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my brother's inspirational tiny home

Brandyr1ckey

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2025
Messages
9
My brother is a huge inspiration to me. He lives out in the middle of nowhere and built this tiny house, and it's completely changed how I think about living.
He basically designed his 200 square foot house like a sailboat, I like the design. Every inch is planned out perfectly. You've got a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining area all in one space, but it never feels cramped.

It's great, but it doesn't have electricity or plumbing. He uses a wood stove for heat and cooking, kerosene lamps for light, and an Italian moka pot for coffee.
He just carries in water for cooking and has a composting outhouse.
He even uses the cold weather like a fridge for most of the year, just opens the foyer door and it cools everything down!

It makes me think, do we really need all the space and stuff we have? Anyone else know someone who lives like this? I'd love to hear some stories about simple living!
 
Welcome Brandy.

If you ever read John Steinbeck's 1945 Novel "Cannery Row" one of the characters in it is an artist named Henri. He lives in his boat which on shore. He won't launch it because he's afraid of the sea. The Novel is set in Monterey, Ca.

But there have been many a person who has purchased a boat after a hurricane washed it ashore and set it up somewhere to live in it. If it's a sailboat you may have to dig a ditch to set the keel in and a set of steps to get up to the deck. If it's a fiberglass boat it will be resistant to weather.

Just a thought.
 
But there have been many a person who has purchased a boat after a hurricane washed it ashore and set it up somewhere to live in it. If it's a sailboat you may have to dig a ditch to set the keel in and a set of steps to get up to the deck. If it's a fiberglass boat it will be resistant to weather.
you mean a houseboat? yeah, I think I've seen it once on YT. I'm really interested in having a tiny home like my bro.
I love the simplicity and efficiency of his tiny home, but I don't think I'm brave enough to go completely off grid.
For me, the perfect tiny house would have that kind of smart design. I'd definitely need to keep the electricity and running water!
btw, the novel sounds interesting. I might gonna check it out for my next book to read
 
Brandy, I'm sure you'll enjoy the novel.

There are people who live in a sail boat or any other larger yacht like boat that is set up out of the water.
They may have a car to park beside it and possibly a monthly membership to a Gym like Planet Fitness where they can have access to showers and exercise if they want. A lot of van living nomads who don't have bathroom facilities in their rig have such memberships for that purpose.

boat-supported-on-jackstands.ashx


The boat can be set up off the ground on jack stands with a set of steps to get in or out the boat.

There has been a glut of old yachts that people are just wanting to give away as they can't afford to keep them in a marina and have no place to put them. But a 28 to 32 foot long boat would be all one (or a coupe would need)

Give this link a look and see what they are wanting to give away: (and there are other sites doing similar)

Free-Boat com

Craigslist Free Boats





Craigslist/free boats
 
That's the trade-off, right? Space and convenience vs simplicity and freedom. I don't know if I could go without electricity long term, but I do know people who downshifted to tiny solar setups just so they could keep lights, a laptop, and a fridge without giving up the "tiny" mindset.
 
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