Get to know the Rewild Team in an interview with SmallerLiving.org

/

"Building a tiny home can be a complex process with many small details and decisions that will ultimately affect the overall quality of the home. Enter Rewild Homes, a tiny home building company founded by Patrick Whelan and Jessica Reid in Nanaimo, Canada. The expert builders at Rewild offer many services, including tiny home trailers, shells, and finished homes.

We recently interviewed the team at Rewild to get their insight into building toward smaller living."

Read the rest of the article here to get to know the team here at Rewild :)

ProjectWonderland! Making the move to a tiny home with Nico + Kate.

/

The tiny house movement is not just about getting rid of all your stuff and "getting off the grid, maaaaan." It's not just about cute little nooks and Pinterest boards. It's about taking a good hard look at your life and figuring out what it is that makes you tick, and about making your life the best life you'll ever live. It's about getting away from the stress and financial burden of keeping up with the Joneses. Most importantly, it's about spending every day of your life doing the things that you want to do and making time for the people that matter the most to you so that when you're 80 years old and looking back you won't regret spending the majority of your life doing work that you didn't enjoy to pay for things that you no longer have. That brings us to Nico and Kate. Nico and Kate are an awesome couple on Vancouver Island that have decided to take the leap and make the move into a Rewild tiny home. They came to us with months if not years of research and daydreaming, cool designs and a great idea of what they were looking for, and a ton of passion, immediately drawing us to their story. A musician and a yoga teacher, both Nico and Kate have found their passions and are designing their lives to compliment their work. They are making this move for all the right reasons, and that's why we want to do what we can to help support them. It's people like Nico and Kate who inspire us to make the move, to stand up and say "this is my life, and I'm going to live it the way I want" - without cutting off all contact, quitting our jobs, and moving to a remote corner of Bosnia to live off the land wearing a loincloth. Ok, that might be a bit of a hyperbole, but the point is - it's possible. You can do it. Take the leap, and the net will appear.

If you want to help Nico and Kate, they have a Go Fund Me account set up where you can chip in to make their huge (tiny) dream come true. They are offering lots of cool things in exchange for your support, from freshly baked cookies to personal concerts to yoga classes. 

Kate and Nico's Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/jwtqtru4

Four ways to heat your tiny home

/

Wood burning stoves

Wood stoves look great and give that cabin feel to tiny homes. If you live somewhere that gathering firewood isn't a problem, a little fireplace might be a great choice for you. They don't require any electricity and put off great heat. I know that a wood stove is on the top of my list! Some people actually have both a wood stove and a secondary heating method (particularly those who are moving around a lot) for times when getting firewood isn't an option. A Norweigan company called Jotul is a popular choice for tiny house enthusiasts because of their excellent craftsmanship and affordable pricing. You can take a look at their products on their Canadian site here. Wood stoves vary in price, but expect to spend anywhere from $500-$5000+.

 

Pellet stoves

Pellet stoves are a great option for people who want a wood stove but don't have access to firewood. Pellets are made of recycled compressed materials and create less ash and creosote than wood burning fireplaces (meaning less of a fire hazard due to build up). They are extremely efficient and produce very little smoke. The downside to pellet stoves? They require electricity to run and they are pretty darn pricey, running well over $1000. Check out Northwest Stoves for a Canadian source of pellet stoves.

 

Gas/propane heaters

Gas or propane heaters seem to be the most popular heating choice for tiny homes. They are efficient, small, and still have a nice flame to look at. They are also mounted on the wall, clearing up valuable floor space. They are fairly costly (over $1000) but reliable and safe. Dickinson Marine is the place to look for marine heaters, also available at many marine stores. Did I mention how tiny they are???

 

Electric

If access to electricity isn't an issue for you than this is definitely the cheapest method. Any stores like Rona, Walmart, etc have a wide variety of electric heaters, ranging from $50 oil heaters to $400 infra-red heaters.

So there you have it! The most common heating methods for tiny homes. Which one is your favourite?