TINY HOUSE

A Tiny House Blog Publication

FOR MICRO, TINY, SMALL, AND UNCONVENTIONAL HOUSE ENTHUSIASTS

www.tinyhousemagazine.co

VOLUME 5 :: ISSUE 49
 Table Of Contents

ONTENTS FEATURES

10 I Quit!
So many tiny housers talk about how to heat
their homes, how to keep moisture down, and
how to keep all systems in check. Sometimes
the weather gets the best of us though and
makes us run for the hills shouting, “I quit!”

22 5 Minutes With Angela

Angela Alcorn has been present on the stage
of the Tiny House Jamboree, she is a blogger,
a tiny house advocate, and an outspoken
liaison between builders and clients. Five
minutes with her is just a glimpse inside
someone with supreme hope and no nonsense.

25 Being Part Of The Whole

Author Emily Gerde often tells folks her
family has been late to the tiny house game.
Truth is, they are far, far ahead as they are
now strong voices on the power of living
small.

43 What’s Your Story?

Coffee? Tiny house? Colorado landscape?
Count us in!

MONTHLY
14 Builder of the Month

37 One To Watch

42 Seen & Scene

80 The Last Call

 Editor’s Letter
H APPY NEW YEAR!
As we welcome the new year in
In this issue there are several
stories of people making the
transition from a larger home to a
we usually take the time to step
smaller one and what it takes to
back and make some new plans.
get there. There is also a story of
With a new year comes new
someone using a tiny house as a
goals, such as getting control of
business: a welcoming coffee
our finances, decluttering our
shop built on a tiny house base.
lives, and maybe making the big
step to downsize our living
In addition, learn how to stay
quarters.
warm and make sure your house
is prepared for the harshness of

“New year,
This photo of me and a statue in
winter and what you can expect
downtown Bend, Ore. shows it is
to learn in a tiny house
important to sit back and take
workshop.

new goals, stock of how we can better our

lives. It may be by increasing our
income by reducing other things
Enjoy these articles and so much

finances, in our life.

more in this issue of Tiny House
Magazine.

declutter, Your Friend,

downsize!” EMAIL: tinyhousemagazine@gmail.com

TWITTER: @kentgriswold
Ke n t
PUBLISHER/
FOUNDER
MONTHLY
CONTRIBUTORS
DON’T
Kent Griswold Christina Nellemann
FORGET
Tammy Strobel
MANAGING
Logan Smith Tiny House
EDITOR
Joshua Becker
Magazine is available
Gabriella Morrison
Andrew M. Odom Malissa Tack for both the iPad and the Kindle devices.
Lora Horton Higgins Just visit our website and choose which
version you’d like to subscribe to! Issues are
published monthly.
 Contributors
JANUARY 2017

THOM AND MIDGE STANTON are co-founders of

the Housing Development Institute in Ashland,
Ala. In recent years they have downsized from their
traditional 2,000 sq.ft. home into their "transitional tiny
house," a large 300 sq.ft. 5th wheel RV. Together for
over 26 years, the Stantons downsized again in
October, and now live with their two dogs and a cat in
their wee little 98 sq.ft. 5th wheel RV at their new
manufacturing facility in Ashland.

EMILY GERDE and her family embarked on their

tiny house journey August of 2015 as they started
building their tiny house on wheels with contractor Jim
Wilkins at Tiny Green Cabins. A former educator,
daycare provider and a current gymnastics coach and
homeschooling/unschooling mom, Emily and her
husband, Justin, and son, Wyatt, live in a 350 sq.ft. tiny
house with their black lab, Sabbath, and their four cats.
Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

LORA HIGGINS is a blogger, coach and public

speaker dedicated to helping other people live more
intentional lives full of passion and purpose. Check out
her e-course, Dream BIG! Live Life on Purpose, a
course that helps others uncover their dreams and
pursue their goals or follow her blog.

FEFE DURAN is a small business owner and an avid

crafter who is currently having her tiny house on
wheels built. Based in Wilmington, NC, she plans to
not only live the tiny life, but also run multiple
businesses out of her home. She shares her journey on
her lifestyle blog.
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Corinne Watson, owner and co-founder of Tiny
Homes of Maine, has a vision. She’d like to start a
Tiny Home Eco Village, and she’d like it to be in
Windham, ME, where the company is based.
The main goal of such a village would be to provide
what Corinne calls “keep your paycheck housing,”
where even the size of the home allows the
homeowner to live more sustainably and affordably.
Here vision includes net zero tiny homes that utilize
increasingly affordable solar energy and geothermal
technology.
Her idea is supported by her husband Tom—a home
designer—which also gave her the idea to launch
Tiny Homes of Maine. While they both have day jobs
and balance raising three young children and building
gorgeous tiny homes, they are committed to
Corinne’s dream.
The couple launched the business in August 2016
with a grand opening at a local business called My
Sister’s Garage. Hundreds of people attended and
even waited in line to walk through the couple’s first
tiny house build, and for good reason.
Tom designs the homes creating a 3D model and
virtual tours using CAD programs. He designs homes
custom to whatever the client wants and they can see
their space before construction starts. Whether it’s a
family of five or a single person, Corinne is confident
they can come up with a design that best fits the
client and their budget. Tiny Homes of Maine uses
high end materials and windows to ensure their
homes are super efficient and can hold up to Maine's
harsh winter conditions with ease.
Corinne confesses that part of what drives her is her
lifelong love for small, cozy spaces. She feels like
those types of spaces allow for less room to
accumulate clutter. Beyond even that though is
Corinne and Tom’s belief that everyone deserves an
opportunity to own their own home without being
held captive by an inflated mortgage. The couple
wants to help people enjoy a simple lifestyle and they
are starting with their own!
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Roxul wool insulation in the walls is not

