Our Story |
Follow our blog for updates on family life, simple living, organization, parenthood, budgeting,and homesteading.
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We are Korie and Alex Veidel. Minimalist, simplicity-ists, sustainability-ish, tiny house dwellers. When Alex and I first started dating, he asked me where I saw myself in five years. I answered that I saw myself living a life that allowed me to have as much flexibility and freedom as I could- freedom to work, or not work; freedom to move, or stay; freedom to avoid many of the material things that waste time, or freedom to enjoy them as I saw fit. He considered my answer and said, “Have you ever heard of tiny houses?” And so begun this journey. Post engagement, we began to debate whether to build or buy, scouring the Internet for the perfect tiny house ideas. As our wedding date approached, we decided that buying was the right choice, and we came across this gem at a very affordable price. We purchased it in October 2014, and had it shipped all the way across the country from California to Illinois. We got married in November 2014, and moved into the tiny house together after that. We live in the house full time on Alex’s parent’s property. So far, we love it. In fact, it feels so normal to us that we can’t imagine doing anything differently.
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Meet the HouseDimensions: 8’7″x18″x13’4″
Interior square footage: 144 plus 56 in the sleeping loft and 24 in the storage loft Heat: Electric baseboard space heater, which keeps our interior up to 50 degrees above the outside temperature. We have a second small ceramic space heater in case it gets really cold. Water: Pipes from the main house bring water to our house via an exterior hookup. The pipe is insulated with a box and heat tape. Supplemental rain water collection. Gray water: Drains outside, used to water the garden Black water: None; we have a composting toilet Hot water: Tankless on demand water heater Shower: Standard shower that is currently broken... So bucket showers. Toilet: Homemade composting toilet that we empty into an outdoor compost pile. Electricity: Connected to the grid. We’d like to transition to solar power Sleeping: King sized bed in loft with dormers. Pack and play for the little guy. |
Meet Alex
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Alex works at his father’s business doing metal machining. He has an indoor aquaponics system that takes up most of his time that’s not spent doing jujitsu or working on house projects. He is interested in sustainability and believes that bugs are the protein of the future. Alex is the tiny house handyman, fixing up things that go wrong and adjusting the house to better fit the needs of his family.
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Meet KorieKorie works full time as a high school English teacher at a local school. She loves everything about her job except waking up early. Her interests include reading, writing, drinking coffee, walking, biking, sunshine, and being outside. She wishes she lived near the beach and dreams of someday towing the tiny house to a seaside spot.
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Meet Abel
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Abel was born October 23, 2015. He enjoys sleeping, drinking milk, taking baths, and spitting up as soon as he has taken a bath. He's the first of a new generation to be raised in this small space.
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