New here & Unrelated to wedding question.

jjs+akm

Hello world! lol. I'm Sarah and in like 200 and something days I'm marrying my best friend, Mark. We've been together for almost 3 years and engaged for almost 2. On a spur of the moment whim, we bought a very, very, small house. 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath and we have to build a laundry room and kitchen (because the current kitchen consists of a sink, microwave, burner). I know this is completely unrelated to wedding planning and I don't really think you can categorize it as "Christian"...I mean, we are Christian's and we are getting married

I just have a few questions...

After we add the kitchen and laundry, this house will total about 500sq ft. Any recommendations on storage/organizing?

Do you or someone you know live in a very small house? If so, any advice?

This home has a wood burning stove and that is its only source of heat. Mark grew up with a wood burning stove and I did not. The thought of it freaks me out. I'm honestly kind of terrified of it. I'm afraid it will burn our house down. Does anyone else use one? Are they safe? Because everything I'm reading online is negative.

I guess some of you are probably wondering why the crap I posted this. I honestly don't know where else I can ask this and get an opinion. We bought the house to be near his parents who are both very sick and we fear they will end of needing constant care. Since this home was the closest to them and the only one for sale, we bought it. It's an adorable house. Just needs some TLC. Plus, it's a learning experience. We both have so many things that we take for granted. We are going to have to get of a lot of things we really don't even need. But in the end I think it will give us more time for each other and help us to come closer to God.

Ash61612

In regards to the wove stove, we had one in my house growing up. It wasn't our only source of heat but it supplemented the heating unit. We had no problems with it. As long as you use it responsibly and smart, you should and will be fine. I actually miss having one in the house we have now. It something cozy to have in the winter. I am actually more afraid of space heaters then fire stoves. Don't let the internet freak you out, a lot of people only post their negative experiences with something, very rarely the positive things.

LeahVB2011

First off, don't feel bad about posting something NWR (non wedding related), getting the house together is as much part of the engagement as planning the wedding because you can learn so much about your FI through setting up your home together. 

As far as your house goes, have you looked at Ikea? I noticed that you are from NC, I actually live in Raleigh, I know there's one in Charlotte. For me it's a 3 hour drive to get there so it's a bit far but I think worth the drive. They make things with small spaces in mind and at relative inexpensive prices. Also look at the home decor section of piniterest or search "small spaces" or "organizing" to get some inspiration for what you can do.I posted two of my favorite organizing websites as well. I hope some of this helps you.
http://orgjunkie.com/

http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com/

And again, don't feel bad about posting something not related to your wedding, there's a lot of us who are already married and have just stuck around so it's fine to post something like this. Best of luck planning your home and your wedding

lovesclimbing

I live in Alaska where wood stoves are very common. At least half the people I know have wood stoves. My husband and I don't currently have one because we're renting but my husband wants one someday. They are perfectly safe as long as you use them responsibly. There are safety measures to take with them such as putting a guard behind the stove to keep the wall from getting hot. They are built to be safe. People leave them stoked overnight and while they're gone during the day. I have never heard of someone's house burning down because of a wood stove.

ochemjenn

I have one aunt and uncle who had a regular heater who then installed a wood burning stove to use instead as their primary source of heat.  They've had it for 10+ years, and their house is still standing.  The wall behind it is brick.  Keep a fire extinguisher, just in case, but every house should have one anyway.

As far as storgage, make sure everything serves at least dual purpose.  Instead of a regular coffee table, use a trunk or ottoman that can also serve as storage.  Make use of door space by attaching shelves to them. 

jjs+akm

Thanks so much! I actually don't live in North Carolina. I typed in my address and zip code when I created my account. I might have just typed it in wrong or it's decided to classify me as NC instead of TN for some strange reason. Anywho, thanks! The wall is brick where the stove connects at so we should be good there.