During the COVID-19 pandemic a Williams Lake woman and her family created a tiny home or what she’s calling an ‘adult fort.’
Mary Forbes said she had an ACTO trailer sitting in on her property for several years filled with costumes and props.
Her father was a contractor for School District 27 and used the trailer for job sites.
Forbes, along with her husband Pierre and two daughters, spent last winter at Troll Ski Resort, often camping at the hill in a small trailer, in which they were ‘cozy,’ but cramped.
“I think I was commiserating in the hot tub with Oliver Berger and he reminded me I had the ATCO trailer and said, ‘why don’t you make that into your troll hole?’ which is what I call my accommodation up at Troll.”
She thought it was a good idea, but didn’t have the time to pursue the project until COVID-19 hit.
“During COVID I had a lot of time and being an extrovert I had a lot of energy so it kept me busy.”
For years she’s been collecting vintage building materials from share sheds or Habitat for Humanity which she ultimately incorporated into the tiny home.
She installed two extra windows, lots of insulation, vapour barriers, and a new floor.
“I got to use up some paint, which eased up some space in my house.”
The new tiny home can be moved, ‘in theory.’
When asked if she used plans to build it, she admitted she’s the type of person who normally wants to go straight to painting and have everything look pretty.
“My husband Pierre is the one who said we had to reinforce the frame and check the ceiling as it might have been leaking. He’s the logic behind this so we did all the essential stuff first.”
Pierre also cut a tree in the yard to make a table for the tiny house.
“He was amazing every step of the way and our kids were the painters,” Forbes said of her husband’s help.
Read more: Big dreams surround Esk’et Tiny House
Forbes and her daughters have been enjoying sleeping in the tiny house.
“It’s so fun and we are so excited about it. I kept changing the way I was going to furnish it. Originally I was going to use vintage furniture, which I have a lot of, but then when I started trying to make it work the furniture took up way too much space and it wasn’t really flexible for what we were going to use it for — eventually going to the ski hill.”
As a result she scoured around and found furniture that would make it work.
Located in the ‘back 40’ of their five-acre property, Forbes said when she is in bed at night she does a ton of creative processing.
“I’ll go to bed thinking about making changes and wake up in the morning with ideas on how to make it work.”
When Forbes isn’t building tiny homes, and hanging out with her family, she contracts her time teaching best waste management, is a school trustee for School District 27 and the executive director of the Potato House Society.
Read more: Meet the candidates for SD27 trustee Zone 2: Mary Forbes
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