Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast: Recent Episodes
Ethan Waldman
Conversations on how to plan, build, and live the tiny life. Ethan Waldman from thetinyhouse.net gives you the chance to get inside the heads of tiny house luminaries and every day tiny house dwellers so you can plan, build and live the tiny house life you’ve been dreaming of. Discover how you can create a tiny lifestyle that includes owning your own home, whether it’s a tiny house on wheels, van, or camper that you can take with you, or just a sweet tiny cabin in the mountains. Ethan built his own tiny house on wheels in 2012 and has been educating other tiny house hopefuls ever since. His flagship resource, Tiny House Decisions has been widely recommended by tiny house experts as a must-read how to guide to planning a successful tiny house. From tiny house heating, plumbing, and composting toilets, to building a tiny house for cheap, DIY techniques and more. Subscribe if you are ready to start YOUR tiny house journey.
I am excited to welcome a guest with a powerful and eye opening story about the realities of tiny living. Cheryl, a musician and single mother, joins us to share her journey of creating a custom tiny home designed to support her musical career and her daughter's needs. However, Cheryl's story goes far beyond innovative design solutions.
We'll dive deep into the legal challenges and zoning issues that have plagued Cheryl's tiny house journey, including a harrowing experience with eviction that exposes the vulnerabilities many tiny house dwellers face. Cheryl candidly discusses the shame and secrecy that often surround nontraditional housing choices and how these factors can leave individuals open to exploitation.
Despite facing numerous setbacks, Cheryl's resilience shines as she advocates for the legalization and broader acceptance of tiny homes. Her story serves as both a cautionary tale and a call to action for the tiny house community. Join us as we explore Cheryl's journey to find a supportive community, navigate complex legal landscapes, and ultimately transform her living situation.
In This Episode:
- 🚜 Land Stewardship: Cheryl advocates for a stewardship mentality in land management.
- 🏘️ Community Search: She shares her struggle in finding a community that values land stewardship over mere ownership.
- 🎨 Artist Community: Finds a suitable, supportive artistic and organic community.
- 🏡 Tiny House Advocacy: Advocates for the legalization and acceptance of diverse housing options like tiny homes, yurts, and buses to provide affordable living solutions.
- 📈 Housing Market: Highlights the high costs and unaffordability of housing in Toronto, rendering it unattainable for those like her with tiny homes.
- 🎶 Custom Tiny House: Describes her well planned customized tiny home, including a unique hitch extension to create a cello practice room essential for her music career.
- 📝 Ownership Rights: Stresses the importance of legal rights and protections for tiny homes to be considered viable investments for the future.
- 💔 Personal Struggles: Opens up about facing multiple evictions, renovictions, and dealing with the loss of her brother, emphasizing the emotional toll of housing instability.
- 🔍 Legal Battles: Discusses her intention to pursue legal action against an unjust eviction, highlighting the need for legal recourse for tiny home dwellers facing similar challenges.
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7 Minute Stories w/ Aaron Calafato
Award-winning storyteller Aaron Calafato uses 7-minute story vignettes to share his...
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Louise Scott is a multifaceted professional organizer, designer and travel enthusiast. She has not only embraced tiny living, but has also helped many transition to a more minimalistic lifestyle through her business, All Things French. We'll dive deep into the challenges and triumphs of living small, the positive impact it has on finances and quality of life and her unique organizational tips to apply to the spaces in your life of all sizes. Plus, we'll explore her passion for French culture and how that's shaping her future business endeavors. Stay tuned as we uncover how tiny house living can truly transform your life.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Minimalism in Tiny House Living: Insights into decluttering and minimalism benefits.
- 🧹 Organizational Skills: Tips on maintaining order in small spaces.
- 🌿 Indoor-Outdoor Connection: Design elements for seamless outdoor views.
- 💲 Cost-Efficiency: Tiny house costs and financial benefits.
- 📦 Decluttering Tips: Strategies for dealing with memorabilia and sentimental items.
- 💡 Resource-Conscious Living: Growing interest in eco-friendly, low-cost living solutions.
- 🛠 Client Assistance: Providing various organizational services for client needs.
- ⛴ Travel Influence: Traveling with a minimalist lifestyle.
- 📉 Reduced Utility Bills: Financial savings from lower utility costs.
- 🛏 Aging Challenges: Anticipated need for accessibility to loft beds and composting toilets.
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7 Minute Stories w/ Aaron Calafato
Award-winning storyteller Aaron Calafato uses 7-minute story vignettes to share his...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
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Today, we have a thought-provoking episode featuring Nate Murphy. Nate is an advocate for minimalism, environmental consciousness, and co-living, and he's here to share his insights on how these concepts intersect with van life and tiny house living. We’ll also explore his book "The Ideas That Rule Us," which dives deep into the ideologies shaping our lives and how embracing minimalism can lead to more fulfilling choices. Nate's personal journey and the practical steps he offers for aligning your life with your values are truly inspiring. So, if you've ever felt weighed down by consumerism or are curious about making radical lifestyle changes, this episode is a must-listen. Stay tuned as we uncover the benefits of eco-villages, the freedom of van life, and pathways to a more self-aware and community-focused existence.
In This Episode:
- 🚐 Van Life Simplicity: Highlighting the affordability, simplicity, and freedom compared to traditional city living.
- 🏞️ Digital Nomadism: The shift towards remote work, allowing people to live and work in rural areas with access to high-speed internet.
- 🏡 Property Appreciation: Unlike vans that depreciate, tiny houses can appreciate over time with proper care and maintenance.
- 💸 Unsustainable Property Prices: A critique on the excessive property prices and the notion that houses should serve as living tools, not just financial investments.
- 🌳 Sustainable Living: Nate’s approach to buying a house in Catalonia focuses on long-term sustainable living rather than financial profit.
- 🌐 Contributionism vs. Consumerism: Community and contribution are valued more over ownership and consumerism, promoting a richer sense of worth.
- 🏘️ Eco Villages/Co-Living: Eco villages and co-living spaces enhance the sense of community and mutual dependency, fostering tangible value exchange and improved living environments.
- 💡 Self-Awareness: Nate advises evaluating one’s behavior and time use to align actions with true values, thereby increasing self-awareness and openness.
- 🌍 Capitalism and Sustainability: A call for a shift towards a sustainable version of capitalism that includes fairness and care.
This Week's Sponsor:This Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast is sponsored by PrecisionTemp hot water heaters. Right now, PrecisionTemp is offering $50 off their amazing hot water heaters if you use the code THLP at checkout. Head over to PrecisionTemp at precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for $50 off. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
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Today's episode is a special one, several years ago, I had the privilege of interviewing John Wells, a true pioneer in the tiny house movement. John first caught my attention through his insightful comments on my Facebook posts about building my own tiny house. As I dug deeper into his profile, I realized he was the real deal - someone who had fully embraced the off-grid, minimalist lifestyle.
While we initially decided not to release our conversation, recent events have changed my perspective. Sadly, I learned of John's passing through this month's Tiny House Magazine, where he was mentioned as an early influence for Andrew and Laura Lavoie. This news prompted me to revisit our interview, and I was struck by how valuable and inspiring our discussion truly was.
In this episode, we'll explore John's remarkable journey from living in a 2800 square foot house to embracing life in a 128 square foot tiny home on the remote Terlingua Ranch in Southwest Texas. John shares practical steps he took to make this dramatic transformation, offering a wealth of tips for anyone interested in off-grid living.
Throughout our conversation, John's unique approach to simple living and his authentic personality shine through, providing invaluable insights for those considering a similar lifestyle change. Though recorded a while ago, John's wisdom remains as relevant and thought-provoking as ever.
In This Episode:
- 🏠 The specifics of John's off-grid home, including portable AC, propane cooking, and preference for solar power over wind energy.
- 🌞 Details of John's solar power system, with 1200 watts providing electricity and the benefits it brings to his off-grid living.
- 🚑 A recount of his compound fracture, hospital stay, and long recovery period in a wheelchair that interrupted his off-grid activities.
- 💡 Tips for living off-grid, such as experimenting with modular systems and the importance of self-sufficiency.
- 🐕 John's preference for animal interactions over human companionship and his hermit lifestyle, despite being active online.
- ✉️ Various income sources like odd jobs, selling merchandise, and custom silver items; his grassland and minimal cost living.
- 🏚️ John's process in building a tiny house for himself and for a friend, utilizing his carpentry skills and past experiences.
- 🍽️ Using a solar oven, shopping at remote grocery stores, and experimenting with food delivery during recovery.
- 💰 Monthly expenses, property taxes, and how moving to Texas drastically reduced his living costs.
- 🎥 Insights into his blog, YouTube channel, and why he shares his off-grid lifestyle online, turning his experiences into engaging content.
Visit the website for full show notes, photos, links and resources.
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Over the past decade, Jenna has expanded her influence through her amazingly popular YouTube channel, Tiny House Giant Journey, which showcases unique tiny house tours and stories. We'll discuss the challenges of maintaining and repairing a tiny house, especially when it's used primarily as a vacation rental, but it wasn't built as one initially. Jenna will also share the incredible stories behind some of the most remarkable tiny houses she has encountered, including one nestled in an animal sanctuary. Whether you're a tiny house veteran or just curious, you'll find plenty of inspiration and practical insights in today's episode.
This Week's Sponsor:
This Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast is sponsored by PrecisionTemp hot water heaters. Right now, PrecisionTemp is offering $50 off their amazing hot water heaters if you use the code THLP at checkout. Head over to PrecisionTemp at precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for $50 off. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
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Candace and her husband have a unique story, having coordinated their tiny house build in the United States while still living in South Africa entirely via WhatsApp video calls. With a background as a declutter coach, life coach, retreat leader, and yoga teacher, Candace brings us insights on how to create a life filled with intentionality and joy. We'll dive into her journey from South Africa to the United States, explore the impact of decluttering on mental and emotional well-being, and get inspired by her advice for those considering the tiny house lifestyle. Stay tuned as we learn from Candace's experience and enthusiasm for creating a life you'll love.
In This Episode:
- 🌱 Minimalism and Decluttering: Candace emphasizes the personal growth she experienced from shedding material possessions.
- 🏡 Tiny House Living: She shares about transitioning to a tiny home and its benefits.
- 🌍 Traveling Lifestyle: Traveling with their tiny house across the US and finding parking.
- 💪 Personal Growth: Candace talks about the challenges and mindset shifts that came along with the move from South Africa to the US.
- ✨ Intentional Living: She discusses how embracing new experiences lead to a fulfilling life.
- 🔄 Simplification Process: The feeling of lightness she achieved through decluttering.
- 🛠️ Building Challenges: How she managed to coordinate their entire tiny house build remotely via WhatsApp.
- 🧘 Holistic Wellness: Focusing on mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Visit the website for full transcript, photos, links and resources from this episode.
This Week's Sponsor:This Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast is sponsored by PrecisionTemp hot water heaters. Right now, PrecisionTemp is offering $50 off their amazing hot water heaters if you use the code THLP at checkout. Head over to PrecisionTemp, that's precisiontemp.com, and use the coupon code THLP for $50 off. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
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Emily Gerde and her husband Justin, son Wyatt, three cats and one dog live in a 325 square foot tiny house on wheels. Emily is the author of Minimalist Living for a Maximum Life, which provides insight on their tiny house journey and how a minimalist, organic, holistic, mindful lifestyle led to a life of their dreams.
What's it like raising a minimalist family with plans to grow in tiny house? How do you keep the intake of stuff to a minimum while creating an enriching experience for your children? I'll ask Emily those questions and more.
In this episode:
- Why did Emily settle on relatively large (325sf) tiny house on wheels?
- What’s it like to move a 20,000lb tiny house?
- Why Emily and her family started living in a camper but have decided to abandon that project?
- How to deal with the judgement you receive from choosing to live in a tiny house as a family?
- Emily’s efforts to legalize tiny house communities in Colorado
- What will you do when your young children approach teen age?
- Do you have to live in a tiny house to be a minimalist?
- How do you control the space (toys, play area, etc.) associated with kids in your tiny house?
- How do you deal with receiving gifts when most people tend to give children toys?
- How have you dealt with the need for an address to enroll your son in school?
Find the full show notes, transcript, links and resources on the website.
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Lil Wing is a metal triangle on wheels with a putting green grass landing, and it was the most unique tiny house I saw at Big Mass Festival. The builder, Chris Schapdick of Tiny Industrial, specializes in smaller tiny homes that are easy to tow. In addition, he is the author of two books about tiny house living. In this conversation, we’ll cover the ins and outs of building towable tiny houses, why Chris decided to share his process on Instructables, and what we can look forward to in his book release.
In This Episode:
- From NYC suburbia to living tiny in upstate New York: Chris’s tiny house journey
- How Chris started building other tiny houses
- The challenge of sealing plywood
- Tiny House Industrial has offerings for every budget level
- Lil Wing design inspiration
- Why are the smaller tiny houses so appealing?
- The Oculus North tiny house
- Why Chris wrote The Joy of Tiny House Living
Visit the show notes page for more photos, links, and resources.
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I am excited to introduce you to Kaylee, a passionate advocate for the tiny house movement and a biology teacher with a deep interest in sustainable living. Kaylee will share the inspiring saga of her journey building her own tiny house and how it reshaped her perspective on simple, ecological living. We'll dig into the challenges she faced from zoning laws to financial hurdles and how these experiences fueled her advocacy for tiny house legalization. Kaylee's story is not just about building a small home, but about building a life aligned with values of minimalism and sustainability. Join us as we explore the highs and lows of tiny house living and learn from Kaylee’s relentless pursuit of her dreams against all odds.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Tiny House Lifestyle Challenges: Kaylee shares the immense difficulties in transitioning to tiny home living, including legal hurdles.
- 🌿 Environmental Passion: As a biology teacher, she highlights her commitment to eco-friendly living and how it integrates with her tiny house journey.
- 📜 Advocating for Legal Change: Her involvement in pushing for legislative changes to accommodate tiny house living, reflecting on her work with bill S 897.
- 🧰 Building Struggles: Kaylee narrates the practical challenges faced while building her tiny home, including weather setbacks and zoning conflicts.
- 💑 Relationship Dynamics: Kaylee's relationship plays a crucial role in her tiny house adventure, providing both support and a backup housing option.
- 📚 Education Evaluation: How her personal experiences have changed the way she views education and priorities.
- 🚀 Movie Inspiration: "Gattaca" acts as a motivational tool for her, symbolizing overcoming imposed limitations, similar to her struggles with tiny house living.
- 💸 Financial Struggles: Discusses the financial stress of building and maintaining a tiny house, including renting out spaces to fund her project.
- ⚖️ Navigating Local Politics: Kaylee describes contrasting interactions at state and local levels, highlighting more receptive planning board meetings.
- 🤔 Reflection on Life Choices: Despite challenges, Kaylee wouldn't change her journey, embracing her natural tendency to challenge authority and societal norms.
Backroad Odyssey
Traveling America's backroads, history lovers - Noah and Noodles - uncover...
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MJ Boyle is a mastermind in the tiny house community and the founder of several successful tiny house businesses, including My Tiny House Village and Oregon Teardrop Rentals. MJ has not only built and rented out nine unique tiny homes but has just embarked on transforming a construction trailer into an alluring tiny home called “My Tiny Bunkhouse.”
In today's episode, MJ will share her innovative approach to waterless and odorless toilet systems that enhance both guest and staff experiences. We'll also delve into the art of rehabilitating and renovating tiny structures, a skill MJ has honed over years of experience, turning dilapidated shells into dream homes with sustainable practices. Join us for a comprehensive discussion on maintaining high occupancy rates, exceptional guest satisfaction, and the strategic intricacies of managing multiple tiny house locations efficiently. It’s a packed interview you won't want to miss!
In This Episode:
- Pet-Friendly Policies 🐾: MJ allows pets but requires a deposit and adherence to specific rules to grant a free stay, addressing the challenge of finding pet-friendly rentals.
- Flooring Choices 🏡: Luxury vinyl flooring is highlighted due to its scratch and water resistance, plus its ability to make spaces appear larger.
- Built-In Furniture 🔨: Stability and practicality are achieved through built-ins instead of traditional furniture, tailored to renter needs.
- Profitable Rentals 💸: MJ shares a success story where investing in tiny homes yielded substantial profit and emphasizes the importance of long-term planning.
- Laundry Logistics 🧺: Discusses the high costs and logistical challenges of laundry management across multiple rental properties in different states.
- DIY Composting Toilet 🚽: MJ designed a cost-effective, odorless composting toilet system using buckets, wood pellets, and cedar shavings, enhancing guest experience.
- Property Rehabilitation 🛠️: MJ transformed a dilapidated trailer into a functional and inviting tiny home, showcasing her talent in renovation.
- Business Growth During COVID 📈: The pandemic brought high demand, with rentals fully booked for an extended period, demonstrating business resilience.
- Infrastructure Challenges 🔌: MJ recounts the technical and regulatory hurdles in establishing a new site for her tiny house village.
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Today, we have a very special guest, Lucy Lich, joining us from the South Coast of New South Wales Australia. Lucy is not only a dedicated tiny house dweller, but also a teacher, wellness enthusiast, and the host of the Tiny House Conversations podcast. Over the next hour, we'll dive into how living tiny has profoundly integrated with her values of minimalism, health and environmental consciousness. Lucy will share her personal journey into tiny living, her insights on designing for health and minimizing environmental impacts, and how her experiences have shaped her podcast. Join us as we explore the unique challenges and joys of tiny living with an expert who lives and breathes this lifestyle every day.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Tiny House Customization: Lucy hired builders open to unique material customization, accommodating her health-centric needs in tiny house construction.
- 💡 Health-Oriented Lighting: The story behind trading standard bulbs with amber and red to mimic natural sunlight, promoting better sleep and relaxation.
- 🌿 Electromagnetic Sensitivity: Extra measures like non-wireless tech and special electrical wiring incorporated into the design to reduce electromagnetic fields.
- 💧 Natural Living Approach: Features like a composting toilet, rainwater tank, and solar setup installed to enhance sustainable living.
- 🤍 Mindfulness and Intentionality: Lucy's philosophy of intentionality and mindfulness permeates her tiny house living approach, focusing on eco-friendliness and connection with nature.
Visit the full show notes for additional photos, links and resources.
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Janet Thome is deeply involved in the tiny house movement, leading the Tiny House Alliance USA and serving as the membership secretary of the ASTM International Tiny House Subcommittee. In this episode, Janet will share insights into the current state of the tiny house market, the impact of recent economic shifts, and the ongoing efforts to develop standards that ensure safety, affordability, and compliance in the industry. She’ll also discuss the importance of certification for owner-builders and the essential role of inclusive regulations. Join us as we dive deep into these topics and explore the future potential of tiny house living with Janet Thome.
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Today we delve into the story of a listener turned tiny home owner, Maegan Bell. Maegan is an active duty Army logistics officer who's going to share with us how she exchanged the blueprints of a traditional house for the compact efficiency of a custom-built tiny home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. We'll explore the challenges of setting up utilities, the joys of bringing family closer together, and how tiny homes can offer a unique solution for military families on the move. Maegan's journey is filled with insights and practical advice for anyone considering this lifestyle. So if you're curious about the tiny house movement or looking for tips on how to make it work for your family, stay tuned for this fascinating conversation.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Embracing Tiny House Living: Maegan and her husband discovered the comfort and functionality of a tiny house.
- 💵 Military Financial Strategy: How living in an RV or a tiny house can be a clever financial decision for military families due to housing allowances.
- 🏞️ Wildlife and Remote Habitats: Maegan shares stories of wildlife encounters and her expertise in making remote locations livable from her military logistics background.
- 🔨 Smart Contractor Selection: The need to carefully vet contractors by checking credentials and reviews for building or developing a tiny house.
- 🕒 Land Development Patience: She advises taking time to understand the land before rushing into development.
- 🌄 Vacation Home to Tiny House: Faced with high building costs, Maegan chose to build a custom tiny house on her Virginia property as a nature-connected family retreat.
- 🛠️ Design Choices and Regrets: Maegan discusses aspects that worked out really well, but also shared certain regrets.
- 🛖 Multi-Use Property Planning: With the flexibility tiny houses offer, her family enjoys a stable vacation home that could also be rented out or moved if needed.
- 🌞 Off-Grid Living Exploration: Due to the high cost of setting up grid electricity, she considered off-grid solutions, such as solar panels, for their tiny house.
Visit the show notes page for more photos, links, and resources.
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Today we're exploring the cozy nooks of park model tiny homes with Cindy Ballaro. Cindy is not only a resident of a charming tiny home, but also a multipreneur who wears many hats including that of a publisher and marketer. Living in the picturesque mountains of North Carolina, Cindy has turned her sunflower-themed tiny house into a haven for both living and Airbnb guests. She's going to share with us the unique benefits and challenges of choosing a park model over a traditional towable tiny house, and how this lifestyle complements her entrepreneurial endeavors. So if you're intrigued by the community living aspect of tiny houses or are considering a park model for your own downsized life, this episode is for you.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Park Model Tiny Homes: The differentiation between park models and towable tiny homes, including key factors that were important to Cindy when selecting her park model home.
- 🌐 Tiny House Communities: Cindy shares what it’s like to live in her tiny home community
- 🛠 Customization and Choice: Insight into the process of customization when purchasing a new build.
- 💲 Financial Aspects: Conversation on costs, value appreciation, and the advantage of selling property to finance the tiny house without needing a loan.
- 🌦️ Climate Management: The unexpected challenge of moisture control in a tiny house.
- 🛏️ Airbnb Hosting: Benefits of renting out the tiny home, managing personal space, and creating an additional income stream.
- 💵 Cost of Living: Sharing the expense of renting a lot in the tiny house community and how it supports her entrepreneurial lifestyle.
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I am thrilled to introduce our guest, Mike Crowhurst, a seasoned tiny house dweller and the creative mind behind one of the most unique tiny homes I’ve seen in a while! Mike and his wife Heidi spent three years crafting a 45-foot ex-refrigerated semi-trailer into a gorgeous tiny home. Throughout this episode, we'll dive into Mike's journey of tiny house living, exploring not just the practical aspects like custom cabinetry and space-saving features like an innovative elevator bed, but also the sustainable lifestyle that drives him. We'll also get into the nitty-gritty of converting a semi-trailer into a comfortable and functional living space, addressing the challenges and rewards such a project brings. So buckle up as we get a tour of Mike’s impressive tiny house and learn how he has optimized every inch of his home for maximum living.
In This Episode:
- 🚚 Tiny House Towing Challenges: The intricacies involved in transporting a tiny house safely, including the type of vehicle required and the importance of professional trucking expertise to avoid potential hazards.
- 🏠 Semi-Trailer Conversion Journey: Mike's personal adventure of converting a 45-foot refrigerated semi-trailer into a sustainable and innovative tiny home.
- ❄️☀️ Insulation and Climate Adaptation: The insulation options used in the semi-trailer, Mike's additional insulation efforts, and adaptation to the Adelaide climate.
- 💡 Procuring a Trailer: Insight into the process of acquiring a semi-trailer, highlighting considerations like checking for rust, maintenance history, and tips on where to find decommissioned trailers.
- 🗄️ Tiny House Storage Solutions: Mike outlines the storage enhancements in his tiny home, describing various built-in options that maximize space without creating a cramped feeling.
- 🛏️ Elevator Bed Innovation: The unique design and functionality of the elevator bed in the tiny house are explained, showcasing how space-saving features contribute to the minimalist lifestyle.
- 🤝 Online and Real-Life Communities: Encouragement for listeners to seek advice and share experiences within the tiny house community, both in-person and online, to foster collective wisdom and support.
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Judy comes to us with 36 years of experience as a custom builder and remodeler, with a passion for well-appointed, smaller living spaces. We'll dive into her expert advice on maximizing functionality without sacrificing style and comfort, and explore her journey from a 4,000 square foot dwelling to her favorite 1,100 square foot home. From Murphy beds to curated maximalism, Judy is here to share her wealth of knowledge on living intentionally within our means. So get ready to learn from Judy's inspiring experiences and practical tips on downsizing your space, but not your life.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Judy shares her journey of downsizing and creating a simplified lifestyle by decluttering and being intentional about possessions.
- 📏 Designing small living spaces that are functional without sacrificing style or comfort.
- 🗑️ The negative effects of clutter on well-being and relationships, providing strategies for effective decluttering.
- 🤏 The distinction between minimalism and living small, stressing on the value of personal preference in arranging living spaces.
- 🛋️ Judy highlights the importance and benefits of furniture that serves multiple purposes in tiny homes.
- 💌 Advice on managing sentimental items, encouraging repurposing, donating, or letting go rather than keeping out of obligation.
- 📊 Tackling one space at a time and organizing one zone at a time instead of trying to do it all at once.
- 🚀 Judy introduces "resizing" as a way to reassess and clear out home spaces, making room for what truly matters.
- ⛓️ The common mistake of buying organizing tools before actually decluttering.
- 📚 Judy recommends books for design inspiration and discusses her own book, "Bigger Living, Smaller Space."
Full show notes, photos, links and resources available at www.thetinyhouse.net/judy-granlee-gates
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Today, I'll be talking with Elizabeth, one of the team members behind a new and innovative entry into the world of compost toilets, the Throne Composting Toilet. Throne offers both a ready made AND DIY solution to the traditional compost toilet that promises ease and simplicity. We'll delve into the nuts and bolts of building your own compost toilet using Throne’s DIY kit, tackle common problems with existing designs, and explore the benefits and drawbacks of different styles of compost toilet. Our guest Elizabeth lived full time with her family in their self-built skoolie, and went through three different compost toilet designs before finally settling on the Throne. Whether or not you’re currently in the market for a compost toilet, Stay tuned as Elizabeth shares wisdom from life on the road, and the do’s and don’ts for successful compost toilet in your home.
In This Episode:
- 🚽 Maintaining the right level of contents in the compost toilet is crucial to prevent overflow and the need to interrupt a good night's sleep.
- 💚 Elizabeth's innovative approach for urine showcases a creative way to recycle waste products sustainably.
- 🌾 Her personal trial and error with using hay and eventually sawdust in her compost pile, highlighting the necessity of finding the right balance.
- 🏡 Elizabeth's experience designing a timber frame home that included a creatively signed compost toilet offers insights on how to incorporate eco-friendly practices into residential architecture.
- 🎨 The exciting launch of Throne compost toilets, their pre-order specials, and how customers can personalize their purchases with special color options.
- ✂️ Elizabeth addresses common compost toilet complications through simplicity with a straightforward, cleanable design.
For full show notes, photos, links and resources visit https://www.thetinyhouse.net/elizabeth
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I'm thrilled to have you join us for another adventure into the fascinating world of compact and conscious living. Today we're venturing off the beaten path and into the realm of off-grid living with our inspiring guest, Reesa, who has carved out her own piece of paradise on a multi-generational homestead. Throughout our conversation, we'll uncover the nuts and bolts of Reesa's journey, from the inspirations that sparked her transition to a scaled-down, sustainable lifestyle, to the practicalities of building an affordable tiny home from an Amish-built shed shell. We'll dive into her low-tech solutions for heating, water storage, and even delve into the world of humanure composting. Get ready to be enlightened and maybe even a bit envious of the simplicity and beauty that off-grid living can offer, as we explore how Reesa and her son make the most out of their tiny house and the land they call home.
In This Episode:
- 🌞 Innovative Lighting Solutions: Reesa describes the practicality of solar lights in an off-grid setting and offers insight into her personal lighting setup with multiple charging methods.
- 💧 Water Collection and Usage: An important aspect of self-sufficient living, Reesa shares future plans for a 250-gallon water tank to aid in watering her garden and livestock, demonstrating resourceful strategies for managing water resources in an off-grid lifestyle.
- 🔥 Wood Heating and Lifestyle: She speaks to the benefits of traditional heat sources and how they support her simpler off-grid lifestyle.
- 🐝 Self-Sustainable Food Sources: Reesa highlights beekeeping and gardening as integral parts of their food source, emphasizing the benefits of self-sustainability.
- 🏡 Home Design Inspiration: Reesa shares where she finds inspiration for her home's aesthetic and functionality for off-grid living
- .🛠️ Affordable and Resourceful Construction: Reesa discusses the costs associated with installing her off-grid system, while also highlighting her thriftiness when it comes to home furnishings.
- 🚿 Innovative Water Systems: Discussing water collection and usage methods, Reesa gives a perspective on managing necessities without modern plumbing.
- 🍂 Natural Waste Management: She provides a detailed insight into her humanure composting system, reflecting an eco-friendly approach to sanitation.
For full show notes, photos, links and resources visit https://www.thetinyhouse.net/reesa
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Over the past five years, Kim DeLaney has made strides in transforming the traditional housing model by utilizing her business savvy and passion for sustainability to champion tiny home communities. Kim DeLaney is the Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of HaZi Enterprises and the Executive Director of Tiny House Big Movement.
From changing municipal ordinances to negotiating real estate development deals, she's on the forefront of creating affordable equitable housing solutions. We're going to dive into her journey exploring how a crisis during the pandemic turned into an innovative approach to housing and her ambitious plans for the future, including her work with sustainable materials like hemp and bamboo, and the upcoming Carolina Tiny House Festival, which is April 12 through 14th that Kim is organizing.
In This Episode:
- 🏘️ Affordable Housing Solutions: Kim’s inspiration and efforts to create equitable tiny home communities aim to address the high cost of traditional housing models.
- 📜 Policy Change Triumphs: Successful ordinance amendment in Concord, NC, spotlighting the potential for reform in local housing policies.
- 🏡 Tiny Home Community Impact: Discussion on how these communities benefit various demographics and the local housing market, enhancing diversity and inclusivity in living options.
- 🎉 Festive Funding: Preview of the Carolina Tiny House Festival as a means to promote, educate, and fundraise for the tiny house movement.
