The tiny house being prepared for Waitsfield resident George Pakk is 95% complete, according to organizers Erica and Karen Stroem who are working with the town and community volunteers on the effort to house Pakk whose Waitsfield Village home was destroyed by a chimney fire on February 24, 2021.
After the fire, the Stroem sisters organized a Gofundme for Pakk which raised enough money to purchase a partially completed tiny house and with the help of community organizations and community volunteers were able to get the site cleaned up and prepared for installation of the tiny house.
The Stroems said they have been asked often about the length of time it is taking to get Pakk into the new home and acknowledged that the process has taken longer than they hoped.
“We know there has been much apprehension and many queries amongst the community as to the status of the tiny house and I would like to give you a first-hand account of where things stand. The tiny house is 95% complete. The volunteers worked as diligently as their busy schedules allowed and did an amazing job,” Erica Stroem said.
“At the end of July, we were granted a zoning permit by the town that laid out the parameters of the tiny house and how it needed to be situated on the property, as well as noting that it requires either a concrete slab or small pads with piers for the ‘foundation.’ Once we knew how the house was required to sit on the property, we were able to stake it and organize a meeting between the town water engineer, plumber, septic engineer and excavation crew. That meeting happens this week and will essentially pave the way for organized digging of the water and septic to the open plumbing section of the tiny house,” she added.
When the digging and piping is complete, they have to figure out how to go about laying the ‘foundation.’ When the foundation is done the tiny house will be moved, leveled, secured and hooked up to the new piping and electricity. Once the house is on the property, the shower needs to be tiled and other details finished in the bathroom.
The final step will be to insulate underneath the tiny house to get it ready for winter.
“I understand how anxious the community is about this. We are too. Please know that things are moving as quickly as possible. When we undertook this project, we had delusions of grandeur I suspect. We had no idea what we were doing – still don’t -- and really just wanted to help a member of the community. We have been 100% reliant on the kindness and expertise of the volunteers. Please understand this is a 100% volunteer project and we are incredibly grateful and humbled by the team’s knowledge, support and dedication. I hope this clears up any questions. we just want to let everyone know that this team is doing the best we can. We can actually see a finish line,” Stroem added.
