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The path to pico-dwelling started when I decided that I could no longer pay rent on a storage unit for the belongings that weren't important enough to keep at home. A friend tipped me off to "storage units" for sale. I took a look, and it all came together. Not only was this space a storage space for my junk, it could possibly become a better place to live. I was living in a one-bedroom condo, and was very aware of the awkwardness of the space, which drove me to duplicate things that I really didn't want duplicated. I had two clocks, two music sources, and extra furniture to make the two main rooms seem complete. What I really wanted was one place with exactly what I needed and wanted. Quality is more important than quantity for me, and the extra space was only a problem. The 'storage unit' needed to become my home, and the process of designing and building it was to be the journey of transition from more traditional to less traditional living. I set down some design tenets:

  1. Simple
    • Nothing duplicated
    • Easy to maintain
    • Easy to operate
  2. Compact
    • Smallest 'complete' home
    • No wasted space
    • Quick to clean
  3. Essential
    • Room for current needs only
    • No secondary-storage
    • Everything accessible/functional
  4. Healthy
    • "Green" materials
    • Filtered air
    • Easy to keep clean
  5. High Quality
    • Pure, solid materials
    • Reusable, recyclable materials
    • Well-designed, well-crafted

pico-dwelling © by Steve Sauer, OIXIO ™ 2001-2024