Float Cabin Living: How can you live in such a small space?
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| The living room side of the greatroom. |
First Floor
The first floor has most of the living space. There are two small bedrooms (7'x10'). One's for guests (we rarely get them) and the other is for storage. In the guest room we store a week's supply of firewood (Wood Storage Shelf Construction). That's handy, especially in winter.
Downstairs is greatroom style. The kitchen with propane appliances is on one side and the living room with a woodstove on the other. We have a portable TV for Internet streaming. It's compact and functional.
In 2011 we added an indoor bathroom off the guest room to replace our outhouse four flights of stairs up the granite cliff. This one change to our cabin made full-time living much easier.
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| Sink with hand pump and propane fridge. |
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| Compost toilet, tub and storage. |
Second Floor
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| The loft master bedroom with a king bed and view. |
Here's a YouTube video tour of our float cabin home.
Welcome Aboard
Kitchen Kapers
Sleeping Loft and Greatroom
Bathroom and Guest Room
Really, if we had more space it would feel like work to keep it clean and maintained. If you are planning on building or purchasing a cabin, think about that. Bigger isn't always better. -- Margy
Posts
Thanks again for passing on in "Timber" the way to our crazy ass country's archives. The photos I have discovered there have made my young summer already.
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked on the river I enjoyed myself there so much I considered living on the water. The word "mould" scared me off. The Fraser was foggier then than it is now. How do you deal with mould?
Actually in the cabin there hasn't been a mould problem. I surmise the wood burning stove has something to do with that. The deck does get a coating of algae during the winter months. A weak solution of bleach and water combined with lots of elbow grease gets it off. It only needs one good scrubbing a year. Our boats are a different story. They are closed to protect them from critters. Moisture inside causes mildew if we don't open them frequently. We use desiccant crystal all year long. When I see mildew starting I use TSP (trisodium phosphate) crystals mixed with water to scrub everything down. When we have a generator running we use a light bulb to heat the interior. So, that's the long story about mould. -- Margy
DeleteI am sure that we all live in more space than we need but this seems unusually small. I would need about a third of that for my books, optical and photographic equipment and other birding paraphernalia. My wife and I also enjoy cooking and are quite adventuresome and love to make new and interesting dishes. This requires both space to work and space to store a variety of spices and other items.
ReplyDeleteI do a lot of cooking and baking in that small kitchen, even more than when I lived in town, but I was working in those days. Wayne has his telescope and binoculars set up by the door all the time and we both have reference books. For reading we have Kindles so that we can have lots to read without the need for physical storage. - Margy
DeleteI don't think it is too small. I have been watching on You Tube for the past year those tiny homes and recently van living. Hubby said he could not live tiny but it would not bother me. Your place looks wonderful and cosy!
ReplyDeleteThe tiny house movement seemed to start just after we bought our cabin. I am included in a tiny house book by Lloyd Kahn. - Margy
DeleteOur home in Greece is much smaller than the one we've lived in all our lives and moving here full time had me wondering if and how we would adapt. Much to my amazement, it has been simple. Less really is better. (However we do get mold in the winters when it rains and never quite has time to dry out even with electric heat and fire place).
ReplyDeleteI like having less stuff to make our living space open and less cluttered. We get a bit of mould in the winter, but a bit of bleach and water takes care of it when it appears on the lower portion of exterior walls. - Margy
DeleteI agree, Margy. I've lived in more than one place over the past many years, and my favourite will always be the travel trailer I lived in for a few years, until a friend talked me into selling it to him. As I needed funds to take me down to Baja to visit my parents and little brother, I let him talk me into it. For years afterward, I regretted my decision now and then, especially when my friend lost it to a rollover. My friend was fine, but my little 'house' was gone.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I envy you your float cabin, but most of the time I just admire you for all the wonderful ways you make use of space!
Hindsight is always clearer. I've never lived in a trailer, but the ability to move to new locations would be a positive. - Margy
DeleteThat is so incredible. Thanks for sharing the plans and how you have it set up. Truly inspiring.
ReplyDelete-Soma
You are welcome, We were inspired when we discovered it. It was the best decision we could have made for a place to live that was different after we retired. - Margy
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