only great for keeping the house warm and
cool, but is also a great sound barrier!
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11.5' ceiling in the living room area makes the home feel spacious.

This half of the kitchen includes: American

walnut butcher block countertop, 30' deep
basin SS under mount sink, two burner
propane cooktop with range hood and a
washer/dyer combo!
 FOR MICRO, TINY,
SMALL, AND
UNCONVENTIONAL
HOUSE ENTHUSIASTS

SUBSCRIBE NOW
“I quit!”
“Why on earth did I ever think living in a tiny house
was a good idea?”
“I wonder if I could just sell this house and move into
an apartment next month.”
These are all statements that left my mouth last
month…no really, I almost quit the tiny house life
this past month. It’s not that I don’t love my tiny
house, I do. And it’s not even that I want more space,
I really don’t. It’s just that sometimes tiny living is
tough and messy. And sometimes when life gets
tough and messy it’s easy to second guess ourselves
and look for an easy way out of the situation. So
maybe you are wondering how I got to this point…
well, it started with a vacation.
During the month of November, I went on vacation
with my mom. It was a fun cruise we had been
planning for almost a year and I couldn’t wait. I left
my tiny house parked in it’s cozy little spot at my RV
park in Colorado, and I hit the road. But before I left,
I took all the precautions I could think of to winterize
my home. I turned off my water, turned on my heat
and left an extra set of keys with a friend “just in
case.” The problem was, it didn’t go quite as planned,
in fact it turns out that my vacation while fun, was
somewhat of a disaster, at least for my tiny house.
I stopped by the office at my RV park when I
returned home to collect my mail, and three days on a
warm sandy beach were instantly obliterated by the
words, “I think you have a leak in your house.” My
deepest fears were confirmed when I pulled into my
spot and saw icicles under the house. It turns out that
when I returned from my dream cruise, I walked back
into a nightmare complete with a frozen sewer line, a
backed up toilet and a flooded bathroom.
As I looked around my house, I felt overwhelmed,
exhausted and completely defeated. I am not too
proud to say when I walked in my house I broke
down in tears. I mopped up the water, put down
towels and headed to the nearest hotel. I just didn’t
have the energy to face a flooded house at 5:00 in the
evening before I had even had time to unpack.
I returned the next day to really assess the damage
and figure out what I needed to do to correct the
problem. Luckily for me I found a plumber who was
willing to make a weekend call. He came out, looked
at the damage and promptly helped me fix the
problem, which turned out to be a cracked fitting on
my pipe under the house (most likely caused by the
extreme cold weather that hit Colorado while I was at
the beach).
It turns out that when you turn off your water to your
tiny house, if you have a 50 foot hose there is most
likely some residual water in the line that can’t be
drained just by turning on the faucets. When
temperatures dip into the single digits, that water has
nowhere to go except into the house. Even that would
be okay if your sewer line didn’t freeze and the water
The extreme Colorado
weather caused ice spears
where the water was now
leaking.
 PolyPro foam board skirting now wraps the author’s tiny
house. (inset) The new floor in the bathroom looks even
had somewhere to drain back out of the house.
However, if all of those things happen, you might
find yourself with a fresh water flood (I was just
thankful that it was fresh water and not black water
that flooded the bathroom!).
The good news is that everything was fixed with a
call to a plumber, some elbow grease and a few hours
on Pinterest scouring flooring and redecorating
options. My cork flooring has been replaced (or I
should say is in the process of being replaced), by
“luxury vinyl planking” and the entire home feels
fresh and new. I’ve also taken some additional
precautions for the Colorado winter.
My tiny house now has beautiful skirting (ok, not
beautiful at all, but completely necessary!) and a
small heater underneath that keeps my sewer lines
from freezing and ensures that any water that enters
the house has somewhere to go. I even added an
additional space heater in the bathroom to help keep
the temps up at night, which not only ensures the
better than the original!
lines won’t freeze, but also makes it nice and toasty
for my morning shower.
I’ve been in my tiny house for more than two years
now, and most of the time I love it. At least I did,
until I moved to Colorado. Colorado winters have
made living in my tiny house a bit of a challenge.
The truth is, this flood made me question why I had
picked this lifestyle. I started looking at all the
“advantages” more conventional living offered and it
made me want to quit this tiny life I’ve created.
But I am glad I didn’t quit when things got messy,
because here is what I realized, life is messy and
tough in any size house. There are always
maintenance problems, little things to be fixed and
occasional updates that need to be made. The good
news is that in my tiny house an entire flooring
renovation is manageable in terms of time and
money. This disaster helped me remember why I love
this lifestyle and why it’s the right choice for me
right now.
 Tracks of an old Frontier shepherd life: 

Great Basin Basques

Click to watch
on YouTube

“What is a Basque?,” asked Orson Welles in his 1955 television travelogue. “All we know for sure
is what a Basque is not. Besides not being French or Spanish, a Basque is not Mediterranean,
Alpine, Celtic, Magyar, nor Scandinavian… No one knows who his ancestors were, according to
him Adam and Eve were pure Basque. He was in Europe before the other Europeans came along.
To this day he speaks his own weird language, a tongue no expert has ever been able to trace.”