- 🌱 Sustainable Building Practices: Emphasis on environmental consciousness in these innovative tiny home communities and exploring alternative building materials such as hemp and bamboo.
- 👩💼 Women in Development: Kim's proactive stance and advice for women, especially women of color in real estate development and entrepreneurship.
- 🛠️ Home Building Affordability: A focus on cost-efficient home building through wholesale purchasing knowledge and partnerships.
- 💼 Community Networking: The importance of local connections, events, and programs to propel the initiative.
- 📣 Calling All Participants: An invitation for dwellers, builders, and volunteers to contribute to the festival and movement, showcasing a collaborative community ethos.
- 📚 Education and Outreach: Kim discusses the need for educating officials and the public about tiny house livability and sustainability, aiming to mainstream tiny living.
Visit the website for the full show notes, photos, links and resources www.thetinyhouse.net/289
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Sophia and Henry self-designed and built their 28′ THOW in Northern Minnesota, where they experience a full range of seasons, including a very cold and long winter. We start with an in-depth discussion of how they are staying warm in their tiny house and preventing their water from freezing on the way in and the way out. If you're thinking of living in a cold climate, this is not to be missed. From there, we turn to rethinking the American dream and a discussion about values, lifestyles, and where a tiny house fits in for a young couple. Don't miss this interview with Sophia and Henry Jungbauer!
In This Episode:
- The first winter in the Jungbauer tiny house
- How to keep water from freezing in the Minnesota winter
- Legality in MN
- How the Jungbauers decided to live tiny and their goals for the future
- The Jungbauers' response to criticism of the tiny house movemen
- Tips for examining cultural influences
- Plans vs Reality: working on the tiny house in the winter and the dark
Get the full show notes, photos, links and resources on the website: www.thetinyhouse.net/107
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Erin Maile O'Keefe is a talented designer who designed and built the Paper Boat tiny house for herself and her husband, where they live in the backyard of a house that they own. In this conversation we'll break down the Paper Boat design and share some of the ways that Erin thinks about designing tiny spaces so that they work for the occupants in the process.
In This Episode:
- A brief history of Yestermorrow and teaching the class
- The Paper Boat house: how it got its name and the way that function inspired design.
- Erin’s design approach that allowed her to fit everything she needs into her space
- How custom cabinetry stores things with beauty and function
- Erin’s journey into the tiny house movement
- What’s Tiny House Fest Vermont all about and how is it unique?
- Erin discusses Creative Placemaking and how she uses her Master Certificate
Visit the website for full show notes, photos, links and resources.
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Get inspired to build with repurposed materials and introduce yourself to the world of food freedom. Rob Greenfield is not a conventional kind of guy. He’s currently living in a tiny house that he built with 99% repurposed materials. He doesn’t have running water in the house and his current project is called food freedom. He’s growing and foraging for 100% of his food for an entire year.
Even if you don’t plan on living off grid or foraging for your own food, this is a really unique and interesting interview. Rob’s mindset, enthusiasm, and positivity is much needed and will inspire you on whatever tiny house journey you are planning to embark on.
In This Episode:
- What is the story of your first tiny house?
- What it was like living in a 50sf tiny house? 📦
- What’s the connection between bicycle travel and tiny houses 🚴🏼♂️ ➡️ 🏡
- How Rob found a place to “park” his tiny house in the city of Orlando 🌴
- How and WHY to build a nearly 100% repurposed tiny house 💯
- How to bust through the excuses so that you can make REAL change in your life.
- About Rob’s food freedom project 🍽️
- What are the utilities like (water, power, etc.) at Rob’s off grid tiny house? 🚰🔌
- About Rob’s sawdust/bucket composting toilet system 🚽
Visit the website for full show notes, photos, links and resources.
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Malissa and Chris Tack did one of the first tiny house builds to be fully documented in photographs every day. I remember poring through their daily time-lapses to figure out how they did certain things. Their beautiful design included dormers in the loft, which inspired my tiny house and countless others. Malissa is here to tell us the story of her tiny house journey and how the house has continued to support their family as it has grown.
In This Episode:
- How the Tiny Tack House came to be
- Having space to offer up to others
- Plans change and tiny houses adapt
- Malissa's systems set-up
- The Tiny Tack House on Airbnb
- What would we do differently?
- Tiny house design and plans
Links and Resources:
- https://www.thetinytackhouse.com/
- Dee Williams
- Stay in the Tiny Tack House
- Tiny House Magazine
- Leave a review
For full show notes, links and photos visit the show notes page: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/malissa-tack/
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This episode features Jody Brady. In 2014, after living in a series of traditionally scaled houses, Jody and her husband Bill decided it was time to "right-size" their living space. They designed and built their tiny home in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and they've been living tiny for two and a half years.
In this interview, we get into what it’s like to go tiny as a couple at retirement age, but who certainly aren’t “retired” in the traditional sense. We’ll talk about what “rightsizing” is and how you can get rid of things that you no longer need that are standing in your way.
For complete show notes, transcript and images, visit https://www.thetinyhouse.net/jody
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It’s not just about finances. Though many people are drawn to tiny house living for the financial benefits, living tiny has a way of changing the way you look at everything in your life.
Living tiny for 3.5 years has had a lasting impact on my guest, Alek Lisefski. In this conversation, we’ll talk about those changes, plus what Alek learned from having two significant relationships in a tiny house.
For complete show notes, transcript and images, visit https://www.thetinyhouse.net/alek
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This episode features an incredible guest. Joining me is Kai, who's not only living in a house truck but has a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of this unique lifestyle. We'll explore Kai's journey, from finding and customizing a commercial truck to navigating the practical challenges of living in her unique tiny home. Kai will share their experiences with insulation, maintenance, and the daily joys and hardships of the tiny life. Get ready to be inspired and informed by Kai's fascinating insights into the world of house trucks and the tiny house movement.
In This Episode:
- DIY Living 🛠️: Living sustainably in a self-built, off-grid house truck
- Tiny House Insulation 🏠: Tales of insulating a homemade house truck
- Off-Grid Heating 🔥: Using diesel and wood for sustainable heat
- Legalities of Mobile Living 🚚: Navigating RV insurance and vehicle classification
- DIY Business 💼: Earning income through social media and sponsorships
- Life in Rural Canada 🌲: Living off-grid and the challenges it brings
- Tiny House Mobility 🚛: The advantages and challenges of moving a tiny house
- Retro Living Inspiration 📚: Drawing inspiration from vintage house truck designs
Links and Resources:
- Builders of the Pacific Coast
- Some Turtles Have Nice Shells
- Rolling Homes
- The Half Acre Homestead
- Roll Your Own
- Lloyd Kahn’s Half-Acre Homestead: Building, Gardening and Getting Started – #130
- Sign up for the Tiny House Newsletter
For complete show notes, transcript and images, visit www.thetinyhouse.net/288
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Tiffany DaSilva is a passionate real estate investor and loan officer with a love for tiny living. She's here to share her incredible journey of building her own twenty by eight and a half foot handcrafted tiny house while she was still in high school. Tiffany's story is truly inspiring from learning carpentry, plumbing and electrical work to overcoming challenges and societal prejudice as a young female builder. Her perseverance and dedication to tiny living are sure to inspire and educate us all.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Tiffany discusses the benefits of tiny living such as custom builds, lower mortgage payments, and the freedom to relocate.
- 🛠️ She learned valuable skills through her experience: carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, and problem-solving.
- 💸 Through using a variety of materials, DIY projects, and budget-conscious choices Tiffany's tiny home build was very cost-effective.
- 👩👧 She hopes to inspire more young women to take on similar projects, proving skeptics wrong.
- 🤝 Tiffany highlights the importance of accepting help and support and the role of online tutorials throughout her building process.
- 🌿 Tiffany discusses living a more sustainable lifestyle through downsizing, living with less, highlighting the importance of affordable housing.
- 🌟 She shares her persistence and dedication, juggling multiple jobs, investing in real estate, and managing a lengthy build.
Find complete show notes, transcript, and photos at www.thetinyhouse.net/287
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I’m sharing my own captivating [and slightly humorous] tale of dealing with unexpected visitors in my tiny house. It all starting with light scratching sounds, which led to the shocking discovery of these unexpected guests. In this episode, I am walking you through the entire process of diagnosing, cleaning, and ultimately sealing off the entry points for these tiny intruders. With valuable lessons and practical advice for both builders and current tiny house dwellers, let’s explore the importance of preemptive measures and the necessity of addressing pest issues promptly. Stay tuned for helpful insights and a real-life tale of tiny house pest control adventure.
In This Episode:
- House maintenance: 🏠 Ethan's experience emphasizes the importance of inspecting and maintaining tiny houses to prevent critters from entering and causing issues.
- DIY building tips: 🔨 For DIY builders, it's essential to prioritize properly constructing soffits and fascia to ensure they are effective barriers against critters.
- Early pest control: ⏱️ Being proactive when signs of critters are noticed can prevent a minor issue from escalating into a major infestation.
- Infestation aftermath: 🐭 Even after addressing the initial infestation, hidden traps are an additional precaution.
- Prevention as a priority: 🚪 Highlighting the need for immediate action and the importance of not delaying pest control measures.
Links and Resources
- Pneumatic Staple Gun
- Victor Mouse Trap
- Building Construction Illustrated
Visit www.thetinyhouse.net/286 for full show notes, links and resources.
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As the president of THIA and the director of Government relations for the American Tiny House Association, Dan Fitzpatrick is at the forefront of the movement to legalize tiny homes as a viable housing option in the United States. In this episode, we'll dive into the progress being made in legalizing tiny homes, the collaboration between Tiny Home Industry Association and the International Code Council, and the challenges faced in navigating zoning constraints for placing tiny houses. We'll also discuss the importance of working with local leaders to bring about change, as well as Dan's work with Vera Struck and the introduction of a bill to legalize tiny homes in Massachusetts. Whether you're a tiny house enthusiast or simply curious about the movement, this episode will provide valuable insights into the future of legal tiny homes.
In This Episode:
🏠 Legalizing Tiny Homes: Dan has been working with state and municipalities to legalize tiny homes
- 💡 Collaboration and Advocacy: The episode highlights the importance of working with local organizations and leaders to drive change in building and zoning laws.
- 📈 Scaling Up: Scaling up in the tiny home industry is crucial to meet the growing demand and drive down costs.
- 🏢 Building Codes: Dan discusses the collaboration between the Tiny Home Industry Association and the ICC, including the creation of a handbook called "The Tiny House Building It Right".
- 🏘️ Zoning Constraints: Zoning regulations are currently a major constraint for the tiny home industry.
- 💼 Government Relations: Dan highlights the importance of connecting with officials as peers and actively engaging with elected officials at the local level.
- 🌍 National Impact: The significance of a national standard for tiny homes in driving industry growth and helping municipalities legalize tiny homes.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Visit www.thetinyhouse.net/285 for full show notes, links and resources.
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Nate Murphy is an adventurous builder and filmmaker who has taken on not just one, but countless incredible projects, converting several vans into cozy living spaces and renovating a centuries old house in the beautiful Pyrenees Mountains. In our conversation, Nate shares his experience of building a van from scratch, documenting every step of the process with over 100 hours of footage. Nate also opens up about the intense filming process, and the unique aspects of van conversion that make it both intimidating and incredibly cool. But that's not all, Nate goes beyond the van, sharing the captivating story of renovating a 250 year old house in the scenic Pyrenees, we'll hear about the demanding and rewarding journey of bringing new life to this historical gem. Whether you're curious about van conversions, tiny house living, or the challenges of renovating an old house, this episode has something for everyone.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Customization and enjoyment: The value of a van conversion lies in the personalization and satisfaction of the build.
- 🌍 Van life vs. tiny houses: Younger people prefer the flexibility of van life, while older individuals are drawn to tiny houses for retirement and cost-cutting.
- 🏢 Housing affordability crisis: Limited options in the UK and high prices in areas with economic opportunity.
- ⚖️ Laws and restrictions: Living in a van is tolerated in many countries, but regulations vary.
- 🛠️ DIY resources: How Nate unexpectedly turned into a van conversion educator.
- 🕑 Time commitment: Building a van or a house takes time and dedication.
- 🔌 Learning new skills: DIYing a van conversion involves mastering electrical, plumbing, gas line hookups, carpentry, and more.
- 🏠 Renovating old houses: Nate Murphy shares his experience and challenges of renovating a 250-year-old house in Spain.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Visit www.thetinyhouse.net/nate-murphy for full show notes, links and resources.
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I met Vera a decade ago and we were both invited to speak at Deek Diedrickson's Tiny House workshop in Connecticut. She explained that my first pictures of my tiny house that I built in 2012 with rain screen inspired her to deep dive into everything from thermal bridging to mold mitigation for the build of her silver bullet tiny house.
When Vera takes on a project or issue you can bet she's thorough, persistent, and resilient. Vera has been on our podcast twice before, last time she discussed pandemic tiny house living at the very beginning of 2020. Today, she will help us learn about her process of becoming an active participant in democracy to legalize the very housing product she's lived in for over a decade in Massachusetts.
In This Episode:
- 🔎 Advocacy in the democratic process: Vera shares her her process of becoming a lobbyist, advocating for tiny houses and engaging with legislators.
- 📋 Forming a task force: It takes a time and a team to advocate for and develop tiny house building code.
- 💰 Affordable housing solutions: The important role of tiny houses as a response to the growing housing crisis.
- 🌍 Sustainability and environmental advocacy: Vera’s commitment to a sustainable lifestyle through her tiny house lifestyle.
- 📰 Media engagement: Vera explains her strategy for making progress now and handling press later.
- 🧩 Standards and certifications: The debate within the tiny house community and the benefits of the Massachusetts bill.
- 🏡 Tiny house maintenance: How does a tiny house hold up a decade after going tiny? Vera discusses her silver bullet tiny house and the maintenance requirements she has encountered over the years.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Visit www.thetinyhouse.net/verastruck for full show notes, links and resources.
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Pamela has a fascinating story to share about her life aboard a 100 year old tugboat called the Zenia Sophia. From the day before she got married, Pamela and her husband Ulrich have made this boat their home, raising their two daughters on board, creating a unique and adventurous lifestyle. We'll dive into their journey from the challenges of finding moorage for their 65 foot long boat, to the exhilaration of a rocky crossing. We'll also learn about the importance of supervising children around bodies of water and get a glimpse into the vibrant liveaboard community on the Pacific Northwest Coast.
In This Episode:
- Living on a boat ⛵️: Pamela and her family have lived a unique and vibrant liveaboard lifestyle for more than 30 years.
- Challenges of finding moorage 🚢: The difficulties of finding a place to dock their 65-foot long boat.
- Raising children around water 🚸: Pamela reflects on the responsibility of supervising kids on a liveaboard.
- Community and support 🤝: The liveaboard community is close-knit, looking out for one another.
- Challenges of boat maintenance and repairs 🛠️: Pamela discusses the work involved in maintaining a 100-year-old boat, including unexpected repairs and highlighting the complexities of working on a wooden vessel.
- Unique experiences and interests 🌍: Pamela shares the unique experiences that living on a boat brings, including a rocky crossing.
- Importance of air circulation and temperature control 🌬️: Pamela shares how they maintain comfortable temperatures and humidity levels onboard.
- Port Townsend as a hub for wooden boats 🌲: The speaker discusses Port Townsend's reputation as a dreamland for wooden boat owners.
Visit thetinyhouse.net/282 for full show notes and additional photos.
This Week's Sponsor:You might be looking for more support, more information, and more interaction on your tiny house journey. My online community called Tiny House Engage is going to be opening for registration for the first time since June. That is coming Tuesday, October 10. Inside of the community, I am there answering questions, there are people living in tiny houses answering questions, people who are currently building or buying tiny houses, and tiny dreamers who are just starting their journeys. All getting together, supporting each other, talking tiny and hanging out at some really cool weekly live events that we host inside the community. If you think this might be of interest to you, you can head over to thetinyhouse.net/engage to get on the waitlist and I will send you an email as soon as everything opens up again. I'm looking forward to meeting you inside of the community.
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The type of toilet you choose to install in your tiny home will definitely affect things like your budget, your other systems, and your ability to travel. It's a question that I get from time to time, so I thought I would share this short and informational session with you. I am talking through what I chose for my tiny house, the different types of toilets that exist, how they work, and the pros and cons of each.
In This Episode:
- Water usage and flush toilets in a tiny home environment
- Waste water tanks and weight impacts
- Alternative solutions to flush and compost toilets
- Breaking down the pros and cons of commercial compost toilets
- All about bucket-style compost toilets
Links and Resources
- Tiny House Summit
- All Access Pass
- Humanure Handbook by Joseph Jenkins
- There’s No Such Thing as a Composting Toilet with Humanure Handbook Author Joe Jenkins on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast
Full show notes, links and resources can be found at https://www.thetinyhouse.net/toilet-types
This Week's Sponsor:Tiny House Engage brings together tiny house hopefuls and DIYers to share plans and resources, learn from each other’s challenges and mistakes, and celebrate our successes so that we can feel less alone while we build faster, safer, smarter, cheaper homes and embrace the tiny house lifestyle. Whether you’re a tiny house dreamer who is still figuring out all the systems, plans, and everything you need to go into your tiny house, or if you’re actively building, Tiny House Engage has the resources for you. There are professional contractors in the community here to answer your questions about plumbing, electricity, and ventilation, and there’s also plenty of interaction between members. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great way to do it. To learn more and register for Tiny House Engage, go to thetinyhouse.net/engage.
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Gerry Wolter is an inventor and entrepreneur who has revolutionized tankless hot water systems for small and tiny houses. His company, PrecisionTemp, offers innovative and American made water heating solutions for both heat and hot water. From onboard hot water for sailors to portable heaters for firefighters and tiny house tankless heaters, Gerry has done it all. Today, he's here to share his expertise on compact cutting-edge heating solutions for the tiny house movement. We’ll talk through the different models that PrecisionTemp offers and discuss why you might choose one over the other. Plus, we discuss hydronic heat and why it’s an option more people should consider. If you're planning to build a tiny home you won't want to miss this episode. So, let's dive in and learn from Gerry Wolter.
In This Episode:
- 💡 Innovation in tankless hot water systems: How Gerry revolutionized tankless hot water systems for small and tiny houses.
- 🏡 Hydronic heat for tiny houses: The advantages of hydronic heating, including comfort, energy efficiency, and noise reduction.
- 🔥 Safety considerations: The importance of electronic ignition and flame proofing for pilot lights to prevent dangerous situations.
- 🚿 Continuous hot water supply: PrecisionTemp's on-demand hot water heaters provide a continuous and stable hot water supply.
- 🌬️ Cold weather protection: PrecisionTemp's heaters have protective measures to prevent damage from cold temperatures, including additional heating elements and freeze protection settings.
- ⚒️ Proper placement and planning: The importance of properly placing water heaters in a floor plan to optimize accessibility and minimize water usage.
- 💪 PrecisionTemp's commitment to quality and service: PrecisionTemp is known for its innovative, American made products and dedication to providing excellent customer service.
- ⏳ Planning takes time: The importance of planning and designing properly to avoid additional work and complications during installation.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Full show notes at www.thetinyhouse.net/gerry-wolter
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Laura Lynch is a certified financial planner who specializes in helping people financially execute their plans to go tiny. Laura shares her insights on the unique aspects of tiny living, including the financial considerations and the importance of creating a supportive community for the longterm. She also opens up about her own journey towards embracing the tiny lifestyle and aligning all aspects of her life to her authentic self. We'll discuss the financial questions and challenges that arise when it comes to tiny houses, such as loans, and prioritizing sweat equity. It's going to be an eye-opening conversation, so let's dive in and explore the world of Less House, More Moolah, with Laura Lynch.
In This Episode:
- 📈 Rising Costs: Laura emphasizes the need for legalizing tiny home communities to combat rising prices and build sustainable communities.
- 🏡 Building Community: Laura advocates for connecting with others, legalizing tiny home communities, and fostering relationships within a supportive network.
- 💰 Financial Decision-Making: Why you might consider testing out the desired lifestyle before committing to it.
- ⚒️ Sweat Equity: Building things yourself not only saves money, but also leads to personal growth and the acquisition of valuable skills.
- 🔄 Reassessing Life: Uncertainty can lead to reevaluating one's life and making significant changes, requiring bravery and the willingness to step outside of societal expectations.
- 🤝 Community Advocacy: Raising awareness about the challenges and obstacles faced by people pursuing alternative housing options, such as tiny living, is essential.
- 💡 Financial Security: Reducing living costs through tiny living, creating financial security within the lifestyle.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Visit www.thetinyhouse.net/laura-lynch for full show notes, links and resources.
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Jinkie Echols is an incredible advocate for affordable housing and the founder of Peace Wind, a successful tiny house community in Cocoa Florida. Jinkie shares her remarkable journey and the lessons she's learned along the way, from buying raw land, to getting codes and zoning changed, all the way to developing the houses and opening for business. With her experience as a builder, developer, and landlord of her own tiny house community, Jinkie has firsthand insights into the challenges and rewards of creating an affordable and diverse community. Jinkie's passion for community building and the unique perspective she brings to this male dominated field make this episode a must listen. Sit back and prepare to be inspired as we explore the world of affordable housing and tiny house communities with Jinkie Echols.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Out of control housing costs and land development are driving affordable housing projects towards tiny houses for cost efficiency and long-term maintenance.
- 👩🔧 Jinkie discusses the challenges of being a woman in the builder, developer, and government entities sectors.
- 💡 Benefits of living tiny such as low electric bills, spending more time outside, and intentional decision-making.
- 👥 Building close-knit relationships, fostering organic, holistic living, and shared amenities within a tiny community.
- 💪 How Jinkie advocated for the community, through pitching ideas to county officials and leveraging local authorities' motivations.
- 🌎 The importance of diversity in housing options and income groups within a tiny house community.
- ⏰ Jinkie's dedication to finding a property, going through planning and zoning processes, and dealing with infrastructure tasks.
- 📝 As the "Queen of loopholes," Jinkie immersed herself in codes and regulations to find ways to implement plans.
- ✨ Jinkie emphasizes the importance of having passion and determination in overcoming obstacles in community development.
This Week's Sponsor:PrecisionTemp:
We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp On Demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of endless hot water. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle and are available for propane or natural gas.
PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
http://precisiontemp.com
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This episode features special guest, Jason Gastman, the new business development manager for FOTILE America. We discuss Jason's role in bringing FOTILE appliances into the mainstream markets, making them a premier choice for appliances with premium retailers, architects, and builders. Jason has been focusing on providing high quality appliances such as hoods, ovens, and cooktops to the tiny house community and upscale compact living spaces. One of their standout products is the in-sink dishwasher, which has gained popularity in the tiny home and ADU builder markets due to its compact, ergonomic, and energy efficient design. We'll be talking about the challenges of promoting these products and how FOTILE sets itself apart from other brands in terms of quality, design, and innovative features.
In This Episode:
- 🔍 Research and Development: FOTILE’s innovative approach to appliances, focusing on solving kitchen problems and investing in unique product features.
- 🏠 Tiny Home Market: High-quality compact appliances designed specifically for small living spaces.
- 🌍 Global Success: Over 30 million families worldwide enjoying their range of appliances, including the revolutionary in-sink dishwasher.
- 📈 Brand Competition: FOTILE aims to overcome challenges in a competitive market by providing superior products.
- 💡 Unique Features: FOTILE offers innovative features not found in basic competitor models.
- 🚿 Compact Dishwashing: The in-sink dishwasher offers quick, energy-efficient wash cycles, saving space and time in compact kitchens.
- 🗽 Expanding Presence: FOTILE is expanding its presence with a focus on mainstream retailers.
- 🔬 Quality and Design: FOTILE differentiates itself through a commitment to high-quality manufacturing and design.
**This Week's Sponsor:
FOLTILE:**
FOTILE’s new two-in-one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick twenty minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two-in-one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible.
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Tracy Manchego-Baker, is the co-founder of Tiny Building Experts based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Tracy and her husband Austin have built a reputation as experienced ethical and high quality tiny home builders, with Austin leading the way by being part of almost 500 Tiny House builds since 2014. They also serve as industry consultants and subject matter experts supporting tiny home initiatives both locally and nationally for building code standards and navigating the placement of tiny homes legally. If you've heard the recent news out of Colorado regarding new Tiny House regulations, you'll be happy to know that Tracy served on the committee to help create them and she'll walk us through exactly what the new law does and doesn't do. Stay tuned to discover more insights from Tracy Manchego-Baker of Tiny Building Experts.
In This Episode:
- Challenges and Goals of the Tiny House Movement in Colorado 🏠: Initial challenges of the tiny house movement in Colorado and the goal of providing affordable housing and addressing homelessness.
- Collaboration and Cooperation are Key 🤝: The need for collaboration between local jurisdictions, the state, and builders to make progress.
- The Importance of Legalization and Certification 📝: Highlighting the significance of legalizing tiny houses and obtaining certifications to ensure compliance with codes and regulations.
- Added Costs and Changes 💰: Tracy addresses the frustrations and added costs that builders have to pass on to customers due to the new regulations.
- Land Zoning and Placement Regulations 🗺️: The role of zoning and land regulations in determining where tiny houses can be legally placed in Colorado.
- The Impact of the New Laws on Tiny House Living 📜: Implications of the new laws, including the ability to pay real property taxes and the distinction between tiny houses on wheels and other types of housing.
- Changing Attitudes in Zoning Laws 🏛️: Evolving attitude towards tiny houses in zoning laws and efforts to make zoning regulations more friendly towards tiny houses.
- Advocacy and Education 📣: Tracy emphasizes the importance of advocacy and education in the tiny house movement to promote understanding and compliance with regulations.
- Misinformation and Doing Things Correctly 🚫🚧: Tracy discusses the importance of doing things correctly to avoid negative consequences for builders and homeowners.
Find the full episode show notes, photos, and links at thetinyhouse.net/276
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Laura Kuntz is an elementary school teacher and a mother of three grown daughters. She's here to share her journey of building her own tiny house. Since high school Laura has been obsessed with the idea of living in a small home and now as an empty nester, she finally had the perfect opportunity to make her dream a reality. In this episode, Laura walks us through the steps she took to go from being a tiny house enthusiast to a proud homeowner. She shares insights about finding the right location, navigating building codes and permits in the strict state of Massachusetts, and her unique choice of building her tiny house on a foundation instead of on wheels and acting as her own contractor. Stay tuned for an inspiring conversation with Laura about turning a lifelong dream into a tangible, beautiful home.
In This Episode:
- Researching Resources 📚: Importance of finding books and online information for guidance.
- Timing and Scheduling 🗓️: Coordinating schedules and jobs between contractors.
- Delays and Patience ⏳: Experienced delays due to contractors' availability.
- Finding the Right Location 📍: The process of finding the perfect location for her tiny house.
- Navigating Building Codes 🏗️: Challenges of adhering to building codes and obtaining permits.
- Building on a Foundation 🏡: Unique choice to build the tiny house on a foundation.
- Learning During Construction 🏗️: Gained knowledge despite lacking construction experience and how a good support system makes a difference.
- Communication Challenges 📞: Difficulties in a small town with communication and finding the right people.
- Tailoring to Personal Needs ✂️: Designing and building a tiny house that is tailored to individual needs.
This week's sponsors:
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Beau and Kelly are a full time family building a Texas homestead. They are living in a tiny house that is just over 800 square feet with five kids and we just scratched the surface of their really cool lifestyle in this interview. If you are interested in homesteading, buying raw land, or a shed to tiny house conversion, this episode is for you. Beau has so much info to share. In this conversation we dive into the start of their project, what the land was like when they first bought it, what they had to do and why they chose a shed conversion.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Discussing housing options for Beau’s growing family
- 🏘️ The journey of finding and converting a shed to a home
- 🌱 Embracing a simpler, self-sufficient lifestyle on a homestead
- 💼 Turning their homesteading experiences into a source of income
- 💰 Exploring the costs and budgeting for a homestead project
- 🛠️ Reflecting on mistakes made and lessons learned during building
- 🌍 Encouraging listeners to pursue their dreams and passions now
- 🎥 Finding opportunities to share experiences through YouTube and podcasts
- 🔌 Dreaming of a sustainable, solar-powered future on the homestead
This week's sponsors:
PrecisionTemp:We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp on demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of hot water that seems to last forever. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle, even if you are on the go. PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping with the coupon code THLP at precisiontemp.com. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Mallory is a tiny house dweller who lives in a stationary tiny house that she calls Mal's mushroom house. The house is beautifully renovated with a fairy tale like theme and feel to it. In this conversation, we'll learn about the history of Mal's mushroom house and the interior renovations that Mallory did to the house. We discuss the creative and inexpensive renovations she did, using things like countertop wrapping, cabinet wraps, and creating an accent wall using trim board. Plus, I get Mallory to spill her secrets about where she actually stores her stuff and the challenges of living tiny.
In This Episode:
- 🍄 Mallory's unique stationary tiny house with a fairy tale theme
- 🏠 Inexpensive interior renovations
- 📦 Creative strategies for organizing and storing belongings in limited space
- ♻️ Embracing a simpler lifestyle and being less attached to material possessions.
- 🍳 Cooking challenges in a tiny kitchen
- 📚 Adjusting to and finding fulfillment in the solitude of tiny house living
- 🏰 Fascinating history of Mal's mushroom house
- 🗣️ Mallory's renovations, storage solutions, and the challenges and joys of tiny house living
This week's sponsors:
PrecisionTemp:We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp on demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of hot water that seems to last forever. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle, even if you are on the go. PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping with the coupon code THLP at precisiontemp.com. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Today’s episode is with fan favorite Derek "Deek" Diedricksen. Deek has been on the show several times, but I invited him back because it is the 10th anniversary of his super fun and unique signature tiny house building workshop, called Tiny House Summer Camp. In this interview, we'll talk about Deek’s hands on approach to workshops and how he structures these events so you can get your hands on power tools and build, to really get a sense of what it's like to build a small home. It wouldn't be an interview with Deek without lots of fun stories. We talk about how he has built small homes on public land that are completely hidden from view, how to start small, and other workshops and writing projects he has on his plate. Deek is always cooking up lots of interesting things, tune into this really fun conversation.
