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Ask HN: What you up to? (Who doesn't want to be hired?)

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Re: Ask HN: What you up to? (Who doesn't want to be hired?)

#872
post #852

Don’t think this is novel, but I’ve mentioned on an HN thread before that my friend and I were building (and have now built) a tiny house. We’d been complaining for years that housing was too expensive and so after doing a house flip and stops and starts on trying to build a spec house we decided to try a tiny house to see if we could build something move-in ready that looks (somewhat) nice and also is inexpensive. J…

This is cool! Curious about the heater placement. Won’t that put it very close to curtains? Seems like the window and door will have the worst insulation too. Could it be relocated to the wall by the stairs?

Thank you for saying it's cool! And you make a great point and one we didn't even consider. We were thinking the solution to window coverings (essential for privacy and to limit solar gain in the warmer months) was roller blinds and those are fairly rigid where they shouldn't be impacted by the heater. As for the insulation, yes, glass is of course the worst part of the house for insulation, but the heater is quite robust and thus far the windows, even in sub-zero temperatures, seem to perform well (a lot of solar gain obviously from that much glass, which brings us right back to the need for window coverings when it's warm out!). Great feedback though! I'm sort of kidding when I say it, but should add a warning "not for curtain lovers!"

The other thing your comment makes me realize is that we should do a similar winter test of the temperature inside without the heater running. Similar to how, if you read about it, we tested during the summer when it was hot out.

Re: Ask HN: What you up to? (Who doesn't want to be hired?)

#873
post #857

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would love to hear if there’s any reason in particular you say that. Like have you been thinking of trying a different way of living, is your current situation untenable for some reason (financial or otherwise) or maybe you just mean it as a way of complimenting the design/build? And regardless of the reason thank you for making a fellow HNer feel good about their side project!

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Well, first of all it looks like what I would call aesthetic. It looks amazing, I love the amount of light that enters the house, and I think it's super important for one's happiness. I live at the ground floor of an old building in a capital city, and we get very little light. I love how it's functional, and yet small: it seems efficient and cosy. There is another thing: it…

Talk about not getting back to you sooner... Sorry about that! It's feedback like yours that makes us think this will not only be a good, affordable housing solution for some folks, but could also be a straight up enjoyable way to live regardless of the necessity of less-expensive housing options. Of course the family commitments make it extremely difficult, particularly if you have children (I'd hate to judge someone who would consider it, but it really doesn't seem like an acceptable place to raise kids once they're past, say, 2 or 3 years old).

Really, sincerely, thank you again for such kind words about it.

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