update

I’ve gotten a few inquiries and requests for a plan set from people who are interested in building a Pocket Shelter of their own. Well I’ve finally gotten around to putting one together. And I’ve created a new website to make the new plans available.

So if you are interested, you can skip on over to pocketshelter.com to check it out.

ABOUT

This is a little story about a little house.

This tiny house on wheels is a synthesis of thoughtful design, detail-oriented craftsmanship, and a healthy dose of patience. Five years in the making (longer if you count the design time), this has been a labor of love and a playful experiment in alternative construction… and living.

I began planning this house as a prototype- the first of a series of “Pocket Shelters” or small dwellings and structures. That series may still come to pass, but the project got sidetracked as I decided (along with my partner and young son) to make it ours and move into it.

Learning how to build this small is a challenge. But it’s child’s play compared to learning how to live small. It took every bit as long to pair down enough to fit reasonably into such a small space as it did to build it. Going through round after round of downsizing, purging, and otherwise shedding whatever is unnecessary took determination and mental and emotional stamina. And it’s been totally worth it. Having only what’s essential (by relatively affluent western standards) frees up a lot of clutter, expense, maintenance and energetic baggage.

So yeah, I’ve learned a lot through this process. About myself. About design and building. And about patterns of living. What a fun journey, what a ride!

Process

If you’re interested, you can learn more about the construction and see photos (and even some video) of the process here.

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