Cosy Tiny Houses
ISSN 2631-326X
DECEMBER 2019
W
ishing You a Joyous Year, A Place to Come Home to, And someone waiting for you once you get there. From all of us at Tiny Living Magazine UK.
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DECEMBER 2019
Contents Send Us Your Photos!! Are you living in a tiny house, a narrowboat, a studio or other small space? Your story can help inspire others to follow their dreams! Email us at: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk
What’s Your Style? … Page
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The Heart of Your Home … Page
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For the Birds … Page
Published by: Tiny Living Productions Ltd, Glasgow UK Editor: Pamela Palongue Design by: Gilmour Graphics Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk Cover photograph by Alena Gan
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Style?
WHAT’S YOUR
Tiny homes aren’t all tiny houses on wheels with unpainted exteriors. They’re not one-size fits all. They’re built in as many shapes, colours and materials as the individuals who live in them, and some are not even houses at all! But small-space dwellings share a commonality in a reduced footprint, sustainable maintenance, and affordability. And small spaces require far less energy to heat and cool, making them an obvious choice for helping our planet. Take a look at some of the interesting and innovative choices…
- A cottage that time forgot This adorable tiny house in Scotland looks as though it could be ancient, but it was actually built in the 1980s. The owner converted the house from a former shelter for livestock, and almost everything in it is made of repurposed wood and found objects. It exists in harmony with its surroundings, with ivy climbing up its walls and a small pond for fish and visiting birds. For a bit more on the building of this lovely home, check our May 2018 issue.
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- A caravan for those who wander, but are never lost This gorgeous caravan (or roulotte in French) was built by the Gitan artisans of Camargue. But it happily resides in the Scottish Borders area. It’s like dwelling in a piece of art. If you must travel for work, or just enjoy going where life takes you, a roulotte can make your journey an exciting adventure. For more photos, or to plan a visit, see our article on Roulotte Retreat in April 2019.
- A home that’s Grade A As the saying goes, a triangle is the strongest structure. And A-frame houses, offer a natural area for a loft inside. The down side may be that heat tends to collect in the apex of the triangle, making the lower area cooler, but a fan can help to force the air back down to ground level. Radiant heating methods can also help, such as a masonry stove that warms ceramic tiles, radiating the heat slowly and evenly throughout the space. If you’ve dreamed of living in a little A-frame chalet in the forest, this may be your new home.
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- A simple cottage in the country If you’ve ever dreamed of a tiny house in the countryside, your vision might look something like this. Besides a charming home, there’s a joyful garden filled with wildflowers, vegetables, herbs and perhaps a few bees. Now that’s living!
- A home on the water Sometimes the best house isn’t really a house. Just as tiny houses can be either mobile or static, a narrowboat can be moored at one location, or moved every two weeks. There are an increasing number of service boats that will bring you water, fuel and pump out the dreaded unmentionable tank. If you love the water and enjoy watching nature unfold around you, a narrowboat may be the home to launch your dreams.
- A home that moves with you Like a trusted friend, this tiny house on wheels can go wherever you go. It’s road-towable, and has a surprising amount of space inside. It can be built on a foundation, but it’s specially constructed to withstand the road miles of frequent moving. With a tiny house on wheels, home is wherever you are! To see more photos of this Tiny Eco Homes UK build, check our November 2018 issue.
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- A completely contemporary concept This micro-home was built by a Welsh architect who believes buildings should exist in harmony with nature, and offer sustainability. It’s called the Helygen, which means the ‘willows’ in the Welsh language. If you love contemporary design, this home might complement your style. To read more about it, see the article in our November 2019 issue.
- A modular home of the future Modular homes are quickly becoming the wave of the future in housing. They can be mostly constructed at a dedicated work site, and then the components are delivered to the home site where they can be completed very quickly. The one pictured here was built by The Wee House Company, and has an equally charming interior. For more photos, see our article in June 2018. If you like small-spacing living structures, they are lots of options that give you the freedom to live the way that you desire.
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WINTER PRINT ISSN 2631-3251
WINTER 2019
On sale December!
