Small quarters, redefined
Queens County man loves living in a tiny house
Art Macleod, known to many 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. A very tiny house. MacLeod’s inside space is 298 square feet.
“I’ve been watching tiny houses on TV for two years, and it became an addiction,” said Macleod, who once owned 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 by builders Cory Whynot and Adam Craik, began in September 2017.
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.
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, buses, vans, shipping containers, house boats, even small condos and apartments.”
The site also describes a tiny house as anything less than 400 square feet.
Adjusting to his new space hasn’t been too challenging because Macleod has actually lived in a smaller home. His bachelor apartment in Toronto was 200 sq. ft. and there was another 250 sq. ft.
“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 utility and clothing closets, a bathroom, and loft storage space.
“I like everything about it because I have everything that I wanted,” he said.
Macleod says he went from owning a lot of stuff to being a minimalist, and being a minimalist is how he wants to live.