In This Episode:
- Workshop Reflections 🎉 Celebrating 10 years of Tiny House Summer Camp workshops
- Woodworking Tips 🪚 Start small and gain experience
- Importance of Patience in Woodworking ⌛️ The importance of patience, taking time, and selecting the right tools
- Tiny House Summer Camp Workshop 🏡 Insight into the hands-on Tiny House Summer Camp workshop
- Building Outside the Box: Unique Creations 🏗️ The focus on making building and construction projects stand out from others in the field
- Hands-On Learning vs. Traditional Presentations 👐 Effectiveness of hands-on learning versus traditional talk-based presentations
- Eclectic Band and New Album 🎶 The band, their upcoming album, the eclectic nature of their music, and their influences
- Workshops and Events 🌲 Live hands on workshops in Vermont and California
This Week's Sponsor:
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Jeff Waldman is a builder, a tinkerer, a designer, and over the course of several years, he and his partner Molly designed and built a beautiful retreat in the Redwoods with lots of help from friends. Unfortunately, it was lost in a 2020 wildfire. In this conversation, we will talk about the benefits of building with your community and involving your friends in your builds. We also talk about the importance of getting started with something small. Maybe not starting with a tiny house first, but with a chicken coop or a picnic table. Jeff is also the author of a best selling book called Tools, The Ultimate Guide and we talk about why he wrote it and who it's for. I really enjoyed this conversation with Jeff and I know you will too.
In This Episode:
- 🌲 Building in the Redwoods: The process of building and designing a retreat in the beautiful Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains and how a wildfire in 2020 affected Jeff's mindset and future plans.
- 🚶♀️ Building Projects with Friends: The sense of community created when involving friends in building projects.
- 📚 The Power of Workshops: Jeff encourages listeners to take workshops to learn new skills, challenge themselves, and build relationships with like-minded individuals.
- 🖥️ Design in 3D: The value of using programs like SketchUp for designing and visualizing builds before working with physical materials.
- 🌳 Starting Small: How starting with small projects builds confidence and make larger projects more achievable.
- 👥 The Community Aspect: The importance of community in their building projects, sharing the joy of creating together.
- 🛠️ Tools and their Intersection: As an author and tool expert, Jeff explores the intersections and applications of different tools in building projects.
This Week's Sponsor:
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today.
Disclaimer: 5-Year warranty is exclusive for THLP listeners. To register, customer must register their product warranty on FOTILE website, and enter "thlp" as purchase channel to be eligible.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Are you confused by all the latest tiny house news relating to regulations and building code? Today, Lee Pera is joining the show to help us untangle all of the regulatory happenings in the tiny house world. In this conversation, we delve into various topics including the IRC, Appendix Q, and ASTM efforts to create tiny house standards. Lee shares recent developments in the regulatory landscape and explains what they mean for living tiny legally. This episode provides valuable insights into the legal landscape of tiny house living and practical advice for those interested in building or living in a tiny home.
In This Episode:
- 🏡 Tiny house legal landscape: Recent developments, regulations, and standards.
- 💡 DIY vs professional builders: RV certification, financing, and building standards.
- 🚚 Tiny homes on wheels: Mobility, off-site construction, and zoning requirements.
- 💰 Financing: Accessibility, interest rates, and challenges for banks.
- 🌍 Pandemic response and global building trends: Container homes and cost considerations.
- ♻️ Sustainable practices: Composting toilets, natural building, and eco-friendly solutions.
Visit thetinyhouse.net/270 for full show notes, links and resources.
**This Week's Sponsors:
FOTILE:
FOTILE’s new two in one in-sink dishwasher is bringing convenience back into your tiny lifestyle. It's a dishwasher built into a sink and perfect for tiny house living. The efficient design saves cabinet space and fits perfectly into a standard 36 inch cabinet base, making it ideal for tiny homes. But it's not just about saving space, it is also about saving time and water with a quick 20 minute wash cycle, saving nearly 50% of the water a regular dishwasher would consume. FOTILE is offering Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast listeners a special extended five year limited warranty. Visit us.fotileglobal.com/thlp to learn more and purchase your FOTILE two in one in-sink dishwasher today. PrecisionTemp:**We spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp on demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of hot water that seems to last forever. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle, even if you are on the go. PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping with the coupon code THLP at precisiontemp.com. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Kristie Wolfe returns to the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast with a conversation you do not want to miss. Her initial tiny house project in 2011 led her down a path she never expected. Kristie is passionate about creating unique, handcrafted experiences including a tree house in Hawaii, an underground hobbit hole in Washington and a potato hotel in her hometown of Boise. In this conversation we dive into Kristie's latest and most ambitious project to date, Moonpass Lookouts and the inspiration behind them. Discover the secrets behind her success and learn how she continues to dominate the Airbnb market. Get ready for an inspiring and enlightening conversation.
In This Episode:
- Unique Builds 🏠 : Kristie is passionate about constructing unique homes, like a fire lookout tower in Idaho, and keeping offerings original to maintain brand integrity.
- Pricing Tools & Crowdfunding 💰 : The challenges of pricing tools for their Airbnb and leveraging crowdfunding to fund large projects.
- Organization & Documentation 📚 : How a "house bible" will help keep track of maintenance, inventory and records of Kristie’s properties.
- Accessibility & Regulations 🚪: Kristie faces challenges in accessing funds from future reservations and adheres to strict regulations, like installing a fire suppression system, which led to the development of alternative solutions, such as fireball systems.
- Inspirational Projects 👀 : Being a judge in Airbnb's unique project competition and the contestants' effort into their projects, which ranged from a bunker remodel to a salt cave house in Africa.
Links and Resources:
- Superhost School on Youtube
- Moonpass Lookouts Indiegogo
- Episode #111: How to Buy Inexpensive Land, Build for Cheap, and Dominate Airbnb with Kristie Wolfe
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTempWe spoke with John and Fin Kernohan from the United Tiny House Association, they have a total of three PrecisionTemp on demand hot water heaters. PrecisionTemp professionally installed all three of the Kernohan’s water heaters and now they have an on demand supply of hot water that seems to last forever. These units are suitable for any tiny lifestyle, even if you are on the go. PrecisionTemp is offering $100 off any unit plus free shipping when use the coupon code THLP. So head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP at checkout for $100 off any unit. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Otis Sanders has spent the past five years constructing his dream home in the great outdoors, all alone in the woods. Otis found serenity and satisfaction in the process of creating a space that he could call his own. In this episode, we'll be discussing the challenges of building solo in the woods, including how to transport materials, manage your time, and ensure your safety when you're working alone. We'll also talk about the importance of sustainability and reducing environmental waste in the construction process. And finally, we'll dive into the joys of creating something beautiful and unique with your own hands and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it. So if you're considering building your own tiny house, or you're simply interested in sustainability or the joys of living in the woods, this episode is for you.
In This Episode:
- Sustainable living 🌱: Otis and Frida discuss sustainable and green living in construction and everyday life. Their YouTube channel "A Path to Green" highlights individuals, organizations, and businesses striving for sustainable living.
- Solo building 👷♂️: Otis shares his experience building his small home alone in the woods for five years and the challenges he faced.
- Joy of creating 🎨: Otis expresses how fulfilling it is to create something unique and personalized rather than purchasing a ready-made home.
- Financial planning 💰: Otis and Frida mention how they save money to finance their projects and how they buy the necessary equipment step-by-step instead of taking out a loan.
- Challenges and solutions 🤔: Otis talks about the obstacles he had to overcome and how he found solutions to issues such as finding a building location and dealing with plastic waste.
- Project details 🛠️: The episode includes details on Otis' building project, such as installing solar panels and overcoming logistical challenges.
This Week's Sponsor: The Tiny Tuesdays NewsletterDid you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
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Meet Ashley Mazanec, a self-professed tiny home nerd and talented musician. Ashley just released a new song and music video shot in her tiny house! In this conversation, we will talk about what it's like filming a music video in a tiny house, why Ash was drawn to the tiny house movement, and what she hopes to achieve with this music video. Ash has also lived in 3 different tiny homes, all rentals, so we talk about the challenges of finding tiny homes as longterm rentals. It's a really interesting conversation and I hope you stick around to meet the charming Ash Mazanec.
In This Episode:
- Living in multiple tiny homes and seeking community.
- Tiny homes: eco-friendly and affordable housing option.
- Why living tiny aligns with Ash’s values, ecological activism.
- Policy changes for the environment and sustainable farming solutions
- The challenges of living tiny legally in San Diego
- Ashley’s music video and creative process
Links and Resources:
- Ash's Indiegogo Campaign
- Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation
- The Doctor’s Farmacy Podcast
- Shelter OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO by Ash Mazanec (Youtube)
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
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Blake and his wife, Alex are 23 year old newlyweds living off the grid, tiny house life in Northern Arizona. Their 400 square foot shed conversion is a testament to their creativity and resourcefulness. In this episode, Blake shares the story behind their unique home from customization details to navigating the fine line between shed and residential structure. Get ready to be inspired by their journey into tiny house living and learn all about what it takes to convert a shed to a tiny house on this episode with Blake Oelfke.
Visit https://www.thetinyhouse.net/266 for complete show notes, links, resources, and a transcript!
In This Episode:
- Customization Details and Challenges of Converting a Shed to a Tiny House
- Foundations for Tiny Houses: Pouring a Solid Concrete Pad versus Concrete Piers
- Blake Offkey's Off-Grid Life Journey: Moving to Northern Arizona and Planning to Build Something of Their Own
- Living Minimally - From Closing Off Rooms to Living in a Tiny House
- Installing a Septic System due to County Regulations
- Unique Toilet Options and Water Reuse Considerations
- Using Greywater and Reusing Water for Plants Outside
- Renewable Energy Setup and Its Expansion Plans: Solar Panels, Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries, and Inverters
- Off-Grid Water System: Water Storage Tank, Plumbing, and Water Pump
- Convenience of Paying to Have Water Brought in vs. Hauling it Themselves
This Week's Sponsor: ATOMIC Homes Are you looking for a fully customizable tiny home that's stylish, comfortable, and extremely well-built? Look no further than the VIA tiny homes by ATOMIC Homes. With over two decades of experience constructing sets for live events for top brands like The SuperBowl and WWE, ATOMIC is bringing their technical expertise to the tiny home market. The homes themselves are designed by Liv-Connected, a team of architects and designers, these homes are fully customizable and come in three finish levels: Standard, Modern or Farmhouse. Add a bonus loft space, built-in storage, washer/dryer units, or even a fireplace. The VIA Park Model RV is engineered to ANSI 119.5 standards and built with truly innovative techniques for increased stability, quality and comfort. If lack of financing has kept you out of a tiny home in the past, ATOMIC Homes has you covered with conventional financing options available. Visit ATOMICTinyHomes/THLP to customize your design today. Thank you so much to ATOMIC Homes for sponsoring our show!
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Interested in trying out minimalism without committing to downsizing all of your stuff? This week, author and minimalist lifestyle expert, Courtney Carver, shares her insights on the benefits of living with less. We dive into how simplifying our lives creates time and space and discuss the basics of Project 333, a minimalist fashion challenge that allows people to get started with living simply without over-committing. Whether you're new to the concept of minimalism or looking for inspiration to continue on your journey, this episode is packed with valuable tips and resources to help you create a life of abundance with fewer possessions, work smarter, not harder, and experience the life-changing power of simplicity.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/265
In This Episode:
- Courtney’s journey to a simpler life
- How to get started with Project 333
- Living with less creates both time and space
- Deciding whether to rent or own
- The power of virtual communities
This Week's Sponsor: ATOMIC Homes Are you looking for a fully customizable tiny home that's stylish, comfortable, and extremely well-built? Look no further than the VIA tiny homes by ATOMIC Homes. With over two decades of experience constructing sets for live events for top brands like The SuperBowl and WWE, ATOMIC is bringing their technical expertise to the tiny home market. The homes themselves are designed by Liv-Connected, a team of architects and designers, these homes are fully customizable and come in three finish levels: Standard, Modern or Farmhouse. Add a bonus loft space, built-in storage, washer/dryer units, or even a fireplace. The VIA Park Model RV is engineered to ANSI 119.5 standards and built with truly innovative techniques for increased stability, quality and comfort. If lack of financing has kept you out of a tiny home in the past, ATOMIC Homes has you covered with conventional financing options available. Visit ATOMICTinyHomes/THLP to customize your design today. Thank you so much to ATOMIC Homes for sponsoring our show!
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What if everything you’ve ever owned was suddenly destroyed by a wildfire? Nicole Sallak Anderson shares her experience of losing her California home to wildfire, how she found solace in documenting her post-fire journey, and how her memoir ultimately led her to tiny house living. Nicole is full of practical advice and insights on tiny house living and the importance of resilience in the face of adversity!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/264
In This Episode:
- Rebuilding from nothing
- How much does your insurance really cover?
- What to do when you’re short on tradespeople
- Benefits and challenges unique to the tiny lifestyle
- Plans for future tiny houses
This Week's Sponsor: ATOMIC Homes Are you looking for a fully customizable tiny home that's stylish, comfortable, and extremely well-built? Look no further than the VIA tiny homes by ATOMIC Homes. With over two decades of experience constructing sets for live events for top brands like The SuperBowl and WWE, ATOMIC is bringing their technical expertise to the tiny home market. The homes themselves are designed by Liv-Connected, a team of architects and designers, these homes are fully customizable and come in three finish levels: Standard, Modern or Farmhouse. Add a bonus loft space, built-in storage, washer/dryer units, or even a fireplace. The VIA Park Model RV is engineered to ANSI 119.5 standards and built with truly innovative techniques for increased stability, quality and comfort. If lack of financing has kept you out of a tiny home in the past, ATOMIC Homes has you covered with conventional financing options available. Visit ATOMICTinyHomes/THLP to customize your design today. Thank you so much to ATOMIC Homes for sponsoring our show!
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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During the past couple of years, I’ve been watching Lazrin Schenck’s tiny house build take shape here in Vermont. Lazrin built her own tiny house, moved it three times, and recently purchased land to live on. Working at a job that has the flexibility to accommodate her projects, Lazrin has been constantly improving her surroundings in some pretty impressive ways. I hope you enjoy her perspective and persevering spirit as much as I do!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/263
In This Episode:
- Financial freedom from the tiny house
- Interior features Lazrin loves
- A garage setup you may want to copy
- How to build skills and tackle the hard projects
- Future challenges she’d love to tackle
This Week's Sponsor: ATOMIC Homes Are you looking for a fully customizable tiny home that's stylish, comfortable, and extremely well-built? Look no further than the VIA tiny homes by ATOMIC Homes. With over two decades of experience constructing sets for live events for top brands like The SuperBowl and WWE, ATOMIC is bringing their technical expertise to the tiny home market. The homes themselves are designed by Liv-Connected, a team of architects and designers, these homes are fully customizable and come in three finish levels: Standard, Modern or Farmhouse. Add a bonus loft space, built-in storage, washer/dryer units, or even a fireplace. The VIA Park Model RV is engineered to ANSI 119.5 standards and built with truly innovative techniques for increased stability, quality and comfort. If lack of financing has kept you out of a tiny home in the past, ATOMIC Homes has you covered with conventional financing options available. Visit ATOMICTinyHomes/THLP to customize your design today. Thank you so much to ATOMIC Homes for sponsoring our show!
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Are you curious about what it would be like to sleep in a tiny house that is nestled in a treetop or hanging from the side of a cliff? Django Kroner, founder of The Canopy Crew, shares his insights on the challenges of building in unconventional locations and the special considerations required for these remarkable structures. Get ready to be inspired by the ingenious ideas behind these incredible tiny spaces.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/262
In This Episode:
- An idyllic home up high
- Special considerations for building in and around trees
- The one cabin that might be too adventurous
- Modern amenities in hard-to-reach places
- Safety for building and living in a treehouse
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Organization is one little piece of the minimalism and simplicity movement and this week’s guest is an expert! Amanda Clark, owner of Ever So Organized, brings us tips, techniques, and wisdom she’s learned from helping over 100 families per year. In this interview, we discuss general clutter, principles of minimalism, common decluttering roadblocks, and Amanda shares her favorite organizing products!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/261
In This Episode:
- Amanda’s organizing process in a nutshell
- Is your clutter taking your energy?
- When to hire a pro vs when to DIY your organizing
- Decluttering roadblocks and how to get past them
- Tiny with kids? Games that make cleaning fun
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After coming across photos of a tiny house being placed by a crane, I became fascinated with the owner's story. That owner is Sabine, also known as Bleeptrack, an artist and creative technologist who chronicles her art and tiny house experiences on the "Work in Progress" YouTube series. Bleeptrack’s home is a beautiful and modern-looking prefabricated home - something I think will gain popularity in the United States. In this conversation we talk about the regulations and realities of living tiny in Germany, Bleeptrack’s unique journey and insights into tiny living, and more.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/260
In This Episode:
- Prefab vs site-built
- Delivering a house via crane
- Living tiny with large windows
- Things to know about radiant floor heat
- Open-source generative art
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a tiny house in Iceland? Damien and Steph, the creative duo behind Tiny Spaces, recently traveled to Iceland to film some of the most extraordinary tiny and small houses and they share their insights and experiences with me. In this episode, we explore the unique design features of these tiny spaces, the building materials and systems that keep these remote spaces safe from the harsh climate, and some insights that people can gain by exploring the tiny lifestyle.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/259
In This Episode:
- How turf houses work with the climate
- Alternative energy sources keep remote dwellings on-grid
- Building for extreme environments
- Preserving history through tiny living
- Additional future Tiny Spaces filming locations
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I've always loved the idea of his and hers tiny houses, where a couple downsizes into two separate houses that are parked next to one another. Well, I finally found the perfect guests to interview about it! Elisa and Ryk share their insights on why they chose two tiny houses, the logistics of parking them, and how living tiny has changed their relationship. They have lots of great lessons to share about living tiny and advice for other couples who are considering dual tiny homes.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/258
In This Episode:
- Benefits of Community
- It’s important to be certified
- Have separate tinies affected their relationship?
- Lessons learned from tiny living
- Advice for tiny house hopefuls
This Week's Sponsor: PODX Go Are you looking for a compact and affordable way to streamline your lifestyle? PODX Go’s meticulously designed tiny home expands from a trailer to a 364-square-foot home with just the push of a button. Certified by NOAH and build to ANSI119.5 standards, the Grande S1 is towable with an F250 or equivalent. The PODX GO home is 99% factory built with healthy and eco-friendly materials, so you can rest easy knowing your home is taking care of you and the environment. It features a fully fitted kitchen, bedroom, bath, and living room with ingenious storage spaces throughout. PODX Go has even partnered with Renogy solar systems, so you can live off-grid or reduce your energy bills. POD X Go has launched its crowdfunding campaign with special pricing starting from just $49,000 dollars. Visit PodXGo.com to watch a video of the S1 unfold, and to get the crowdfunding launch discount. Thank you so much to Pod X Go for sponsoring our show.
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Amanda Kovattana is a 6-year veteran of tiny house living who lives completely off-grid in the drought-ridden landscape of Northern California. In this conversation, we get a sense of all of the ingenious systems that Amanda has developed to live tiny comfortably while also working within the bounds of the resources she has - including an interesting way of collecting rainwater. During the course of the conversation, I also learned about the alternative to a composting toilet that Amanda uses called Bokashi, which is a fermentation method she’s very knowledgeable about.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/257
In This Episode:
- Simple and effective water catchment system
- Composting toilets and Bokashi
- Fun furniture and storage
- Water conservation in dry areas
- Innovating and iterating systems that work
This Week's Sponsor: PODX Go Are you looking for a compact and affordable way to streamline your lifestyle? PODX Go’s meticulously designed tiny home expands from a trailer to a 364-square-foot home with just the push of a button. Certified by NOAH and build to ANSI119.5 standards, the Grande S1 is towable with an F250 or equivalent. The PODX GO home is 99% factory built with healthy and eco-friendly materials, so you can rest easy knowing your home is taking care of you and the environment. It features a fully fitted kitchen, bedroom, bath, and living room with ingenious storage spaces throughout. PODX Go has even partnered with Renogy solar systems, so you can live off-grid or reduce your energy bills. POD X Go has launched its crowdfunding campaign with special pricing starting from just $49,000 dollars. Visit PodXGo.com to watch a video of the S1 unfold, and to get the crowdfunding launch discount. Thank you so much to Pod X Go for sponsoring our show.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Can honeybees offer valuable insights into the worlds of investing and housing? As Hank Svec converts a 52-acre oceanside property into 1.5-acre lots for tiny homes and transforms his 50-acre farm into a honeybee sanctuary, he is eager to share his experiences and expertise. In this enlightening conversation, Hank shares the details of his tiny home development, delves into the concept of value investing, and explains how bees can teach us the benefits of a patient, value-oriented approach to wealth accumulation.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/256
In This Episode:
- What is value investing?
- Henry’s tiny home development
- Negotiating prices
- What can honeybees teach us about investing?
- Beekeeping solutions and challenges
This Week's Sponsor: PODX Go Are you looking for a compact and affordable way to streamline your lifestyle? PODX Go’s meticulously designed tiny home expands from a trailer to a 364-square-foot home with just the push of a button. Certified by NOAH and build to ANSI119.5 standards, the Grande S1 is towable with an F250 or equivalent. The PODX GO home is 99% factory built with healthy and eco-friendly materials, so you can rest easy knowing your home is taking care of you and the environment. It features a fully fitted kitchen, bedroom, bath, and living room with ingenious storage spaces throughout. PODX Go has even partnered with Renogy solar systems, so you can live off-grid or reduce your energy bills. POD X Go has launched its crowdfunding campaign with special pricing starting from just $49,000 dollars. Visit PodXGo.com to watch a video of the S1 unfold, and to get the crowdfunding launch discount. Thank you so much to Pod X Go for sponsoring our show.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Why would someone choose an RV over a tiny house? When Brian Aleksivich and his wife downsized from a 35-acre homestead they chose an RV over a tiny house on wheels. In this episode, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of their choice, factors to consider when choosing between an RV and a tiny house, and also touch on the challenges of living with three Saint Bernards in a relatively small space.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/255
In This Episode:
- Making an RV suitable for full-time living
- Clever water management solutions
- Downsizing from a homestead to a travel trailer
- Can tiny homes work for big dogs?
- Pointers for starting out with RV living
This Week's Sponsor: PODX Go Are you looking for a compact and affordable way to streamline your lifestyle? PODX Go’s meticulously designed tiny home expands from a trailer to a 364-square-foot home with just the push of a button. Certified by NOAH and build to ANSI119.5 standards, the Grande S1 is towable with an F250 or equivalent. The PODX GO home is 99% factory built with healthy and eco-friendly materials, so you can rest easy knowing your home is taking care of you and the environment. It features a fully fitted kitchen, bedroom, bath, and living room with ingenious storage spaces throughout. PODX Go has even partnered with Renogy solar systems, so you can live off-grid or reduce your energy bills. POD X Go has launched its crowdfunding campaign with special pricing starting from just $49,000 dollars. Visit PodXGo.com to watch a video of the S1 unfold, and to get the crowdfunding launch discount. Thank you so much to Pod X Go for sponsoring our show.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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How can minimalism inform both your lifestyle and building techniques? This week, a multidisciplinary artist talked to me about her process as she built her first tiny house in 2019 with no prior building experience. Carina Gibson’s beautifully designed tiny house was built on a tight budget using repurposed materials and her imagination. In this intriguing conversation, she explains why she calls herself Dirtbag Minimal on her online profiles, how minimalism plays a role in her building and lifestyle choices, and why she just had to build a second tiny house studio.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/254
In This Episode:
- Making a tiny home feel large
- Designing as you build
- The tiny house studio
- What is “Dirtbag Minimal”?
- Reimagining your space
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I love sharing insightful interviews of everyday people who are living in or building tiny homes in different and unique ways. Tina Quintana is a teacher who has maximized the potential of her tiny abode as a studio space, a guest room, a full-time tiny home, and even a virtual classroom. We dive into why she opted to build out a shell and how it works for her. Tina offers valuable information and encouragement for those who lack building experience but still want to be involved in their tiny home build.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/252
In This Episode:
- Origins of the name DogStar
- Building out the custom shell
- A great place for crafting and teaching
- Working toward legalization
- Maintaining a wood-clad tiny home
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Are you struggling to choose the perfect foundation for your tiny home? This week, Bill Taha shares expert insights and tips from a structural engineer’s perspective. He explains which materials are best suited for different climates, offers advice on how to safely anchor your tiny home, and suggests budget-friendly options for building a sturdy foundation. .
In This Episode:
- What is a tiny home?
- Framing, material, and design options
- Anchoring your tiny home: why and how
- Preventing sinkage in your tiny home
- Securing the tiny house to the chassis
Full show notes, images, and a video of the interview at thetinyhouse.net/252
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House EngageCalling all future tiny house dwellers! I want to tell you about something that I created a few years ago that is the secret sauce for so many of my readers and listeners to get the motivation and the support they need to follow through on their tiny house dreams. It's an online community that I created called Tiny House Engage and it's like a small private social network with just tiny house enthusiasts. We have members of all stages in their tiny house journeys sharing advice and experiences. It’s a very unique online space that I love to hang out in. If you’re truly hoping, currently planning, building, or currently living in a tiny house, I know that you’re going to love Tiny House Engage and look forward to meeting you in there. Find out more about Tiny House Engage at thetinyhouse.net/engage.
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Kate Bohn is among the voices that I've been eager to feature from Tiny House Engage, my online tiny house community. In this episode, Kate explains how she turned her tiny house dream into a reality, even after her original builder was unable to complete her build. She and her husband negotiated an empty shell and completed the build themselves while negotiating rising costs and learning new skills.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/251
In This Episode:
- What went wrong with the builder
- How Kate saved money amid rising costs
- Interstate travel with an unlicensed trailer
- Thoughtfully planning how you'll use your space
- Her favorite features and biggest regrets
This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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This week’s episode is all about the philosophy that helped shape a nomad’s life. Teekay Rezeau-Merah talks to me about veganism, extreme minimalism, and nomadism and the principles that guide him in this world.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/250
In This Episode:
- How veganism led to minimalism
- The nomadic mindset
- Slow living and the nomadic lifestyle
- Pingu the Campervan
- Positive effects of chronicling a minimalist’s journey
This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Want to be inspired by someone who decided to jump into the tiny lifestyle using what he had? Matt Coldren didn’t wait for permission or save up a bunch of money for his tiny home. He bought an inexpensive camper shell and moved right into his pickup truck! Matt’s living life his way while he travels for work and plans to live tiny well into the future.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/249
In This Episode:
- Finding dispersed camping spots
- Pros and cons of living in the truck
- Work-life/truck-life balance
- A passion for climbing
- Future plans for a tiny house
This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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This week, I got to talk to an amazing couple that has been living in their van for about four years! Frankie and Alex, aka FnA Van Life, tell me about living nomadically in Central and South America and why they upgraded from their first van to their second van after about a year. Frankie and Alex are also podcasters and YouTubers, and they have some great stories, amazing tips, and wonderful energy to share.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/248
In This Episode:
- RV or van? How FnA made their decision
- Maintenance happens - a lot
- Why and how they upgraded
- Can you beat Frankie’s record?
- Tips for living in close quarters
This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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This week’s guest is a longtime member of my online tiny house community, Tiny House Engage. His name is Bill Knapp, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to watch his build take shape over the last couple of years. Bill is a retired educator and he’s quite skilled in construction, among other disciplines. He put together a fascinating PowerPoint presentation so we decided to share the video of this podcast interview, which I normally don’t share beyond Tiny House Engage.
Full show notes, images, and the video of the interview at thetinyhouse.net/247
In This Episode:
- Electrical design and solar setup
- Water collection, storage, and plumbing that won’t freeze
- Walls, trailer, and floorplan
- Collecting materials and building the tiny house
- Lessons learned and fortuitous accidents
- Finding parking and preparing the site
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Alex is a reuse expert who embodies the reuse lifestyle. In 2008, Eaves began what he calls “the reuse life;” avoiding disposables and finding reuse solutions for his needs and wants. He recently completed a ~100 square foot box truck made from nearly 100% reusable materials. You won't believe what it cost!
In this interview, Alex helps illuminate what the difference is between reuse and recycling. They are extremely different! For years, we've been hearing that if we are recycling, we are doing something great for the planet. But as Alex says, “recycling is really just a nicer way of throwing things away”. In fact, it is quite resource intensive.
I ask Alex how we can all foster a reuse mentality, plus ask him about his experiences converting a ~100 square foot retired U-Haul truck into a tiny house.
Watch The Box Truck Film on Amazon
We also cover:
- How do you live the reuse lifestyle when you don't have much space (like living in a tiny house)
- How can someone who isn't living tiny start with reuse?
- How do you find great used materials and products for a tiny house build?
- What is next for the box truck and the box truck film?
- How much did the box truck cost to build?
- What are some of the unique challenges of converting a box truck to a tiny home?
