Learning to let go is one of the biggest obstacles to downsizing. Deciding what should stay and what should go is hard!  We are drowning in our clutter wondering why we are feeling stressed, exhausted, and overwhelmed.

Taking an inventory of your possessions and prioritizing them are major steps in downsizing your life.  Downsizing is emotional, all those memories and attachments are hard to let go of. If you really take inventory of what you need. Ask yourself some key questions.  You can let go and be free of possessions.  Here are some useful tips to get the process started.

When you are considering an item ask yourself the following questions:

• How often do I use this? If you have not touched it in 6 months and it is not a seasonal item, then remove it from your life.
• Would you pay to replace it? If it was lost, stolen, or destroyed would you pay to replace the item?
• Are you saving it for someone else? Family heirloom you want to pass down? What are you waiting for?  You could give the item and experience them enjoying it.

Now that you have these questions in mind pick a room and set up three piles.  Toss. Keep. Maybe. Be mindful of the “maybe” pile, if it starts getting bigger than the other piles, remove it and give yourself only two options.  You should also consider a donation pile. In most cases, you can call local thrift stores and ask if they come and pick up donations. Consider holding a garage sale, offering items on craigslist or on eBay.  By tackling one room at a time you maintain focus and have a sense of accomplishment.

Consider asking for help from children or relatives. If you have children most of the stuff is probably related to them anyway, so why not get them involved. One of the biggest obstacles is sentimental objects. If you are keeping things for your kids, ask them if they want them, or better yet give them to them now if possible.  If you are someone who has kept every school project, baby outfit, girl scout uniform ask yourself if you are keeping it for you or them?  Consider taking a picture of the item and keeping it instead. It is the memories you are holding on to, not the actual item.

Do not agonize over the process.  Pour yourself some wine, set a timer and just begin.  Take breaks and keep your time blocks manageable, 2 hours or less.  Embrace what is truly valuable to you. Make every possession a conscious choice in your life. Believe it or not, you will start to feel lighter and freer as you let go.

Downsizing is a chore, but once the work is done you will have a sense of accomplishment and pride in your space.  Moving forward, remember to ask yourself the following before adding anything new:

• Will this add value?
• Does it bring me peace, joy, or purpose?

What are you waiting for?  Start your downsizing your life now.

Downsizing Reminder tips:

1. Involve relatives
2. Give away now
3. One space at a time
4. Use a timer
5. Keep, toss, maybe or donation piles
6. Garage sales, craigslist or eBay items

 

This blog post was inspired by Downsizing Tips: How to ease the Move to a Smaller Home.

 

Thinking of buying a Tiny Idahome? Designing your tiny home is the easy part. We will work with you to decide what design options will best suit your needs. Before the design process begins you may need to consider loan options. It is important to be prepared if you are applying for an RV or personal loan to make your dream a reality.

• Prepare for a 20% down payment
• Check your credit score, aim for a score between 700-650

Knowing the requirements before applying for the RV loan will make it a good experience. Consider your current bank, credit union, or check out personal loan options.  Keep in mind that RV loans are for recreation vehicles and most institutions do not consider them full-time housing. If this is the case, you may want to consider a personal loan for your purchase.

Your credit score will determine whether you qualify for a 15% down payment or if you will need the standard 20% down. You may still qualify with a 650-credit score, but lenders may require 30% down.

Look at your debt-to-income ratio to ensure you can make the required monthly payments. Your debt-to-income ratio should be under 35 to get approval.  Paying down existing credit card debt before you apply will increase your odds of approval.

Another thing to consider is where you will park your tiny home. Do some research on local zoning restrictions in your area. Tiny Idahomes are RV certified and can be parked in RV parks legally. All other locations will depend on your local zoning codes. Check out park fees to get a total picture of your tiny home costs.

After securing your loan, contact us to start the design process of your new Tiny Idahome. Check out our website for more information regarding models, ideas, or tips for your future Tiny Idahome.

This beautiful tiny house is 20′ long and it is a perfect combination of rustic and modern. Although smaller it offers a great interior space.

Here are this tiny house specs:

–  2 X 4 Construction

–  Blown in Fiberglass Batt Insulation – R-15 in walls, R-15 Ceiling and R-13 Floor

–  Board and Batt siding painted Sherwin Williams, Dark green

–  Exterior trim – natural cedar

–  Exterior accents – Natural cedar and rusted metal with cedar trim around it

–  Kinro windows – double pane – single hung – tempered glass

–  Interior walls White Bead Board with pine interior ceiling

–  Traffic master warm oak one piece vinyl flooring

–  Rear kitchen with White Arcadia cabinets and apartment style refrigerator

–  Butcher block countertops with stainless steel undermount sink and butcher block cover. Kitchen also has tall pantry cabinet with lots of space for storage

–  7’ sleeping loft with pine floor and custom built stairs to the loft with closet built in the stairs

–  Front Bathroom with 36” one piece shower, small bathroom sink and regular porcelain toilet

–  LED Dome lights throughout the tiny house

–   Electric baseboard heater.

