Heating a Tiny House

So far this cold, cold season I’ve stayed warm in my Tiny House.

It was still hot out and living in the converted outhouse was not quite out of the dream/aspirational stage—the sales guy came over to evaluate what I might possibly need to stay warm/cool in the various seasons. I’d met him through work, a mountain bike customer where when checking out at the register I asked about his sweatshirt logo and he told me he repped a heating/cooling company. “Can you come over and check out my Tiny House?” And, we exchanged details. Here he was, trying to decide what the heck I was contemplating.

*was it properly insulated

*the tile floors make for some cold mornings (was the understructure insulated)

*was the roof just sheet wood and shingle

These were all good questions. We knew—or at least he did—that Michigan winters were cold, long, unpredictable. He suggested a unit with 18K BTU:

An 18,000 BTU ductless system (≈1.5 tons) is typically suited for 600–1,000 sq ft spaces such as large bedrooms, living rooms, or garages.

He said: I don’t want you to be cold when it’s 23 degrees outside 

I appreciate that. I didn’t want to be cold either. That was three years ago. Today it is 14 degrees outside as I sit and type. And, I’m warm. Not freezing.

Snow is piled up on the decks. The patchy morning sky is waiting for full sun, might be waiting for a while. Icicles hang from my daughter’s house and the neighbor’s garage. The world in dark and stillness lay. While inside the womb of the Tiny House all is well. A candle is lit, my reading light on, my feet clad in fuzzy slippers, a quilted sweater on, the mini split quiet and efficient. So glad I went with the vision on that warm October day.