  He is now halfway through his time in the cast (assuming he does not need a second cast). 

He's had to learn to use his left had more.  He had a bit of trouble climbing up to his top bunk at first, but has adapted.  Bathing is a bit of an adventure....we've been focusing on school work that does not require handwriting.  He's been reading a lot of fiction in place of video games as the controllers present challenges.  Thankfully he is not in any pain.  He has many well-wishes and signatures on the cast. 

The last day of classes for fall semester is November 30.  During the winter break I have a lot of work to do to get my classes ready for the spring semester, but I will mostly work from home.  Husband switched to an online program so starting in the spring he will not need to commute to campus.  We think that is going to work out better.  Sister can now count to 100 by ones and tens!  She also knows almost all of the sounds of the letters and can sound out two and three letter words.  She's as bright as her brother.  Brother is doing really well in fourth grade.  He just finished a lesson on fractions and decimals and made us proud with his progress. 

In September we had to have the motor in our air conditioner replaced.  Thankfully it was under warranty.  We didn't mess with the dealership - I doubt we will ever go there again - we just called a company that came to our lot and did the repairs on site.  We had to pay for the service call but the parts were under warranty.  This week we turned on the furnace for the first time.  We are in that crazy time of year in AZ where the air conditioner is needed during the warmest part of the day and we have to turn on the furnace at night.  I can't remember when we filled the propane last, but it was a long time ago....before Michigan...so June?  We've been running on the same 30 gallon tank since then - but now, since we are using the furnace it will probably run out soon.  We had a couple of high electric bills since we've been back the highest was $180 and the next one dropped to $130.  Now that we are not running the air conditioner so much it will be low again. 

Finally, we are planning on setting up service with a high-speed internet provider while we are stationary.  We have been using our T-Mobile service/hotspot for the past 18 months and it's been ok, but we want something faster and more reliable.  Century Link is the only provider in our area - I think we will set that up this month. 

Well, those are the updates - we are busy when we are stationary!  We are looking forward to a wonderful weekend in the mountains at Rancho Status Quo next weekend - though it will probably be cold and we will have to look through boxes to find our winter clothes!