Today, in states like Idaho there are thousands of Basque Americans many of whose ancestors
immigrated here a century ago to herd sheep. Henry Etcheverry is one of the last of the Basque
sheepmen. His father, Jean Pierre, immigrated in 1929 from the Basque Country (a region in the
Pyrenees partly in Spain and partly in France).

“My father back when he came to the country at that time there was a great migration from the
Pyrenees from both sides of the border, from Spain and France, coming here to the United States
to work in the sheep business. He came at 16 years old. It was way different then. He used to tell
me there were close to 100 million people and 55 million sheep.”

Now 66-years-old, Etcheverry still works his sheep ranch—built up by his father and himself with
permits to graze thousands of acres in Idaho and Wyoming—but these days, his shepherds aren’t
Basque. “My shepherds are from Peru and this is an opportunity for them to come here and better
their lives,” he explains. “They’re here and it’s quite a sacrifice.”

https://youtu.be/hY6JNQ9yAkU
Kirsten Dirksen is co-founder of faircompanies.com and a Huffington Post blogger. She 

has worked for MTV, Oxygen, The Travel Channel, and Sundance Channel.
Builder Of
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Andrew Odom: Housing Development Institute
sounds so academic. Is it a school? Is it an
initiative? How are people supposed to look at it?
Thom Stanton of the Housing Development
Institute: First off, the Housing Development
Institute... okay, the name is long and stodgy, so let's
just call it HDI for short... or is that "for tiny”?
HDI was setup as a means of providing support
for our local economy and growth of the tiny house
industry at large. Our team's goals, plans, and
capabilities are broad, yet focused, and include:
Advocation, Education, Incubation, Construction,
Communication, and Unification. When you tie it all
together—especially as a not-for-profit with a focus
on fostering personal, professional, and community
growth—“institute” seemed the best fit for a tiny
house group with such big dreams.
Production from HDI's facility will be through
multiple in-house product lines including All-
American Tiny House Company for more portable
RV-like units, GoTiny for Tiny House RVs as
residences, and Timber Trails offering more
customized tiny houses in park model sizes and
prefabricated cabins and cottages as modular
dwellings.
We are a business incubator, and hope to foster the
growth of other companies whose units are produced
here as well. Stay tuned to HDI for more on the
collaborative partnerships we have in the works.
AO: So what's your role for HDI?
TS: I am the General Manager for HDI, which is a
newly formed division of the Ashland Housing
Development Corporation (AHDC). My wife,
Midge, and I work together side-by-side every day.
Ashland is small town in Alabama, with the Clay
County Courthouse in the middle of our town square.
AHDC is a key component of the local community
as it manages seven affordable housing communities
Month
with 254 small units supporting about 375 residents
on average each year. We hope to add a lease-
purchase option to our mix of affordable housing
inventory, helping bridge interminable renters into
tiny homeowners.
Unlike our prior residence, where state and local
officials suppressed tiny house builders and
homeowners, we are working with the state to
support its Made in Alabama initiative, and my boss
is the local Municipal Housing Authority. Thanks to
my efforts with codes and zoning for tiny houses,
I've been recently dubbed the "Tiny Housing
Authority."
AO: How did you come to this position?
TS: Over the past four years, my wife (Midge) and I
downsized as our kids reached adult age, and sold
our 2,000 sq.ft. home this past year. In July, we
moved into our "transitional tiny house”—a 34’, 300
sq.ft., 4-season 5th wheel RV—and hit the road.
We did it! We crossed that ever-so-elusive threshold
for downsizing, minimizing, and simplifying our
lives as full-timers. We were living the dream,
traveling with our two dogs and a cat while working
from the road designing tiny houses through our
business, Timber Trails. It was great to have a brief
break from the hustle, with many nice moments of
true relaxation, and an ability to celebrate our 26th
anniversary from the comfort of our RV within 20
paces from a white sand beach on the Gulf. Ahh...
But Midge and I are best friends and entrepreneurs at
heart. We agreed that if the right opportunity
presented itself, we would consider making another
run at the entrepreneurial mountain. That opportunity
came faster than expected when we attended the first
annual Southeast Tiny Home Festival here in
Ashland, just six weeks later.
Our travels were almost a ministry, and arriving in
Ashland the pieces quickly fell into place. Three
months later, we have a 10,000 sq. ft. facility, a
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custom home builder on-staff, and community
support to develop HDI into a technical skills
training center, business incubator, and production
facility.
Ours is a dream job, and to honor this "God's Path"
opportunity, we gladly moved here and are building
up this bootstrap startup business. So much for the
simple life. :)
AO: Have you ever built a tiny house before or
are you “winging” it?
TS: When holding a hammer, I am at least an 11th
generation builder who learned from my grandfather,
a custom home builder in Atlanta, and my father, for
whom I was daddy's little helper on many fixer-
uppers. My mom turned me on to architecture as a
child, and I used to sketch exteriors while my folks
took home tours.
For the past four years, I've run Timber Trails, a
small space design company focused on sustainable
structures using "green building" techniques to
construct cabins, cottages, and tiny houses. I'm a
huge fan of structural insulated panels (SIPs), and
have designed several small cabins, cottages, and
tiny houses that use SIPs in lieu of the more
standardized stick-built construction (not that I'm
judging :) )
For hands-on-building, we worked on several
workshop projects and helped our client-turned-
friend, actor Seth Numrich, build his 18' SIP-based
tiny house on wheels. Our build of Seth's Place was
showcased on the Tiny House for a Traveling Actor
episode of DIY's Tiny House Big Living program.
