ISSN 2631-326X
DECEMBER 2018
Home is Where Your Story Begins
Photograph by Carolyn Aiken
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DECEMBER 2018
Write to Us!
Are you currently living in a small space and making it work? Are you working on a self-build, tiny house, or narrowboat renovation? Your story can inspire others to follow their dreams. Write to us at: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk
Contents 3 Recycled Dreams … Page
Tiny News , Contest Winner … Page
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The Story Behind Tiny Living UK … Page
Rescue Pets – A Gift of Unconditional Love … Page
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Published by: Tiny Living Productions Ltd, Glasgow UK Editor: Pamela Palongue Design by: Gilmour Graphics Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk On the cover: Aiken House and Garden Photograph by Carolyn Aiken
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ped create
ow Matt hel
d e c e c R yl es wind A Selfridg
Dreams
You might find Matt Banks building a house - but then again, you’re just as likely to find him building a pirate ship. There’s really no telling what he might be up to, but the end result will definitely be something surprising and original.
Imaginative building may just be in his genes. He began carpentry work with his father, who fashioned elegant and sometimes elaborate designs for shop windows, in London’s high street stores such as Selfridge’s. This early training helped him to develop an attitude that anything is possible when it comes to design and building.
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While still in his early 20s, Matt had the unusual opportunity to actually work and live inside the ‘Shiver Me Timbres’ Salvage Yard in Penzance Cornwall. This ignited his passion for recycling unique vintage pieces of wood which he transformed into one-of-a-kind buildings and furniture. Later, Matt’s building was inspired by travels to Asia, Africa and Australia, where he saw everything from the exotic to the simple in both architecture and lifestyle. Along the way, he developed his own style which has been described as quirky and unique, and is evident in all of his work.
An amazing stage built for
Boomtown!
A full scale pirate ship built for The Invisible Circus show
A charming cottage built wit
h recycled materials
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After returning to the UK, Matt’s imagination and building skills have placed him in high demand for creating fantasy stage sets at well-known venues such as the Glastonbury Arts Festival, Boomtown Fair, The Masked Ball and Arcadia. His partner owns a circus company, and he frequently creates unique props and furniture for the circus performances. But one of his accomplishments that brings him the most satisfaction is creating living spaces for families. He now has over 20 families in timber framed homes he has built. One of the most important aspects of his building is the use of recycled materials. He works in a backwards direction. Rather than quoting a price based on what a building will cost, people tell him how much they can afford to spend (sometimes as little as £20,000) and he fits his work to the budget.
Matt quickly admits that he is not a good illustrator, and really doesn’t work with plans. He just starts building and figures it out as he goes with the materials he has available. And there’s usually a surprise when he’s finished; something that the homeowners hadn’t counted on which is a pleasant surprise. It takes him about 6 to 8 weeks to complete a house usually, and much of the work is done onsite. It requires him to be away from his home a great deal of the time, but he loves to travel and loves what he is able to do with recycled wood and fixtures. Besides recycling the materials, he sometimes recycles the entire building! He converted a 1950s custom launch into a houseboat, and once turned an old Bedford coach into a vegetarian café!
To see more of the things Matt creates, “People come to me with a certain amount they can afford visit www.mattbankstouchwoodcarpentry.com to spend, and I just find a way to make it work,” explains Matt. That ‘making it work’ is where the real magic of recycling comes in handy. If people are flexible in the design, then repurposed materials can stretch their budget.
Interior of the cottage
Mr Recy
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cling him
self, Ma
tt Bank
s
Small Can Be Beautiful!
Tiny House Plans Winner!! The lucky winner of Niall Burke’s Tiny House Plans was Jen in Yorkshire!! She plans to put them to good use in the near future. Congratulations to Jen, and thanks to everyone who participated, including the amazingly talented Niall Burke of Humble-Homes.com who generously donated his beautiful house plans!!
