The Tiny Drop, a tiny home on wheels, is making a pit stop in Princeton today as part of a road tour called “Drop in the Bucket.”
You can check out the Tiny Drop at Community Park. The house is perched on a hill at the park, at the Race Street end of the parking lot.
The Tiny Drop was designed and built by Shelly Pottorf and Shannon Bryant of Architend and Tend Building.
Shelly and Shannon will be on hand tonight, May 25, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to provide tours to visitors who would like to check out the Tiny Drop or ask questions.
The Tiny Drop is just 150 square feet, and its creators say it is ultra energy efficient. The home enclosure consists of a continuous thermal blanket, advanced home sealing technology, and a ventilated rain screen and sun barrier. Other features include a fresh air system, a quiet odor and moisture removing bath fan, a combustion-exhaust controlled furnace, an on-demand water heater, and LED lighting. Spring water is filtered for domestic use, an advanced technology composting toilet system takes care of waste, and solar panels provide all of the home’s electrical needs.
Natural daylight and carefully placed views make the home feel larger than its size. On beautiful days, operable windows and roof windows open up to fully connect to the outdoors.
The Tiny Drop has been featured on several national websites, including TreeHugger.
Sustainability – check
Artisanal – check
Trailer park – check – wait, what? We now have a sustainable artisanal trailer park??
Tiny houses can be more or less off the grid. They needn’t be parked in trailer parks. For example, with a propane gas tank for heating, a composting toilet, spring water, and — later — solar panels, the Tiny Drop house will be completely off-grid and will be parked in a natural setting in Vermont.
But even with just a composting toilet, as long as you have an electrical hookup and clean water intake, a tiny house could be parked in a back yard, with grey water used in the garden.
I hope we consider permitting tiny houses in Princeton, and, if I’m elected to Council, I’ll propose this.