Many helped from time to time, but Seth and I built
most everything by hand in his SIP shelled tiny
house.
While I like to play in the sawdust, my professional
role in construction is being our primary "pixel
pusher," building CAD models, developing
production plans, and marketing the business. Our
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in-house builder, Randy Benefield, is a local custom
home builder who needs little more than a sense of
the overall vision to produce "built-right" tiny homes
that remain safe, efficient, and affordable...not to
mention attractive.
As my blogs suggest, I'm a long-time advocate for
building tiny houses "by code." We're having HDI's
fabrication and manufacturing facility certified for
production of RV, PMRV, and THRV units. As an
educational facility, we offer dual certification
capabilities for turnkey and DIY units using Pacific
West Tiny Houses and NOAH Certified for
individual unit inspection, compliance recording, and
final certification.
AO: In your opinion what makes HDI so special?
TS: HDI’s slogan is "Enabling a Workforce to Build
Community."
There are many fantastic tiny house builders in the
market, and I'm a huge fan of their work. While we
plan to build tiny houses for sale commercially, we
are a not-for-profit entity through which all income
returns to covering cost, funding the expansion of
our educational facility, and supporting tiny house
community development programs throughout the
region.
And then there's location-location-location. Ashland,
Alabama, is laid back, bucolic, and known as the
City of Friends. Clay County is nicely centered in the
Southeast within two hours drive from over six
million people from major metro areas. Being so
close to tiny house people in Atlanta, Columbus,
Birmingham, Montgomery, and Chattanooga, we
plan to hold regular workshops and seminars, as well
as host DIY builds at our facility. Workshop
participants and DIYers will have easy access to
tools, space, and experienced design and
construction staff.
To that end, we recognize that many tiny house
homeowners become professional designers and
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builders. HDI offers a bootstrap incubator program
that we hope helps develop a cottage industry of tiny
house builders in the area. At 10,000 sq.ft, HDI's
facility is large enough for several concurrent builds
under roof, and our facility is the first in an area
designated as the Ashland Industrial Park. Economic
development is encouraged, we are sited along
convenient trucking routes, and there's plenty of
room for expansion.
HDI is headquartered in a tiny house friendly
community. We're working with county planners and
city administrators to establish new "tiny friendly"
zoning ordinances that will allow THOWs to be used
as fully permissible permanent residences. Enabling
THOWs to gain a Certificate of Occupancy within
city limits is the "Golden Ticket" that sets applicable
precedent for other area throughout the country for
legal habitation in a tiny house. As a division of the
local Housing Authority, official acceptance of
Month
THOWs is actively encouraged for use as resort,
recreational, and residential dwellings.
So, what makes HDI so special? Educational
opportunities for DIY and pro tiny house builders to
develop trade skills and work in concert; business
incubation for start-ups supporting turnkey tiny
house design and construction; affordable land with
tiny-friendly zoning ordinances that open the door
for tiny houses in recreational and residential
community development programs. All of the above
and much more.
When the offer came to establish the Housing
Development Institute, it truly seemed so special that
we joyously said: "YES!"
AO: Has TimberTrails dissolved due to HDI or
are you balancing it all?
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TS: 90 percent of my waking hours are spent
working to launch HDI, build its business, offer
workshops, attend events, draft zoning ordinances,
and work as an advocate as Alabama's State Chapter
Leader for the American Tiny House Association.
Thanks to the incubator aspect of our business and
having an on-site custom builder, Timber Trails
returns to its original offering of high-quality
prefabricated cabin, cottage, and tiny house models
using timber framing, SIPs, and a mashup of other
sustainable building techniques.
Our current thoughts are to offer Timber Trails
products as a high-line to compliment our GoTiny
THOWs and All-American line of Tiny House RVs.
AO: So HDI is new, and it sounds like you have
so much to offer? Where do you plan to start?
TS: Yes, the Housing Development Institute is new,
but we have decades of experience. To help spread
the word, we are planning to attend a number of tiny
house events, around which we are going to offer an
Month
open house in early 2017 with workshops throughout
the year.
From a construction perspective, we are going to
build tiny house shells at the onset to develop skills
in our local workforce and introduce coached DIY
construction on-site at our facility. Thanks to past
projects, we have a good library of options for
alternate designs and custom components that can be
incorporated into future turnkey tiny house projects.
Our goal is to have several builds in the works by
summer, with a "maker-space" hum of activity
by our second annual Southeastern Tiny Home
Festival in October.
AO: Who can work at the HDI center? You
currently have a high school student putting in
hours, correct?
TS: HDI is a bootstrap startup with a solid
foundation, but funds for additional employment are
currently limited.
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We have a high school senior working with us, and before you buy" into the whole tiny house
plan to work with college students through local experience.
university Architecture and Building Science
programs. Seasoned professionals from other Our locally hosted Southeastern Tiny Home Festival
vocations are welcome to join us and learn new job in October will include Seashore and others built by
skills. Since we are open to sharing our space with our team, some student-built tiny house projects, and
DIY tiny house builders and professional contractors, models built by other tiny house builders.
HDI's family of incubated businesses will expand
along with employment opportunities. Live Large -- Go Tiny!

