Apartmentia Dementia, & "I am dreaming of living in a tree"
Apartment-hunting rates quite low on my list of enjoyable activities. Particularly when I'm trying to do it long-distance and the cheapest rents are still $300 more than I pay now, in the most expensive quarter of town. Once I find a place, then I'll be pleased as punch and wasting hours on decorating and personalizing the place. But right now, that time seems very far away.
However, I'm not particularly worried about finding a place that's "big enough" for me. I used to dream longingly of being able to afford a giant apartment, with rooms and closets galore. Last month, I discovered that I didn't have that desire anymore. In fact, I've become extremely comfortable in my cozy little flat. I don't have any particular interest in moving to a larger space, because I truly enjoy being able to cook dinner, watch a movie, and sew a dress, all at the same time. What's more, I feel the same way about my future house. For years I've planned to own an enormous Victorian mansion, complete with creaking floors, secret panels, and leaded-glass windows in the built-in bookcases. Although I still love those houses, I've now become enamoured with the idea of a tiny house, with just enough space for me to stretch out, but not so large that I'll rattle around in too many empty rooms. I remember reading an article in Smithsonian (I think) about treehouses. Not little platforms for kids, but actual miniature houses built in trees. Included were photos of four or five different houses, each no larger than a roomy studio or a cozy one-bedroom apartment. I've had those images in my head ever since, hearing the rain on the roof and wind sliding between the leaves. When I came home, I would put my groceries in the pulley lift, climb the narrow steps wending around the trunk, and then draw the lift up to the front door. Inside, I could fry up potato pancakes and read Charles Dickens, all thirty feet above the ground.
I wonder whether that would actually be possible...I wish I could find that article and re-read the descriptions of the houses. They were all real, but I believe they were all secondary residences, so I'm not sure whether they had electric or plumbing hookups (I'm nearly certain at least some of them did, based on the photos I remember, with bathrooms or lights on at night). How would one go about building a tree-house? Would it be more or less expensive than a regular house?
However, I'm not particularly worried about finding a place that's "big enough" for me. I used to dream longingly of being able to afford a giant apartment, with rooms and closets galore. Last month, I discovered that I didn't have that desire anymore. In fact, I've become extremely comfortable in my cozy little flat. I don't have any particular interest in moving to a larger space, because I truly enjoy being able to cook dinner, watch a movie, and sew a dress, all at the same time. What's more, I feel the same way about my future house. For years I've planned to own an enormous Victorian mansion, complete with creaking floors, secret panels, and leaded-glass windows in the built-in bookcases. Although I still love those houses, I've now become enamoured with the idea of a tiny house, with just enough space for me to stretch out, but not so large that I'll rattle around in too many empty rooms. I remember reading an article in Smithsonian (I think) about treehouses. Not little platforms for kids, but actual miniature houses built in trees. Included were photos of four or five different houses, each no larger than a roomy studio or a cozy one-bedroom apartment. I've had those images in my head ever since, hearing the rain on the roof and wind sliding between the leaves. When I came home, I would put my groceries in the pulley lift, climb the narrow steps wending around the trunk, and then draw the lift up to the front door. Inside, I could fry up potato pancakes and read Charles Dickens, all thirty feet above the ground.
I wonder whether that would actually be possible...I wish I could find that article and re-read the descriptions of the houses. They were all real, but I believe they were all secondary residences, so I'm not sure whether they had electric or plumbing hookups (I'm nearly certain at least some of them did, based on the photos I remember, with bathrooms or lights on at night). How would one go about building a tree-house? Would it be more or less expensive than a regular house?