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I get tired of the endless number enormous, complicated and thoroughly modern houses I see on Zillow. But when I get to a more remote place like the Adirondacks and look around I know there is reason for hope. Most cabins, especially seasonal hunting cabins aren’t wrapped in plastic or are enormous though some certainly are. I really don’t get the appeal of modernity, the smart television in every room with high speed internet. I am pretty sure the house of future, as sold on television will come with a mandatory 30-yard dumpster with the amount of waste we are told is normal by the television.

I think home should be a sanctuary away from it all. Simple and not needing constant repairs or buying new shit to keep it in good condition. A simple cabin, with as few electronics and as little technology as possible. Maybe some electric lights, but not much beyond that. While I could see the benefits of having a propane heater as a backup when I’m away for an extended period of time, a wood stove, with as little space to heat as possible would be best. No washing machine, no dish washer or fancy appliances. Just a very basic propane stove, an energy efficient refrigerator, a place to charge my cellphone. 

Maybe to live a life like that I have to build it, as few houses on the market truly are like that. But there are people who live that way, as witnessed by the Adirondacks. Not all houses are spacious and “modern” or covered with vinyl siding and full of white walls. Shiplap and board batten are common options in cabins, white drywall ain’t the only option. You also don’t have to have a 2,000 foot square house. Maybe such things are normal in suburbs, along with the mandatory 30-yard dumpster for all the things you get in Amazon on a daily basis, but I find it all so repulsive.