Stay tuned to our website for details, job openings,

and employment applications.

AO: Y’alls first build is a beautiful seaside

cottage. What inspired that design?

TS: The Seashore 24 is our first collaborative build.

Inspiration for the design came from our love for
classic coastal cottages. Adding the more utilitarian
use as a "toy hauler" came from our experience
RVing, and a desire to develop an open-ended design
that allows for varied use and simple modification in
future iterations.

AO: Being in Alabama though, does the paint

store even carry beachy colors?

TS: Those that follow SEC football may argue that

we have three colors in the state: Alabama's Crimson
complimented by Auburn's orange and blue. Still, we
have lots of available resources including locally
sourced timber, top-shelf cabinetmakers, and—yes—
(top) The Seashore stands at attention while her
paint suppliers mixing it up on demand for coastal builders (below) do the same.
and southwest colors schemes, as well as more planet
friendly earth tones and all-natural stains.

AO: How can people see the Seashore 24?

TS: We are planning to bring Seashore to the

Georgia Tiny House Festival in early March, and
then the TinyHouseNC Street Festival in late April.
Seashore is designed as a demo model and mobile
home/office, and we're also planning to offer
overnight accommodations in her so folks can "try
 5 minutes w/ angela
Because of the internet and email we oftentimes
forget that people are real. We forget that the person
on the other end of the fiber line have houses of their
own. They have hobbies. They have pets. They cook
dinner. Sometimes it is even difficult for us to
imagine them running into the grocery story at some
odd hour to get milk for a next-morning bowl of
cereal. But they are real people.. And perhaps there is
no one more real than Angela Alcorn, team member
of the Tiny House Jamboree, former dental hygienist,
wife, mom, and animal caregiver.
A resident of Oregon (a state she claims is the most
beautiful in the nation) but a daughter of the great
state of Texas, Angela (or Angie) is a friend of a
number of tiny housers, as well as a huge advocate of
the small house lifestyle. Beyond that, she is a friend
of mine and recently etched out five minutes to spend
some time with me. (The beans and rice weren’t bad
either!)
Andrew Odom: What is your title? I mean, I say I
am a content crusader. Others are tiny house
teachers or salvage experts. What is your title?
Angela Alcorn: That’s a really good question.
Dentistry has been my sole profession since I was a
junior in high school. Before I became involved
with the Tiny House Jamboree in
Colorado, I was a dental hygienist for 23 years.
For the past two years, I have had the opportunity to
follow my passion for tiny houses.
I haven’t really decided on a title for myself.
though. My Tiny House Jamboree business card reads
“Trailblazer.” But if I had to think of a more
personal title, it would be…Tiny House Builder Nazi.
I don’t know. Are all the questions going to be this
tough?
AO: Is that what you intended to be? Do you wake
up each day, put on a cape, and fly over to the tiny
house world headquarters?
AA: *with a laugh* No. Not really. In fact, my
number one role is being mom to my two girls,
Gillian and Callie. Turning tiny has been a learning
curve for my whole family, but as you can imagine it's
been a huge change for our girls. When we chose to
live a simple lifestyle one of our main reasons was to
show our girls a different way of life. My top priority
is to make sure that our daily life (at any size) is
working for them. But yes, I do take pride in being
the builder Nazi. In fact, I hope to continue my
position with the Tiny House Jamboree for
years to come. Because of the ordeal we've
been through with our tiny house builder I
want to be involved with bringing quality and
excellence to the modern tiny house
movement. I want to be someone that helps
others as they venture into their tiny house
dream, and to guide them in finding a
reputable tiny house builder.
where we could play a more active role in the
building of our tiny house on wheels. We had chosen
to go with Tiny SMART House. Everything seemed
on the up and up for months by that point. We
connected with the company in January 2014 and we
honestly thought we had found the perfect builder for
our dream tiny home. We couldn’t have been more
wrong. It’s hard to believe we are approaching three
years of this nightmare.

