Curtains
Nine months in my new old big tiny house, and I finally have drapes. Privacy? What a concept, but that's not the only reason I have drapes and why it is worth mentioning here on my tiny house blog.
I moved into this house nine months ago, a time which has gone by quickly enough that I didn't notice the date until I started writing this post. Go back to those photos from when I bought it and notice the lack of drapes. I apologize to my neighbors in this trailer park. Within days, I at least had bedspreads hiding me in the bedroom. A few months later, I finally got real (dull) drapes for the bedroom. No more worrying about that covering becoming uncovered because I bumped something.
For nine months, the main living space with its big windows was also not hidden from people if they wanted to pry. They didn't. I thank them for that. Privacy may be one concern, but I wanted some shade from sunlight glaring off someone else's nearby house. Solution? I am a photographer and have sold my art. Particularly, I sold some of my photos as translucent satins that were designed to fill windows with something more appealing than the neighbors while also letting in light. The prints I had weren't exactly the right size, but they sufficed.
Welcome to winter and why drapes or curtains are already overdue. Radiation. I'm not bringing up nuclear radiation but radiation in and out as heat coming and going. Have you ever felt cold despite a room being heated? It can happen if you stand hear a window. Whether the window is cold or not, photons are flying back and forth between you and what's outside. That can happen in any house unless the windows are very fancy. In a tiny house, the windows are always near. Heat sweeps in and out even with doors and windows closed. Get close enough to a window, and the temperature of the window can't be ignored. Sit in a room with windows in opposite walls, and lose heat twice as quickly.
Hello, drapes, or curtains, or bilnds, or whatever. Anything physical and opaque can keep the photons in, at least for a while. (And at this point, I'll spare you the engineer's description of the thermodynamic details of heat transfer.) Privacy? Sure. Glare protection? Yep, and glad that sunshine happens despite being surrounded by trees. Heat management? Oh yes. This tiny space has gotten cold enough that, despite raising the thermostat to 70F rather than my usual 65F nights and 68F days, I'm sitting and typing while wearing a hat and an extra layer.
Why wait nine months? Because it wasn't until a month ago that winter really arrived, and this morning, it was 16F outside. I'm glad I paid a plumber to winterize the pipes. I took care of hanging the drapes myself.
They aren't fancy. They're bland. I'm a minimalist who lives alone; bland works.
The curtains are also pulled back as I let the last of the day's sunshine bounce around. As it gets dark outside, I'll close the curtains. One downside is a closed-in feeling that may not work well for claustrophobes, but a sliver of a view may suffice.
I can't check window coverings off my list yet. There's a full-length window in the door, which remains covered in photos. It might be a good place for some vertical blinds. Last summer convinced me of the need to block that glare portal, but I have months until we're in that part of the year. Then, open those windows and enjoy excellent cross-ventilation! The world will eventually be more warming and welcoming. It just might take some patience.