I lived in a van and then turned a tiny shed into my home – it’s so small I go to the loo in the kitchen but I love it
A NOMAD turned a garden shed into her home after going through a divorce and wanting her own “tiny space” – but now she goes to the toilet in her kitchen.
Heather Nassler’s shed was initially meant to be an outdoor storage space, but half way through it being built she asked if it could become her home.
The 38-year-old didn’t want to rent or move in with her family after her divorce, which coincided with the Covid-19 lockdowns.
Instead, she paid around £3,000 to make the ten by eleven foot shed her home.
Heather said: “It was done very cheaply because I don’t know what my future holds.
“I really enjoy living in here.
“I came from a sprinter van so I’m used to tiny, I’m used to simple half-off-grid living.
“I’m technically on the grid.”
The most unique part about the home in Ontario, Canada is that the toilet is in the kitchen.
Heather has a portable composting toilet that slides out from underneath the kitchen sink.
She told Exploring Alternatives: “The composting toilet is amazing.
“It’s got a urine diverter that separates the urine into a jug from the dollar store, which I dump every few days.
“Then it separates the solids into a bin, which I only really have to dump like, once a week.
“To put in the toilet I use hamster shavings.”
Another unique feature of the tiny home is that Heather’s bed is nestled between the ceiling and the roof.
The official term for this is a Sleeping Loft.
In Heather’s case it is stacked on top of her closet loft, which is stacked on top of her sitting area – which is a little couch nook.
She admitted it’s “not perfectly designed” and requires her to climb up the shed and crawl across the ceiling to get into bed.
According to the freelance illustrator, she spends most of her time sitting at the home’s desk which has a view of the land her tiny home is on.
To beat the cold nights, Heather had a wood burner installed – rather than a heating system – in hope of the property being fully off-grid.
She said: “This was so much more expensive than I knew.
“And I think, had I known that, I wouldn’t have necessarily done it.
“But it’s worth it because it’s a nice dry heat.”
This means that if any damp or moisture gets into the shed, Heather can use the woodburner to dry it out.
She added that one of the biggest challenges of her lifestyle is lack of plug sockets.
The nature enthusiast has just one extension cord for everything in her shed.
Heather explained: “I have to be very careful.
“I can run my fridge, I can run my fan and I can be charging one or two things, but if I want to use a heater or a kettle or the toaster oven, then I get one of those.”
She assured that you “just get used to” rationing energy sources, adding: “I know a lot of people think it’s a little bit crazy.”