AO: Let’s back up a minute. How did you Between April 2014 and July 2014 we made four
get involved with the modern tiny house payments totaling $21,000 to our builder. My
movement then? husband had even moved on to Oregon to be part of
the build while I stayed back in Texas to continue
AA: The story is a little long but I'll do my
downsizing our lives, which included selling our
best to shorten it. I spoke with Darin Zaruba in
house.
January 2014 after having given a presentation
at the DFW tiny house meetup group. This was
When I arrived in Oregon in October 2014 only a
right about the same time EcoCabins
small portion of our home had been built. The builder
announced they were going to be
(Nathan Light Watson) seemed better at building
manufacturing the Morrison’s tiny house:
excuses than houses. We were concerned and felt in
hOMe. The factory the hOMes would be built
our guts that something had was terribly wrong. We
at is located in east Texas so this was really
couldn’t have been more right!
cool news to spread at the DFW meetup group.
The next day I had a message from Darin
By Thanksgiving 2014 (and still nothing built), a
letting me know a few people had inquired
friend sent me a blog post written by Audrey Addison
about a tiny house after hearing me speak. At
(Audrey and her partner Tomas had been clients of
the same time I had also been wanting to get in
Tiny SMART House as well) outlining their eerily
contact with Darin to get his advice about a
similar experience. When we read the post my heart
situation we were in with our then-tiny house
stopped! A little further research uncovered two other
builder. Soon after Darin and I spoke on the
unhappy clients. We immediately contacted Mr.
phone and during our conversation he asked
Watson about the reviews, only to be met with…you
me if I was working at the time. I actually was
guessed it…more excuses! The relationship with our
not at the time and before I knew it Darin was
builder instantly became a strained one and we
asking if he could hire me to help launch the
returned to Texas for the holiday season. During that
first Tiny House Jamboree. He needed
time Mr. Watson cut off communication with us
assistance with social media and talking "tiny
leaving emails and voicemails to go unanswered.
houses" on Facebook. Pretty quickly, I made
the decision to take a break from dentistry and
To this day we still have NOTHING to show for our
to completely immerse myself into the tiny
$21,000 even though we filed with the Oregon
house world!
Construction Contractors Board. We were
disappointed to find out though that we were not
AO: So let’s get down to brass tacks. Tell us
eligible for his bond because he was building our tiny
this tiny house horror story that seems to
house in his shop and not on our property.
follow you around like a lost puppy.

AA: Talk about a long story. Not too long ago For now we remain in limbo with no money, no
we uprooted our lives and moved to Oregon house, and no returned contact from the builder.
Awful story, right? I am just now getting to the
point where I can talk about it without shaking
with anxiety or getting furious and lashing out.
Now do you see why I want to be the builder
Nazi?
AO: How did you pick up the pieces and
keep moving forward?
AA: In January 2015 when the situation with
our builder came to a grinding halt we were
essentially homeless. We had nowhere to live
and now we had no house. Our dear friend Julie
opened up her home and gave us a place to live.
Meanwhile, our girls were getting settled into
their new schools, my husband and I had fallen
in love with Oregon and most of all, we weren't
going to give up on our tiny house dream. We
did what any committed family would do. We
bought a 1984 26 ft. motorhome for $2,000 on
Craigslist. Perfectly sane, right? Fortunately we
were already in talks with a landowner where
we had planned on parking our tiny house.
When he heard the news of our situation he
welcomed us on to his property, not with the
cute little tiny house like he was expecting, but
with our new, revised tiny adventure. Julie
came to the rescue again and welcomed us to
stay with her as we fixed up the RV. She
continues to be our home away from home and
has become a core person in our life. Mr. B (the
landowner we currently lease from) not only
gave us a place to park our new home but he
was also my first glimpse of what was to
become many more blessings in our journey.
AO: So where are you now? And what of
this “husband”? Where does he fit in?
I guess that is a pretty essential part of my
story. The “husband” is my brilliant husband
Bobby. We’ve been together for 15 years now
and we have been on the same page since day
one. He is my eternal sidekick and through it
all we’ve both recognized the benefits of living
a simple life. In fact, it will be two years this
April that we've been parked on Mr. B’s land.
Yes, we're still in our (remodeled and
revamped) 1984 EcoLodge
Motorhome. We have the most beautiful view of the
Three Sister mountains and the most spectacular
sunrises over a 35-acre grass seed farm. Where we are
is home for now but we'll see where life takes us next.
We recently were given some incredible news from a
tiny house couple in Colorado. They're giving us their
tiny house!! You can see our new home on their
blog. We’re just now finalizing all the details for
pickup. Our journey continues!
AO: Where do you see the modern tiny house
movement going over the next few years?
AA: The tiny house movement is here to stay as long
as we continue to push progress legally and socially. I
know many consider the tiny house movement the
latest "trend" but I don't see this lifestyle choice as just
a trend. Most people that are adventuring into a tiny
life are looking for something other than the "routine
life". They're looking for meaning and a true purpose
as to what life is about and the intrigue of a tiny house
and owning your home opens up so many
The final part of our interview is inspired by Inside
The Actor’s Studio and James Lipton’s final
questions:
What is your favorite word? Happy
What is your least favorite word? Tiny or Moist
What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or
emotionally? When I know what I'm doing will help
another person in someway.
What turns you off creatively, spiritually, or
emotionally? The gray Oregon winter
What sound or noise do you hate? "Whining" kids
or an adult
What is your favorite expression? Just five more
minutes
What profession other than your own would you
like to attempt? Woodworking
W h a t p ro f e s s i o n w o u l d y o u n o t l i k e t o
do? Anything that has to do with heights!
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God
say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Your
Dad's been waiting on you...
 Being
Part Of
The
Whole