Cosy Tiny Houses
Our Winter issue (a combination of October, November & December) available at these locations: LONDON Charlotte Street News, Fitzrovia, W1T 4QE LONDON Rococo News & Magazines, Notting Hill W11 2HX GLASGOW Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) Aye-Aye Bookstore, G2 3JD
And online everywhere at
www.Newsstand.co.uk
- according to the Canal & River Trust, 26% of the UK’s 33,000 boats are used as primary residences? - thousands of people in the UK are already embracing small-space living in studio flats, student accommodations, and small terraced houses? - there are over 80 shepherd hut building companies in the UK? - prices for a well-designed tiny house fitted with kitchen and bath starts at £26,000? - according to Popular Science, human beings are hard-wired to like tiny things? www.popsci.com/why-do-we-think-tiny-things-are-cute
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A Tiny Living Promotion
The Heart of Your Home
At the heart of your home is peace. – The peace in knowing that come what may, you have a place to come home to, that’s incredibly affordable, and easy to maintain. It’s a welcoming respite away from the world, where you can take comfort and recharge. Tiny Eco Homes UK has tiny houses starting at £26,000. That’s little more than the cost of a car. Their experienced master builders and designers rate quality as the most important ingredient in making your home a comfort and not a financial burden. They’re built to last a lifetime, and the bespoke design ensures that it fits your lifestyle. So pour yourself a nice cup of tea, and take a look at what your home could look like at www.tinyecohomesuk.com
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For the Birds
But it’s not just food that birds need, but also clean water for drinking and bathing. This is especially true in winter when lakes and other sources may be frozen. If you have even a small garden, a bird bath is a welcome respite for our feathered friends, and will add beauty to your home – not to mention hours of enjoyment watching them. Even a shallow dish will work as a bird bath. And for those seasons when the temperature drops below freezing, try adding a lightweight ball that will float. The movement of it across the water will help keep the water from freezing. Do not add salt! This can be poison for the birds! One other caveat, be sure to clean the bird bath frequently, using gloves, and thoroughly rinse it to remove any cleaning chemicals. In the autumn and winter, it’s optimal to feed birds twice a day if possible, but if the food is not being taken, cut back based on demand. Try to set a regular feeding time and the birds will visit on schedule. In winter, birds need food that is high in fat to maintain their body temperature. They can eat unsalted bacon and mild cheese which will help and whole unsalted nuts are also good in winter. The type of food you put out will attract different species of bird. Sparrows and finches especially like seeds, while robins and thrushes favour fruit. Wrens and dunnocks will eat mild cheese and nuthatches love peanuts. You may even see a few migrant birds who drift in from Scandinavia, Russia and other northern European climes.
Many people feed birds in winter when food for them can be scarce. But are we helping the birds, or are they really helping us? Birds help pollinate plants and flowers, and they eat annoying insect pests, including mosquitoes, keeping them in check. They also add an incredible amount of beauty to our world both visually and audibly. -How sad it would be, never to hear a songbird’s solitary warbling ever again. There are also emotional benefits from our interaction with them. Interaction with nature on a regular basis helps us to turn our attention away from our problems and focus on something outside ourselves. For many, who live in urban areas surrounded by concrete and pavement, birds may be the only chance to engage with nature on a daily basis. No wonder so many people love to feed the birds!
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If you have a garden, you will have a plethora of bird feeders to choose from, but in the city, be mindful of the pedestrians below. Never set a dish on a ledge where a strong wind could blow it off. There are urban feeder boxes that attach securely to a wall. If you live in an older building, you may have casement windows with a second set of windows in your flat. If you raise one of the outer casement windows, this can provide a safe space for birds to feed in between. You’ll find that making bird friends can be fun and before you know it, you’ll be looking forward to their regular visits. For more information on British birds, as well as products for purchase such as birdseed, bird baths and books, please visit the charitable organisation, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) www.rspb.org.uk
In between the mad dash for that last mince pie on the shelf, and searching for the perfect scarf for Aunt Clara… don’t forget the most important gift of all –
Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward All. 10
Tiny Living Magazine 48 2/3 West Regent Street Glasgow G2 2RA Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk www.tinylivingmagazine.co.uk