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Tiny Homes and Community Living: A Recap

August 6, 2015 by

The country, and the world, is currently enamored with the idea of tiny houses. Just look at the popularity of DIY Network’s Tiny House Nation, which documents the building of a tiny house from concept to completion in just one 45 minute episode. Asheville company Wishbone Tiny Homes has even been featured on an episode.

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I have not been immune to this concept. I have written about tiny homes as an option for aging both in community and in place. Several times I asked a local tiny home dweller, Laura M. LaVoie, to share her insights and for other installments I explored the possibilities myself. Let’s take a look at the tiny house resources I’ve shared on this blog.

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No One-Size-Fits-All Community Model

February 22, 2015 by

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I was just looking back on some posts I had written about a year ago and this one stood out to me specifically to remind you about again. Please take a look! Alternative Living Solutions: Tiny Homes, Pocket Neighborhoods, and More!

I thought about it quite a bit because so many people look at the Golden Girls-style household and think that is what we mean by community living as we age. And while that is a more than viable option, there are so many more. Your choice of community should reflect your personality, your desires, your hobbies, and your interests.

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Book Review | The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memoir by Dee Williams

July 29, 2014 by

the big tinyOnce again, I’ve asked my friend and professional writer Laura M. LaVoie to provide some insight on the tiny house community and how it may relate to graceful aging, living in community, and other issues boomers face today. Laura has read and reviewed the book The Big Tiny by Dee Williams, a woman living in Olympia Washington in a house smaller than 100 square feet.

Beyond almost anything else, I am grateful to be a part of the tiny house community so I can meet wonderful souls like Dee Williams. She is funny, bubbly, and kind. Like most of the tiny house community, we are all spread across the country so most of our interaction takes place on social media. However, in April of 2014 a couple dozen bloggers converged on the first annual Tiny House Conference in Charlotte NC. Dee was the key note speaker. This was right before her book, The Big Tiny, hit bookstore shelves so I really didn’t know much about her story beyond the basics that she was willing to share online.

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Tiny Houses and The New Retirement with Ryan Mitchell

May 27, 2014 by

newretirement-278x350-2This is a guest post from Laura M. LaVoie, author of the book 120 Ideas for Tiny Living. Laura lives near Asheville in a 120 square foot home she built with her partner, Matt. You can read her blog at www.120squarefeet.com and buy the book on Amazon.

Marianne is off on a sun filled vacation and asked me to fill in with this post since it is all about tiny houses, a subject I know just a little bit about.

For this post I’ve Interviewed Ryan Mitchell the owner of The Tiny Life, a blog about tiny houses, and the author of the eBook The New Retirement.

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Alternative Living Solutions: Tiny Homes, Pocket Neighborhoods, and More

January 14, 2014 by

Here at Women for Living in Community we talk a lot about cohousing or shared housing or other types of community living. It is in our name, after all. But we also know that not everyone is interested in these types of living arrangements as they age. What are some other alternatives for us? While some of these may have community components, they are independent living at the core. Let’s take a look at just a few.

Inside Laura's Tiny House

Inside Laura’s Tiny House

Tiny Houses

Recently, guest author Laura M. LaVoie posted about tiny homes. The movement is gaining ground and becoming quite popular due to media attention. This recent article showcases the tiny life of Bette Presley. She hopes that by downsizing her life drastically she can keep her children from having to deal with a house-load of possessions when she becomes unable to take care of herself. She also hopes that living in a tiny space will help her avoid nursing home care all together.

Pocket Neighborhoods

The concept of a pocket neighborhood is a series of small homes built with a central area and access. The idea is that community is built into the neighborhood but each home is individual. Friendships can be made but residents have their own sense of space. These communities tend to be multi-generational and the interaction is at everyone’s own pace.

Click below to read more ideas about alternative living solutions.

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Tiny Houses: The Lessons of Downsizing and Simple Living

November 26, 2013 by

This is a guest post from Laura M. LaVoie, author of the book 120 Ideas for Tiny Living. Laura lives near Asheville in a 120 square foot home she built with her partner, Matt. You can read her blog at www.120squarefeet.com and buy the book on Amazon.

Laura’s tiny house in the mountains.

I live in a 120 square foot house. While most people aren’t interested in making such a drastic change, I have talked to a number of people who want to simplify their lives and downsize as they approach retirement. The tiny house movement has a lot to share about how to simplify our lives and small steps everyone can take regardless of the size of their home.

Tiny house living is about more than just the square footage and the amount of stuff you own. It really is a philosophy that anyone can incorporate into their lives.

Here are just a few easy ways to simplify your life and live more deliberately.

Take it one room at a time. The hardest part about simplifying is looking at all of the things you’ve accumulated in your house and thinking you can’t possibly decide what can stay or what can go. Just like with any difficult task it helps to break it into smaller pieces. Start with just one room and if that seems overwhelming begin with a desk or a closet. Make three piles: keep, donate, and toss.

Please click below to read more ideas on downsizing and tiny living.

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