written by :: emily gerde

“Myths and stories connect us to the fibers of the
universe and allow us to belong to something
greater than ourselves, to be a part of the
whole” (Mythic Journeys Documentary Study
Guide, pg.12). We choose to share our story
knowing that out there are people who will
connect to it and join us on this adventure we call
tiny house living.
It was March of 2015. I was running a licensed
daycare, raising my one-year-old and coaching
gymnastics. We lived in a 2,200 square foot home
on a beautiful five acre property. We had chickens
and a 10 by 30 foot organic garden. Life was
great! Or was it? We had all this amazing stuff and
ZERO time to enjoy it. I was either working,
cooking homemade organic meals for 10 daycare
kids and my family, cleaning the house, doing
laundry, maintaining the house and the yard, doing
daycare paperwork or writing curriculum for the
daycare kids. Life was a blur. I was up every night
until at least 12:00 a.m., while taking breaks to
nurse my son back to sleep. The epiphany came,
“Why we are working so hard to live in a huge
house we don't even get to enjoy?” That's when
my sister in-law, Frances, introduced us to tiny
houses. I was instantly hooked! Tiny houses are
Earth-friendly, sustainable, portable, customizable
and affordable. We were bombarded with a lot of
skepticism and doubters. Most people would get
frustrated with the questions and doubts, but for
me, it was “challenge accepted.” After researching
the pros and cons, we quickly learned that the
benefits of building a tiny home outweigh the
costs. There are several reasons people decide to
live tiny, for us, it fit with our value system, gave
us the freedom to move to ideal locations, allowed
financial freedom and gave us the opportunity to
pursue our goal of self-sustainability.
Several family values were not being met in our
large home, one being our time together. “Time is
Free but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you
can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it.
Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it
back” (Harvey Mackay). At our old house we were
almost never in the same room. I would be doing
dishes or cooking or cleaning in the kitchen and
my husband, Justin and son, Wyatt would be on
the other side of the wall playing, so I was there,
but not truly present. Next, I would be downstairs
cleaning and preparing for the upcoming day of
daycare, again away from my family. After that,
we would start the nighttime routine with bath and
books and put Wyatt to bed. Finally, I would have
to go back to cooking and cleaning, finishing the
daycare paper work, or working on gymnastics
curriculum. The rare nights where I had all those
tasks done by a reasonable hour, Justin and I
would have the opportunity to sit and chat. We
quickly realized our marriage and family could not
continue this routine and be happy. We wanted
adventure, nature, dance, laughter and music. Tiny
house living is allowing us the time to pursue our
desires. It takes me 15-30 minutes to deep clean
the house. We went with a washer/dryer combo so
laundry is quick and easy. During warm months
we have been line drying to save on energy
consumption. We have a half dishwasher for the
small dishes, which helps speed up dishes. We
have a regular sized vacuum that takes five
minutes to clean the whole house. On top of all
that my husband and son are always in earshot, so
we can discuss the day, have intellectual
conversations or simply have the music on and
sing. Our relationships have developed into a
much more joyful, loving and calm manner due to
minimized housework. With less space there is
less to maintain, dust, fix etc. Less upkeep has
allowed us to pursue our interest and gain time
that would otherwise be devoted to other things.
Another value we weren’t able to fulfill in our
large home is my dream of homeschooling/
unschooling. As a former teacher, I realized
quickly that the current state of the public
education system would not meet the values of our
family. We want Wyatt to spend time in nature,
learn through experiences, learn from experts in
the field, and allow him ample time to exercise
and have adventures outside. Part of
homeschooling is being out in the community.
Thanks to being able to homeschool Wyatt and I
have been working with local organic farmers as
planters and harvesters. We visit the local farmers
markets and art shows. With less space inside our
home, we utilize community programs at libraries,
museums and community centers. We love the
way living in a small space encourages us to get
outside and enjoy nature. We don’t feel
claustrophobic by any means, but there is the
reality of needing to run and jump and explore. We
used to spend way too much time in our home. We
are so thankful this new lifestyle has allowed us to
connect with so many amazing people and
community resources.
We value sustainable, local and minimalist
practices. With living in a tiny house our son will
also learn the values of a minimalist life through
example instead of through a book. We feel the
best way to teach a child is through living it. We
also want our son to have the life skills needed to
be successful in an ever-changing world, which
requires shadowing professionals, networking and
practicing vs. sitting in a chair listening. We want
to model ways in which a person can be part of
society without the need for the overconsumption
of goods and resources. We often get asked, “What
about privacy?” When our son decides he wants
his own place, no problem. We bought our friend’s
used camper that he can stay in as a teenager. This
way, he can become self sufficient before being a
part of the “real world”, as well as have some
privacy. He will learn the value of being self-
sufficient as he cooks and cleans for himself. He
