I feel like I need to give a bit of his and herstory for those of you who are new to this blog.

In the Autumn of 2004, the children and I became extremely ill due to extended exposure to toxic mold within our home. Our house very quickly became completely uninhabitable for us. Soon after we were diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities as well as a seemingly endless list of allergies and countless other interrelated ailments.

What happened next is a very drawn-out and tedious story. The long and the short of it is that after many attempts at renting and/or buying a new home (while still working to pay off the mortgage on the house that we couldn’t live in, and also couldn’t sell), out of sheer desperation, and truly fearing for our lives, we started the “Little House” project.

A tiny shelter in the back woods of our property.

Construction started in November of 2005.

We moved into our unfinished 14 x 14 two-story home during the summer of 2006.

We haul water from our old house, make use of a home-made composting toilet and receive our phone and electric from lines run tree to tree and fished through a hole in the wall. Subtracting the space taken up by the hearth and the stairs, it come out to well under 300 sq ft of living space for our family of five. And I have never been more grateful for a home in all of my life.

We have always planned and hoped to add on and improve. To make it almost “life-sized” as I like to joke. Through an odd twist of fate our dreams are becoming a reality. And soon.

Steve has been taking down trees and clearing the way, while I’ve been trying to read every design book I can get my hands on. We hope to be braking ground on our new addition before the month is out! It is not as we had planned, but as it turns out, every once in a while, things turn out better then planned…

Things like water and septic are still a long way down the line, but this is a huge step for us.

Steve will be taking all of his vacation time to work with our friend and neighbor on the construction. “B the Builder” will be doing most of the framing, but we will be helping out where we can. Once the framing is done we will be tackling the entire interior ourselves. We are hoping to have a weather-proof shell by the time the cold weather rolls in and at least some additional living space soon after. Do wish us luck! We go for the permit tomorrow and I’ll admit I’m rather nervous!