ADU, Travel, Community
Lina Menard
Maui, Hawaii

After A Week Long Send Off, My Round the World Trip kicked off with eight days in Maui visiting my sister Sarah who has split her time between Hawaii and Alaska for many years. What an epic way to start this adventure! There was mist falling when my sister greeted me at the Kahului airport on Maui a week ago, so she teased me about bringing the rain from the mainland. We headed straight for Paia where she presented me with a young coconut and a lei, accompanied by the chant for the gifting-of-a-lei.

Maui, Hawaii
Tiny House, Travel, Planning
Lina Menard
Lucky Penny Moves to Walla Walla

A number of circumstances collided recently to compel me to move the Lucky Penny to my property in Walla Walla where I have a ground bound small house called Valencia Cottage. So on Tuesday trusted tiny house movers Linh and Stephanie Pham helped me move the Lucky Penny safely from Portland to my place in Walla Walla.

Lucky Penny Moves to Walla Walla
Minimalism, Workshop
Lina Menard
Downsizing Tune Up

As I packed up recently in preparation to travel cross country in my Honda Fit, I did some downsizing… It was harder than it had been during my last couple of moves because this time I had more stuff. I’d been living in a bigger space…My apartment was a studio, but it was still about 6 times bigger than the Lucky Penny! I talked with several people about the experience and a handful of them said “oh my goodness, I need to do more of that!” So I’ve decided to offer a 6-week Downsizing Tune Up…

Downsizing Tune Up

plumbing a tiny house

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Tiny House Plumbing Workshop Recap

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On Monday, September 16th, 2013 Shelter Wise, Portland Alternative Dwellings, and Bruner Plumbing teamed up to teach Tiny House Construction Essentials: Plumbing Systems. This micro workshop was hosted by Shelter Wise and used the Salsa Box, which was constructed for the La Casa Pequena workshop at La Casa Verde green living festival in McMinneville in April.

The workshop started out with Ian Bruner of Bruner Plumbing providing some basic information about residential plumbing. Ian showed several of the material options and tools available for tiny house plumbing and demonstrated how to use them.

Next Derin of Shelter Wise provided some tips and tricks for plumbing a tiny house based on his lessons learned from constructing the Miter Box (which is now located at Caravan - The Tiny House Hotel and has been nicknamed The Pearl), the Salsa Box, and the current custom home Shelter Wise is building.

Afterwards, I shared some considerations for tiny house plumbing based on my experience living in a travel trailer, an ADU, a yurt, and 2 tiny houses on wheels. I addressed what to look for in a supply hose, what to do if your hose freezes, and what some options are for potties. Participants had a chance to ask each of the instructors questions in a one-on-one format as they tried the various plumbing fittings and explored the Salsa Box.

In addition to learning about plumbing a tiny house, I also appreciated the opportunity to reconnect with some graduates of past PAD workshops, including Sherry, Benn, and Wade who are all currently building their own tiny houses and Jack who is just about to start. I also had the privilege of meeting some new tiny house enthusiasts and I'm excited to get to know them better through future workshops.

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Tiny House Construction Essentials: Plumbing Systems

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Remember Casa Pequena, that tiny house we framed and wrapped in just 2 days at the Casa Verde festival in McMinnville last April? If not, here's a sweet video of the Case Pequena build.

It's time for Casa Pequena to be plumbed. Fortunately, Shelter Wise and Portland Alternative Dwellings are teaming up to offer a Tiny House Construction Essentials series and the next class is the plumbing session. Derin Williams of Shelter Wise and Ian Bruner of Bruner Plumbing will be leading the session on Monday, September 16th from 5:30-8:00pm. You can find more information and register for the session on the PAD Workshops page. Sign up today!