eliza Mason

Hey Rebecca! I just moved to Newberg, OR and am looking for a property to start a mini farm and tiny house community permie style. It's awesome to see your progress and the successful rehab of your new farmhouse I have spent some time last year woofing both in Corvallis, OR and Bothell, WA to familiarize myself with the climate and plants. I've completely fallen in love with the PNW and beautiful ever present greenery!

I'm taking a lot of time now to meet the community and other like minded folks, visit farms, and familiarize myself with the area. I'm surprised by how many people and small farms have already embraced permaculture!

Just wanted to throw a line as a possible connection. I'd love to hear more about your place and your vision!

oh and your mushroom does look like it might be a chicken, though the light doesn't seem to make it look very orange. pores should be yellow.

I am currently looking for property in Western Oregon (between Eugene and Portland) to create a small permaculture demonstration farm and micro-community. Before I obtain a suitable property, I want to feel out the demand for tinyhome (w/wheels) parking space. During my initial start up phase, I will recruit individuals who are looking for a nice spot to park their off-grid tinyhome. I am especially interested in people with building or handyman skills. I hope to obtain property within the year.

We would have to come to an agreement beforehand to ensure a good fit.
Rent ($200-400?) and work trade possibility
Timing and length of stay
I am willing to share amenities such as kitchen and shower on occasion
No substance abuse
Please no pets or children

Property will have:
2-20 acre
Functional dwelling w/ shared space
RV hookup possible but not guaranteed
Small plot for personal garden
Within an hour of Eugene, Corvallis, or Portland
Eventually <10 tinyhome spaces

Demonstration farm will be developed according to the following values:
Biodiversity
Aesthetics
Respect towards nature and people
Multiple income streams
Welcoming visitors: renters, woofers, volunteers, b&b, students, customers
Education, outreach and community


Anyone interested? I’d love to discuss the possibilities!

Mike, I actually had not even thought about the mail room/post office, and that seems relatively important. Figuring out the details with utilities and foundation attachments is also necessary! Thanks for your insight.

Many people keep mentioning storage. What would be an ideal way to solve that issue in a community? How would you prefer to store your extra items?

Daniel: Thanks for your response, I think that is a really good point. If we could have trailers available it would be a lot more attractive to tiny home owners who don't have one, as it is likely that we would also want the houses attached to foundations. I envision that we will want more permanent members, to sustain a close knit family-like community atmosphere. As the business grows, I will want to build more tiny homes for guests or nightly rentals, so that anyone can experience tiny home living in a permaculture environment.

Jay: Yes, I have been looking at campgrounds and trailer parks as possible models, as it is one way to get around the prohibitive rules against tiny homes. I'm not familiar with KOA but I will definitely do more research, thank you!

Speaking to those who own (or want to own) mobile tiny homes, do you feel like you have adequate options for where you can park (live in) your tiny home?

Sorry to not have been clear; this would be for a lot to park your tiny home. Essentially, I would like to provide an attractive environment and community for tiny home folks, who already have their own mobile tiny home.

Thanks for these great responses!

William: Great additions, and I agree that a pond would be more ecologically aligned. On the same token, I am thinking of a root cellar, instead of coolbot. Also, a certified kitchen is definitely an interesting idea. I will have to look more into that, as it may be much more expensive and necessitate strict rules!

Kyrt: This community will ideally be built in proximity to a productive food forest, as one of my main goals is to design a small model permaculture farm I would also like to allow tiny homes to have their own tiny plots if they wish! I hope to at least have 10 acres.

How much would you be willing to spend to live in this (idealized) environment? I've seen other tiny home communities charge from $200-600/mo.

Hello permies!

I am a permaculture enthusiast seeking to start a small tiny home community on a model permaculture farm in the PNW region. The community would be set up as tiny home plots around a central hub. I aim provide an attractive environment and community for tiny home folks, who already have their own mobile tiny home. I am trying to gauge interest in the types of community amenities that tiny home owners (or future owners) desire. Here is my list of items that I have so far:

-spacious kitchen
-dining/rec room
-fitness/yoga room
-library
-wifi internet
-laundry
-composting toilets/showers
-hot tub or pond
-workshop/tool library
-store w/ produce and sundries (honor system)
-fenced dog park


What else would you like to have offered? Which items are the most valuable? Least valuable? How much would you pay/month for each specific item? (This is to gauge value and prioritize, quantitatively) What is the maximum you would pay/month (as rent) to park your tiny home on a nice property with utility hookups?

Thanks!! I'd love to hear your responses!

Please feel free to PM me if you would like more info or if you'd just like to talk!

I don't think it's beyond a permaculture forum to discuss identifying and foraging for wild mushrooms. A large number of these posts have been extremely informative to me and have resulted in enjoyable, lively discussion. Plus, like Steve mentioned, you don't always know what will show up in your food forest; the less ignorant we are the better! I also like the idea of helping fellow permies (and receiving help) on issues that may be slightly (or exceedingly) tangential.

However, I have recently discovered the fascinating MushroomObserver.org website; in the future, and I will go there for the majority of my IDs. Thank you all for the input!

out of curiousity, what bolete book (or other useful field guides for that matter) do you have? I just got David Auroras massive Mushrooms Demystified, but it's not exactly field friendly. I would say that maybe half the mushrooms I see around here are boletes! Thank you.

Thank you for input Steve! I concurred with your ID until I posted to mushroomobserver.org and it was ID as Heimioporus betula. http://www.mushroomexpert.com/heimioporus_betula.html. They are quite similar though!