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When I built my tiny house 10 years ago, I missed out on some of the more modern smart home things, like smart locks and smart thermostats. I’ve spent the last few months modernizing the house to make it work as an Airbnb in its current location. In this episode, I review all of the things I purchased for my tiny house in 2022. Whether you’re planning or building your tiny house or already living tiny, you can definitely find things in this episode to make your tiny lifestyle a whole lot easier.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/245
In This Episode:
- How I check on my tiny house remotely
- Leaving the light on for guests
- Remotely monitoring temp and humidity
- How to keep the water running in winter
- Why I needed a smart deadbolt
- Pros and cons of the Nest Learning Thermostat
Links to Products Mentioned:
- Wyze Camera
- Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Light Switch HS200
- Govee Wi-Fi Digital Thermometer Hygrometer
- NoFreezeWaterHose
- Episode 56: How to Survive a Vermont Winter in a Tiny House
- Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Series Deadbolt
- Ruggable Rugs
- Nest Learning Thermostat
This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Want to say 'thank you' for the show? Buy me a coffee!
Designing for small places has its own special challenges. Who better to talk me through approaching the design of your tiny house than an experienced designer who specializes in small spaces? Sarah Bronstein, who both designs for small spaces and lives in an Avion LaGrande travel trailer, talks to me about her own transition to living tiny, her favorite interior design products for small spaces, and helpful tips for you as you plan out your tiny house.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/244
In This Episode:
- Renovating a 1973 Avion LaGrande
- To move or not to move?
- Understanding how the house will be used
- Lightweight design considerations
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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2022 was an incredibly busy and wonderful year! This week, I give you a recap of the Tiny House Summit, an update on my personal tiny house, and I also share some of my favorite episodes of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast. Thank you for listening to the show every week. Happy New Year!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/243
In This Episode:
- My biggest business and teaching accomplishment
- Moving and renting out my tiny house
- Upcoming tiny house maintenance
- How is this podcast doing?
- My favorite episodes and why you should hear them
- Shout out to my team!
This week's sponsor: Tiny House ConsiderationsTiny House Considerations is an 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
- Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Want to say 'thank you' for the show? Buy me a coffee!
Why are tiny house festivals important? My guest, Renee Seevers, is the creator of TinyFest Midwest, TinyFest California, and recently TinyFest Southwest. Renee tells me about switching from a tiny house to a skoolie, what it’s like running the festivals, and what you can expect at one of her TinyFest events.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/242
In This Episode:
- Terrifying tiny house mistakes
- What to expect at a TinyFest
- Building community for people on the move
- Upcoming tiny house events
- Why tiny house festivals are important
This week's sponsor: Tiny House Considerations
Tiny House Considerations is an 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
- Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Want to say 'thank you' for the show? Buy me a coffee!
What is bioregional building? Steven Martyn got in touch with me when he released his latest book called The Roundhouse, which is all about bioregional building. It’s essentially the idea of finding all of your building materials within a 100 mile radius of where you’re building the house and it has a lot of interesting benefits and effects. Steven, a very philosophical and wonderful guest, has a lot of interesting ideas about living on this earth and I’m happy to share them with you.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/241
In This Episode:
- What is bioregional building and the hundred-mile house?
- Building with creativity and fun
- Not minimalist: anti-consumerist
- How to get building experience without building your own house
- Geomancy and your constantly moving home
- Humanure compost system
This week's sponsor: Tiny House Considerations
Tiny House Considerations is an 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Follow Ethan.
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Want to say 'thank you' for the show? Buy me a coffee!
The Bushes are a tiny house couple with an extraordinary back story. Over the first two years of living tiny, they were able to pay off $125,000 in debt. In this interview, Marek and Ko will share the strategies they used to get out of debt, how they continue to live intentionally, and how their Youtube channel has changed their lives.
In This Episode:
- How easy is it to get into debt and how did the Bushes decide to gain financial freedom?
- The steps that make up the Dave Ramsey method
- Obtaining financing for the tiny house – be persistent!
- How living tiny helps the Bushes live thoughtfully
- Balancing all of the side hustles: what worked best and the importance of self-care
- Repay debt on your own time and set your own intensity level
- The progress of the YouTube channel and their favorite videos
- About the Tiny House
- Being married in the tiny house and the reservations they had about living tiny
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Want to say 'thank you' for the show? Buy me a coffee!
Kari Gale sold everything she owned, booked a one-way ticket to Spain, walked the Camino de Santiago. Upon her return, Kari built an amazing tiny house on wheels that has some features that have made it a very popular YouTube video tour on Living Big in a Tiny House. In this conversation with we talk about the special features of Kari's house, and the journey that brought her to tiny living. So, what's it like to sell everything you own? Kari shows us how her journey helped inspire her tiny house lifestyle and how we can all apply lessons from her travels to our own lives.
In This Episode:
- 6'3″ in a tiny house? How Kari designed her house to accommodate her height.
- Kari assisted her contractor with the build
- The tiny house allows Kari to enjoy her life around people she loves
- Walking the Camino de Santiago in 2013 and the inspiration for her first book
- The relief of letting go, another walk on the Camino de Santiago, and living in Iona
- Slow down and let yourself experience everything
Support the showListen. Subscribe. Rate. Review.
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Today my guest is Lloyd Kahn, and if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen one of his books. Lloyd published the seminal book, Shelters in 1973, documenting alternative housing ideas not limited to but including tiny houses, well before the current modern movement.Lloyd has a lifelong fascination with shelter, and this conversation, we trace the steps of how an insurance broker in San Francisco built his own home and slowly transitioned to publishing internationally about Geodesic Domes, Tiny Houses, Mobile Houses, Driftwood Shelters and more. DIY building. While many thousands of the homes that Lloyd has documented over the years are small or tiny, he’s got a healthy amount of skepticism about the tiny home movement.
In this wide-ranging conversation, we talk about Lloyds books, his original influences of the counter culture of the 1960’s, and how the concept of shelter has changed over the years.
In This Episode:
- How did Lloyd’s fascination with shelter begin?
- Why Lloyd’s 1973 book Shelter is the most important of his work
- Why Lloyd decided to pull his Dome Books off the shelves even though they were selling
- Why Lloyd says that Builders of the Pacific Coast is Lloyds favorite book
- Lloyd tells the story of meeting and building with Derek ‘Deek’ Diedricksen
- Why Dome homes have fallen out of favor (and Lloyd is more than okay with that!)
- How Lloyd got into publishing in the first place
- What is causing the current fascination with tiny houses?
- Lloyds advice for first-time DIY home builders
- Lloyds two favorite houses of all times
- Lloyd’s take on aging well (He’s 83!)
- Lloyds new book coming soon: The Half Acre Homestead (it sounds amazing!)
Lloyd Kahn is the former shelter editor of The Whole Earth Catalog and editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications. He has published a series of books on building including Shelter and Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.
What really happens when you commit to a minimalist lifestyle? Matt Paxton has a uniquely interesting minimalist lifestyle with his wife and 7 children. Matt uses his fantastic storytelling skills to talk about the effects of minimalism on a family, how to continue being minimalist, and the effects of minimalism on the rest of your life.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/240
In This Episode:
- Minimalism and parenting
- Tiny living for a large family
- When it's too difficult to part with things
- How to try minimalism before committing
- The psychology behind hoarding
- How minimalism can affect relationships
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House Summit All Access Pass
Thank you so much to everyone who attended the 2022 Tiny House Summit! You can still catch the Summit content if you purchase the All Access Pass. You’ll get lifetime access to all 20 sessions, plus some exclusive bonus content. I’m offering $50 off of the All Access pass for podcast listeners. Go to TinyHouseSummit.co and use the coupon code THLP at checkout to get $50 off the All Access Pass.
I found out about this week’s guest because she released a hilarious music video about romance in the tiny house loft, inspired by her own tiny house. Annie Corbett is a musician and in this conversation, she tells me how going tiny affected her music, what makes her tiny house unique, and how five years of tiny living have been for her.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/239
In This Episode:
- A successful tiny living strategy
- Specialist, not minimalist
- Recording an album in a tiny house
- How to prep the tiny house for a move
- Trying on different tiny houses
The Tiny House Online Summit is a unique, free 3-day learning event for anyone starting on the path to living tiny.
- Immerse yourself in a weekend of strategies and tips to help navigate every aspect of planning, building, and living tiny.
- Taught by 30 leading experts.
- Get 100% FREE access November 4-6, and join your fellow tiny housers worldwide!
Watch it now at: https://tinyhousesummit.co
Why would an entrepreneur who has raised millions of dollars through crowdfunding live in a van? Vanlife doesn’t seem common amongst the startup and tech crowd, yet Rob Rast is living this alternative lifestyle while successfully running his e-mobility business. In this interview, we cover how living in the van brings Rob closer to his work with electronic bikes and skateboards, plus how those devices can get you around in an eco-friendly way.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/237
In This Episode:
- How Rob’s business led him to the vanlife
- Using e-bikes to enhance the tiny house lifestyle
- The future of e-mobility products
- Important design considerations for mobile entrepreneurs
- Why you should NOT store your bike on the back of your van
Tiny House Summit is a free 3-day learning event for anyone on the path to living tiny.
- Strategies and tips to help navigate every aspect of planning, building, and living tiny.
- Taught by 30 leading experts.
- 100% FREE access Nov 4-6
Register at https://tinyhousesummit.co
There are some great tiny house builders out there, but there are also some unscrupulous builders who are cutting corners and putting the tiny house dwellers that buy from them in potentially unsafe situations. Jenifer Levini goes in depth about what the codes and certifications mean, why they are important, and how you can determine whether a house was built to these standards.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/236.
In This Episode:
- What your contract should cover
- Why codes are important
- Don’t skip these safety features
- How to research your builder
- Red flags to watch out for
Tiny House Summit is a free 3-day learning event for anyone on the path to living tiny.
- Strategies and tips to help navigate every aspect of planning, building, and living tiny.
- Taught by 30 leading experts.
- 100% FREE access Nov 4-6
Register at https://tinyhousesummit.co
What is sustainability? Amanda Gunawan is an architect who is dedicated to sustainable development, inspired by Japanese culture. In this episode, Amanda tells us about her perspective on sustainability and how architects can build spaces that last through their design choices. Although she does not design tiny homes, there is a lot of crossover in ideas with the tiny house movement that we can learn from and incorporate into tiny house design.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/235
In This Episode:
- Amanda’s design philosophy
- Wabi-sabi and sustainability
- Minimalism and designing spaces that evolve
- Designing for mental health
This week's sponsor: Tiny House SummitThe Tiny House Summit is an online, completely free event happening the weekend of November 4th. The Summit includes 30 expert speakers, many of which are some of my favorite past podcast guests. Each speaker talks to me in a 30-minute, laser-focused session to help you plan, build and live tiny. While the event is completely free over the weekend of November 4th, you do need to register in order to attend. Make sure to head over to TinyHouseSummit.co to register!
How does a tiny home community builder get good-quality tiny homes quickly? Abby Shank is solving that problem by partnering with other companies, essentially becoming a tiny house builder who doesn’t build all of the houses herself! We discuss the evolution of Tiny Estates from a community of vacation homes to permanent residences and all of the work that that shift entails, plus her new business model.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/234
In This Episode:
- The evolution of Tiny Estates
- Short-term rental challenges
- How Abby and her partners are improving tiny home builds
- Can tiny homes meet HUD code?
- Do tiny homes depreciate or appreciate in terms of resale value?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
You may have seen Macy Miller hinting about something a few weeks ago. The time has finally come for me to be able to share that with everyone! Even though tiny house festivals are starting up again, I thought it would be great to put on an online event that anyone worldwide can attend without having to travel. It’s called the Tiny House Summit and it’s a completely free 3-day online event. In this excerpt from the Summit, Macy shares why tiny houses are important and I thought it was too good not to share with the podcast audience. If you’re feeling unsure about your choice to go tiny, this interview will help you feel more confident and be a better advocate for yourself and your own lifestyle. You can see the lineup and register for the Summit at tinyhousesummit.co.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/233
In This Episode:
- Overview of the tiny house movement
- Understanding your reasons for living tiny
- Why legalization matters
- Overview of building codes and housing types
- Benefits of living tiny
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
This is a great real conversation about what it’s like living tiny. Megan Lockhart doesn’t try to hide the things that are struggles for her and her family and she’s also great about advocating for the benefits of tiny living. We talk about the pros and cons, trials and tribulations, and the immense benefit Megan feels she and her family get from the tiny house lifestyle. Stick around after the credits to hear a bonus session where Megan shares how her builder forgot to install the furnace in her tiny house and how it wreaked havoc in their first winter!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/232
In This Episode:
- Questions you should ask about your tiny home
- The never-ending process of tidying up
- Pros and cons of compost toilets
- Creating more spaces for children
- Tips for working from home in a tiny house
- How did the builder forget to install the furnace?
This week's Sponsor: Tiny House Considerations
Tiny House Considerations is an 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
Tiny House Considerations is a 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
This has to be the most unique tiny house living situation I’ve ever seen! Sarah, Brandon, and their dog Iko live in a 225-square-foot tiny home that floats on a lake in The Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. They live fully off-grid with no cell service and they are only accessible by boat. In this conversation, Sarah and Brandon graciously and openly share why and how they live this way, plus how much it costs and some of the unique challenges that present when you live on a lake in a temperate rainforest.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/231
In This Episode:
- How the floating house is set up
- What happens during storms?
- Legal requirements unique to floating homes
- Rent and utility costs
- The biggest logistical headache of this lifestyle
- How they deal with gray water and sewage
- Positive changes that came from their lifestyle
Tiny House Considerations is a 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
We’re changing it up a little bit this week! Lucy Lich interviewed me on her podcast, Tiny House Conversations. We had an in-depth conversation about some of the most important decisions you need to make to plan and build a tiny house successfully. We also talked through my best-selling resource, Tiny House Decisions. Lucy is a great interviewer and it was a pleasure to be on her show!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/230
In This Episode:
- Ethan’s tiny house-building experiences
- A common misconception about living in a tiny house
- Which decisions are actually covered in Tiny House Decisions?
- Thinking of a tiny house as a puzzle of systems
- Trailers, zoning regulations, and tiny house security
Tiny House Considerations is a 8-week interactive course to plan your tiny house with Ethan Waldman and Lina Menard as your guides. Includes:
- Weekly Lessons and Assignments
- Weekly Live Zoom Q&A Sessions with Two Pro Instructors
- Comprehensive Templates
- An Amazing Community
Learn more and register: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thc
Although we’ve had skoolie owners and builders on the show before, this week’s guest is our first short skoolie dweller. Stefanie Wenceslao talks to me about what it’s like to be new to the tiny lifestyle, how to get to know other tiny house nomads, and what she’s learned so far through trial and error. Short school buses are in the same class as vans, U-Hauls, and ambulances, which means that this wonderful option for full-time tiny living is sometimes overlooked, but Stefanie explains why they make great rolling homes.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/229.
In This Episode:
- One system for security and climate control
- The perks of traveling with your home
- Skoolie safety for solo travelers
- How to get to know other nomads
- Why a short school bus makes a great home on wheels
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
What is cohousing? Charles Durrett, who literally coined the phrase, explains what cohousing is, how it’s funded, and how the communities are set up. We also discuss how tiny house cohousing communities are a solution to homelessness and how any concerned citizen can use the cohousing model to solve the issue of homelessness in their own area.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/228
In This Episode:
- What is a cohousing community?
- Benefits of cohousing
- The magic number: why 50 is the ideal community population
- Challenges of maintaining affordability
- Tiny houses and homelessness
- How to get started planning your cohousing community
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Clutter affects us all, no matter how big or how tiny our houses are. Connie Ellefson believes that clutter ties up a huge amount of energy and creativity. In her new book, Clear The Space Feel The Rush, Connie offers tons of strategies for how you can get started with decluttering and organizing, and she shares some really good ones in this interview.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/227
In This Episode:
- Why is decluttering so difficult?
- How Connie handles old photos and mementos
- Games that make tidying up fun
- Sometimes clutter is a good thing
- Advice you probably haven’t heard about your old clothes
- How to break it all down into manageable pieces
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Are you curious about how to live tiny with children and pets? This week’s guest, Alexis Monkhouse, is a single mom who has been living in her tiny house for four years, along with her “Boss Baby” and their two dogs. She has a strong sense of what works and what doesn’t regarding tiny living and she talks to me about all the things that have gone right and some that haven’t during this fun conversation.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/226
In This Episode:
- Showing the real tiny life on YouTube
- Why the composting toilet didn’t work out
- Thinking of a washer/dryer combo? Listen up!
- When your builder gives you great advice
- The one feature Alexis wishes she had and why
- Popular tiny house cons debunked
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
How do you renovate a vintage Airstream in two months when you have no building experience? Allison and James not only made their vintage Airstream livable in two months while working full-time, but they also taught themselves how to do carpentry and electrical work - and found a parking spot! In this interview, we talk about how and why they worked on such a short timeline, how they approached learning, and what design choices they made in order to make the Airstream fully functional for their lifestyle.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/225.
In This Episode:
- Developing a taste for life in motion
- Have you ever heard of too much storage in a tiny home?
- The surprising reason they chose fiberglass for the shower
- Working full-time while building
- How to get started when you have no building experience
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz about this company Wilderwise, so I decided to invite one of the founders, Arya Mazanek for an interview. Wilderwise is taking a custom approach to just about every aspect of their tiny home builds- from the custom aluminum trailer that doubles as the floor foundation, to the aluminum and SIP frame, what really sets these tiny homes apart is the fact that they expand to have a full height second floor once they are parked in place. In this interview, I’ll ask Arya how the homes are built, how the second-floor expansion works, and what makes them modular. Stick around!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/224
In This Episode:
- How they seal up the moving parts
- The difference between a loft and a story
- Benefits of a taller trailer
- Aluminum vs steel: what makes a better trailer?
- Who is buying tiny homes?
- What’s in the works for Wilderwise
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Yes, a tiny home can qualify for a traditional mortgage! Aubrie Gibbons works for Atlas Cottage Homes, a company that has developed a modular small home, or cottage as they call it, that can be traditionally mortgaged. They can even help you roll the cost of the land into that loan, along with the cottage. We also dispel some of the common myths about modular building, along with what modular building can and can’t do.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/223
In This Episode:
- How does one mortgage a tiny home?
- The differences between a cottage and other tiny homes
- All about the mortgage process
- Modular does not mean low quality
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House EngageCalling all future tiny house dwellers! I want to tell you about something that I created a few years ago that is the secret sauce for so many of my readers and listeners to get the motivation and the support they need to follow through on their tiny house dreams. It's an online community that I created called Tiny House Engage and it's like a small private social network with just tiny house enthusiasts. We have members of all stages in their tiny house journeys sharing advice and experiences. It’s a very unique online space that I love to hang out in. If you’re truly hoping, currently planning, building, or currently living in a tiny house, I know that you’re going to love Tiny House Engage and look forward to meeting you in there. Find out more about Tiny House Engage at thetinyhouse.net/engage.
Are you interested in listing a tiny house on Airbnb? I’ve been doing just that and I wanted to share my experiences with you. In this episode, I’ll cover what it’s been like turning my tiny house into an Airbnb, things I would have designed differently if I knew I was going to turn my house into a rental, and what it’s like to be an Airbnb host. Thank you to everyone who submitted their listener questions for the episode. For those of you who asked (and a lot of you asked), I do talk about what we do with the poo.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/222
In This Episode:
- Why and where Ethan moved his tiny house
- How he prepared the site
- Covering guest expectations and liabilities
- What we do with the poo: all about the compost toilet
- Making the tiny house an easier rental
- Your amazing questions answered
- Podcast episodes full of Airbnb information
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
David Friedlander has been an advocate for the widespread adoption of minimal and tiny/low-impact living for over a decade. He’s been featured in the New York times, Minimalism documentary, and more. In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore micro-living, hotel living, and what needs to change in our culture to more fully support a sustainable future living on the planet.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/221
In This Episode:
- Why David thinks the “American Dream” is a nightmare
- What is the cost of ownership?
- When and where social housing models work
- Has it become difficult to be a good person?
- The real housing crisis
- Cultural and regulatory hurdles to leading a low-impact life
- David’s advice for low-impact living
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
If you’re looking for inexpensive raw land you won’t want to miss this episode. Dave Denniston is a sort of raw land broker. he finds inexpensive land, makes sure it all checks out, finds out what can be done with it, and offers in-house financing. He explains the basics of raw land, gives us the scoop on some of his favorite tiny-home-friendly counties in US states, and lets us know which episodes of his own podcast will be most beneficial as you’re searching for that perfect plot.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/220
In This Episode:
- How (and why) they buy land to resell
- What you need to know when you look for land
- Who to talk to find out what’s allowed on a piece of property
- Is land a good investment?
- Tiny-friendly places that David loves
- Mohave County, AZ
- Cibola County, NM
- Apache County, AZ
- Park County, CO
- St Louis County, MN
- Land Stories podcast episodes you need to hear
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Can a relationship survive a DIY tiny house build? Cassie and Richard Saude of Lionheart Homes built their own tiny home and took their passion for the tiny house community to start their own tiny home building business. They now build houses for others, using their knowledge and insights as tiny home dwellers to provide additional insight to their clients in the design and construction process.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/219
In This Episode:
- Making tiny comfortable for full-time living
- How consultants are helping tiny house builders scale
- What to ask your builder before you sign the contract
- The perspective their DIY build gave their business
- Financing options for tiny homes
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Today I am joined by a group of three friends to solve the problem we’re all facing today: the housing crisis! They decided to start a company called Tiny Easy that provides affordable tiny house plans with beautiful designs, SketchUp courses, and a lot more in the works. This is an impressive group of young entrepreneurs who I think will go a long way in the tiny house world.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/218
In This Episode:
- A one-stop-shop for everything tiny
- Helping people customize their tiny house plans
- An easier way to design with SketchUp
- How to design a tiny house in 10 minutes
- Why tiny homes are huge in New Zealand
- New Zealand’s tiny house regulations
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Would you believe me if I told you that it was entirely possible to record an album on a sailboat? Alli and Gaylen are the Sail Bums, a musical duo from Maine who live on their 37-foot Endeavour sailboat. In addition to explaining how they manage their music business while traveling the eastern seaboard, they also give some great advice to nomads on both land and sea and talk about why the nomadic lifestyle is so appealing to them.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/217
In This Episode:
- How they afford to work less than full-time
- Boondocking for boats? It’s possible!
- Managing a musician’s life onboard
- Storage tips to stay stocked, clean, and dry
- Marinas are helpful for all types of nomads
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Sabrina Bosserman is a professional skoolie builder, and she's here to tell us all about the ins and outs of converting a skoolie into a beautiful rolling tiny home. Sabrina is also a former Naval nuclear engineer who now builds skoolies full-time, and we chat about how her experience in the Navy helped to inform her desire and some skills for living tiny.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/216
In This Episode:
- Military training helps with the tiny lifestyle
- What a professional skoolie builder offers
- Is a skoolie cheaper than an RV?
- What to look and ask for on your bus hunt
- How to turn a school bus into a rolling home
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Say you build a tiny house on wheels but you want a legal place to park it. You fall in love with a piece of land and decide to buy it and create a legal tiny house community. Would you believe me if I told you that would take nearly two years and hundreds of thousands of dollars? My guests today, Callie Brauel and Nathan Huening did just that. They certainly didn't expect it to take so long or be so challenging, but they’re here to tell the tale and share what they’ve learned along the way.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/215
In This Episode:
- A creative way to finance your tiny house build
- Custom designs that fit their lifestyle
- The search for a perfect piece of land
- Advice about working with a planning department
- Important points about the due diligence period
- How Cranmore Meadows is run
- Are heated floors worth it?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Today, you’ll get the inside scoop on what it’s like to live in AND to be a founding member of an intentional community. My guest, Mike Moore, has lived in his community for over 25 in a ground-bound tiny house designed by Jay Shafer.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/214
In This Episode:
- Breakups: Who stays and who has to go?
- Cluster zoning is a mutually beneficial arrangement
- An informal but effective selection process
- What is a legacy clause?
- Considerations for ADA compliance and aging in place
- Thinking about living in (or starting) an intentional community? Listen up!
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Living tiny is a great way to save money and pay off debt, and my guest today did that in a radical way. $60,000 in student loan debt in just 11 months. You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out exactly how he did it and why he doesn’t recommend doing it the way that he did.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/213
In This Episode:
- It all started with a joke and a gift
- How not to vanlife
- The realities of vanlife
- New to budgeting? Start with this advice
- A recipe for success
- Getting out of debt while still enjoying your life
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Even if you've never heard of an Airstream you probably know what they look like. These iconic travel trailers from the 1950s have become a hot commodity for renovation into beautiful, lightweight, tiny homes. Kate Oliver is the author of the new book The Modern Caravan, which tells the stories of beautiful Airstream conversions and the people who live in them through words and gorgeous photographs. Kate’s journey started with a DIY Airstream renovation that led to starting a company and she shares some great advice on finding and renovating vintage Airstream trailers.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/211
In This Episode:
- Renovation challenges: curved walls and wheels
- What is a shell-off renovation (and why do you want one)?
- How durable is an Airstream?
- Shopping for an Airstream? Remember this advice
- Our opinions on the future of the nomad trend
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
What happens when two siblings decide to buy tiny houses and live next door to one another? Ashley Monkhouse is here to tell us all about her tiny lifestyle. Even though the two sisters bought their tiny houses from the same builder, they are quite different. In this interview, we'll hear Ashley's tiny story, learn about the tiny house community where they live, and find out what advice Ashley would give herself if she could go back in time before she bought a tiny house.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/211
In This Episode:
- What it’s like to live next door to a sibling
- Perks of living in a tiny house community
- Plumbing to think about
- Musings on maintenance and projects
- An enclosed loft can mitigate the “tunnel effect”
- Advice to prepare you for tiny living
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
If you’re trying to build a tiny house on a budget, starting with a pre-existing shed can be one of the cheapest ways to do it. Adrian and Katherine Alvarez purchased a $20,000 16x50 Dirksen shed for $10,000 and spent very little to turn it into a home for their family of 3. Shed conversions are their own special animal and the Alvarezes share some great tips and what they wish they knew before they started.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/210
In This Episode:
- How to find a cheaper shed
- Site preparation: what they did and what they would do differently
- A little determination and creativity can get you far
- Things that could add time to your build
- Could this money-saving trick work for you?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Would you buy a 30-year-old military vehicle that breaks down all the time but can go anywhere? My guests today, Rae and Trevor of Wazimu Life, did just that and they’re here to tell us all about their fascinating lifestyle, now in their second, less breakdown-prone, go-anywhere tiny house rig.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/209
In This Episode:
- Wazimu explained
- When is the vehicle too suited for off-roading?
- How to build an off-road, off-grid rolling home
- The English Bulldog is the perfect nomad dog
- Compost toilet vs black tank
- “Military Grade” may not mean what you think
- How is time irrelevant to nomads?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Today is one of those rare occasions where I get to introduce you to new building technology. My guest, Harrison Langley, is the founder of the company Boxvana, a composite SIP manufacturer and modular builder. Their LitePan material is up to 4 times lighter than a conventional wood SIP. That weight, along with the thermal properties, makes this incredible new technology an amazing application for tiny homes on wheels.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/208
In This Episode:
- A super light, ultra-strong, mega panel
- How CSIPs make the build go fast
- What do they cost?
- Why other industries are using Boxvana’s CSIPs
- Weight, cost, and time to build
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
If you’ve ever had trouble setting and reaching goals, this conversation is for you. Sasha Morozov and I discuss why work-life balance is a bunch of BS, how you can make your home fit your lifestyle, and how to create and keep healthy habits to help you move toward what you want. Sasha has a ton of energy and passion that I’m sure will motivate and inspire you.
Full show notes at thetinyhouse.net/207
In This Episode:
- Enjoying life by challenging the status quo
- How to find what drives you
- It’s a pendulum, not a balancing act
- What it means to design your life
- Start with the positive to set healthy habits - and stick with them
- Tips for minimalism as a family
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Is there anything cooler than taking a shower in your own waterfall? This week, Chris Strathy comes back to the show to tell us about his treasure trove of fun, off-grid projects. We talk about his redneck hot tub design, building an underground hobbit house, rehabbing an old log cabin, and so much more. Stick around to be inspired and hear all of the good wisdom that The Capable Carpenter has to offer.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/206
In This Episode:
- The Strathy homestead is a permaculture dream
- What can you salvage from an old farmhouse?
- The Hobbit House, a-door-able office, and other homestead features
- How to build your own redneck hot tub
- Plans for the upcoming house
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $50 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Have you ever seen a shed or a building that is not a house, looked at it, and thought that you could probably turn it into a tiny home? Well, that’s what my guest, Deanna Michaelson, did! Deanna was able to eliminate $30k of debt in two years by renovating and living in a 9x12 tool shed. Stick around to hear what it took to turn the shed into a beautiful tiny house, why she got kicked out, and what she’s doing next. We also talk about her coaching business, Stoked Coaching, and what kind of clients she’s hoping to work with. And of course, we talk about Deanna’s next tiny house which will be on wheels and is tentatively called Shed 2.0.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/205
In This Episode:
- Working full-time while renovating: it’s all about balance
- Why she was forced to move
- Deanna’s plans for a tiny house on wheels
- It’s all about the laundry
- Planning for different climates
- How working with a coach helped Deanna
- It’s okay to change your mind
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
What does a Realtor think of tiny houses? And what’s a tiny house concierge? Today I speak with Alaska Wagoner, who shares her experience buying a pre-owned tiny house, dealing with winter plumbing issues galore, finding parking, and more.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/204
In This Episode:
- Explaining tiny house magic
- Buying in bulk is possible in a tiny house
- Is it possible to buy a tiny home from a Realtor?
- Tips to avoid tiny house meltdowns
- How to increase the resale value of your tiny home
- What the underside of a tiny home can tell you
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
You’ve probably never heard of hyper adobe. And what’s a bunker bus? Why would someone want to move off-grid to the Arizona Desert? On this week’s show, Richard Ward gives us an inside view of his 24-acre homestead outside of Bisbee Arizona, where he teaches sustainable, natural building practices and off-grid living. And make sure you listen to the end because Richard has an invitation for our listeners to actually come and EXPERIENCE and help build with natural materials through an Eco Residency program.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/203
In This Episode:
- Learning through teaching natural building techniques
- Why building underground makes sense in the desert
- Hyper adobe 101
- Getting enough water in the desert
- You may want to rethink using railroad ties
- All about the bunker bus
- What is the Eco-Residency Program?
