Lofty views

Initially I was concerned about climbing a ladder and sleeping in a loft. But it was the most efficient use of space so I forged ahead, confident I could make it work and after just a couple days I stopped banging my shins on the ladder. Soon the bruises healed and I am happy to say I am now a skilled climber and can go up and down the ladder, even in the dark! Do not be put off by the ladder. On the other hand if you have health issues you could always work in a stationary set of narrow steps or eleminate the loft all together. There are several companies that make "murphy style" bed/desk or bed/sofa furniture.

I find sleeping in the loft comfortable and cozy. In fact, the bed is the largest space for me to spread out in, so I often use it to work on projects. I am writing this blog while sitting on my bed. The dormers give me plenty of head room and a ton of light. With 4 windows I get a great cross breeze and in the winter when I don't want to open the windows I have a small 4" fan to push around the air. Many people close off their loft to gain some extra clothing storage or build little storage boxes next to the bed but I think this only makes it feel claustrophobic. And making a bed while lying in the middle is incredibly difficult! You can see from the picture below that I have extra space around my bed.

I am so glad I had the porch built! My deck is the width of my tiny house and 5' deep, which is large enough to set a small 30" table and 2 chairs on. Because I live in Southern California, the weather is good all year around and I will often sit outside to eat, read or visit with neighbors. The angle of my Ynez Cottage gives me afternoon shade (very nice in August when it can get over 100 degrees).

My utility room is another add on. Instead of giving up valuable storage space under the sink for the hot water tank I had the builder OregonCottageCompany.net place it in the utility room (which isn't really a room as much as a little bump out on the tongue of the trailer). The area is large enough to house the 20 gallon hot water tank, a small amount of storage and litter for the bucket style compost toilet.

The window above this area is a single hung window (not an awning style window like the rest) so that I can have a small a/c unit. The cool air is pushed in a straight line from the back of my tiny house to the front. In August when it gets very hot, an additional little fan is used to push the cool air up into the loft.

Next let's talk about the constant need to organize.