business time

all work and no play...not quite We're still spending almost all our time in the shop and working on the van, but as I look back over our last season of random blog posts i realize that while I update the zenbox site with our client work, I often forget to make the updates here in our "journal" as well.

While we are still spending ample time on zenbox...though we have been intentionally ratcheting WAY back in terms of clients and workload.  It was clear that needed to happen to keep it a positive experience and to ensure stress levels remained in check (better yet nonexistant).  With the amount of time I'm currently spending in the shop, I'm thrilled that we only agreed to take the one new client that's in the design phase right now.  I'm also thrilled with how that project is coming along...in fact, it's turning out to be our new favorite (though it seems each one is, while it's underway).

This small home will actually be our largest design to date.  A full 800 sqft home, featuring a butterfly roof with exposed wood and steel framing, a bike gallery in the living room, and an awesome concrete fireplace wall (possibly with both inside and outside fires).  The clients are awesome, and I'm really looking forward to all the details coming together on this one!

We also wrapped up an ADU during our final month in Vancouver.  I've seen photos and we were onsite during one of our trips back to portland but it will be great to get over in between guests and see the place finished out, detailed and outfitted with furniture/home goods.

This was a fun project all the way along and also with amazing clients (meeting like minded people may still be the best part of this "job").  The result is a sweet little 460sqft unit that is currently a rental for our clients...but we could easily live there and call it home!

Somehow, zenbox also keeps getting press and media attention.  It's still so very odd that this thing we started doing simply so we could convert our garage into our home and save money has turned into a full fledged business... much less one that seems to grab peoples' attention.

Just this month The NY Times featured an exterior photo of the above project in an article about Portland ADUs and small homes and 1859, Oregon's Magazine not only did a nice writeup on our lifestyle but put our garage tiny home on the cover.  Wow.

Nothing quite prepares you for walking through the grocery store and seeing your home on the cover of a magazine...

Hopefully these little pieces of media make their way into the hands of others who are struggling to find a way to simplify their lifestyle and help them know it's possible and inspires them to another path!Im not sure how long this "business" will continue to feed my creative spirit, but so far it has been a true gift.  That isn't to say that there aren't still days that feel like "work", or that cause stress levels to rise due to complications or timelines...of course that's to be expected.

But a vast majority of the time its not work at all.  It's something that fuels me, that allows us to meet terrific people who are also seeking many of the same things we are, and also creates a bit of income for us on the side (that we can still do while traveling).  That is a pretty rare combination, and i'm no less grateful or thrilled now than when we first opened the doors and put a name to it.

Here's to seeing where this crazy portion of our lifestyle leads in the future.