- How the Terraform Together Community works and what they’re doing
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
You’ll never guess what this empty nest tiny house couple built into their tiny house porch roof! Colin and Megan Leeson tell the story of their pre-built shell, why the nest doesn’t always stay empty, and discuss some of the clever and innovative features they build into their gorgeous tiny home on wheels.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/202
In This Episode:
- Colin and Megan’s reasons for buying a pre-built shell
- The non-compromising list may be the key to planning together
- How to plan for the future with your tiny house design
- Their entire structure, including the deck, is movable
- Colin’s favorite room may surprise you
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Have you been approaching minimalism the wrong way? Think of this: You’re never going to truly become a minimalist until you find out why you are so drawn to owning so much stuff in the first place. Christine Platt approaches the concept of minimalism from a different lens by focusing on why we are attached to things, why we consume them in the first place, and how that understanding helps to find the path to minimalism. This lovely conversation contains both practical tips for people who are downsizing and also a more philosophical discussion about the “why” behind minimalism.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/201
In This Episode:
- Beyond the aesthetics of minimalism
- Tips to mitigate impulse purchases
- What diversity in the tiny house and minimalist movements means
- Couples counseling: the psychology behind the clutter
- How to decline gifts
- Understanding the root causes behind your attachments to things
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
I’m excited to share this conversion with Nomad Brad because I think that we all have a lot to learn from vanlifers in the tiny house space. Brad converted an old U-Haul, which is something that not a lot of vanlifers are doing, and we’ll get into why it makes a lot of sense and some of the unique things that Brad has done. There is a lot to learn in this inspiring conversation, no matter what type of tiny house dwelling you’re interested in.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/200
In This Episode:
- Lessons learned from Brad’s first van and what he did differently with the U-Haul
- Ethan’s vanlife experience
- Where to buy used U-Hauls and why they’re easy to convert
- The appeal of the diesel heater
- Making money on the road
- Approximate cost of the DIY conversion
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Justin Draplin is a visionary entrepreneur who is going vertical with tiny house development by building tiny homes, developing tiny home communities, and also developing and manufacturing technology for the homes in-house. In this wide-ranging interview, Justin tells me why “tiny house” is a bit of a swear word in his company, his mentality about finding land for development, and some of the features of these impressive cottages.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/199
In This Episode:
- What Eclipse Cottages is doing differently
- Why they don’t use the term “tiny home”
- How Justin chooses locations for his villages
- No wood? Benefits of metal SIPs explained
- Justin’s advice on entrepreneurship
- How do you research what is allowed?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Michael Bartz talks to me about all things tiny houses, environmentalism, and climate change. When Michael hand-built his own tiny house on wheels, it set him on the path to thinking more about how what we do and how we live impacts climate change and inspired him to start his podcast, In Over My Head, to discuss that with others. In this interview, we talk about his show, his tiny house and its special features, and more.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/198
In This Episode:
- Tiny house, big impact
- From trailer to hinges, Michael’s tiny home is truly custom
- How they found parking (It starts with relationships)
- Tips to lower your environmental impact
- Is off-grid really more environmentally friendly?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
Joe Callantine has both the desire and the vision to live tiny in community. He has already built and lived in his own tiny house, he owns the land for the tiny community, and now he is working through the legal and regulatory steps to make his dream a reality. Joe is incredibly patient, kind, and does a great job of describing how this process works. As more and more people build tiny houses, the demand for legal tiny house parking is rising so that people who do want to live legally don’t have to question whether they’re allowed to live in their tiny homes.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/197
In This Episode:
- How survivalism led to an interest in tiny homes
- Zoning challenges and prejudices that make tiny house communities difficult to build
- All about Joe’s tiny home, Meraki - and what she taught him
- Could tiny homes be the new “starter home”?
- Why not a co-op? Joe’s thoughts on running a tiny home community
- How to design your tiny home like an electrician
- Should you be skirting your tiny home?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off of any PrecisionTemp unit plus free shipping.
I was excited to finally sit down with Melanie Copeland because it seems like her name is everywhere! Between a book that is charting on the Amazon bestseller list and involvement with Tiny House Alliance USA, Melanie is a mover and a shaker in the tiny house world. She also has an amazing personal story of renovating a tiny house in just 7 days.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/196
In This Episode:
- How do you build a tiny home in 7 days?
- Why hammocks are an amazing creative seating solution
- Preparing their land for legally living in their tiny home
- Trailblazing Tiny and upcoming projects you won’t want to miss
- Finding the perfect land for your tiny home
This is a conversation about a family coming together after a tragic accident and the DIY. Alex became a diesel mechanic in order to learn how to work on the bus that she converted and then ultimately went on to convert a skoolie that had special features for her brother who was the victim of an accident that left him a quadriplegic. It’s an incredibly uplifting story and a fascinating look at how tiny houses can solve so many unique problems.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/195
In This Episode:
- How Sam’s accident helped them realize their tiny living dream
- Going back to school as a diesel mechanic and how it helped her build out their bus
- Features that make the bus comfortably accessible
- More important than budget: putting the right things in the right places
- Making sure you have the right bus for your needs
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House Engage
Tiny House Engage brings together tiny house hopefuls and DIYers to share plans and resources, learn from each other’s challenges and mistakes, and celebrate our successes so that we can feel less alone while we build faster, safer, smarter, cheaper homes and embrace the tiny house lifestyle. Whether you’re a tiny house dreamer who is still figuring out all the systems, plans, and everything you need to go into your tiny house, or if you’re actively building, Tiny House Engage has the resources for you. There are professional contractors in the community here to answer your questions about plumbing, electricity, and ventilation, and there’s also plenty of interaction between members. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great way to do it. To learn more and register for Tiny House Engage, go to thetinyhouse.net/engage.
Rex Hohlbein started a Facebook page that has become a thriving nonprofit called Facing Homelessness. Among other things, Facing Homelessness reaches out to local homeowners and places ADUs in their back yards to help house homeless people in their communities. There’s more to it than that and I hope you stick around for my conversation with Rex as we talk about the causes of homelessness, the way that society looks past homeless people, and what we can all do about it.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/194
In This Episode:
- Just say “hello” and see what happens
- Are people really willing to let strangers live in their yards?
- How BLOCK homes are built and funded
- How Facing Homelessness matches their clients with a property
- Who owns what and why
- Using water, power, and sewer systems as educational tools
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
The road to tiny house living can sometimes be bumpy, but my guests today, Justin and Juby, show us that a life of adventure is possible when living tiny - even with a child. Justin and Juby have been sharing their skoolie adventure on Instagram and YouTube for a while now. I'd heard about them from both members of Tiny House Engage and previous guests on the show, so I knew I had to have them on for an interview. In this episode, we talk about what it's like to live on a bus, what it takes to set up then pack up to travel, and mistakes they've made along the way, and how they manage their businesses from the road.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/193
In This Episode:
- Learning how to travel in the bus
- How do you get around when your vehicle is your home?
- Modifying and modifying again to accommodate a child
- The reality of the hardships of full-time life on the road
- Heading back to the bus with a new perspective
- Running a bee business from the road
- How to maintain your plant-based diet while traveling
- Writing a cookbook together (and their go-to recipes)
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Erica Smith Ewing is a senior attorney with the Institute for Justice and she is leading a lawsuit against a town in Georgia that is preventing somebody from building tiny houses solely based on a minimum square footage requirement. According to Ewing and the Institute for Justice, this is a violation of the Georgia constitution. I've been fascinated by stories of people and groups striking down restrictive tiny house laws based on the constitutionality of land use and size restrictions. in this conversation, Erica will shed light on her thinking behind the case, why she thinks that they are going to prevail, and makes a call to our listeners for anybody that may be experiencing restrictions on building a tiny house to potentially get in touch to see if there might be a legal case or a legal basis for going into court.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/192
In This Episode:
- Tiny House Hand Up is trying to help its neighbors own their own homes
- Why doesn't this city want tiny homes?
- How winning this case could protect the rights of many other people
- Other zoning laws the Institute for Justice challenges
- Differences between HOA rules and zoning laws
- Do home-based business regulations infringe on people's rights?
- The cases the Institute for Justice would like to take next
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Guillaume Gabriele has been working for the builder, Ma Petite Maison, who is building some of the most beautiful tiny houses in all of Europe. I've been following them for a while and I'm excited to finally get to sit down with Guillaume to talk about the designs that Ma Petite Maison uses and how they're different in Europe than tiny house designs are in the United States, the state of the tiny house movement in Europe, and his own personal tiny house story.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/191
In This Episode:
- The company that started as a backyard project
- Restrictions in Europe mean the tiny houses are tinier than in the USA
- France and America have the same legal living issues
- Building a global case for tiny houses
- Guillaume's tiny home and future plans
- Tiny Living Petition wants everyone to be heard
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
If you're building a tiny house, you may know that the price of materials has gone absolutely crazy this year. From plywood and 2x4s to metal roofing and appliances, the cost of materials for your tiny house has gone up across the board. Luckily, today's sponsor, PrecisionTemp, is offering an opportunity to buy an amazing hot water heater for your tiny house at their pre-pandemic prices. Head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for an additional $50 off of their hot water heaters, plus free shipping. There's no telling what 2022 might bring so now is a great time to buy an amazing hot water heater for your tiny house at an amazing price. Again, head over to precisiontemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for $50 off plus free shipping.
Solar heaters can make a lot of sense if you live in a cold climate with sun because they essentially provide free heat during the day. The designs haven't always been great, though. Eric Latocki, DIY tinkerer and lifelong fabricator, has incorporated his industrial oven design experience into a DIY solar heater build that can be built with common materials found at local big box stores. His plans, which are completely free, don't require any welding or special knowledge and if you're already building your tiny home, you most likely have the necessary tools and experience already. In this conversation, Eric explains everything from what a solar heater is to how it's installed, what it can be used for, and other important details. If you're looking for alternative ways to heat your tiny house, this episode will definitely open your eyes to some new possibilities.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/190
In This Episode:
- What does a solar heater do?
- Plenums: what they are and how they influenced Eric's design
- Cost and time expectations for your DIY solar heater
- A secondary use for the solar heater
- Where Ethan and Eric would love to see solar heaters used
Corianne Holmes is here to tell us her amazing story about moving to New Zealand with her boyfriend, using their life savings to build a tiny house, almost losing the tiny house due to a legal hiccup with their trailer, and ultimately building a slightly larger home and converting their tiny into an Airbnb. Stick around to hear me mispronounce the name of Corianne's town.... and for a delightful conversation and story about living tiny in New Zealand.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/189
In This Episode:
- Why New Zealand? How 1 year turned into 6 and counting
- Making a plan: the numbers, the location, and the materials
- New Zealand makes tiny living easy
- The trailer hiccup that almost cost them their home
- What Corianne misses about the tiny house may surprise you
- How "batches" have influenced New Zealanders toward tiny homes
- Where to find inspiration for your tiny house
The tiny house movement in the United States seems to get all of the attention, but there are people, groups, and advocates all around the world working to make tiny living possible. Enter Miranda and Jan from Tiny Living Alliance. The Tiny Living Alliance is working to make your relationship with builders more transparent and trustworthy through several tools and initiatives through their website. In this interview, we'll learn about what Tiny Living Alliance does, how they do it, and why Miranda and Jan started it in the first place.
Full show notes at thetinyhouse.net/188
In This Episode:
- What does the Tiny Living Alliance guarantee?
- Present work and future goals of the Tiny Living Alliance
- What "Buyer Protection" means for both builder and purchaser
- The Tiny House Movement around the world
- Miranda and Jan's tiny house motivation
- How sustainability and financing go hand-in-hand
- Tiny house communities and the elderly
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement. To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Mental health is not something that we talk about frequently in the tiny house industry or in the tiny house movement, so today's guests are a welcome addition of mental health to the tiny house conversation. Sophie and Ryan set to work saving and learning all they could about boats and sailing. They decided to delay their adventure to address their anxiety and depression through therapy. After they set sail, they realized that life on a boat isn't all smooth sailing - so they both still suffer from anxiety and have been seeing therapists remotely throughout their journey. In this conversation, Sophie and Ryan talk about the mental health impacts of both preparing for and living tiny.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/187
In This Episode:
- The idea, the plan, and the plan revision
- 3 things that you have to prepare for before your adventure
- Hit the pause button more often
- How much time really goes into a YouTube channel?
- Keeping it real with the videos
- How to create privacy in such a small space
- The challenge of finding a therapist that will work with you remotely
- Identifying and dealing with anxiety
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
I'm welcoming returning guest, Jewel Pearson back to the podcast today. Jewel did a beautiful and creative addition to her tiny house, a sunroom called "The Tiny House Remix" and the moment I saw it I knew I needed to have her on the show to talk about it! The Remix is a very well-done way of slightly expanding a tiny house to make it fit your needs and I think you'll find what Jewel has done inspiring.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/186
In This Episode:
- What Jewel learned from taking a break from her tiny house
- Jewel's Remix allows more flexibility in the future
- The sunroom functions as a home office and makes working from home more efficient
- Moving isn't easy, but it has been worth the effort
- Is it still a tiny house?
- The pandemic's influence on the tiny house movement
- Reimagining what and where "community" is
- Why Jewel had to move to her new location
- Could a moveable business be a good fit for your town?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
My guest today is like a secret rock star of the tiny house world. I'm sure that she has inspired many of the well-known tiny house designers and thinkers that you know of today. Sarah Susanka published her world-changing book, The Not So Big House, in 1998 and I can't stress enough how inspiring this book was to me when I was designing my tiny house. I think that this conversation will give you a taste of the wisdom and insights that you will gain from Sarah through her book that has now become an entire franchise.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/185
In This Episode:
- The 'Not So Big House' isn't exactly about size
- About Sarah's tiny house experience
- Thinking about space differently because it's in short supply
- Who really works with architects and what can they do for you?
- Reflections on the growth of the tiny house movement
- The evolution of social and utilitarian spaces
- Things you can do to "hack" your house without major renovations
- Can ceiling height affect your perception of a space?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Parenting and running a business while living tiny and traveling full-time is no easy task, but today's guest, Erin Carey, is doing it all. Erin lives on a boat with her family and also runs her own PR agency, a business she started after making this transition to living tiny. In this interview, we're going to hear her and her family's story, learn about the headspace and some of the things Erin did to stay motivated for making this big transition. Erin also tells us how she is able to stay productive and work from a tiny space when her family is all around, there are a lot of distractions, and she has limited alone time.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/184.
In This Episode:
- How do the kids feel about living tiny?
- Living tiny changes your relationship with your family
- The motto that helped them keep moving forward
- Tips to keep moving toward your goal when it gets rough
- How Erin started her business from the boat
- Creating a private place to work with limited space
- Balancing working from home, family time, and adapting to a new location
- How Erin gets internet on her boat to run her business
- How to approach the media to gain coverage on your tiny home
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
Not long ago, the Maine legislature passed LD 1981, a bill that defined tiny homes. It says "Tiny Home means a living space permanently constructed on a frame or chassis and designed for use as permanent living quarters." It then goes on to specify some other things about what a tiny home is. The Maine legislature then passed LD 1530, which is an act to allow people to live in Tiny Homes as a primary or accessory dwelling. This makes Maine the first state in the United States to legalize tiny house living statewide, and my guest, Corrine Watson was instrumental in making this happen. So in this conversation, Corrine will break down what these laws do and don't do, what the process of advocacy was like, and how you can look to Maine as a model to bring to your state or town to help the cause and legalize tiny houses.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/183.
In This Episode:
- How did Maine legalize tiny homes and their use as full-time dwellings statewide?
- Does every city in Maine now have to allow tiny homes?
- What you can do to legalize tiny homes in your state
- Lean manufacturing is more efficient and less wasteful
- Maine isn't done: there are still things that need to be addressed
Figuring out what you need for a tiny house can be really confusing. Returning guest, Isabell Nagel-Brice has been working with 475 Building Supply, a company that sells high-performance building materials. In this episode, Isabelle breaks down which materials will help your house breathe properly, ventilate well, prevent mold, and just be a healthy tiny house to live in. She shares the names of these various products and explains what exactly they do to make your tiny house a healthy tiny house.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/182
In This Episode:
- What is Intello Plus and when is it applicable?
- Why is the Solitex Mento 1000 great for outdoor builds?
- How an air exchange system works
- Thermal bridging and condensation issues
- Cold climate? This is how to build your floor
- Spray foam vs vapor-open insulation
- How much building science should you know before moving into a tiny house?
- Lessons learned from 5 years of tiny living
- Why these tiny house trends may not work for you
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
Janet and I have been talking for a while and we've decided that it's finally time to pull back the curtain on the efforts that she has been working on for the last several months and do an interview on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast. Janet is the Founder, President, and Treasurer of Tiny House Alliance USA and is currently leading an exploratory initiative to develop new global building standards with ASTM. Before your eyes glaze over, I encourage you to stick with this show because Janet does a great job of explaining what ASTM International is, what standards are, how they would impact the tiny house building industry, dwellers, DIYers, not just in the United States or North America, but in the entire world. It's a really exciting effort. I think there's a lot of potential here and we need more people to get involved. We need advocates and stakeholders to join the process and I'm excited about it!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/181
In This Episode:
- What is ASTM and what do they do?
- Codes vs Standards and their effects on everything
- How ASTM works and who is involved
- The stakeholders that are involved in the global building standards effort
- Making sure that codes and standards don't conflict
- The ICC and their relationship with tiny homes
- Could tiny houses and cannabis have some things in common?
- About Janet's tiny home village
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Kol Peterson has been on the forefront of ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) development and advocacy for at least the last 10 years in Portland, Oregon. But don't worry! This conversation applies to ADUs at least everywhere in the United States, if not beyond. Kol is a really great thinker, is whip-smart, quite funny, and passionate about ADUs. In this conversation, we dive into why Kol sees ADUs as such an incredible opportunity for solving the housing crisis. We also talk about what's happening in Portland as it relates to tiny houses, probably making Portland the most tiny house-friendly city in the country.
Full Show Notes: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/kol-peterson
Guest Bio:Kol Peterson is an ADU expert based in Portland, Oregon, who has helped catalyze the exponential growth of ADUs in Portland over the last decade through ADU advocacy, education, consulting, policy work, and entrepreneurship through his company, Accessory Dwelling Strategies LLC. He is the author of Backdoor Revolution-The Definitive Guide to ADU Development. He is the owner of Caravan- The Tiny House Hotel, the first tiny house hotel in the world, and organizer of Portland’s popular ADU Tour. He consults with homeowners about ADUs on their property and teaches ADU classes for homeowners and for real estate agents in Oregon, Washington, and California. He also co-runs ADU Academy and the ADU Specialist designation for professionals with Earth Advantage. He edits and manages AccessoryDwellings.org and BuildinganADU.com.
Kol developed and lived in a detached new construction ADU in 2011, and developed a basement/garage conversion ADU in 2018. He has a master's degree in environmental planning from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. Prior to his ADU work, Kol worked in the federal government for ten years in Washington, DC, and Portland, Oregon.
Our Sponsor: Tiny House EngageWhen you listen to my conversation with Kol, you'll notice that I actually ask Kol a question that came in from Tiny House Engage. That's because Tiny House Engage members get to listen to these while I record these podcast episodes and ask questions of my guests. It's a really great way to get an inside look at the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast and also benefit from the amazing array of talented guests that we have on the podcast. Registration is open until Tuesday and you can learn everything you need to know about Tiny House Engage at thetinyhouse.net/engage.
I love finding out about new ways that tiny homes are being used to help people that are in need and the Veterans Community Project is an incredibly impressive organization that has accomplished a ton in just a few short years, including 49 tiny homes for veterans on a piece of property that they now own! Vincent Morales has been there from the start and together we go through the organization's history, what they do, how they settled on tiny houses, and how everything works with the Veterans Community Project. This is a really inspiring conversation and I'm so grateful that there are people like Vincent out there doing the work that they're doing.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/179
In This Episode:
- What does VCP do and who do they serve
- Using tiny homes as the first step to healing
- Advantages of a therapeutic space for PTSD
- How veterans transition out of the tiny house village
- Why the community doesn't have a laundry room
- How can veterans get in touch with VCP?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House Engage
As you'll hear in this interview community is so important - and not just in helping people to heal, but in helping people to thrive and move forward. That's why I started my online community called Tiny House Engage. Tiny House Engage is a place where tiny dreamers, tiny planners, people building their own tiny houses, and even people living tiny come together to support one another on their own tiny house journeys. Registration only opens every 4-6 weeks and that date is coming up!
Tiny House Engage opens this coming Tuesday and you can find out all the details at thetinyhouse.net/engage. Even if you visit that page before Tuesday you can sign up to be notified when the doors to Tiny House Engage open.
Katy Zientek's tiny house caught my eye, when I learned that it was actually a shed that was converted into a tiny house. I have a very popular blog post about how to convert a shed to a tiny house, but I have never interviewed someone on the show who actually did it. Enter Katie, Katie and her husband took a shed that was built in the 1980s on their grandparents property, and turned it into a gorgeous Pinterest worthy tiny house. In this conversation, we go through all the basics, like how they did the floors, what they had to do to the walls, the ceilings, why they chose to add a porch, and all of the details that went into converting a shed into a tiny house.
In this episode:
- How they converted a shed to a tiny home in 9 months
- What does it take to turn a shed into a house?
- Sleeping arrangements for a family of four
- Plan the location of your appliances before you begin your build
Sponsor:Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Alexis and Christian are returning to the show and so much has happened since Episode 12, their first appearance on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast. For one thing, they have actually been staying put in their tiny house for the last two years and they are about to publish a new book, The Beginner's Guide to Tiny Houses. In this interview, we will catch up, learn about the new book and other projects that they're working on, and also talk about some of the exciting things that have been happening in 2021 for the tiny house movement. This is a wide-ranging interview and Alexis and Christian are like friendly, personable encyclopedias who know just about everything about the tiny house movement and what's happening.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/177
In This Episode:
- Catching up with Alexis and Christian
- Nomad vs Homebase: the benefits of settling after 4 years on the road
- Finding parking for their house built before Appendix Q
- Alexis and Christian wrote a new book!
- What's new for Tiny House Expedition?
- Huge wins for tiny home advocates in 2021
- Living Tiny Legally Part 3 is happening!
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays
Did you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
This week I am bringing you another show that I was a guest on. This time with the House Maven Katharine MacPhail on her show, Talking Home Renovations. Talking Home Renovations with the House Maven is an educational and entertaining podcast that will ease your fears if you are planning a home renovation and are worried that you don't know what you're doing. Katharine had me on the show to talk about renovating tiny homes. It was a great conversation and I think you'll enjoy this week's show.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/176
In This Episode:
- A tiny home build can be more challenging than a traditional home
- Why would you need to renovate a house so small?
- Does a tiny house fall apart when it's moved?
- Appendix Q: what it is and why it's needed
- Tiny home trends
- Would it really be cheaper to buy a used tiny house and renovate it?
As I record this today, I just got back from a week-long bicycle tour with my cousin on the coast of Maine and in a couple of days, I'm heading down to the New Jersey shore to spend a week with aunts, uncles, and cousins. Instead of bringing you a show where I interview someone, I thought it would be interesting to share a show that I was a guest on where somebody interviews me. Enter Liz Sumner and the I Always Wanted To Podcast. The I Always Wanted To Podcast is a podcast for people who long to break out of their comfort zone and try something bold but need some encouragement. Liz interviews people who are doing things (or teaching things) that others long to do. I was a guest on the show back in June and I really enjoyed being interviewed by Liz Sumner. I think you'll enjoy it, too!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/175
In This Episode:
- Ethan's tiny house journey
- What are the benefits of living tiny?
- Parking is still difficult... but it's getting better!
- Tips for moving a tiny house
- Are tiny houses really cheaper than traditional houses?
The first time I met Sean he was sketching tiny houses in a sketchbook at a speaker dinner after a tiny house conference. I'm so glad to have him on the podcast all these years later. Sean is an active member of Tiny House Engage, my online community, where he does monthly design reviews of various members' tiny house designs and he is a professional architect. In this interview, we talk about Sean's design philosophies and the tiny home he designed and is almost finished building. We also cover how to build affordably in 2021 and beyond, as well as some of the ways that tiny houses can go wrong.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/174
In This Episode:
- Resilient design goes beyond sustainability
- Thinking about the future while planning your tiny house
- Sean's own design, the Bento Studio
- Can you build affordably without sacrificing quality?
- The ups and downs of CLTs
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
Have you ever struggled to figure out what you want to be when you grow up? Or maybe you're already grown up and you still balance multiple interests and don't feel like you can just fit into one box. Today's guest, Emilie Wapnick, has created a whole set of resources just for people like that - people like you and like me - and I actually have a hunch that there are a lot of us among tiny house dwellers. The word that Emilie uses is "multipotentialite" and in this conversation we're going to talk about what a multipotentialite is and what our unique needs are when it comes to finding work and feeling fulfilled in our pursuits, whether it's work, creativity, or more. It's a really interesting conversation and I think you'll learn some things about yourself and about how you can apply some tips and techniques to planning and building a tiny house.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/173
In This Episode:
- How do you know if you're a multipod?
- Advice for taking on a large project, like a tiny house
- Do you ever stop being a multipotentialite?
- Why Emilie chose to live tiny and what she learned from it
- How to prioritize your projects and protect your time (and wallet)
- Work models that help multipods earn an income
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
In this special episode of THLP, your host Ethan Waldman joins forces with veteran tiny house designer, builder and instructor, Lina Menard, to chat about "what we wish we knew before we started".
Plus, we bring you a sneak peak of our upcoming LIVE course, Tiny House Considerations, an interactive, 8 week course with Lina and Ethan as your guides.
To get on the waitlist for Tiny House Considerations, head over to: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/considerations
In This Episode:
- Could we have built our houses faster?
- Better together: the positive effects of a good support system
- How your budget can get away from you
- About our new course and who it can help
- The importance of knowing the ins and outs of your systems before you begin building
Michael Janzen is a legend in the tiny house world, having started his website, TinyHouseDesign.com in 2007 and just continuing to work as a prolific designer pretty much since then. Michael has put a lot of plans out into the world and I have no doubt that there are many, many tiny houses that are built either directly from his designs or were inspired by them. On today's show, Michael stopped by to talk about the second edition of his book, Tiny House Floor Plans. It now contains over 350 tiny house floor plans and it's just a really cool book to look through. The houses are arranged from small to large and if you are in the design or planning process it's a really cool resource to just get some ideas about how you can lay out a tiny house. Our conversation is wide-ranging from things in the tiny house design world that Michael thinks are maybe not serving tiny houses, things that Michael is looking forward to, and more.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/171
In This Episode:
- Tackling burnout and re-energizing afterward
- Evolution of the tiny house through the years
- Unusual, innovative, and fun: Michael's designs and process
- What are we questioning in regards to tiny houses?
- Is it possible to build a tiny house for free?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House EngageThe summer can be a little bit too much fun, full of family, friends, distractions, holidays... But for those of us who are planning and building tiny houses what we really need is motivation, inspiration, and accountability to get our tiny houses done. That's exactly why I started Tiny House Engage!
Tiny House Engage is an online community that brings together tiny dreamers, builders, and dwellers to inspire and support each other as we build tiny together. In Tiny House Engage, people are celebrating wins and navigating our challenges together. Let's face it: planning, building, and living tiny can be lonely. Tiny House Engage is a 24/7 online community designed to connect you with fellow tiny housers, get your questions answered, get inspired, feel that accountability, and progress toward your goal of living tiny.
I really look forward to connecting with you in Tiny House Engage and watching as your tiny house dreams progress into tiny house reality. Head on over to thetinyhouse.net/engage to learn more.
If you've been listening to the show for a while, you may recognize the name Natalie Bogwalker because she's been a guest in the past! Natalie is a wealth of knowledge about natural building techniques. In today's show, we are going to do a deep dive into two natural building techniques: slip straw and hempcrete. I went in knowing nothing about these and I asked really basic questions and Natalie really did a wonderful job explaining everything. Natalie also tells us all about how her online building school, Wild Abundance, had to shift to online learning during the pandemic and how she's now created what sounds like a pretty amazing online tiny house building course.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/170
In This Episode:
- How Wild Abundance adapted and thrived during the pandemic
- Are online classes as effective as in-person classes?
- Slip straw vs cob: what's the difference?
- Natalie explains the slip straw technique
- Should you use slip straw in your THOW?
- What is hempcrete?
- Why we need to be using thatched roofs
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House Engage Tiny House Engage is a really special online place where you can connect with other tiny house hopefuls, people who are DIY building their tiny houses, buying tiny houses, and even living the tiny house lifestyle.
It's a really supportive community and there are a lot of cool features and bonuses that you get when you are a member of Tiny House Engage, one of which is that you are actually able to listen live as I interview all the podcast guests and you are even able to submit questions for the show. You'll hear in this conversation with Natalie that there are actually some really great questions that I was able to ask on behalf of Tiny House Engage members and I would love to be able to do the same for you.
If you'd like to learn more and get on the waitlist to be notified when Tiny House Engage goes live on Tuesday, head over to thetinyhouse.net/engage.
My Guest today is Betsy Barbour. Betsy’s tiny dreams began in 2017. After downsizing and selling her condominium, she moved into her 200 sqft tiny home in 2019. She has since lived in 3 unique communities in 2 states. Betsy has become passionate about tiny house advocacy and community development. On today’s show, we’ll talk about the different kinds of communities that Betsy has found, the wins and challenges that tiny living has presented for Betsy, and more.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/169
In This Episode:
- Betsy's tiny house story
- How Tiny Circles are helping build tiny house communities
- Is your tiny home really built for all seasons?