Happy Hutting Reforesting Scotland is an organisation based in Edinburgh. As the name implies, they do plant trees, but this is only one of many activities they take part in throughout the year. The group encourages the traditional practice of hutting, “the building and enjoyment of simple structures (usually wooden) for living, working and recreation in the countryside”. Now is the perfect time to begin planning your hutting experience for the spring. The website contains links to a guidance on the legal and safe practices with regards to hutting in Scotland. For more information, visit www.reforestingscotland.org
“ The impossible is possible. -Just build!” -Pamela Palongue
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Emma’s Tiny ECO Home UK Emma caught tiny house fever after viewing all the videos of them on YouTube. The idea appealed to her on several different levels. As a trained chef, her work schedule was frequently long and grueling! If she could reduce her monthly bills, she could achieve a healthier work/life balance and have more time for the things she enjoys. She felt that tiny house living might hold the key to a better life. Unfortunately, many of the videos Emma watched on YouTube, were about people from the US and Australia, and much of the information didn’t translate to the UK. So, she began researching tiny house builders in the UK. - A lot of research! Even though tiny houses were much less expensive than a conventional home, it was still a big investment, and it was important to find a builder she could trust. “I looked at a lot of different homes, but I didn’t really like the look of many of the houses I saw online. The ones at Tiny ECO Homes UK looked more like a small house…a little cottage”, explains Emma. So, her next step was to visit their gallery of homes. “It really helped to be able to actually walk through one”. Despite her online research, she had never been inside a tiny house! “It really helped me to decide on the size I wanted to actually see the space”. It also gave her lots of design ideas! Emma opted for storage in the steps of the staircase and also saved
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space by opting for a sliding door to the bathroom, instead of one that opens into the room. She also decided to go fully off-grid, with five solar panels for electricity, a propane hob and a wood burning stove. She ultimately chose Chris of Tiny ECO Homes UK to build her home because of his experience, and her preference for his designs. “I really loved his houses and I knew it would be done to a very high standard. Chris doesn’t go for price first. He’s concerned about the quality first”. Emma’s learned so much in her journey, and now wants to help others realise their dream. One of the biggest challenges can be finding a place to pitch your tiny house. She’s working exclusively with Tiny ECO Homes UK to find suitable pitches for individuals wanting to live in their tiny house. She finds at least two pitches, since the laws currently prohibit living in the home year-round at one location. The fee for her services will be included in the price of the home when purchased from Tiny ECO Homes UK. Emma’s tiny house experience has been life changing. She’s been able to reduce her work schedule to 30 hours per week, and now has time to pursue her love of riding horses. She’s also decided to get a dog to share her cosy tiny home. To see more of Tiny ECO Homes UK designs, visit www.tinyecohomesuk.com
Photograph by Adi Boustead
A Tiny Living Promotion
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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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The Tiny Story Behind ‘Tiny Living’ By Pamela Palongue I came from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to London in 2015 to attend the Met Film School for four months and fell in love with the UK! The landscape and architecture were beautiful, the people were friendly (most of them) and interested in the world around them. I even liked the sometimes cool, cloudy weather, with pouring rain. -Yes, I’m a bit odd. So, when I returned home, I began planning how I could come back. I quit my job as a writer and editor for a large magazine publishing company, and came to Scotland to attend a one-year Masters programme in TV screenwriting.
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Ten days after I was accepted to university, Brexit happened. It didn’t really affect my visa, being an American, as we’ve never been allowed to hang around for too long anyway. -Probably a wise decision on the part of the British government. I arrived at my studio flat in Glasgow, which had no furniture, dishes, linens or toilet paper. It was an odd moment standing in the middle of the room and realising that everything I owned was now contained in three suitcases and two fairly small boxes. But I really felt that the UK offered a great lifestyle and I wanted to actually live here, so it was worth the sacrifice - though looking back, it was a bit terrifying.
The first thing was getting furniture that would fit within the space and not make it look small, without spending a lot of money. I was able to find a bistro table and chairs which works as a dining table, but also as a workspace from which I am writing this article. I had chosen this flat because it had high ceilings which made it feel much larger than it actually was, and the huge windows really helped it to feel more open. If you have a choice when you’re looking for a studio to rent or buy, these are good things to look for in its features. My bed is a 1910 French daybed, which was actually quite affordable, and doubles as my sofa during the day. This saved me having to buy another piece of furniture (a sofa) which would just take up more floor space. I was able to find a lingerie chest which has lots of deep drawers. It’s tall and slender and sits up off of the ground, which gives it a lighter feel than heavy-looking furniture that sits flat on the floor. My nightstand also doubles as an end table. It’s a tray table that likewise looks light and airy. I truly believe the key to making a small space work is having furniture that can perform a couple of different functions… I was able to paint most of the furniture to make it match, since it came from various places and eras, which sort of tricks the eye into making it look like it’s cohesive. After I completed my qualification, the opportunity came up to start a business as a graduate entrepreneur. But what business would that be? The answer came quite easily, as I’ve always preferred small spaces and hope to one day build my own tiny house. I had actually written several features about the tiny house phenomenon in the US and was fascinated by the changes that were taking place here in the UK. It seems that everyone is thinking of housing in new ways, that are more affordable, and that actually improve the quality of life, rather than being a sacrifice. People have been living in small cottages, terraced houses, narrowboats and studio flats for a long time and making it work. With Tiny Living UK, I hope to present their stories and inspire others to live their dreams. I hope everyone finds their place to call home. This island really is a special place, and the fact that I have been lucky enough to come here and live my dream, makes me think that anything can happen here. The impossible is possible. -Just build!
