Have you ever considered down-sizing your home and living a more minimalist lifestyle?
Maybe going off grid? Well itโs a trend thatโs growing around the world and is more accessible now than ever.
Bryce Langston is a tiny home enthusiast from New Zealand. He moved to the United States some years ago and now works as the host of the web series Living Big in a Tiny House.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2K2-zyndpp/
Together, with his partner Rasa Pescud, they use their expertise to interview and document others who have chosen the tiny home lifestyle. They hope to spread awareness and encourage others to give it a try too!
They make it look pretty sweet.
Bryce went out to Olympia, Washington met up with Jacob Witzling Hamby, an ambitious home-builder who made his own cabin in the woods when he was a college student.
And get this โ every last inch is made from recycled materials, and only cost him $800.
Thatโs a monthโs rent for many people!
โItโs really beautiful to be out here away from roads and away from everything, but very difficult to kind of forage the path and to bring all the materials was really difficult.โ โ Jacob
Sometimes the river was not crossable, so he built a trolley, and sometimes uses a fallen tree to cross.
He found the materials by scavenging outside his and some of his friends job sites. Some items, like the metal roof, was still salvaged but he had to source and pay for it on Craigslist.
Another major aspect that allows Jacob to build incredible houses like this for so cheapโฆ is that heโs a trained carpenter!
So while anyone can build their own tiny house, he certainly has a bit of a leg up.
He doesnโt have to pay for any labor, and he can be sure his project is being realized exactly as he envisions it to be. Not to mention safely.
When youโre working with salvaged materials and architecture that calls for 12 foot ceilings and a particularly unique and angular roofโฆ you have to be sure you know what youโre doing!
The inside is what many of us would probably consider โemptyโ.
But Jacob doesnโt see it that way.
He lived in the cabin while he was at college and trying to live a low impact lifestyle.
Thereโs no couch or pillows, no lighting besides some candles along the windowsill. Thereโs a very small wood fire furnace to heat the 100 square foot cabinโฆ which would come in very handy for a rainy Washington winter!
โWhat I loved about living out here was that there was just less of everything.โ โ Jacob
He wanted the house to feel as connected to nature as possible.
The gigantic windows give you the feeling that youโre standing right in the middle of the forest, or inside one of the trees.
Which I guess you kind of are, if you think about it!
Upstairs, his room is as minimalist as they come.
Thereโs just a sleeping bag and mattress on the floor next to more beautiful giant windows that look out into the forest.
โItโs like a big wooden tent that you get to leave set up all the time in the middle of the forest.โ โ Jacob
A cozy little house like this is a great reminder that we donโt all need the comforts that weโve become so accustomed to and tend to take for granted.
I would probably like to upgrade with a little wi-fi, but I would love to sleep surrounded by this lush green forest!
Jacob has since used his skill set to build other tiny house projects. Including this oneโฆ on wheels!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2r3DndB0wp/
And some beautiful geometric cabins so that other people can get involved in the low-impact tiny house lifestyle too!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2MzynDheF_/
But this little recycled material cabin is where it all started.
Would you ever consider living in a tiny house? Check out the video below for the full tour!
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