Author: chris

We were recently contacted by an exciting new prospect who will be revealed soon!

Circle Pond is a private tiny home community in South Hillsborough County, Florida.

With a focus on nature, accessibility and tiny living, this community is situated on nearly five acres  with lots surrounding Circle Pond. This well appointed property offers clients options for long term tiny living and a beautiful natural setting while still providing accessibility to all your common needs.

With 12 tiny house spaces available for monthly or yearly rent this community is focused on providing long term locations for permanent tiny home living. With educational, cultural and employment opportunities available within walking or biking distance this unique community truly has a lot to offer! 

Lot space available for $450 per month. Includes water, sewer, garbage, lawn care, access to community garden and electricity. Tiny home must be certified safe and utilize instant hot water system

Arts, Culture and Entertainment at your doorstep. With the Firehouse Cultural Center, Hillsborough Community College and the Amazon Fulfillment Center within walking and biking distance. Circle Pond is the perfect Tiny location!

Material Possessions Cause More Harm Than Good For Most

I have so many friends that have boats, multiple houses, multiple cars, multiple closets for all their clothes or wifes purses and shoes.  It is honestly pretty cool, but what do I care?  I don’t care about their “stuff”, I care about them, I care about how they make me laugh, how they make me feel better by having a conversation with them about my problems or feelings.  Not their stuff.  If you hang out with people because of the stuff they have, you’re a piece of shit.  Plain and simple.

We have become a society of “what kind of car do you have” or “what neighborhood do you live in” like we are searching to hang out with someone as a status symbol.  With all that going on we are also trying to become people with more “stuff” because we think it will make us feel better or look better for other people. We work 60-70 hours a week, answering emails, punching the clock, working harder and ultimately killing ourselves for “stuff”.  Trust me, I have been there, done that….

Why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier!

When I look back I wish someone would have told me sooner that all of that doesn’t matter as much.   Simplicity is so much easier.  Less “stuff” is so much easier.  Focusing on people you love, or passions you have is SO much easier.  “Stuff” weighs you down, it makes you less nimble, it makes you focus on the wrong things in life.  Don’t get me wrong, I like nice things, but if I buy something, I do it because it is going to be useful in my life or has a purpose.

I started a Tiny house construction company back in 2016 because I realized people who got caught up in the society norm of buying big houses they can barely afford, nice cars they barely drive and “stuff they never use wasn’t going to last forever.  The switch to simpler living began about 10 years ago after the Great Recession (I believe) which led so many people to lose everything they had, everything they worked for because of what?  A bigger house?  A bigger boat?  Trying to impress people that don’t give a shit about them?  I think so….

Maybe you have a different opinion but that’s mine.  Now our company builds small homes for people downsizing later in life, young couples who don’t want to get burdened with debt, people that want to live a simpler life and follow their passions instead of the crazy corporate ladder and work solely to pay their mortgage, credit card bills and car payments.  You can bee a hustler and live simple.  You can make a lot of money and live simple.  You can wear your Gucci shoes and live simple.  Living simple and having less stuff doesn’t make you less driven, less ambitious or less of a person.

It makes you nimble, it gives you freedom, it gives you opportunity because you are not stressed about “stuff”.  The simple life is becoming more apparent to me in my late 30’s and I couldn’t be happier.  When will people start focusing on their health, their mental well being and their life instead of work and buying “stuff”?  I don’t know, but there is no better time than now!

Georgeous Stays in Bryson City

The Nantahala Outdoor Center is one of my favorite places on the planet whether you are looking for kayaking, survival skills training, an access point for the Appalachian trail or just a relaxing beer by the rivers edge. Not far from this adventure headquarters you will find Gorgeous Stays tiny house retreat.

Gorgeous Stays “is built on 6 .75 acres. It has parking by each accommodation, places to relax by the stream, games for sunny or rainy days and friendship. Community fire pits, a food pavilion and propane grills make the evenings relaxing. Guests can gaze at the stars and listen to the stream that meanders through the property or join other up at the Lodge for comradery, conversation or games.

Gorgeous Stays is super easy to find on US Hwy 19 West in the Nantahala Gorge, 12 miles west of Bryson City. It is conveniently located within 2 miles of 4 rafting companies, 2 ziplines, a ropes Adventure Park. the Appalachian Trail and the Nantahala River (best fly-fishing river in the Southeast). Tsali National Forest (well-known for mountain biking), the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail-of-the-dragon (Hwy 129 for motorcycle enthusiasts) and The Great Smokey Mountain Railway, are all less than an hour
away. So the location couldn’t be better!”

