Tiny Houses on Wheels (THoWs) are odd creatures. They seldom move, yet are lumped into the recreational vehicles (RV) category. They are, increasingly, all-season residences yet they must connect to other houses or to basic campground pedestals for hookups. And they are often someone’s highly curated, minimalist nest yet they aren’t considered property like traditional … Read More "The Essential Combination of Set and Setting (How to Preserve the Resale Value of your Tiny House on Wheels ..read more

Sadly, Big Calm lost an important member of the community recently. Our beloved Norwegian Forest Cat, Buddy, passed away peacefully on the very last day of summer. Not only was Buddy a truly special and loving old soul, he was both inspiration and validation for our moving from the city to build a life in the … Read More "Life Lessons from a Forest Cat ..read more

While Airbnb reviews are great, it’s the notes that guests at The Pocket Getaway at Big Calm leave that really warm our hearts. So many wonderful people – individuals, couples, families, fur-families, friends, and even colleagues – have visited our charming tiny house in the peaceful woods of the Slocan Valley. Here’s what they had … Read More "The Pocket Getaway Guestbook ..read more

The community garden at Big Calm was once a certified organic operation. Untended for a few years, grasses and weeds encroached on increasingly packed ground.  Despite rich, black soil with mammoth earthworms, last year’s harvest was underwhelming, so this spring we set out to restore the garden to glory. Here’s a chronicle of the steps … Read More "Raised Garden ..read more

2022 ended much as it began – with a big dump of snow and a deep freeze. Tough reminders that homesteading and tiny house winterization aren’t easy. But in between the extremes this year, we enjoyed a quiet, steadily productive year at Big Calm. We ticked through a lot of core to-do’s – including: Selective … Read More "Project Update (Year-end 2022 ..read more

A building project is a long series of design choices. Some are prescribed and imposed by regulations but many come down to personal preference and often a little bit of off-the-beaten path exploration. A key component of a community for tiny houses on wheels, perhaps ironically, is the presence of a structural dwelling on foundation. … Read More "Lofty Energy Saving and Eco Design Goals ..read more

We were recently invited by US real estate brokerage Redfin to offer our perspective for an article they just published about 10 Tiny Home Interior Ideas to Help Complete Your Space: When going tiny, you will be opting for a smaller space, but there are endless possibilities for your tiny home interior. Tiny home interiors … Read More "10 Tiny Home Interior Ideas to Help Complete Your Space ..read more

2021 wasn’t an easy year in which to build a project like Big Calm. Slow bureaucrats, busy contractors, wildfire evacuation (just as crews mobilized), supply chain hold-ups (from septic field sand and insulation to doors and appliances), and, oh yeah, that persistent pandemic thing. Despite all that, we’ve made good progress on the project. Here … Read More "Project Update (Year-end 2021 ..read more

We’re thrilled to welcome the first tiny house to Big Calm! Last month, a 25-foot Jaunt tiny house on wheels (THoW), a first-of-its-kind model by pro builder ZeroSquared of Calgary. And it sure does look pretty in its perch between the maple and cedars, opposite the garden! Move-in called for some muscle and finesse. Access … Read More "The Pocket Getaway at Big Calm ..read more

On July 9th, lightning struck a peak east of Winlaw and started a fire. It quickly grew out of control into a “Fire of Note” and began spreading to the backcountry behind us.  ..read more