Small house edit

Once upon a time we dreamt of living in a yurt, or possibly a cabin or a narrow boat. We put some significant energy into exploring the possibilities; and concluded that UK planning laws are decidedly anti-thatsortofthing. It might be doable, but the doing isn't simple or even particularly frugal. 

And so we made the choice a few years ago that our family of five would continue to live in the two bedroom terrace that we moved into almost 9 years ago, until we had saved a significant deposit to relocate and buy our own home. We have a great landlord, we live in a great area, we have good neighbours- and our already very slender rent hasn't increased for almost a decade.

It doesn't have the cachet of a beautifully appointed tiny house, or a cabin in the woods. It's far from the aesthetic that most people think of when they think 'minimalist'; as the lifestyle choice to live with less is unhelpfully conflated with an upmarket modern aesthetic. Our tatty, unrenovated urban terrace is decidely unromantic - and yet the values remain the same. Less stuff, less debt, less footprint - more life.

This little house has undergone several switch-ups over the years to accommodate us. The last one happened when the smallest member of the family moved to a large cot and we gave up our bedroom, moving to a sofa bed in the lounge. This was a change that almost broke our resolve, but I am please to say that we decided to stay put and pocket the £400 (minimum!) we would now be paying each month for an extra bedroom.

Last month that sofa bed died; and with it my desire to ever sleep on one again. It was time for another edit. A lot of brainstorming ensued, lots of measuring, rearranging and frustrating trips back to the drawing board, before I hit upon the solution. The dining room, dominated by a huge teak (and thanks to Marie Kondo, almost empty) sideboard and oversized floor level dining table, would have to go, and in so doing create a third bedroom. 

The house is currently in chaos, as I furiously rearrange, box and clean. Next week the few pieces of furniture we need are arriving - a small bookcase, a large coffee table that will become our new dining table in the living room; and a real bed - and the chaos shall pass, at least until the next edit. Hopefully the next one will see us leaving this little house for one of our own.