Are the birds more active in the backyard or are you simply more present and aware of details you typically block out? The Covid-19 quarantine is highlighting the importance of our connection with ourselves, humanity and the natural world around us.

Fewer Distractions = Increased Awareness

They typical working American is bombarded with information, notifications, expectations and conversations from the moment we open our eyes in the morning till we fall asleep at night. As many people are out of work, working from home or going through some form of career transition our professional lives have changed breaking away from the comfort of our normal routines.

In our personal lives we may initially have more distractions with home schooling, reacting from losing a job or changes in personal relationships based on social distancing. As a new normal sets in though, many of us are developing a deeper perspective on the superficial nature of social media, text conversations, online dating and let’s be honest many of our personal relationships. Shocker when you’re less distracted you’re more equipped to see clearly.

More Awareness = Desire for Connection

With less distraction, more awareness and a bit of perspective on superficial connections in our life we awaken our desire for deep connection. We strive for ways to connect with ourselves. Ways to feel at home sitting still with ourselves when our normal coping mechanisms are no longer easily available. We notice how fulfilling “nature watching” can be and remind ourselves of lying on our backs as children watching the clouds in the sky. Was that connection not more authentic than many of your relationships at work, the grocery store or bank? As we tire of conversations driven by propaganda on our digital devices, video games and sharing memes what remains is a desire for more authentic connection.

Connecting with Nature

Forest Bathing is becoming a more well known term. Forest Holidays reports “Originating in Japan – you may have seen it called shinrin yoku – Forest Bathing is an accepted part of Japanese preventative health care because of the mental, physical and spiritual health benefits it delivers. Also known as forest therapy, it draws on thousands of years of intuitive knowledge – we are part of nature and we have a deep need to feel that connection.

But does it work? Forest Bathing has been around as a concept in Japan since the early 1980’s and scientists there continue to conduct a large amount of research into its benefits, concluding that it deserves its place in the Japanese health-care system. More general research into the area of nature connections suggests that the real and long-term benefits include, among other things, reduced stress, improved immunity, lower blood pressure and accelerated recovery from illness or trauma.

1. Reduces your stress

Yoshifumi Miyazaki, a professor at Chiba University in Japan, has found that leisurely forest walks yield a 12.4 per cent decrease in the stress hormone, cortisol, compared with urban walks.

2. Improves your mood

Academics at Derby University have conducted a meta study of existing research which concludes that connecting to nature can be linked to happiness and mental wellbeing.

3. Frees up your creativity

In one study by David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah, participants saw a 50% improvement in creative problem solving after three days immersed in nature with all access to modern technology removed.

4. Boosts your immune system

Trees and plants emit ‘phytoncides’ which we breathe in when we spend time in the forest. These have been proven in studies by Qing Li, a Japanese shinrin yoku researcher, to enhance the activity of Natural Killer cells that help our bodies to fight disease.

5. Reduces high blood pressure

Forest Bathing has been proven to reduce blood pressure, a crucial factor in maintaining a healthy heart.

6. Accelerates your recovery from illness

The most well-known study in this area by Dr Roger Ulrich, an architect specializing in healthcare building design, showed that even a natural view from a window reduced convalescence time by a day, compared to an urban view.”

Tiny House on Foundation

Per Section AQ102 of the 2018 International Residential Code : A Tiny House is considered a Dwelling that is 400 square feet in floor area or less, excluding lofts. … A Dwelling is any building that contains one or two Dwelling Units intended to be used and occupied for living purposes.

Tiny House on Wheels

Tiny houses on wheels have a less unified structure to building standards, inspections, licensing and placement. Most states classify a tiny house on a trailer an RV. In that case all state regulations for an RV apply to your tiny home including where you can park, how long it can be in continuous habitation and hookup requirements. Check your states regulations on RVs. Some states do classify a tiny house on a trailer as a park model mobile home certified by HUD in which case your tiny home would fall under those regulations. Its still complicated as this industry develops there are challenges!

Tiny Challenges: Too few places to live!

According to The Tiny House Association “too few legal places to live is the biggest problem in going tiny. It’s a source of difficulty and frustration for tiny house dwellers and lost financial opportunity for the businesses ready to serve them. Whether you already live tiny, or hope to one day, it just makes sense to work now to change the rules so that your preferred lifestyle will be a viable option in the place you want to live.

ATHA volunteers across the country are helping craft the tiny friendly ordinances that your community needs too. Instead of reinventing the wheel, help support their work.

Then put their experiences—both good and bad—to use helping right-size the housing policies where you want to live. Let’s be honest. Changing the rules is hard. It takes time. But it will go better with your help, and may not happen at all without it.”

tinyhousecamping.com is working to help solve that problem! Search tiny house camping or communities now!