- Not all SIPs are created equal
- The long road(trip) to tiny house advocacy in RV parks
- What it's like to live in a tiny house community
- Build your community before you need it
- Reasons you may want to rethink the loft
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
Can developing the tiny house mindset help you start tiny living sooner? What is the tiny house mindset anyway? My guest Angela Barnard is not only a tiny dweller but a life and career coach who specializes in helping people change the direction of their lives. IN this interview, Angela gives us the Be - Act - Have framework and explains how to use it to become a tiny dweller… even if you‘re not living tiny yet! I was really inspired by this conversation and I think you will be too!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/168
In This Episode:
- You can entertain in your tiny home without feeling cramped
- Are you doing it backward? Angela's tips for living intentionally
- Which habits set tiny homeowners apart?
- Becoming who you want to be using the power of your mind
- How Angela financed her tiny home
- Using your tiny home mindset in other areas of your life
- What do values have to do with home design?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
PrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping.
I wouldn't hesitate to say that my guest this week is one of my all-time favorite professional tiny house builders. JP Marquis from Minimaliste Houses has been building gorgeous, modern, premium tiny houses since 2015, early on in the movement and his company really has staying power because of their pursuit of building excellence. And I'm not reading any pitch, this is all coming from me. They have continued to innovate to make their tiny houses both safer and better to live in. In this conversation, we go kind of deep on building for cold weather, why JP thinks that SIPs are the only choice for building a safe and warm tiny house on wheels, heating systems, and more. It's a really great conversation and I do hope that you stick around.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/167
In This Episode:
- Why ventilation is so important and JP's recommendations
- What is thermal bridging?
- Building materials that reduce waste and cost
- Heating tiny homes in very cold climates
- Why Minimaliste makes wider homes
- Avoid these mistakes with your wheel wells
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
I was really excited to invite Leslie on the show because she has just published a book called "Tiny Plants: Discover the Joys of Growing and Collecting Itty Bitty Houseplants" and I just knew I had to have her on to talk about plants that you can bring with you into your tiny house lifestyle. I had no idea that this was even a thing so I'm really excited to share this conversation! Leslie is a super outgoing and knowledgeable guest and she actually brought plants for show and tell. Members of Tiny House Engage were able to actually watch out interview streamed live, but she did send me some photographs of the plants we talked about. You can find pictures of those plants at thetinyhouse.net/166.
In This Episode:
- The difference between tiny plants and plants that are kept small
- Where does one find tiny plants?
- What if you don't have a surface to put a potted plant on?
- Creative DIY and repurposed vessels
- The best plants for people on the move
- Disturbing trends and how to find ethically sourced plants
- Tiny edible plants you can grow in a small space
- Sustainably support your plant habit with plant swaps
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
I've known Sarah for close to 10 years but we only met in person last summer. Sarah is a bicycle touring professional and also a tiny house enthusiast who got in touch with me nearly 10 years ago when she was looking for people interested in both bicycle touring and tiny houses. It turns out that they are a lot in common! In this episode Sarah will share her story of how she fell in love with bicycle touring and how it goes so well with tiny house living. I also share my story of how bicycle touring led to tiny house living for me.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/165
In This Episode:
- The various forms of bicycle touring
- Are your things bogging you down?
- Why Sarah chose not to build her tiny house and what she did instead
- Tiny living can take many forms
- Voluntary simplicity and living a life in reverse
- Lessons learned about creativity, the DIY spirit, and learning what you need
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House EngageIs this the year that you're finally going to embark on your dream of living tiny? If you're serious about building or buying a tiny house, then I'd like to personally invite you to my online community where you can connect with other tiny housers, get your questions specific questions answered, and get support on your journey. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great way to do it.
My fascination with houseboats really started when I saw a video tour of Bonnie's houseboat, the River Den, on the Exploring Alternatives YouTube channel. I've been trying to get her on the show ever since. It turns out I had no idea that Bonnie was a talented entrepreneur who has multiple houseboats and unique Airbnb stays. In this interview, we go through the ins and outs of what it takes to actually build a floating house on the water and also some insight about how Bonnie thinks about designing these homes and her philosophy on building.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/164
In This Episode:
- Can a boat be a 4-seasons abode?
- Doing what you love with people you love
- The River Den: an overview
- Sometimes you have to tap into your inner pirate
- Recycled materials and innovation
- Greywater and toilets on the water
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
In their own process for going tiny in 2014, Joshua and Shelley Engberg decided to design a custom trailer for their dream tiny home. Frustrated by how difficult the process was, they went into business as Tiny House Basics and now build over 450 custom tiny house trailers per year. In this interview, we’ll hear Joshua and Shelley’s tiny story, their tips for finding an ideal Parking spot, and we’ll nerd out about trailer features, from tube steel to threaded rods.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/163
In This Episode:
- How to approach the search for land
- Why did they need a custom trailer?
- The one thing you probably haven't thought of - but should
- How to calculate the weight of a tiny house
- What to look for in your tiny house trailer
- Is weight distribution a big deal?
- Trends in the tiny house movement
- The best way to attach your tiny home to the trailer
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Certification of tiny homes has been a tricky topic for years now. I’ve been skeptical of many of the certifiers because I haven’t always seen the benefit. Last week’s conversation with Jenifer Levini only increased that skepticism. But this week, I’m happy to bring you my conversation with Alex Ontiveros from Pacific West tiny homes. Pacific West has been in the certification business for a long time, and in this conversation, we’ll see if Alex can convince me whether tiny house certification is worth it.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/162
In This Episode:
- The certification process explained
- RVIA or ANSI: what qualifies for which?
- Egress windows and their importance
- What is the cost of certification and what does it include?
- Why should a DIY builder have their tiny home certified?
- Materials, techniques, and systems that comply with code
- Do you really need a contractor?
- The effect of the pandemic on the tiny house movement
The legal landscape of tiny homes is one of the most frustrating and confusing parts of the tiny house movement. In fact, “tiny home” isn’t even a legal term, so municipalities have had to figure out what form of existing law they fit into. My guest Jenifer Levini is a housing and land use lawyer, and author of Building, Occupying & Selling Tiny Homes Legally. I would consider this episode a must-listen: Jenifer walks us through the 6 types of tiny homes (from a legal perspective), why codes are critical for safety, RV vs. residential code, and her take on avoiding bad players. I hope you stick around!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.161
In This Episode:
- Tiny house isn't a legal term: here's an overview of the law
- What are the different categories of tiny homes?
- Is it worth paying to have your tiny home certified?
- The ins and outs of egress windows
- How to ask if you can live legally in your tiny home
- Mythology about registering your THOW
- What a good builder looks like
- Are you getting a great deal or being ripped off?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny TuesdaysDid you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
SquareOne Villages is an amazing organization creating self-managed communities of cost-effective tiny homes for people in need of housing in and around Eugene Oregon. My guest Amanda Dellinger is the Community Relations Director, and if you’re curious about tiny home villages, this conversation is a must-listen. We start by exploring the co-op model for housing and delve into all the details of how these tiny home villages are funded, built, and maintained.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.160
The concept of Lifestyle Design certainly predates the tiny house movement, but I see the two as very linked. Enter today’s guest, Jessica Malone, a lifestyle design coach who lives tiny herself. In the interview, we’ll talk about the difference between Decluttering versus Downsizing, life hacks for easy minimalism, and the mindset required to succeed. I hope you Stick around!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.159
In This Episode:
- Clutter is more than just 'stuff'
- Minimalism vs Decluttering: Are they the same?
- Tips for where to start and how to declutter
- Focusing more on what you do want and less on what you don't
- Should you build your tiny house yourself or have it built for you?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTempPrecisionTemp is making one product to solve two issues that I know everyone deals with in a tiny house: running out of hot water and heating your tiny house. PrecisionTemp has made the amazing TwinTemp Junior propane tankless water heater, which provides unlimited hot water for your tiny house and hydronic heating. This means you get warm heated floors, so there are no cold spots. It's designed specifically for tiny houses and features whisper-quiet operation as well as high efficiency. If you want more information on how PrecisionTemp can help make living tiny easier and more comfortable visit precisiontemp.com. While you're there, use the coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping. That website again is precisiontemp.com coupon code THLP for $100 off the TwinTemp Junior plus free shipping. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show.
One of the best ways to spend time as a family is traveling full-time. Traveling together can be fun, interesting, and educational for your children too. But it can also be difficult. My guests today are Jessica and Will Sueiro, and they are two parents who have done it successfully. They left the American rat race in 2014 and haven’t looked back. In this interview, we’ll get into the nitty-gritty details of full-time travel as a family- from health insurance and medical care to homeschooling and finding friends. I hope you stick around!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.158
In This Episode:
- Making it happen, instead of waiting for it to happen
- How much space do children need away from their parents?
- Medical insurance when you're traveling fulltime
- The language barrier isn't much of a barrier at all
- Making an income on the road (pre and post-COVID)
- Monthly budgets and keeping expenses down
- The questions that everyone should ask, but don't
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
In some ways, the Yurt is the original tiny house on wheels. If you’ve never seen one, a Yurt is a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomadic groups in Central Asia. In America, Yurts have been popular since the ’70s, and I’ve wanted to interview a yurt dweller here on the show for some time. Enter my guest, Kevin Obrien, who lives year-round, off-grid in his yurt in New Hampshire. Kevin will explain why he chose a yurt over other forms of housing and what the benefits and drawbacks are for full-time living.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.157
In This Episode:
- What is a yurt?
- Is a yurt appropriate for cold-weather climates?
- Where to buy and what you can expect to pay for a yurt
- Wind, cold, and heat: the yurt can handle it all
- Kevin's unique sleeping arrangement sounds super comfy
- No fridge? Off-grid cooking and food storage solutions
- Plans for the interior of the yurt
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTempLet’s face it, most Tiny House dwellers want their homes to be small, but not uncomfortable. That means reliable, unlimited, hot water. PrecisionTemp’s propane-fired hot water heaters reliably provide unlimited hot water, and they’re specifically designed with tiny homes in mind. With their patented VariFlame technology, these are the only gas-fired tankless water heaters approved by RVIA and are ANS certified. Features such as cold weather and wind protection, precise electronic temperature control, and onboard diagnostics are standard. With higher efficiency and 55,000 BTUs of power, these units produce far more hot water than traditional water heaters. And since they don't come on unless you want hot water (or to protect against freezing), you may find that you use as little as half the propane or natural gas as before. So go ahead and take that long, hot shower! PrecisionTemp is offering listeners of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast $100 off plus free shipping using the coupon code THLP.
Is it possible to convert a cargo trailer into a tiny home? On today’s show, I take with Nicoll Davis, who currently lives and travels full time in a 112 square foot converted cargo trailer with her husband Jake and their dogs. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the photos and total cost of the conversion. Oh, and a few days after scheduling my interview with Nicoll, I saw her featured prominently in a New York Times article about tiny home living during the pandemic. She wasn’t happy with how she was portrayed, so we start there. Stay tuned!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.156
In This Episode:
- Why a cargo trailer and what did the conversion take?
- What happens when your campground closes suddenly?
- The cost of the build and where everything is stored
- How to travel full-time with 3 dogs - and an essential piece of equipment
- Tips on cargo trailer conversions
- About the misrepresentation in the NYT article
Figuring out how to get your tiny house a supply of water is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face living off-grid. Wouldn’t it be great if we could simply capture and use the water that falls out of the sky? I had always thought that rainwater harvesting in a tiny house would be inconvenient and ineffective due to the small roof size. Enter today's guest, Brad Lancaster. Brad is a tiny house dweller and author of several award-winning books about rainwater harvesting, and he has completely changed my mind. Not only is rainwater harvesting doable in a tiny house, but I’m actually planning on implementing some rainwater capture in my own setup. Don’t miss this conversation with Brad Lancaster so you can learn how to get started with Rainwater Harvesting!
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net.155
In This Episode:
- Overview of rainwater harvesting strategies
- Winter water tips
- How to keep the water clean to avoid having to treat it
- Does a dirty roof affect rainwater harvesting?
- Brad's system and what happens during a drought
- What effects will rainwater harvesting have on your living situation?
- Legalizing and incentivizing rain and gray water harvesting
- Graywater differences, uses, and passive heating/cooling
- Simple is better (and cheaper): Brad explains why
- How to harvest condensate
This week's sponsor: Tiny TuesdaysDid you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
Michelle Jones discovered the tiny house movement well before most of us, struck up a friendship with Dee Williams, and had her 84sf tiny house built by Dee’s company PAD. She’s been quietly living tiny in Portland, OR backyards for 11 years now, and in a lot of ways, tiny living has helped to guide and inspire her unconventional career choices. In this interview, Michelle shares her reflections on living tiny for 11 years and some of the unexpected things she has learned along the way.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/154
In This Episode:
- Living tiny before it was a thing: Michelle's instincts, journey, and "aha" moments
- Is there room for a relationship in a tiny home?
- Getting to know your tiny house and preparing for the different outcomes of difficult situations
- Setting up systems for your environment and the importance of redundancy
- How living tiny helped Michelle realize and pursue her purpose
- Building your house out of materials that are meaningful to you
- Staying tiny for 11 years: how to keep from accumulating too much
- When living tiny helps you connect with and depend on your community
- What the Wayfinding Academy does differently than most institutions of higher learning
- Michelle's tips for finding tiny house parking
This week's sponsor: Tiny TuesdaysDid you know that I personally send a tiny house newsletter every week on Tuesdays? It's called Tiny Tuesdays and it's a weekly email with tiny house news, interviews, photos, and resources. It's free to subscribe and I even share sneak peeks of things that are coming up, ask for feedback about upcoming podcast guests, and more. It's really the best place to keep a pulse on what I'm doing in the tiny house space and also stay informed about what's going on in the tiny house movement.
To sign up go to thetinyhouse.net/newsletter. I'll never send you spam and if you don't want to receive emails, it's easy to unsubscribe.
The home you build or buy may be the single biggest purchase you’ll ever make. That’s why choosing the right builder is such a consequential decision. But since we’ll only ever need to do this once or twice in our lives, it’s very easy to be taken advantage of, or miss red-flags before we plunk down our life savings on a tiny home. My guests this week, Paul Dashevsky and Jon Grishpul started the company GreatBuildz to connect homeowners with reliable, pre-vetted contractors. In the interview, I’ll ask them the tough questions about what to look for in a contractor, and they share so many gems! Don't miss it! Also, Paul and Jon created a downloadable checklist "How To Choose A Contractor" and they're making it available to listeners of the show. You'll be able to download that at thetinyhouse.net/153.
Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/153
In This Episode:
- You have homework: the steps you should take before you call a contractor
- The basic things your contractor must have and why
- Can licensed contractors legally build you a tiny house?
- How to determine whether a contractor is right for you
- Types of contracts and what to look for when comparing bids
- Why you should read the contract or have an attorney help you out
- Should your builder provide a warranty?
- Payment schedules and reasonable expectations
- You hired an out-of-state builder. How do you check in?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House EngageIs this the year that you're finally going to embark on your dream of living tiny? If you're serious about building or buying a tiny house, then I'd like to personally invite you to my online community where you can connect with other tiny housers, get your questions specific questions answered, and get support on your journey. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great way to do it.
Chad Deschenes is a building inspector who is usually called in when issues like air quality, mold, and moisture have gotten out of control. Chad is here to blow the whistle on some of the standard tiny house building methods, and share some common problems he sees in buildings, large and small. Plus, Chad will share the one system that EVERY tiny house must have. Chad has kindly shared lots of photos to go along with this interview, and you can find them on the show notes page at thetinyhouse.net/152
In This Episode:
- Every home, even brand new construction, should have an inspection
- Symptoms of a mold issue and the lasting effects
- The one system you must have in your home (tiny or not)
- Workmanship matters: this is where people consistently get it wrong
- SIPs, insulation, vapor barriers, and your roof
- How to detect mold in your house and is it fixable?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
It’s every homeowner’s nightmare to discover a small patch of mold, and then learn that their floor, subfloor, and insulation have all become a soft, rotten waste. But that’s exactly what happened to my guest today, Chris Murphy. Chris and his wife Bri had to move out of their tiny house unexpectedly when it was discovered that there was a terrible moisture issue in both the floor and walls. In this interview, Chris tells his story so we can all learn from the critical mistakes that were made in Chris and Bri’s tiny home.
Full Show Notes and Images: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/151
In This Episode:
- From tiny house dweller to houseguest in 3 days
- How Chris's subfloor was built and how it should have been built
- Ask which spray foam your builder is using
- The builder's response
- How do you even fix a mold-ridden subfloor?
- Vapor barriers and insulation to get rid of extra water
- Why you should engage with others in the tiny house movement
- Where do you park in a town where tiny houses are illegal?
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House DecisionsTiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Lindsay Wood is an evangelist for tiny living, and these days she’s as busy as ever. As the pandemic has put economic pressure on a large swath of the country, tiny houses are being increasingly seen as a solution to housing affordability and inequality. But there are some big legal hurdles to get over before we get there, and in this interview, Lindsay helps us explore them.
Full Show Notes and Images: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/lindsay-wood-2
In This Episode:
- Could tiny homes be included in the eviction moratorium?
- Lindsay's affordable housing investment plan
- New legislation in CA that's great for ADU owners
- Why the ordinances in CA can help legalize tiny homes elsewhere
- The reasons that many cities have not allowed tiny houses
- Additional expenses that are necessary to ready a site for tiny house parking
- Alternatives to trailers
- The difference between 'traditional affordable housing' and 'tiny house affordable housing'
- What is THIA doing to help with the housing crisis?
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTempLet’s face it, most Tiny House dwellers want their homes to be small, but not uncomfortable. That means reliable, unlimited, hot water. Precision Temp’s propane-fired hot water heaters reliably provide unlimited hot water, and they’re specifically designed with tiny homes in mind. In fact, the NSP 550 model was installed in my own tiny home, and the reason I chose it was because it did not require a large hole in the side of my home like other RV hot water heaters. Instead, it mounts discreetly through the floor of the tiny house and works quietly and reliably. With their patented VariFlame technology, these are the only gas-fired tankless water heaters approved by RVIA and are ANS certified. Features such as cold weather and wind protection, precise electronic temperature control, and onboard diagnostics are standard. With higher efficiency and 55,000 BTUs of power, these units produce far more hot water than traditional water heaters. And since they don't come on unless you want hot water (or to protect against freezing), you may find that you use as little as half the propane or natural gas as before. So go ahead and take that long, hot shower! Precisiontemp is offering listeners of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast $100 off plus free shipping using the coupon code THLP. Head over to PrecisionTemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for $100 off any order plus free shipping. That website again is PrecisionTemp.com, coupon code THLP. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show!
Contracts, Evictions, Housing Law. These topics might make your eyes glaze over, but they are becoming big issues for the tiny house movement. My guest today is Jody Gabel, a trial attorney with 25 years of experience in mobile home park law, RV tenancies, landlord/tenant and housing law, and local government issues. On the show, we’ll explore the challenges and solutions facing tiny house dwellers, landlords, and communities. I learned a lot and I know you will too!
Full show notes and links at thetinyhouse.net/149
In This Episode:
- Read your contract, read the lease, understand the expectations, and get it in writing
- What to look out for in a contract and what to be cautious of
- What does "replevin" mean and how might it apply to you?
- Do you want to rent to tiny house dwellers? Here's what you need in your contract
- Sometimes exceptions are reasonable and appropriate
- How to protect yourself and your build
- The obvious and not-so-obvious effects of COVID on the tiny house movement
- Should your builder have you sign an NDA?
- What should you do if you have an issue with your builder or landlord?
- The importance of knowing your rights as a resident and where to find the info
This Week's Sponsor: PrecisionTemp
Let’s face it, most Tiny House dwellers want their homes to be small, but not uncomfortable. That means reliable, unlimited, hot water. Precision Temp’s propane-fired hot water heaters reliably provide unlimited hot water, and they’re specifically designed with tiny homes in mind. In fact, the NSP 550 model was installed in my own tiny home, and the reason I chose it was because it did not require a large hole in the side of my home like other RV hot water heaters. Instead, it mounts discreetly through the floor of the tiny house and works quietly and reliably. With their patented VariFlame technology, these are the only gas-fired tankless water heaters approved by RVIA and are ANS certified. Features such as cold weather and wind protection, precise electronic temperature control, and onboard diagnostics are standard. With higher efficiency and 55,000 BTUs of power, these units produce far more hot water than traditional water heaters. And since they don't come on unless you want hot water (or to protect against freezing), you may find that you use as little as half the propane or natural gas as before. So go ahead and take that long, hot shower! Precisiontemp is offering listeners of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast $100 off plus free shipping using the coupon code THLP. Head over to PrecisionTemp.com and use the coupon code THLP for $100 off any order plus free shipping. That website again is PrecisionTemp.com, coupon code THLP. Thank you so much to PrecisionTemp for sponsoring our show!
If it has wheels, chances are someone has made a moveable tiny house out of it. On today’s show, the “it” I’m referring to is a 1985 Railroad Camp Car. My guest is Hannah Doss, who converted said railroad car into a gorgeous moveable tiny house in just 3 months and for less than 9000 dollars.
Full Show Notes and Images: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/148
In this Episode:
- What is a railroad camp car and how can you find one for yourself?
- The budget breakdown: creative ways to accumulate materials and what costs the most
- Did you know about the 10-year rule in some RV parks?
- How Hannah and her friend, Toobz, came up with the mural
- What inspired Hannah's children's book?
- It's not all rainbows and butterflies, but it's definitely worth the work
- Monthly expenses in the RV park and impromptu tiny house tours
- Creative bed configuration and repurposed store displays
This Week's Sponsor: Tiny House Engage
Is this the year that you're finally going to embark on your dream of living tiny? If you're serious about building or buying a tiny house, then I'd like to personally invite you to my online community where you can connect with other tiny housers, get your questions specific questions answered, and get support on your journey. If you need some encouragement or just need to know how someone else solved a problem, you’ll get those answers in Tiny House Engage. I’m also very active in the community, answering questions and keeping an eye on things, so if you want to interact with me, this is a great way to do it.
I love looking at tiny house plans. Just seeing how other designers solve the space-related challenges of a tiny house is inspiring. That’s why I was super excited when I discovered PinUpHouses, the international design studio run by my guest Joshua Woodsman. PinupHouses sells digital plans for over 150 small and tiny houses, cottages, and sheds, and they’ve been doing for many years. Today, I’ll ask Joshua what got him into tiny houses in the first place and what he’s learned from designing so many of them.
Full Show Notes and Images: https//www.thetinyhouse.net/joshua-woodsman
In This Episode
- Housing trends in Germany and how they affect the Czech Republic
- Simplify everything: Joshua's dream for a streamlined building process
- Joshua's fully off-grid container house
- What philosophy and the architecture of slums have in common
- The purpose of the Magenta and France houses
- What's coming up for Pinup Houses next?
Sponsor:Take 20% off Tiny House Decisions using the coupon code tiny
Tiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Rocket Mass Heaters are a very popular DIY in the cob, natural building, and permaculture world, but is only starting to get traction in the tiny house movement. Today, Chris McClellan AKA Uncle Mud is here to explain how Rocket Mass Heaters Work, how to build one of your own, and most importantly, his design for a tiny rocket heater, called the Cottage Rocket.
Full Show Notes and Images: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/uncle-mud
In This Episode
- "The first non-suicidal woodstove" is safer and more efficient
- Tips for those who want to DIY their own rocket mass heater
- Don't skimp on these materials, especially in a tiny house
- How the EPA tests woodstoves explains why rocket heaters aren't quite legal
- Enough heat for 8 hours without being overheated: the Cottage Rocket does it
- Makeup air and minimizing the chance of smoke in your house
- Saving money, using scraps, and lowering the environmental footprint
- Where to find cheaper materials to insulate your tiny house
Sponsor:Take 20% off Tiny House Decisions using the coupon code tiny
Tiny House Decisions is the guide that I wish I had when I was building my tiny house. And it comes in three different packages to help you on your unique tiny house journey. If you're struggling to figure out the systems for your tiny house, how you're going to heat it, how you're going to plumb it, what you're going to build it out, then tiny house decisions will take you through the process systematically and help you come up with a design that works for you. Right now I'm offering 20% off any package of Tiny House Decisions for podcast listeners. Head over to https://www.thetinyhouse.net/thd and use the coupon code tiny at checkout!
Daniel Ott is one of the first tiny home builders in Ontario, working to change the housing market by designing and building legal tiny homes (which is no small feat under the Ontario Building Code, one of the strictest codes in North America). Using his unique UpSizeDown Method, Daniel and his team at True North Tiny Homes not only design your tiny dream home, but they also help you get prepared to thrive in it.
The post Innovative Designs for Cold Weather Tiny Living in Canada with Daniel Ott- #145 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Did you know that cob is one of the oldest building materials around? According to my guest, Dave Olsen, most cob houses are tiny houses because they take so long to build! Cob is a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and water that hardens into a thick, load-bearing, structure. Think curved, earthen walls and whimsical building shapes. Dave Olsen has been building with cob for over 20 years and has developed his own technique, called “Fast Cob”. Dave tells us about the benefits of Cob building, how to do fast cob, and more.
The post Introduction to Cob: The Ancient, Natural, Tiny House Building Method with Dave Olsen – #144 appeared first on The Tiny House.
If you’ve been following the tiny house movement for any amount of time, there’s a good chance you’ve come across a story about someone getting ripped off by a tiny house builder. Heck, I’ve interviewed several people on this show whose builders have gone bankrupt or not delivered on what they promised. This week, I’m interviewing Frank Olito, the resident tiny house expert at Business Insider. Frank has also noticed this trend in the industry and has focused his reporting on it. In this episode, you'll learn about what happens when you work with a bad builder, what recourse you can take, and how to avoid bad builders in the first place.
The post How to Avoid Getting Scammed by Your Tiny House Builder with Frank Olito – #143 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Meet Melissa and Jon Block, the sister-brother team behind San Diego’s first ever tiny house village called Tiny House Block. In this interview, Melissa and Jon will share the journey that they took to go from a couple of backyard tiny homes, to a dedicated piece of land with 25 tiny houses. Surprisingly, the majority of their homes are rented long-term, and they’ve had to figure out how to manage a community, including difficult tenants, disputes between neighbors, and more. I hope you stick around!
The post The Ups and Downs of Managing a Tiny House Community with Jon and Melissa Block – #142 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Deek is Back! After kindly agreeing to be a guest on the second ever episode of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast, Derek Deek Diedricksen is here to talk DIY Treehouse Building. We’re not talking about 50,000 tiny homes in the trees. No, we’re talking about DIY, backyard treehouse building anyone with some tools and some trees, and a dream. Deek has built many, many treehouses, and he’s got tips, tricks, and hacks to share to make the process quicker and cheaper. Deek always has a lot of projects ongoing, so he’ll fill us in on what’s happening in the world of Relax Shacks.
The post DIY Treehouse Building with Derek ‘Deek’ Diedricksen – #141 appeared first on The Tiny House.
If you’ve been listening for a while, you know I love to feature new and innovative ways to build tiny homes. Well, today, I’m featuring something that could be considered a very “old” way- Timber Framing! Clara and Edwin Bobrycki not only designed and built their timber frame tiny house- but they also cut down all the trees and milled the lumber for the entire frame. It’s no easy task, but Edwin and Clara will break it down for us so we can learn what it takes to build a timber framed tiny home.
The post How to Build a Timber Framed Tiny House with Edwin and Clara Bobrycki – #140 appeared first on The Tiny House.
When it comes to designing tiny homes, Vina Lustado is the real deal. Her iconic Sol Haus and Sol Pod homes are beautiful, light-filled examples of high tiny design, and Vina has lived tiny for many years and in several locations. As a California resident, Vina has seen the destructive and traumatic effects of wildfires and has answered the call in the best way she knows how: By designing a pre-fab tiny home that can be permitted as an ADU in California and has several fire-resistant design elements.
The post Designing a Fire-Resistant Tiny Home ADU with Vina Lustado – #139 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Living off-grid is especially challenging when you're on a 50-ft sailboat in the middle of the ocean. My guest today is Rick Moore, whose sailboat, the Sophisticated Lady, is fully set up to live off-grid for months at a time, with solar and wind power, a water desalination unit, and even a garden on board. Rick walks us through his systems and helps figure out how we can apply them to tiny house living. Stick around!
The post Living Off-Grid for Months at Sea: Hydroponics, Solar, Wind, and Gardening on a Sailboat with Rick Moore – #138 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Darin Dinsmore is the urban planner and landscape architect behind the amazing Tiny Camp Sedona, a small pod of tiny houses available for nightly rentals outside of Sedona, Arizona. Darren is just getting started applying his skills as a developer to tiny house communities. He’ll let us in on the projects he’s working on now, how he approaches developing tiny house communities, and what he’s excited about for the future of tiny homes.
The post Pro Tips to Develop a Tiny House Community with Darin Dinsmore – #137 appeared first on The Tiny House.
If you’re hoping to move around a lot, a moveable tiny home isn’t always the best option. While vans and school bus conversions take the spotlight, my guest Tom Roszko set his sights on a medium-duty ambulance. In this conversation, we’ll learn why used ambulances actually make a fantastic starting point for a conversion, how to find them, and other tips for a DIY, super mobile tiny home. Plus, Tom shares details about his solar, water, and off-grid living in his home.
The post The Ultimate Go-Anywhere Tiny House Ambulance Conversion with Tom Roszko – #136 appeared first on The Tiny House.
There’s something enduring and timeless about the A-frame. It seems to fit into any landscape and instantly says “cozy”. Today, I’m interviewing Michael Romanowicz, founder of Den Outdoors, which designs beautiful, easy to build A-frames and sells plans. In this conversation, we’ll explore the popularity of A-frames, the advantages and disadvantages of the design, and learn about what’s in store at Den.