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“
ake just one M someone happy - And you will be happy, too!
”
Nothing makes a house feel more like home than a dog. Even when the whole world seems to be mad at you, they still think you’re the greatest. They’re a tremendous lesson in unconditional love. Unfortunately, that love is not always returned. Many beautiful animals end up in a shelter through no fault of their own - alone, afraid and confused about what they’ve done wrong to be sent away. If you have a garden or access to a park where a dog can get exercise and fresh air, you needn’t live in a large home to give a dog a great life. Even a tiny house will look big to a chihuahua or miniature breed dog. As John Grogan put it so eloquently in ‘Marley and Me’, “A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes, or designer clothes…A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his”. A great place to find your forever friend is at your local animal rescue shelter. Most shelters will ask you fill out an application and will visit your home to make sure it’s safe for you and your dog. You’ll also have a couple of visits at the shelter with your dog to make sure that you’re compatible. These animals have already been through emotional and sometimes physical trauma, so it’s essential that their next home is forever. In England and Wales, you can visit the RSPCA website for more information on your local shelter at www.rspca.org.uk And if you’re in Scotland, visit the SPCA at www.scottishspca.org
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The Big Issue
Have you ever passed by a person selling a magazine called The Big Issue? If you have, they likely were a homeless person. Purchasing The Big Issue from them will help support them in their quest to become self-sufficient. The Big Issue has been around for 27 years. More than just news about the homeless situation, it contains information about cultural events, topical news, and inspiring stories of those who have overcome poverty. The next time you see someone in the familiar red vest, consider purchasing a copy.
Sustainable Shipping Container Homes A non-profit based in Sheffield, REACH Homes, is building homes from converted shipping containers and offering them for as little as £35,000. The homes are made from 60% local, recycled materials and also feature the use of solar energy, rainwater collection and other sustainable practices. The firm has won awards for its homes, and its designs are bright and open, with a clean contemporary look. You can view a prototype home by appointment. For more information visit www.reachhomes.org
Scottish Caravan, Motorhome & Holiday Home Show 7th – 10th February 2019 Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow This event will provide lots of inspiration for small space living, and holidays focussed on nature. In addition to caravans and motorhomes, there will be marine products, tents and camping accessories. Tickets will be going on sale shortly! So bookmark this page for more information. www.caravanshowscotland.com
Tiny Living Magazine is available in PRINT for SCRAPBOOKING, VISION BOARDS and HOME JOURNALS. Our 32-page AUTUMN edition has three of our online editions in print, for just £5, mailed right to your door. Our magazine is printed exclusively on recycled paper with vegetable oil-based inks. Visit www.tinylivingmagazine.co.uk and click SUBSCRIBE from the main menu.
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Big Facts About Small Spaces The average size of a home in the UK is 76 square meters, which is the smallest national average in Europe Over 15,000 people in the UK live on the water on narrowboats and canal boats, with several thousand in London alone A shipping container home can be converted into a permanent dwelling with building regulation compliance for around ÂŁ15,000 + VAT There are now over 80 companies building shepherd huts in the UK, with an increasing number of them used as granny (or grandpa) annexes for aging parents According to the British Property Federation, a record 8,000 ‘micro homes’ were built in the UK in 2017 13
EVEN A SUPER HERO NEEDS A HAND NOW AND THEN!
At Tiny Living Magazine UK we’re here to help! That’s because quality housing and minimising our impact on the natural world is our passion too. When you advertise with us, our print magazines are distributed to over 90 locations across the UK every quarter, and our online version appears every month! We offer one low price for all of it, to give you the most success. Call us for more info – 07715888981 or email info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk
The impossible is possible – Just build!
Tiny Living Magazine 48 2/3 West Regent Street Glasgow G2 2RA Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk www.tinylivingmagazine.co.uk