KPLU listener Dee Williams appreciates less-is-more when it comes to her Olympia home.  Dee shares her photos and ideas for living small and green with Around the House. To be like Dee, Get Involved!

"My house is currently situated in my friend's backyard, which isn't as odd as it sounds (you'll have to trust me). My house is awesome! It's made of cedar and pine, and looks like a little cabin. It's beautiful. It's also really small (about the size of an area rug) which is why it fits so cleverly in my friend's backyard.   

The house weighs in at around 4,500 pounds, and offers a whoppin' 84-sqft of living space. It includes a kitchen, bathroom, living-room, sleeping loft and front porch. I used as much salvage and second-use material as possible, and integrated "green" products like Marmoleum, water-base stains, and cotton-batt insulation. I built it with low-e argon insulated windows, a propane heater, and a 240-watt photovoltaic system. It's all very simple and natural.

I appreciate my small life, which seems to have expanded significantly since the down-size. I've re-discovered the library and laundry, and have a new appreciation for public spaces (and my neighbor's living room). I buy less stuff; there's no place to store it. I re-think leaving lights on, and mull over my water use. I notice the wind and sun, and rain on the roof. I love it.

Thanks again for your good work! Viva la teenie-tiny!"