The post Exploring the Timeless A-Frame Design with Den Outdoors Founder Michael Romanowicz – #135 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Moving a tiny house is no easy task. As the movement grows, so do the tiny homes, making each move more complicated. Today I’m speaking with Taylor Tefft, a professional tiny house mover. She’s here to discuss the ins and outs of moving a tiny home. We cover pricing, insurance, how long it takes, and even moving tiny homes that aren’t on wheels.
The post How to Work with a Professional Tiny House Mover: Pricing, Timing, and Logistics with Taylor Tefft – #134 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Baylie Carlson made a splash in the tiny house movement with her tiny house home birth story. She has lived in both a moveable tiny house, a luxury skoolie, and has lots of insight to share when it comes to raising kids in small dwellings. Baylie is also involved in a really interesting YouTube competition called Outlast Homestead, where the winner gets the title to the land.
The post From Moveable Tiny House to Luxury Skoolie: Tiny Lifestyle with Baylie Carlson – #133 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Permaculture is one of those words I hear batted around a lot in conjunction with the tiny house movement, but have never taken the time to learn what it is. Kenton Zerbin is the perfect guest to help explain it. In this conversation, we’ll learn that Permaculture isn’t some technique or life hack- Rather, it’s an entire way of thinking: A design philosophy that pairs beautifully with tiny homes. Kenton is a teacher by trade, and he’ll also share how he designed his tiny home to survive off-grid in cold, Canadian winters.
The post Permaculture For Tiny Homes with Kenton Zerbin – #132 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Dan Fitzpatrick is the Director of Government Relations and president of the Tiny Home Industry Association and has made a name for himself as the go-to guy for tiny home legalization. This info-packed conversation does not disappoint! We talk about the importance of calling our homes “Moveable Tiny Homes” instead of “Tiny Homes on Wheels”, The current status of Appendix Q, and how to do tiny house advocacy the right way.
The post How to Legalize Tiny Houses: Advocacy 101 with Dan Fitzpatrick – #131 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lloyd Kahn’s first interview on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast is the most downloaded episode to date, so I knew I had to have him back on to talk about his wonderful new book, The Half-Acre Homestead. We talk about the benefits and limitations of homesteading in the present and future. While Lloyd is a bit dubious about the viability of living in a tiny house long-term, I think that the lifestyle he showcases in The Half Acre Homestead is readily compatible with tiny house living.
The post Lloyd Kahn’s Half-Acre Homestead: Building, Gardening and Getting Started – #130 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Dylan Magaster started his YouTube channel at the age of 21 with only $1,000 in the bank. He backpacked for 6 months, converted a van, and lived in it for close to 2 years. Then he decided to move to the Mediterranean and buy a sailboat with only 7 days of sailing experience with 2 strangers that he met through the internet. He has now sailed over 6,000 nautical miles and visited 27 countries. In this interview, we’ll talk about van life vs. boat life, and how to do it all on the cheap.
The post From Van Life to Sailboat Living with Only $1000 – #129 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Figuring out the right insulation for your tiny house can be one of the most confusing things about designing and building your own home. And if you’re working with a professional builder, there’s no guarantee they know what they’re doing either. That’s why I’m excited to introduce you to Brad Cook. Brad is an energy efficiency professional who offers a wealth of knowledge about insulation and ventilation when it comes to tiny houses. In this conversation, we’ll nerd out about insulation and common myths about heating a tiny house.
The post Build Your House Tight and Ventilate Right with Brad Cook – #128 appeared first on The Tiny House.
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about steel framing so I thought it would be timely to invite Jay Leopold on the show. Jay is the chief engineer and designer at ThinHaus, which exclusively builds steel framed tiny homes. In this conversation we’ll battle it out over Steel Framing vs. SIPs, talk about the building envelope requirements for a steel framed home, and take a deep dive on certifications.
The post Steel Framed vs. SIPs: Tiny House Building Envelope Choices with Jay Leopold – #127 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Andrea Burns is here to tell us the story of her resilient and innovative tiny house, the Tomato Box. We discuss what it’s like building your tiny house while living there, how Andrea designed multiple systems for reheating and cooking, and her incredible recycled greywater system that allows her to reuse water over and over again.
The post Designing a Self-Contained, Recycled Greywater System with Andrea Burns – #126 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Sometime around March of 2020, I went to the grocery store to stock up on some things and discovered that most of the staples like flour, rice, beans, and toilet paper were out of stock. You may be able to relate to my experience, but my guest Matt Gabriel cannot. Matt is a Prepper who specializes in outdoor survival skills, and he’s here to help us get into a prepper mindset so we can learn to survive and thrive in whatever situations nature throws our way. AND how to do it while living tiny.
The post How to be a Tiny House Prepper: Bug Out Bags, Wild Edibles, and Outdoor Survival Skills with Matt Gabriel – #125 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Ever since reading the Life Changing Magic of Tidying UP, I’ve wanted to talk to a KonMari expert. I’m excited to bring you this conversation with Erin Mursch, where we’ll learn what makes Marie Kondo’s technique different, how to apply it to downsizing for a tiny house, and why organizing to “fit more stuff” isn’t the answer.
The post Less Clutter, More Joy: Interview with KonMari Expert, Erin Mursch – #124 appeared first on The Tiny House.
You may know him as the host of Tiny House Nation, but Zack Giffin has a lot going on in the tiny house world. Though he’s as close as we may come to a “tiny house celebrity”, Zack is a thoughtful advocate for tiny house living, those in need, and it shows in all of his pursuits. In this conversation, we’ll find out what draws Zack Giffin to the tiny house movement and what keeps him here. Plus, what’s it like working on a tiny house reality show? Stick around!
The post Inside the Mind of Zack Giffin: The Tiny House Nation Host, Entrepreneur, Advocate, and Builder – #123 appeared first on The Tiny House.
This week, I’m speaking with Brent Heavener, founder of the @tinyhouse Instagram account, which has over 800,000 followers and is a source of visual tiny house inspiration. Brent was able to use his large Instagram following to land a book deal. Tiny House is a collection of images of beautiful tiny homes and was written up in the New York Times.
The post The Making of an Instagram Tiny House Influencer with Brent Heavener – #122 appeared first on The Tiny House.
I consider Lina Menard to be a thought leader in the tiny house movement. She has been involved with countless builds on both the design and construction sides. Lina was an early proponent of SIPs and has continued to incorporate them into her work. In this interview, we’ll talk about common pitfalls that Lina sees across tiny house builds, issues with tiny house trailer designs, and the difference between a design-build process and a build-design process.
The post Design Build vs. Build Design: Making Tiny Design Work Better with Lina Menard – #121 appeared first on The Tiny House.
My guest today needs no introduction, but for the uninitiated, Jay Shafer is largely credited with sparking the modern tiny house movement when he built a little house on wheels and launched the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company about 20 years ago. In this interview, Jay will fill us in on what he's been up to lately, riff on the sad state of housing policy, and talk about his latest home: a super lightweight tiny house on wheels that weighs less than 2,000 lbs and cost about $5,000 to build.
The post The Past, Present and Future of Tiny Homes with Jay Shafer – #120 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Iana Sundari Malcolm is an inspiring guest who has been living and traveling in a Skoolie with her husband John since 2019. All the while she has been documenting her travels and experiences with racism across the country on her blog. I asked Iana to come on the show to tell us about these experiences and to learn how we can all do better to make tiny house living safe for black people and people of color.
The post Encountering Racism on the Road: Skoolie Travels and Living with Iana Sundari Malcolm – #119 appeared first on The Tiny House.
If you’ve ever gotten curious about minimalism, the name Joshua Becker might sound familiar. Becker’s Becoming Minimalist blog started as a way of sharing his own journey to minimalism and has grown to over 1000 articles, books, courses, and more. As always, Joshua is a humble evangelist for the benefit and beauty found in a life of minimalism.
The post An Introduction to Minimalism with Joshua Becker – #118 appeared first on The Tiny House.
This week, I’m excited to catch up with my friend Laura LaVoie. Laura and Matt were early tiny house bloggers that I followed while building my own house, and they really embody what I see as the tiny house lifestyle- going beyond what it means to just live in a tiny house and changing the entire course of their lives. Stick around!
The post The Philosophy of Tiny House Living with Laura LaVoie – #117 appeared first on The Tiny House.
I’m excited to bring you the story of Erika Guli. Erika is someone who purchased my guide, Tiny House Decisions way back in the day, and over the years I’ve followed her through Facebook as she designed and built a gorgeous and unique tiny house called the sun chaser. In this conversation, we talk about the design and build process, what Erika would do differently, and how living tiny has changed her life.
The post Building the Sun Chaser: DIY Tiny Living with Erika Guli – #116 appeared first on The Tiny House.
The Bushes are a tiny house couple with an extraordinary back story. Over the first two years of living tiny, they were able to pay off $125,000 in debt. In this interview, Marek and Ko will share the strategies they used to get out of debt, how they continue to live intentionally, and how their Youtube channel has changed their lives.
The post How to Go Tiny and Pay Off $125k In Debt with The Bushes – #115 appeared first on The Tiny House.
There's no shortage of innovative and creative uses for tiny homes and today's guest is no exception! Wheel Pad produces universally accessible prefab home additions that help keep people with disabilities home with their loved ones. In this interview, I sit down with Julie Lineberger, the President of Wheel Pad, to talk about the why, the how, and how much.
The post Universally Accessible, Pre-Fab Home Additions from Wheel Pad – #114 appeared first on The Tiny House.
In solidarity with people risking their lives around the country and around the world to protest racism and police brutality, this week I am dedicating my platform and my voice to affirming that Black Lives Matter I have watched these tragedies unfold year after year and have remained mostly silent. But I’m realizing that […]
The post #PodcastBlackout appeared first on The Tiny House.
Boxabl is Creating a Modular, Foldable, Affordable Building System for Tiny Houses and Beyond It’s not often that I extend an invitation to the podcast from a cold email, but when Galiano Tiramani sent me photos of Boxabl’s Casita, I knew I had to have him on the show. The Casita is Boxabl’s modular ADU that ships flat and is easily assembled on-site for just $49,500. In this conversation, we’ll talk about the technology, manufacturing, and future plans for this innovative startup.
The post Boxabl is Creating a Modular, Foldable, Affordable Building System for Tiny Houses and Beyond – #113 appeared first on The Tiny House.
DISCLAIMER: BOXABL IS CONSIDERING UNDERTAKING AN OFFERING OF SECURITIES UNDER TIER 2 OF REGULATION A. NO MONEY OR OTHER CONSIDERATION IS BEING SOLICITED, AND IF SENT IN RESPONSE, WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. NO OFFER TO BUY THE SECURITIES CAN BE ACCEPTED AND NO PART OF THE PURCHASE PRICE CAN BE RECEIVED UNTIL THE OFFERING STATEMENT FILED BY THE COMPANY WITH THE SEC HAS BEEN QUALIFIED BY THE SEC. ANY SUCH OFFER MAY BE WITHDRAWN OR REVOKED, WITHOUT OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND, AT ANY TIME BEFORE NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE GIVEN AFTER THE DATE OF QUALIFICATION. AN INDICATION OF INTEREST INVOLVES NO OBLIGATION OR COMMITMENT OF ANY KIND. A COPY OF OUR PRELIMINARY OFFERING CIRCULAR MAY BE OBTAINED HERE, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1816937/000109690621000494/box_1aa.htm
Justin and Bianca Metz live in a 240sf tiny home with their toddler, Bodhi. The journey to living tiny was anything but smooth. After a terrible experience towing the house which resulted in a $7000 towing bill, finding parking wasn't easy. They are now living as land stewards in trade for tiny house parking. Living tiny has enabled Bianca and Justin to live in more connection with nature, and we cover it all in this interview, from permaculture to parking, to parenting.
The post Parenting, Permaculture, and Parking: Justin and Bianca’s Tiny House Journey – #112 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Kristie Wolfe is an Airbnb rockstar. Even if you don't recognize her name, you've probably seen one of her incredible Airbnb's, whether it's her treehouse in Hawaii, her Hobbit Holes in Washington, or her Fire Tower in Idaho. She also transformed the old Idaho potato into a bohemian chic hotel room. Kristie is also extremely frugal- she builds her tiny homes for a fraction of what you would expect by looking at them, using salvaged materials and making things herself. In this conversation, we cover Kristie's building philosophy, how she transforms properties into desirable Airbnbs, how she finds cheap land, and more.
The post How to Buy Inexpensive Land, Build for Cheap, and Dominate Airbnb with Kristie Wolfe – #111 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jennifer Fuist used to be a hoarder but was so tired of her belongings controlling her that she decided to change her life once and for all. She sold over 4000 items on Facebook and in the end, was finally free to live more simply. Fast forward 1.5 years and Jen's been sharing her tiny house journey & lifestyle with the world on her YouTube Channel, Tiny Dreamer. She lives with her 3 cats and runs a small herbal & natural remedy business out of her tiny home called Goddess of Herbs! Here is her story!
The post From Hoarder to Tiny House Dweller with Jennifer Fuist – #110 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Kari Gale sold everything she owned, booked a one way ticket to Spain, walked the Camino de Santiago. Upon her return, Kari built an amazing tiny house on wheels that has some features that have made it a very popular YouTube video tour on Living Big in a Tiny House. In this conversation with we talk about the special features of Kari's house, and the journey that brought her to tiny living. So, what's it like to sell everything you own? Kari shows us how her journey helped inspire her tiny house lifestyle and how we can all apply lessons from her travels to our own lives.
The post What it Takes to Sell Everything You Own and Live Tiny with Kari Gale – #109 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Richard Ward of Terraform Tiny Homes has built and lived in three different Tiny Homes named T1, T2, and T3. These include a converted Honda element, a very small tiny house built on a converted boat trailer, and a full-size gooseneck tiny house. Richard's homes are really well thought out, and he actually practices the tiny lifestyle that he helps others achieve. Richard recently purchased a tract of land outside of Bisbee, Arizona, where he is setting up an off-grid, tiny homestead of sorts, and welcoming other tiny houses to come and live. In this conversation, we'll kind of talk about his life journey that led him to the tiny lifestyle, his various tiny homes, and his latest endeavor setting up a permanent property for a tiny house homestead in the desert.
The post How to Set Up an Off-Grid Tiny Homestead in the Desert with Richard Ward – #108 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Sophia and Henry are currently living in their self-designed and built 28' THOW in Northern Minnesota, where they experience a full range of seasons, including a very cold and long winter. We start with an in-depth discussion of how they are staying warm in their tiny house and preventing their water from freezing on the way in and the way out. If you're thinking of living in a cold climate, this is not to be missed. From there, we turn to rethinking the American dream and a discussion about values, lifestyles, and where a tiny house fits in for a young couple. Don't miss this interview with Sophia and Henry Jungbauer!
The post Rethinking The American Dream with Sophia and Henry Jungbauer – #107 appeared first on The Tiny House.
When you're living off-grid in a van or sailboat, you have to plan carefully to make sure you have things like food and water. Today on the show, we are joined by Kristin Hanes, the editor in chief of the popular tiny living blog, The Wayward Home. Kristin's first experience with tiny living started by living in a Prius(!) with her partner. It then progressed to a sailboat, and finally a Chevy Astro Van. Kristin has spent extensive time boondocking in the van and sailing off-shore. In this interview, we'll talk about how she prepares for living off-grid for weeks at a time- how to plan, shop and store things like food and water. Plus, we'll talk about the benefits of the boondocking lifestyle.
The post How to Prepare for Boondocking: Food, Water, and Supplies for Off-grid Life in a Van, Boat, or Tiny House with Kristin Hanes – #106 appeared first on The Tiny House.
After practicing primitive living and building for several years, Natalie Bogwalker turned her attention to teaching. Bogwalker teaches many natural building techniques at her school, Wild Abundance. But what is natural building? There are so many different techniques, and Natalie helps us focus on practicality when it comes to choosing a natural building method. Natalie also has a strong background in permaculture and will give us a primer on how it intersects with the tiny house movement. Natalie is here to share the message that learning to build is a gateway to self-empowerment.
The post Learning to Build with Wild Abundance: Natural Building, Permaculture, and Empowerment with Natalie Bogwalker – #105 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Danielle LaRock and Jonathan Carnill are the founders of Tiny Haven, which offers unique tiny homes, airstream, and cabin rentals in the Harpers Ferry, VA area. Danielle and Jonathan have purchased 3 small houses (2 on wheels), plus an airstream. On the road to creating their business, they ran into some legal hurdles that required them to move all three of their tinies. We'll cover it all in this interview.
The post The Bumpy Road to a Tiny House Rental Business with Danielle LaRock and Jonathan Carnill – #104 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Meet Vera Struck. She's a returning guest on the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast and we connected on March 25th via Facetime to chat about Vera's current living situation. "I'm in my 70's, I'm immunocompromised, and I've been isolating in a tiny house for 3.5 weeks". Vera has 5 tips when it comes to isolating in a tiny house, and I think these would be really helpful for anyone living tiny or currently planning a tiny house. I really appreciated Vera's candor and vulnerability in this conversation and I think you'll enjoy listening.
The post 5 Tips for Self Isolating in a Tiny House with Vera Struck appeared first on The Tiny House.
There are so many ways that tiny houses can help people in need. Today on the show we are joined by Kelli Becker, the volunteer coordinator and first veteran resident of Mattersville in Colorado. Mattersville is a unique tiny house community for veterans who struggle with mental health issues. This wonderful organization has a great story and mission, and Kelli is here to help spread the word.
The post A Tiny House Community for Veterans with Kelli Becker – #103 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Page Hodel is a DJ, artist, and life-long builder. She converted a school bus into a tiny home way back in the 1980s and was featured in Dwell Magazine and on HGTV. Page is inspiring, humble, and is here to share the message that ANYONE can build their own home.
The post Building a Love for Carpentry and Small Spaces with Page Hodel – #102 appeared first on The Tiny House.
What’s it really like to live in a converted school bus or Skoolie? Rob Schannep lives in a Skoolie with his wife, five kids, plus a dog. They've been doing it for four years, so they have a lot of experience living tiny day-to-day. We'll learn what it costs to live in a skoolie per year, how they’ve figured out how to function as a family in such a small space, and what they’ll do differently in their next bus.
The post The Reality of Living as a Family of 7 in a Skoolie with Contented Nomads – 101 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Kerri reached out to me because she started a meetup group in Edmonton, Alberta that grew to be quite large. She has created a tiny house community where there was none before. Kerri has actually been interested in the tiny house movement for years and finally decided to embark on her own build after several years of being involved in the community. It’s an inspiring story, and we also get to learn more about what the laws are surrounding tiny houses in Canada.
The post From Tiny House Dreamer to Community Organizer and Advocate with Kerri Timbers – #100 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Rather than flying under the radar, Sarah decided to be public about her tiny house and the consequences and resulting actions didn't go the way that she had hoped. This is an important and instructive story for anyone hoping to live tiny legally. I initially met Sarah Hastings at the Big Mass Tiny House Festival, where she was a star participant in the panel discussion on building a tiny house with salvaged materials (episode 094). Sarah's story of going up against the town she lived in and ultimately being forced to leave is why I've asked her back on the show for her own interview.
The post Living Legally: Begging Forgiveness vs. Asking Permission with Sarah Hastings – #099 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Malissa and Chris Tack did one of the first tiny house builds to be fully documented in photographs every day. I remember poring through their daily time-lapses to figure out how they did certain things. Their beautiful design included dormers in the loft, which inspired my tiny house and countless others. Melissa is here to tell us the story of her tiny house journey and how the house has continued to support their family as it has grown
The post How a Tiny House can Support a Growing Family with Malissa Tack – #098 appeared first on The Tiny House.
MJ Boyle is here to talk about how to get sponsors to help you get materials for free for your tiny house. MJ has built several tiny houses this way and it has saved her a LOT of cash. She really has the process dialed in! In this interview, MJ shares how she does it and how you can get started finding sponsored materials for your build.
The post How to Build Your Tiny House for Less Using Sponsored Materials with MJ Boyle – #097 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Andrew Odom is one of the original online tiny housers who started sharing his building journey as it was happening all the way back in 2010. He inspired me while I was building my tiny house, both through his writing and also just by being a really friendly, approachable person who was there to help answer my questions. While Andrew doesn't live tiny anymore, there's a lot to learn from his story. Plus, he has stayed involved in the tiny house movement through organizing tiny house events and festivals and working as the managing editor of Tiny House Magazine.
The post Reflecting on the Tiny House Movement 10 Years Later with Andrew Odom – #096 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Alyssa Nolan is the founder of Tiny Houses for Camp Fire Survivors, which is an organization that is building and giving away tiny houses for the survivors of the devastating wildfire that leveled the town of Paradise, California. Alyssa is actually a wildfire survivor herself, having lost everything in the 2008 Butte Lightning Complex Fire. With no construction experience to start, Alyssa has designed and built 10 tiny houses to give away to fire survivors. In the process, she has developed a model for doing this work efficiently and affordably. Using salvaged camper trailers as the foundations for the tiny houses, Alyssa has figured out how to build super lightweight so as to not exceed the weight limit of the trailers.
The post Alyssa Nolan’s $7000 Tiny Houses for Camp Fire Survivors – #095 appeared first on The Tiny House.
This is a special live recording of a panel discussion that I gave at the Big Mass Tiny House Festival in September of 2019, all about building with reused and salvaged materials. The discussion includes an all-star panel of tiny house DIY builders and dwellers who have done amazing things with reuse and salvage materials. Featuring Alex Eaves, Vera Struck, Sarah Hastings, and Shorty Robbins.
The post Live: How to Build a Tiny House with Salvaged and Reused Materials – #094 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Chris Strathy AKA The Capable Carpenter has jumped headfirst into all aspects of tiny house building. After his first tiny house on wheels "It's OK To Play", he has worked on a horse trailer conversion, a tiny a-frame, and even repaired some damaged tiny homes that needed some love. Chris works with salvaged materials and has an amazing mobile workshop made from a converted camper. We cover it all in this interview.
The post Tiny House Repairs and Creative Conversions with the Capable Carpenter – #093 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Maria Saxton is the first person to have done academic research about the Tiny House Movement, and she decided to explore how the ecological footprint of tiny home downsizes change as a result of going tiny. Now we actually have some science about how tiny houses can be a positive factor for the environment. In our conversation, we dive into her research to learn more. If you’re concerned about the environment and you want to reduce your environmental footprint, or you’re just curious about the impact of tiny houses, give this a listen!
The post Are Tiny Houses Actually Good for the Environment? Maria Saxton, Ph.D. Has an Answer – #092 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lauren and Chris are a husband and wife team of Airbnb entrepreneurs. They own two rental properties in Southern Vermont, one of which is the beautiful Green Mountain Tiny House. They were incredibly intentional about how they set up this tiny house as an Airbnb. If you're thinking about investing in tiny houses as rentals, or you want to make sure your own tiny house will be viable as a rental down the road, this is a great interview to learn about what features it should and shouldn't have to be appealing to travelers.
The post How to Create an Airbnb Tiny House Experience with Lauren Hudson and Chris Krieger – #091 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Backyard cottages (DADUs) are dwellings that share a lot with a primary residence. They provide opportunities for families while increasing housing stock density and diversity. And they are becoming more common as housing costs increase and regulations are eased. Through his company, microhouse, Bruce Parker has been designing DADUs in Seattle for 10 years.
The post 100% Legal Tiny Accessory Dwellings in Seattle: A Look at DADUs with Bruce Parker – #090 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Ariel has lived off-grid in a tiny house in the Wyoming mountains for 6 years now. She has first-hand experience on how to deal with heat, water, and electricity without a reliable connection to the grid or even consistent sunshine. Ariel is a generous guest who offers an inside look at how she has set up the systems in her tiny house.
The post 6 Years of Off-Grid Tiny House Living in Wyoming with Ariel McGlothin #089 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Melissa Gersin is here to tell us the tale of 3 tiny house parking spots in 3 years, one of which resulted in her actual eviction. This is not what we want to think about when we are excited about living in a tiny house, but Melissa has been kind enough to share her story and impart some wisdom to help us all avoid some of the negative experiences that she had with tiny house living.
The post Tiny House Eviction! Avoiding Legal Troubles with Melissa Gersin – #088 appeared first on The Tiny House.
I met Steven at the Vermont Tiny Fest and I was impressed by his contributions to a panel discussion about the future of tiny house trailers. Steven has been in the trailer business for a long time building custom trailers, and so it was only natural that when the tiny house movement took hold he started building custom tiny house trailers. He has some ideas about how we can improve tiny house trailers for the structures that we’re building on them and has noticed some problems with the common designs that are out there for tiny house trailers. It’s a great conversation and you’ll definitely learn something new about trailers! (I didn’t know what torsion axles were until our conversation.)
The post Improving the Tiny House Trailer with Steven Wright – #087 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jonathan Avery of Tiny House Scotland has developed an ingenious system (NestHouse) for building moveable, modular tiny houses. Jonathan shares his philosophy on carpentry and design, and we explore the tiny house scene in Scotland and the United Kingdom.
The post Tiny Houses in the U.K. with Jonathan Avery – #086 appeared first on The Tiny House.
This week, we're back to everyone’s favorite topic: Tiny House Toilets. On the show, I chat with the inventor of the C-Head Compact Composting Toilet, Sandy Graves. This system diverts urine away from the solid waste resulting in a system that requires much less frequent emptying than the classic Jenkins Humanure toilet.
The post Wet vs. Dry Compost Toilets for Tiny Houses – #085 appeared first on The Tiny House.
What does it take to buy and repair a used houseboat and turn it into a successful Airbnb? Nicole Young reached out to me because she was a listener of the show who also happened to have bought two different house boats and retrofitted them to be used as Airbnb hotel rooms. I've been wanting to talk with someone about houseboats for a while, and Nicole was the perfect guest.
The post Tiny Houseboats as Airbnbs with Nicole Young – #084 appeared first on The Tiny House.
This is an exciting time in the tiny house movement, as cities and states across the country are looking at legalizing tiny houses in some form. There are many strategies that advocates of tiny houses are using to push for tiny house legalization. I recently heard from a listener, today’s guest Dan Armstrong, about something called RILUPA, or the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. There have been several examples of churches and nonprofits using this law to legally build tiny house villages. Dan is here to explain what RILUPA is and how it can be used to help forge a path forward for tiny house villages.
The post How This Little-Known Law Can Help Build Legal Tiny House Villages with Dan Armstrong – #083 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Cubist Engineering made a splash with The Sturgis, a gorgeous tiny home built with some very innovative materials like Cross Laminated Timbers. Mike Haney has an engineering background so I asked him to come on the show to explain what CLT’s are and how they can be used for building tiny houses. Plus, a look at Cubist’s transformable trailer that can be converted into a permanent foundation.
The post Transformable Trailers, CLTs, and other Tiny House Innovations with Cubist Engineering’s Mike Haney – #082 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lil Wing is a metal triangle on wheels with a putting green grass landing, and it was the most unique tiny house I saw at last year’s Big Mass Festival. The builder, Chris Schapdick of Tiny Industrial, specializes in smaller tiny homes that are easy to tow. In addition, he is the author of two books about tiny house living. In this conversation, we’ll cover the ins and outs of building towable tiny houses, why Chris decided to share his process on Instructables, and what we can look forward to in his upcoming book release.
The post The Allure of the Roadtrip: Building Towable Tiny Houses with Author Chris Schapdick – #081 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Miranda Aisling is returning to the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast to update us on the upcoming Big Mass Tiny House Festival, and her plans to turn an unused public building in Beverly, Massachusetts into a community art hotel. Plus, what to do when you realize that there are mice living inside your tiny house walls 🐭
The post Organizing a Tiny House Festival with Miranda Aisling – #080 appeared first on The Tiny House.
I learned about Terry’s work through Alexis and Christian of Tiny House Expedition. Terry is in the process of creating an urban tiny house village in Lake Dallas, Texas, in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. After working on this project for some time and running into a lot of red tape, the project is almost done. The Lake Dallas Tiny Home Community will have 13 parking spaces for tiny houses on wheels and a communal washateria (a place to do laundry). There is a lot to learn about how to advocate for tiny houses in this type of zoning structure, and Terry calmly and patiently answered all of my questions about real estate development. I hope you’ll be inspired to use Terry’s knowledge and apply it to your own cities and towns!
The post Real Estate Development and Tiny Houses: How to Build a Tiny House Village with Terry Lantrip – #079 appeared first on The Tiny House.
What natural material has the tensile strength of steel and can grow 12" in a single day? Bamboo! On today's show, I'm chatting with my friend Palo Coleman about alternative and old-school building methods and materials that are better than what we do today. We'll also go in depth on Shou Sugi Ban, which is the (now popular again) technique for preserving wood by burning it.
The post Shou Sugi Ban and Bamboo: Old School Materials and Methods that are Better than Modern Techniques with Palo Coleman – #078 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jewel is leading the conversation on inclusiveness and diversity in the tiny house movement and is a wonderful interview guest. We talk about a wide range of topics, from her own tiny house and the special features inside it, to some issues that persist in our housing and financial systems. There are many problems with housing in the United States, and there’s been systemic racism built into our housing system and financial structures for a long time. I think it’s important that as we build the tiny house movement we do what we can to prevent this movement from reflecting the system at large by keeping these kinds of things in mind, and Jewel has some great suggestions on how we can all move forward.
The post Representation Matters in the Tiny House Movement: Talking Diversity and Inclusion with Jewel Pearson – #077 appeared first on The Tiny House.
On today’s show, we will be exploring the possibility of heating your tiny house with compost. Not long ago, I came across a book called The Compost-Powered Water Heater. It's only about 140 pages and I read it in one sitting. Author Gaelan Brown details the experimentation and the work that has been done in harvesting the heat from a compost pile and using that to heat a greenhouse, barn, or even a hot tub. I was surprised to find out that the author also lives in a tiny house, built on the back of a flatbed truck, named the Dodge Lodge.
