Sunday, November 8, 2009

Living in 120 Square Feet

I am moving up in the world. I decided to send back the shipping container I have been renting and buy a shed. It is the first thing I have put on a credit card in years, but the monthly payments will be less than what I have been paying to rent a shipping container, and in a couple of years, I will own it. In fact, 88% of my monthly payment will go towards ownership. With the shipping container rental, only 0% went towards ownership. So technically I am not debt free anymore, but my situation is better and my monthly expenses a bit less. 

When living in small spaces, it is important to think in cubic feet, rather than square feet. Believe it or not, inside this tiny shed I have an office, a kitchen, a sitting area, and a bedroom. Bunk beds, shelves, stackable containers, etc help to make the space more functional.

I was debating between purchasing a used shipping container or this shed. The shipping container is larger, more durable, and provides a 2nd life for used material, but the shed won because it is more suitable for living in temporarily and the angled roof also has potential for water catchment and solar panel installation.  I was also considering building one myself, but I have never built a shed and I needed something fast. Since I will be using the shed for water catchment, I was able to claim a tax exemption, saving me about $200. 

The dome will be twice as big, and when I am able to move into it, the shed will be used as a guesthouse and storage area. 

7 comments:

Scavenger said...

I noticed that there is NO insulation; might get a bit chilly come Jan-Feb.

trevor.reichman said...

well, this shed is for guests. wanna come visit in january? just kidding. i'd like to get it insulated eventually, but a good sleeping bag rated down to zero degrees will get one though the coldest night in terlingua.

Scavenger said...

I would love to come there in January (not kidding); here in Wisconsin at that time it will likley be single digit temps and several feet of snow :)

Rusty said...

Hows the tour going? I'm in Kilgore for a few weeks. I'll check out the progress on the floor asap. Stay safe, Rusty

Anonymous said...
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trevor.reichman said...

Hey Rusty. The tour is going great. Thanks again for all of your help. Let me know when you are in T town again.

MsBelinda said...

What a great idea. I love the way you have it laid out. You may have gone in debt but technically you are better off than with the rental as this unit is yours.