–  6 gallon Suburban propane water heater

 

 

Gina is one of our few Idaho customers and we are so happy we got the opportunity to build her tiny house. She is absolutely amazing and we hope she will have a lot of fun and memorable times in her tiny house journey

 

This digital slideshow personalized with Smilebox

 

 

Here are the specs to her tiny house. It is a 26′ Clear Creek Model

 

2 X 4 Construction

Blown in Fiberglass Batt Insulation – R-15 in walls, R-15 Ceiling and R-13 Floor

Board and Batt siding painted:  Sherwin Williams Contented #SW6191

Trim – Sherwin Williams – Standard White & Grey Screen #SW7071 accent

Standing Seam Metal Roofing – Zinc

Kinro windows – double pane – Sliding– tempered glass

Interior walls and ceiling White Beadboard

Floor – one sheet vinyl –Diamond in Terrace tile/Multi Terra Slate

36” Standard paneled door with knocker – painted std white

Front Sleeping Loft area, 8’, pine tongue and groove floors with clear coat finish

Rear 6’ storage  loft area, pine tongue and groove floors with clear coat finish

Custom Storage Stairs, clear coated

Dakota Wall Sconces

Mid Kitchen with 27”, Deep  Double basin Stainless steel sink

Pullout Satin Nickel Faucet

4 burner 20” Danby range with 24” black vented range hood above

Cabinets – White Shaker Style with satin nickel pulls

28” Stainless Steel Whirlpool Refrigerator with icemaker WRT518SZF

Countertop – Maple Butcher block

5 1/2 ‘ bar area in Maple Butcher block

White fan light

Rear bathroom with Residential Round Toilet, Bathroom Exhaust Fan

36” one piece fiberglass shower with dual handle hardware

Small bath sink with cabinet below

Splendide Washer/Dryer combo in kitchen area

6 gallon dual propane/electric water heater

9,000 BTU Pioneer Mini Split Heat Pump

50 AMP RV connection and 50 AMP RV 12-volt power converter,  25’ Power Cord

RV Propane Connection with propane cover. Hose Bib water connection

Pex Plumbing pipe

3” Sewer  Connection

Hello everyone, do you remember LeVerage, the French Storybook Style tiny house we have built for our our customers Carmen, Lauren and Tim?

This tiny Idahomes Tiny House has been completed in November of 2016. Carmen, Lauren and Tim have been living in it ever since and they only moved it once from Oregon to Washington so far.  They love it and they love the fact that even if it is a tiny space, the tiny house offers them the space they need and they still have their own privacy. (these pictures here are the final pictures when completed but ever since, they have enclosed the lofts so every one has their space)

Carmen has started a blog about their life in LeVerage tiny house, their experiences and discoveries. Reading through some of her blog posts, I have found that a lot of the information can be useful to a lot of people living tiny. She’s got a lot of information on how to stay organized, how to do laundry without a washer and dryer and a lot of other life experiences they have encountered so far. Here is the link to her blog page: https://leveragethl.blogspot.com/

Also, here is a link to lived in pictures and also an interview Tiny House Talk did with them: http://tinyhousetalk.com/carmen-and-tims-lived-in-french-storybook-thow/

I really enjoy keeping an eye on her blog and I am sharing it with you all as you may find it interesting as well.

Carmen, Tim, Lauren – thank you for sharing with us and we are looking forward to reading some more and follow your PCT hike you have planned for next year!

This tiny house offers a cozy space with a roomy feel.

This 20’ Clear Creek model Tiny House on Wheels has clear coated pine tongue and groove interior walls and ceiling. It is insulated with spray foam:  2” in the walls, 3” in the ceiling.   The exterior is Painted Board and Batt SmartBoard.  It has a double pitch Tuff Rib metal roof with a dormer roof above the sleeping loft and an A frame roof above the living room. There is an 8 ft. Sleeping loft above Bathroom and Kitchen area with approximately 6’9” under loft and 42” above.  The loft is lighted with 2 wall sconces on end wall and a 1 dome light centered on ceiling. There is a total 9 windows in this tiny home including 4 in the loft area.  The kitchen has shaker style Arcadia oak cabinets and a 3 burner Atwood RV Range with oven with a 24” range hood.

 

    

• This Tiny house on wheels features a front living room with a custom built 96” long by 18” deep wine rack and book shelfs with two swing out tables, a 10’ loft with dormers located above bathroom and kitchen, a 6’ loft over the living room, a back bathroom with a 4.5 Ft Cast Iron Satin Nickel Claw foot roll up tub, and a middle kitchen with a Houzer Onyx 1 granite undermount kitchen sink with Kohler Single Handle pull down sprayer kitchen faucet, a 20 in. 2.42 cu. ft. Gas Range and a range hood, black walnut countertops and whirpool 16cu ft top freezer refrigerator.

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