The post Can You Heat your Tiny House with Compost? The Compost Powered Water Heater with Gaelan Brown – #076 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Brenda Mason downsized from a 3100 sf, 5 bedroom home to a 310 sf converted motor coach tiny home in just 31 days. Brenda is passionate about helping others downsize their own lives, and she recommends doing it fast! In this conversation, Brenda shares her take and tips on downsizing, plus reflections on the emotional attachments we all have to our stuff.
The post How to Downsize Your Life in 31 Days with Brenda Mason – #075 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lee Pera is an early pioneer in the tiny house movement and she actually helped build the first tiny house community that I ever saw, which was Boneyard Studios in Washington D.C. I wanted to have Lee on the show because she is planning a tour to teach classes in construction project management, and in addition to that, she has a lot of experience building tiny house communities. We’ll talk about why Boneyard Studios ultimately did not succeed, but how it’s all part of her tiny house journey. It’s a really interesting conversation that will teach you and inspire you quite a bit.
The post Empowering Women to Learn Construction Project Management with Lee Pera – #074 appeared first on The Tiny House.
I've been wanting to introduce you to the FIRE movement for quite a long time, and I finally found the guest to do it! If you haven't heard of it, FIRE stands for Financial Independence Retire Early. It's a movement dedicated to extreme savings and investment, and it allows people to retire far earlier than traditional budgets and retirement plans allow. My guest Diania Merriam is both a participant in the movement and is also in the process of organizing a conference to share these ideas. FIRE is very applicable to the tiny house movement and Diania is here to tell us all about it!
The post How a Tiny House Can Help You Become Financially Independent and Retire Early: Introduction to the FIRE movement with Diania Merriam #073 appeared first on The Tiny House.
As I mentioned in my last episode of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast, I just finished teaching a two week design/build course at Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Waitsfield, Vermont. Working alongside other talented instructors was an inspiring experience for me, and a highlight was being able to work with students on framing and sheathing a tiny house on wheels. Teaching this course reminded me how challenging it can be to properly build your tiny house around the wheels of a trailer, so I decided to do a solo episode all about trailers! We’re going to be talking about trailer terminology, different styles of trailers, and also which types of trailers I recommend for building your tiny house on wheels.
The post Tiny House Trailer Types, Tricks and Trouble – #072 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Erin Maile O'Keefe is a talented designer who designed and built the Paper Boat tiny house for herself and her husband, where they live in the backyard of a house that they own. In this conversation we'll break down the Paper Boat design, and in the process, share some of the ways that Erin thinks about designing tiny spaces so that they work for the occupants.
The post Design a Tiny House To Fit Your Lifestyle with Erin Maile O’Keefe – #071 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lindsay and her husband Eric were not expecting to build their tiny home themselves. In fact, they hired a builder expecting the house to be finished for them. Part way through the build, their builder went out of business and they were left with the shell of a 33-foot Gooseneck tiny house on wheels. In this episode, we'll learn what happened from there, Lindsay's tips for working with builders to make sure you don't end up in the same situation that she did, and what Experience Tiny Homes is doing to spread the love for the tiny house movement.
The post What Happens When Your Builder Goes Bankrupt with Lindsay Wood from Experience Tiny Homes – #070 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Sierra Martin decided to skip the expensive rent in Burlington, Vermont and instead built herself a tiny house on wheels. When she started, she had no building skills. Her beautiful home is heated with a pellet stove and features bright, beautiful wood walls and floors. Oh, and Sierra keeps 3 of her 4 bicycles inside!
The post Heating with a Pellet Stove, Getting Outdoors, and Learning to Build with Sierra Martin – #069 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Liberation Tiny Homes combines fine Amish craftsmanship, affordable pricing, and a pretty quick turnaround time to produce a tiny house package that is pretty appealing. They have preset models, they have custom models, and they can work in a range of different sizes and styles. On the show today I’ll ask Matt to give us an inside look at the workings of Liberation Tiny Homes, his tips for working with Gooseneck trailers versus regular flatbed trailers, and how this company (that has built over 60 tiny houses!) has seen the tiny house movement change over the last four years.
The post They’ve Built Nearly 70 Custom Tiny Houses: Inside Liberation Tiny Homes with Matt Meshey – #068 appeared first on The Tiny House.
As tiny houses are getting larger and more similar, my guest Abel Zyl is still building handmade pieces of functional art. He hand builds windows, doors, roofs, and more, and incorporates amazing curves that lend the houses an almost fairytale or dreamlike appearance.
The post Tiny Houses as Functional Art: Abel Zyl on Hand-Building Dreamy, Moveable Tiny Homes #066 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Steven has been involved with the tiny house movement for nearly a decade and is the founder of Tiny House Listings, the world’s most-visited tiny house resource.
The post Inside the Used Tiny House Market with Steven Harrell – #065 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Dee built and moved into her first tiny house on wheels in 2004: Dee’s house, life and memoir The Big Tiny have been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CBS This Morning, Slate.com, Yahoo.com, Yes Magazine, and the National Building Museum, to name a few.
The post The Unexpected Benefits and Challenges of Living Tiny with Dee Williams appeared first on The Tiny House.
Lloyd Kahn is the former shelter editor of The Whole Earth Catalog and editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications. He has published a series of books on building including Shelter and Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter.
The post Lloyd Kahn’s Advice on Building a Home, Reconsidering a Tiny House On Wheels, and Documenting 50 Years of DIY Dwellings appeared first on The Tiny House.
Composting in the city can be a challenge, especially if you don't have any yard to put a compost bin. That's where Vermicomposting comes in. With worms, you can have a completely self-contained compost system in any small space.
The post How to Compost in the City Using Red Worms: A Guide to Vermicomposting with Erika Backberg appeared first on The Tiny House.
Meet Asha Mevlana and her ‘Amplified’ Tiny House. Asha is an electric violinist for the Trans Siberian Orchestra. She has toured with Gnarls Barkley, Dee Snider of Twisted sister and performed regularly on the American Idol show. In 2016 she built her dream "Amplified" tiny house in Fayetteville Arkansas where she hosts tiny deck concerts. She eventually hopes to build a tiny house community for artists and musicians on the land behind her.
The post Musician’s Modular Tiny House Combines Foundation and Trailer appeared first on The Tiny House.
After over 40,000 miles of traveling in her homemade travel trailer with her two kids partner and a dog, Macy Miller has created an online course to help others learn how to live the mobile lifestyle.
The post How to Prepare for a Full Time Mobile Lifestyle with Macy Miller appeared first on The Tiny House.
While building The Gibran Center, Hajjar developed a way of building domes that gained international recognition. He invented equipment and coined the word Aircrete while founding Domegaia to help answer the need for quality low cost housing.
The post How to Build with Aircrete: The Low Cost, Eco-Friendly Building Material of the Future with Hajjar Gibran appeared first on The Tiny House.
What do you do when you can't afford to buy a house in the place you grew up? My guest Zeena Fontanilla and her husband built a DIY Gooseneck Tiny House and now live completely off-grid and mortgage free.
The post Living Off-Grid in Hawaii: Zeena’s DIY Gooseneck Tiny Home for Three – #058 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Kathleen Morton travels and lives part time out of her 1987 Toyota van with her dog Peaches. Kathleen is the founder of Tiny House, Tiny Footprint, a community she created to share stories about those choosing alternative lifestyles, living more environmentally consciously, and spending more time in nature. She is also the co-founder of Vanlife Diaries, a social media and online platform that tells stories and connects vanlifers around the world. You might often find her backpacking in national forest, working on organic farms or climbing canyon walls in the desert. Her book, "Vanlife Diaries: Finding Freedom on the Open Road," comes out April 9 in bookstores. The book celebrates the nomadic lifestyle and community of vanlife through interviews, essential advice for living on the road, and more than 200 photos of tiny rolling homes.
The post Living the Vanlife for the Long Haul: How to Build a Sustainable Lifestyle with Kathleen Morton – #057 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Now that spring has finally come to Vermont, I thought it would be a good time to talk to you about what it's like to live in a tiny house in the winter in the northeastern United States, where temperatures can get as low as 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.In this episode, I'll teach you how to survive a Vermont winter in a tiny house. I cover both what you can do while you're building your tiny house to make it better in the cold, as well as what you can do after you move in.
The post How to Survive a Vermont Winter in a Tiny House – #056 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Isabelle Nagel-Brice is a tiny house consultant, guiding people through the different phases of their builds. She has put together The Healthy Tiny House Kit, which she offers to DIY and professional builders looking to build a chemical free and healthy tiny home with continuous fresh air ventilation. Additionally, A Tiny Good Thing offers building materials and natural practical goods inside and out for living small, intentionally, on or off the grid. Isabelle is passionate about living simply and encouraging others to also have less of an environmental impact.
The post How to Build a Healthy Tiny House with Isabelle Nagel-Brice – #055 appeared first on The Tiny House.
The Humanure Handbook was something of an accidental literary phenomenon. Joe Jenkins began writing the book as a Master of Science in Sustainable Systems thesis in the early 90s. Not content with academic convention, but fascinated with the topic of humanure composting, Jenkins decided to convert the book’s language into a popular format and self-publish the thesis as a book.
The post There’s No Such Thing as a Composting Toilet with Humanure Handbook Author Joe Jenkins – #054 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Derek Handeeman Howlett is a digital entrepreneur in Southern Arizona with his wife Hannah. Together they built a 24’ long tiny house and have been living in it together for the past 2 years completely off grid. He documented his entire Tiny House build and his unique projects on his YouTube channel Handeeman
The post Tiny Off Grid Living in the Arizona Desert with Derek ‘Handeeman’ Howlett – #053 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Bob Lieb has a 56 Year History in Business, manufacturing, commercial real estate and is the developer behind Escalante Village- Colorado’s first Tiny Home Community in Durango Colorado.
The post From Empty Lot to Tiny House Community with Bob Lieb – #052 appeared first on The Tiny House.
After designing, building, and living with her husband in their off-grid tiny house from 2013 to 2017, Jess Sullivan has become a seasoned tiny house dweller, blogger, and inspirational speaker best known throughout New England. She continues to write their blog - Another Tiny House Story - and participate in workshops, presentations, and conferences related to green and tiny living. She has a chapter published in the book Turning Tiny, in which she focuses on the incredible and unanticipated changes in mindset and self-confidence that occurred during this great little adventure. She began the tiny house endeavor looking to shed the unnecessary, but could never have dreamt of what she was to gain.
The post How Tiny House Living Sparked a Life of Entrepreneurship with Jess Sullivan – #051 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Corbett and his wife Grace created and co-host the first TV series about home performance, called Home Diagnosis, which airs on PBS stations nationwide. It features their TinyLab, which they designed and built (and still live in 3 years later) to teach homeowners about the invisible dynamics of physics and chemistry in homes of all sizes.
The post High Performance Building for Tiny Homes with Corbett Lunsford – #050 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Vina Lustado is both a tiny house dweller and a professional designer. Her designs incorporate lots of light and open space, with a focus on how the space is used by the inhabitants. After her tiny homes survived the Ojai wild fires in 2017, Vina has shifted her focus to designing fire resistant tiny homes.
The post Fire Resistant Design for Tiny Houses with Vina Lustado – #049 appeared first on The Tiny House.
David Latimer is the CEO, Founder, and Lead Designer of New Frontier Tiny Homes. Born and raised in Nashville, TN, David has always been fascinated by the form and function of structures, good design, and asking why. David is obsessed with uncompromising quality and perfection and has chosen to translate that philosophy into New Frontier Tiny Homes.
Full notes and links at: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/048
The post “Sexy and Intentional”: How to Design and Build High End Tiny Homes with David Latimer – #048 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jesse Mecham is the founder of YNAB. He teaches individuals, families, and business owners Four Rules for thinking about their money in a whole new way. While broke and a newly married college student, Jesse launched his original software as a spreadsheet...and it made money. (The software has come a long way since then.)
The post How to Save for a Tiny House with YNAB founder Jesse Mecham – #047 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Since completing my tiny house, I’ve changed my heater, hot water heater, and refrigerator. Find out what went wrong and why I decided to make the changes on today’s episode.
The post After Five Years of Tiny Living, What’s Broken and What’s Changed? #046 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Mat & Danielle is the couple behind the Exploring Alternatives YouTube channel. They’re interested in sharing videos about how and why more and more people (including themselves) are choosing to live in vans, tiny houses, and green buildings. They sold their house and their stuff back in 2012 and have been been exploring ever since.
The post Exploring Alternative Lifestyles with Youtubers Mat and Danielle – #045 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Vera holds degrees in art, business and sustainable management. She is disabled, a three-time cancer survivor that began her net zero tiny house journey ten years ago.
The award winning Silver Bullet Tiny House represents an achievement for Vera over her disabilities, her lack of construction experience, and is the embodiment of her sustainable lifestyle design based on bio-mimicry. After graduating from Presidio in 2011, she founded TerraBluTeams, a sustainable lifestyle education Massachusetts 501c3 non-profit that locally produced sustainability cable shows and sustainable lifestyle design classes, curriculum and workshops.
The post How to Build a Tiny House That Breathes: Sustainable Lifestyle Choices and Biomimicry with Vera Struck – #044 appeared first on The Tiny House.
MJ Boyle is a proud and outgoing creator and hostess, published author, accomplished speaker, patented inventor, popular blogger, craigslist stalker, enthusiastic glamper, the Hostess of the Tiny House Podcast; as well a passionate tiny house designer, builder, occupant, and advocate.
The post Build a Tiny House Rental Empire for Cheap on Rented Land with Sponsored Materials – MJ Boyle #043 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jill Kanto, founder of SearchTinyHouseVillages.com, travels to 1 - 2 Tiny House Festivals a month giving speeches about the spectrum of communities, the pros & cons of each community type, resources for joining or starting a community, common mistakes when founding a community & tools for working together efficiently.
The post How to Find a Tiny House Community or Start Your Own with Jill Kanto #042 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Will Johnston is a thought leader and innovator in the micro living world. Over the past four years, his organization has enabled policy change and brought acceptance of micro structures in the Southeast through events, projects and advocacy. His philosophy is allowing people to think outside the box by putting them in one.
The post How to Legalize Tiny Houses in Your City through Advocacy with Will Johnston #041 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Shorty Robbins started her tiny house journey in a tent. Her tiny house, Nawaka, was built to replace the elaborate "tent compound" she sets up at living history events. The house is designed to replicate a small Victorian cottage, but hides all the modern amenities as well As she built her house and learned more about tiny living, she embraced the life and now lives tiny full time, in one century or another....
The post 19th Century Tiny House with a Piano Bed and Hidden Amenities with Shorty Robbins – #040 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Chris DiCroce is an Amazon bestselling author, online educator, and sailor. After six years of living tiny in a sailboat, he, his wife, and dog are continuing their minimalist lifestyle while traveling through Mexico.
The post Living the Tiny House Lifestyle on a Sailboat with Chris DiCroce – #039 appeared first on The Tiny House.
The post The 99% Repurposed Tiny Homestead in Orlando: Extreme Lifestyle Design with Rob Greenfield – #038 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Domenic Mangano is the Senior Designer, Founder and President of Jamaica Cottage Shop, Inc. founded in 1995. With meager beginnings of building dog houses on the side of the road the company is uniquely positioned to supply tiny house kits across North America.
The post The Tiny House Kit You Can Build: Inside the Jamaica Cottage Shop with Domenic Mangano – #037 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Daryl McDonald is a Project Manager and Designer with Nelson Treehouse and Supply, based in Fall City, WA. Daryl has been a professional treehouse builder for over 18 years. He is the "crafty veteran" of the crew, having been involved in over 250 builds throughout the US and in 7 different countries.
The post Build a Tiny House in the Trees with Treehouse Masters’ Daryl McDonald – #036 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Michael Fuehrer from Navigationnowhere has been living in his tiny house school bus for just over two years and is passionate about supporting and developing the buslife community. Over the past two years, what started as a summer road trip in a bus has now turned in to more than 50,000 miles where he now helps build, consult and, write about how others can live the buslife.
The post How to Convert a School Bus to a Tiny House on Wheels and Why You’d Want To with Michael Fuehrer – #035 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Abby is the founder and CEO of Tiny Estates, the worlds largest solely tiny house on wheels community.
The post How Abby Hobson Created the Worlds Largest Legal Tiny House Community – #034 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Andrew Bennett Owns Trekker Trailers and CoOwns Core Housing Solutions. He Co founded Buildsworth.com a Tiny house inspection service. He’s been Featured on HGTV, DIY network, FYI and more, and recently gave a TedX talk on how living Tiny can make for an extraordinary life.
The post How to Build an Affordable Tiny House with Andrew Bennett – #033 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Brynn blogs at The Mama On The Rocks about how she and her husband live tiny with their two kids and pup. They made the move to simplify to afford to Roadschool their extreme children and focus on reclaiming the joy that life should be about.
The post How to Road School Your Extreme Children in a Tiny House with Brynn Burger #032 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Meet Jayme and John from Gnomad Home. They left the stability of their9-5 life in the burbs' for the unpredictable life of adventure living out of a 1996 Chevy Express van they built into a tiny house. Their passion is helping others, so they build a website that shows others how they too can build their own adventure mobile to pursue whatever dreams and goals they have for themselves.
The post How to Sell Everything, Build a Van, and Explore the World with Jayme and John Serbell – #031 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Felice Cohen became famous when a video of her 90 square foot Manhattan apartment went viral on YouTube. Despite suffering a panic attack on her first night in the loft, Felice quickly found that living small had massive benefits. But you have to know the answer to the question: “what is you’re why”? In this episode, Felice shares her top 5 tips that could help you get rid of 35 things THIS week.
The post How to Downsize and Organize: Lessons from living in 90sf with Felice Cohen – #030 appeared first on The Tiny House.
What do tiny houses have to do with travel? In this conversation with Jason, we’ll talk about 7 ways that living tiny can help you travel more. Even if long term travel isn’t your goal, if you’re hoping to one day live tiny, don't miss this conversation!
The post 7 Lessons From The Tiny House Movement That Will Help You Travel The World – #029 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Do you want to learn how to save up to 80% on everything you buy for your tiny house? Then this is the interview for you! My guests Steven and Sarahi tell their story of downsizing from a 2,000SF house and a life of overconsumption to a beautiful 350sf “mega” tiny house on wheels.
The post How to Price Hack Your Tiny House and Save 30-80% on Your Build with Steven and Sarahi Mejia – #028 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Andrew & Gabriella Morrison are the creators of the hOMe tiny house, TinyHousePlans.com, TinyHouseBuild.com, and co-authors of Tiny House Appendix Q. They live 9 months out of the year on their 42' sailboat cruising the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez.
The post What is home? Musings on the tiny life, family, and adventure with Andrew and Gabriella Morrison – #027 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Volstrukt’s Zac Siegler is here to talk about benefits, disadvantages, and cost differences of a steel framed tiny houses. Having spent the last 3 years involved in the structural decisions made when building a mobile tiny house, Zac Siegler and his team at Volstrukt are the specialists when it comes to laser-precise, industrial strength framing solutions combined with lightning fast installation.
The post Introduction to Steel Framed Tiny Homes – #026 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Hilarie built her tiny house on wheels over the course of three years in central NJ. After moving into her dream tiny house in September of 2017, she bought her road companion and best friend, Crusher the mini pig and traveled over 16,000 miles in over 22 states and Canada. She is currently Event Coordinator for TinyFest California and TinyFest NorthWest and is parked in a small town in the north Bay Area is California.
The post She Travels the Country in a Tiny House with a Mini Pig named Crusher: Tales of Tiny Life with Hilarie Kaczetow – #025 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Teresa Baker believes in harnessing the power of community to achieve big , and tiny, accomplishments! She's the cofounder of LATCH Collective which is a support network for DIY builders. She also leads advocacy efforts in LA and Statewide with the American Tiny House Association. In her spare time she's working on her own self-built tiny, the BakonBox, attending carpentry school, or playing roller derby.
The post How to Advocate for Tiny House Legalization: Los Angeles LATCH Collective’s Teresa Baker – #024 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Building a tiny house may be the biggest single project you ever take on. Big projects require more than just checklists. Enter: Project Management. Joel Zaslofsky is a simple living enthusiast and Project Management extraordinaire, and he's here to answer the question, "how do I project manage my tiny house build?"
The post Project Management 101: Planning Your Tiny House Like a Pro With Super Curator, Joel Zaslofsky – #023 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Jenna built a Tiny House 4 years ago, traveled with it for one year, and has been parked in a Tiny House Community in Oregon for the past two years. She also travels abroad often and rents out her TIny House when she is away.
The post Living in a Tiny House Stinks (Sometimes): Tiny Living 4 Years Later with Jenna Spesard – #022 appeared first on The Tiny House.
John and Fin Kernohan founded the United Tiny House Association, which has organized eight for-charity tiny house festivals – including the World’s 3 largest tiny house events. They have been living for six and a half years in their DIY off-grid 304sqft Beloved Cabin. They also own the famous Tiny Firehouse, which is their tribute tiny house honoring firefighters, plus a yurt, gypsy wagon and skoolie.
The post Introducing The Power Couple that Organizes the Country’s Biggest Tiny House Festivals, John and Fin Kernohan – #021 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Meet Jake and Kiva, the power couple behind the popular Tiny Nest Project youtube channel. The Tiny Nest Project started as a conversation in 2012 after watching a documentary on tiny homes. After a period of research and money-saving, they moved to Kiva’s family farm and began building. Jake and Kiva have now switched from working as an electrician and in high end retail respectively, to taking care of horses, running a youtube channel, and doing 3D rendering and 3D tours of tiny houses.
The post Designing Your Tiny House in Sketchup Viewing it in 3D with Tiny Nest’s Jake and Kiva – #020 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Rev. Faith Fowler is the Senior Pastor of Cass Community United Methodist Church and Executive Director of Cass Community Social Services (CCSS), a Detroit nonprofit that is in the process of building 25 different Tiny Homes for the homeless in Detroit. Photo by Diane Weiss.
The post She’s Giving Away 25 Tiny Houses: How Rev. Faith Fowler Catalyzes Equity Through Her Unique Tiny Homeownership Program – #019 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Mike Garofalo lives the #vanlife and is the former Tesla Lead Solar Installer. We'll chat sizing your solar system, batteries, charge controllers, and more nerdy but important things.
The post How to Plan Your Off-Grid Solar Tiny House with Tesla’s Former Lead Solar Installer Mike Garofalo – #018 appeared first on The Tiny House.
What are the benefits of building a tiny house with SIPs? How should you approach designing for SIPs? Are SIPs a safe material for chemically sensitive people? These questions and more in my interview with Patrick Sughrue from Artisan Tiny House.
The post The Surprising Benefits of Building a SIPs Tiny House with Patrick Sughrue – #017 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Carmen is a retired chef and restaurant owner who has lived with her husband and dog in 125 sq ft since 2014. She is a speaker, author, and coach helping people navigate the transition to life in a tiny home – especially the kitchen.
The post How to Cook Like a Pro in Your Tiny House Kitchen with Carmen Shenk – #016 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Getting insurance for your tiny house on wheels hasn't always been possible, but now there's a company that has set out to bring homeowners style insurance to the tiny house market. My guest Martin Burlingame is the CEO of Tiny House Insurance. We learn all about tiny house insurance, plus your questions!
Notes and links: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/insurance
The post Tiny House Insurance Q&A with Martin Burlingame – #015 appeared first on The Tiny House.
It’s not just about finances. Though many people are drawn to tiny house living for the financial benefits, living tiny has a way of changing the way you look at everything in your life. Living tiny for 3.5 years has had a lasting impact on my guest, Alek Lisefski. In this conversation, we’ll talk about those changes, plus what Alek learned from having two significant relationships in a tiny house.
Notes and links: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/alek
The post How Tiny House Living can Shape Your Relationships, Career, and Life with Alek Lisefski – #014 appeared first on The Tiny House.
If you’ve never heard of Kent Griswold, you’re probably mistaken! Kent runs the near-ubiquitous TinyHouseBlog and publishes the monthly Tiny House Magazine. In our wide-ranging conversation, we’ll talk about where Kent sees the movement going, plus what kind of tiny house he hopes to one day live in. Kent is a thoughtful, knowledgeable guest, and you’re sure to learn something about the movement from this interview.
Notes and Links: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/kent
The post Chronicling the Tiny House Movement with Tiny House Magazine Publisher Kent Griswold – #013 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons are the darlings of the tiny house movement. Their little house has been featured in countless news stories, a children’s book, and if you’ve attended one of the large national tiny house events, chances are you’ve seen it in person!
They are also documenting the movement, through the multi-part Living Tiny Legally documentary series. As a result, Alexis and Christian are connected to the pulse of the movement and what’s happening in it.
As the most traveled tiny house (currently around 40,000 miles), Christian and Alexis are in a unique position to document how well these little houses hold up to the stresses of life on the road. I’ll as them what has worked in the house, and what they’d do differently if they planned to build another moveable house for long-term travel.
Links and notes at: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/expedition
The post Documenting the Legalization of Tiny Homes from the Worlds most Travelled Tiny House with Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons – #012 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Emily Gerde and her husband Justin, son Wyatt, three cats and one dog live in a 325 square foot tiny house on wheels. What's it like raising a minimalist family with plans to grow in tiny house? How do you keep the intake of stuff to a minimum while creating an enriching experience for your children? I'll ask Emily those questions and more.
Notes and Links: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/emily
The post Living the Minimalist Family Life: 3 People, 3 Cats, and a Dog in a 325sf Tiny House On Wheels with Emily Gerde – #011 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Are you considering heating your tiny house with wood? My guest today is Nick Peterson from TinyWoodStove.com. We’ll talk about what the common installation mistakes Nick sees with tiny house wood stoves, how do you handle keeping your house warm when the stove goes out, installation tips, and more.
Show notes and links: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/nick
The post Tiny House Wood Stoves: Installation, Maintenance, and Lifestyle with Nick Peterson – #010 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Today my guest is Jody Brady. In 2014, after living in a series of traditionally scaled houses, Jodi and her husband Bill decided it was time to "right-size" their living space. They designed and built our tiny home in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia, and the've been living tiny for two and a half years.
In this interview, we get into what it’s like to go tiny as a couple at retirement age, but who certainly aren’t “retired” in the traditional sense. We’ll talk about what “rightsizing” is and how you can get rid of things that you no longer need that are standing in your way.
View notes and links from this episode: https://www.thetinyhouse.net/jody
The post How to Rightsize Your Life and Retire to a Tiny House with Jody Brady – #009 appeared first on The Tiny House.
In this episode, Jenn Baxter shares some of her techniques to help you start decluttering and downsizing, and tells the “buyer beware" story of her tiny house.
Jenn Baxter is an accomplished author, speaker and blogger based in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2015, Jenn launched her website, Live a F.A.S.T. Life, based on her own experiences with clean living and downsizing into a 160-square- foot tiny house. Jenn also has a “buyer beware” story to share about her house, so if you’re thinking about hiring a builder, definitely pay attention!
The post Decluttering, Downsizing, and Bad Builders with Jenn Baxter – #008 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Michael Janzen established TinyHouseDesign.com all the way back in 2008. Janzen is a prolific designer, offering tiny house plans in many different shapes and sizes. I’m particularly excited about this conversation because Michal has been around since the beginning of the modern tiny house movement, so he’s seen lots of changes, plus lots of potential.
The post Michael Janzen on the Tiny House Movement and 10 Years of TinyHouseDesign.com – #007 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Ella is a Harpist, artist and singer/songwriter in the Bay Area who lived in 120 sq feet with 2 people and a big floppy dog for over 5 years. Ella was an early blogger in the tiny house movement, and was an early inspiration for me while I was building my own house.
The post 5 Harps in a Tiny House with Ella Dawn Jenkins – #006 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Miranda Aisling's mission is to reconnect art to daily life, a purpose you can see throughout her work as an interdisciplinary artist, community organizer, and entrepreneur. She built her tiny house, Aubergine, as a public art project in 2015 with the help of the community of Miranda's Hearth.
The post The Wonderful World of Miranda’s Hearth: Living a life full of art, finding community, and tiny House Festivals with Miranda Aisling – #005 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Alex is a reuse expert who embodies the reuse lifestyle. In 2008, Eaves began what he calls “the reuse life;” avoiding disposables and finding reuse solutions for his needs and wants. He recently completed a ~100 square foot box truck made from nearly 100% reusable materials. You won't believe what it cost!
The post Reuse Expert Alex Eaves Built a Tiny House Box Truck for WHAT!? – #004 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Deek Diedricksen tiny house and tree house Author, builder, designer, and workshop host- former HGTV host of "Tiny House Builders" and "Extreme Small Spaces”. Just don't get all "tinier than thou" on him!
The post Deek Diedricksen on Teaching Tiny, Developing Creativity, and DIY Salvage Tips – #003 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Ariel Mcglothin lives in an off-grid tiny house called Fy Nyth nestled into the western mountains of Wyoming, a little over 6,000 feet above sea level. She splits her own wood for heat, carries her water in by hand, and grows as much of her food as she can. If you're at all interested in tiny house off-grid living, don't miss this conversation with Ariel.
The post Off Grid Tiny House Living in a Cold Climate IS Possible Ariel Mcglothin Shows us How – #002 appeared first on The Tiny House.
Macy Miller built a gooseneck tiny house on wheels that became internet famous, and has raised her two children there with her partner and Great Dane, Denver. Then she decided that it was too big. Now Macy is traveling the country in an 84sf homemade travel trailer called Lil' Beastie.
The post Tiny House Family Living: Macy Miller on Traveling the Country with her Family of Five – #001 appeared first on The Tiny House.