Michael built a beautiful minimalistic Japanese inspired Tiny House in Oregon.
How did your tiny living journey begin?
It has been a long time coming. I'd nearly done this three times before, but tiny home architecture and construction had come a long way fast.
The technology and support structure wasn't around for semi-handy types like me who needed help building one before. These days, lot of help available, and of course many more items that work within them, like tiny wood stoves.
I had an unusual impetus...to evict myself from my home where I wanted my apprentices for my bonsai business to live. At the time I was living in a larger, isolated suburban home. That, coupled with the simple desire to be more in touch with my surroundings, caused the leap to small home living to be an obvious option.
Can you describe your space generally?
It's a caricature of simplicity; a rectangular box with two sets of oversize French doors, a large picture window, and a blank space in the middle – a cork floor that measures 8' x 9.5' for doing whatever suits the mood. The wood stove is the heart of it, which faces diagonally across this cork floor toward the head of the bed. It's a single level plan with dark, chocolatey Sho Sugi Ban exterior and warm birch interior.
How did you settle on a Dwarf stove?
I researched several small stove options before deciding on a Dwarf. I became convinced that tinywoodstove.com made as good a stove as anyone.
Once I learned that TWS is based here in the United States, I was hooked. Not to mention, the price of the Dwarf was better than the competition.
How difficult did you find the installation?
Setting up the stove with a friend was a piece of angel food cake. The stove pipe seemed straightforward as well and was put in with the help of my skilled handyman.
I'd like to add how amazing the support staff of Dwarf Stoves is, I asked far too many questions and they were polite about it, expansively helpful, and cheerful to boot.
How has your experience been using the Dwarf?
Nothing but a dream. It's effortless. The stove draws well even with a 45 degree leg in the pipe. It's a 4 KW, and although my space is a mere 192 sq. feet, it is boxy and has nine-foot ceilings, so any over-heating tends to go high. As a single level structure I've not been overheated in it, even with oak. Also the thick walls of the 4 KW stove are spot on for not blasting heat into a small space as many of these small stoves can do.
You can find Michaels Blog (and more information about his Bonsai business) at https://crataegus.com/
Interested in a small stove for your tiny space? Contact us on the form below and we can help you sort through all the details in getting the perfect stove and installation configuration for your unique space!
