Product Reviews: What’s Hot and What’s Not

What we think about our tiny house purchases…

Hampton H12 Stove.  This is probably my favorite purchase.  It heats the tiny house no problem: in about 20 minutes it can heat up the house by 5 degrees, which is great for when we get up in the morning.  We keep the heat at 56 when we sleep!  I know that sounds chilly but since heat rises and the stove is directly under the bedroom loft, we stay warm.  I would not have chosen a bigger or more powerful unit; this one is just right and so darned cute.  It comes with a remote control thermostat and is not too hot to sit in front of like a wood stove or electric heater might be.

Tankless water heater.  I have mixed feelings about tankless water heaters.  On the plus side, we get unlimited hot water.  And it gets plenty hot.  Our heater is from the brand Rinnai and is energy efficient and direct-vented, meaning it draws combustion air from the outside (i.e., better for indoor air quality).  On the downside, the water doesn’t come out hot instantly like it would with a tank heater.  So it’s a bummer if you just want to wash your hands or 1-2 dishes, as  it’s not really worth it to heat up the water for like 20 seconds of use.  On the upside, a tankless water heater can be mounted to the wall instead of resting on the floor.

Roxul insulation.  A winner here!  I know a lot of people go with spray foam for tiny houses to make them super efficient but I think Roxul is the best bang for your buck.  It performs better than fiberglass.  It is water-resistant, great at blocking sound, and fireproof.  We even have little shreds of Roxul that came with our gas stove to function as glowing “embers”.  You should wear gloves and a dust mask when handling it but it’s safer than fiberglass and won’t shift or sag.  It is a great compromise between price, energy efficiency, and ease of installation.  Learn about our experience installing it here.

Magic Chef Fridge.  The perfect size.  Not too loud.  Freezer on bottom.  Comes in 3 colors.  Affordable.  You can’t get any better than that!  This fridge doesn’t stick out much beyond the counter which provides a sleek look in any kitchen.  You’ll also notice our wonderful magnetic knife holder (we got ours on Amazon).

In other news we are glad to report that we were able to get insurance for Rose Home!  This is amazing because it is very difficult to insure a self-built tiny house on wheels.  Hopefully nothing will ever happen to Rose Home but it’s nice having the peace of mind.