We were talking about the intended sustainability vs. the way the house is turning out. I explained to him what I thought his intentions were. I remember him saying how he wanted the house to end up being a role model in the tiny house community and in the living simple and living green/sustainable community. He agrees that The Nautilus isn’t as simple and sustainable as intended but; he said: “In order to build something more sustainable I would need to have all of my contacts ahead of time, I’d need more skills, more tools, more time…” We both have learned so much about tiny houses and lessons on letting go of expectations and realizing that if you do your best with the resources around you, you are doing great. If Yuri can build a sustainable, super strong, and appealing tiny house in Illinois, where there are not as many sources for recycled/refurbished/green products, and with his father who wants to make the house as durable and long-lasting as possible with his experience in standard construction, I think the end result will be one-of-a-kind. It’s a step forward in the tiny house movement that others can look at for ideas and ask Yuri questions from his experiences.
I can imagine the tiny house movement getting even larger (tehe) as more people see how do-able it is to build your own and live in a tiny house.My goal is that once Yuri sees this blog he will be able to make posts for you all, explaining things from his perspective and experience, when it is all finished. Hopefully for now the pictures and one sentence explanations from me are good enough to satisfy your curiosity. Eventually we can both make posts about sustainable living and compare to the sustainable building process!
The Nautilus 
This is what it’s all about.
Hi there – My partner and I are building our first tiny house too (chronicling it at http://www.tinymountainhouse.com) and it’s been particularly eye-opening as we go further into the building process to weigh sustainability vs durability (and availability), and I think what you said is spot on regarding making the best use of available resources. We are definitely not as handy with our tools as Yuri is, and it’s been really inspiring to see you guys’s project. That massive sunroom/loft area is incredible. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your pictures and process! -Grace