LIVERPOOL – Art MacLeod, a man many people also know as Hoggie, doesn’t have to move an inch to sit in his living room, bedroom and kitchen. That’s because the Queens County native lives in a tiny house.
“I’ve been watching (tiny houses) on TV for two years, and it became an addiction,” said MacLeod.
MacLeod used to own the building that is now Hell Bay Brewing Company on Legion Street in Liverpool. The space used to be Hoggies – a used goods and antique store. He decided when he sold that building he would use the money to build a tiny house.
Construction of MacLeod’s new house on Wolfe Street in Liverpool began in September 2017. The builders were Cory Whynot and Adam Craik.
Choosing where to build his tiny house was simple: MacLeod moved back to his family’s land in Whynot Town – where, at one time, his grandparents and great-grandparents lived. MacLeod’s been calling his tiny house home since Feb. 1.
Tiny house living
The tiny life website calls tiny house living “a social movement where people are choosing to downsize the space they live in.”
Tinyhomescanada.com explains a “Tiny House life comes in a plethora of shapes and sizes, including (but definitely not limited to!) the classic Tiny House built on a trailer, small houses on foundations, cabins, log homes, yurts, bus conversions, vans, shipping containers, house boats, even small condos and apartments.”
The site also describes a tiny house as anything less than 400 square feet.
MacLeod’s inside space is 298 square feet.
“I tried to keep it below 300,” he said.
Adjusting to his new space hasn’t been too challenging because MacLeod has actually lived in a smaller home. He says he lived in a bachelor apartment in Toronto that was 200 square feet and another place that was 250 square feet.
“I lived in many homes with Murphy beds, so I was used to that,” he said.
While he may have lived in some small spaces, he says this is the first where he needs to move his furniture to go to bed. When MacLeod is ready for bed, he moves his sofa and coffee table. Then he pulls down his Murphy bed, which hides in what looks like a closet or wardrobe.
In addition to MacLeod’s main room, he also has a utility closet, a clothing closet, a bathroom, and loft storage space.
“I like everything (about it) because I have everything that I wanted,” he said about living in his new house.
MacLeod says he went from owning a lot of stuff to being a minimalist, and being a minimalist is how he wants to live.