will learn to enjoy a clutter free life and if he
chooses he can travel around in the camper to
camp or visit friends and family. Of course we will
be there to help as needed, but the confidence it
will bring him will be very valuable. He may
decide he doesn’t want to sleep in the camper and
have it more as a man cave. The options are
endless. He can also remodel it and make it his
own. Our goal is to provide our son with a lifetime
of experiences instead of possessions.
Tiny house living gives us the opportunity to live
in locations that meet our needs, at different times
of our lives. For example, while our son is young
we would like hime to have access to bikes, hiking,
swimming, climbing and learning. As he grows we
may decide we need to be close to a university
where he can go to seminars or volunteer. We may
want to move closer to a city where our son can
shadow a professional as they build, create, write or
perform. When our son is out of the house we may
decide we want to be somewhere quiet on a lake or
perhaps just travel from place to place. That’s the
true freedom a tiny house on wheels offers us. We
moved out of our big house and it took forever to
get all our things in order and sell all the yard
equipment and furniture. There was the hassle of
showings and stagings and trying to keep the house
spotless while living in it. We can decide within a
week that we want to move and make it happen now
that we are on wheels. We have moved twice
already in a span of five months. Being mobile
allows us to follow better jobs. We would never
have thought to follow our dreams to move out West
if we would have lived in our big house. We would
have settled for a mediocre life by just going
through the motions instead of truly living. We
would have continued working long hours, being
tired and lived the normal suburban life of driving
kids to activities and playing the role of model
citizen, all while being stressed and working just to
barely get by. We also considered our commute
when deciding to live in a tiny house. If you take the
average of a 1 hour commute (30 minutes each way)
x 5 days in a week x 52 weeks in a year, that equals
260 hours a year. Then divide that into days 260/24,
you get 10.83 days a year. Then take 10.83 days x
40 years (the average amount of years people work
before they retire) and you have 432 days of your
life wasted by commuting back and forth to work.
We wanted those days back! Now that we can move
quickly and easily to better jobs and live close to
that job, we will be using those days together as a
family instead of alone in a car! Not to mention all
the money saved on gas!
Almost everyone who is interested in tiny houses
wants to live in one for the financial freedom. Of
course this was a deciding factor for us as well.
What many of the TV shows, bloggers, articles, etc.
don’t talk about is how to get to the financial
freedom. I greatly admire those who were able to
build a tiny house by themselves and in their budget.
We truly wish we had the "know how" as many of
the tiny house pioneers had in knowing how to build
a safe home. It is very possible to build an
affordable tiny home, as long as you know what
you’re doing and use the many wonderful resources
available to you. For us, we wanted it done safely,
correctly, and with materials that would last us a
lifetime. We were fortunate that we sold our big
house and made enough money to contract out our
build to Jim Wilkins at Tiny Green Cabins in Blaine,
Minn. We loved Andrew Morrison’s design and
purchased his plans. As we began to customize our
home to fit our needs, we went over budget. We
have spent around $90,000 including appliances, all
building material, space rental costs, paying our
contractor, a fence, a shed, winterizing and
furnishings. We know this is discouraging to many,
but you have to remember the upfront cost will be
easy to pay off when you can live where you want,
work for the job you always wanted, have zero
mortgage and potentially have zero utilities costs.
Yes, I understand that if you have to take out a loan
it’s just like a mortgage, but it is less and the
maintenance costs are way less as well. In our big
house we were due for a new roof (around $5,000),
a new septic tank (around $20,000), a new shower
bath unit in the upstairs bathroom (around $1,000),
and new flooring in the four season porch (around $
1,000). Even if you spend $100,000 on a tiny house,
you will be saving money in the long run, because
maintenance and upgrades are much cheaper, you
are getting a brand new home or a newly gutted and
remodeled camper that will last a lifetime, Even if
you do need to do repairs you are only repairing 500
square ft. or less. When you buy a regular home you
have to continually be updating it to be sure you get
a return on your purchase. If you add on interest
from a large home loan you have now potentially
doubled your purchase price. Then add the cost of
the interest of the loan on all the remodeling and
repairs and you’ve nearly tripled your original
purchase price. We realize this is not always the
case, but for many updating a home is essential for
selling purposes. We did look into purchasing a
home around $90,000. What you get for that price in
our area is a run down house in need of several
repairs, with mold, leaky windows and a sketchy
neighborhood with little to no yard. The next logical
choice was an RV or bus. We didn’t like that
because it would be difficult to make them non-
toxic and the fact that we wouldn’t have the nice 13
foot ceilings. We loved that we were able to
customize our design to fit our exact needs. Not just
our needs now, but for a lifetime.
Living in a tiny house was a step towards our dream
of living a fully sustainable lifestyle. After countless
hours of research, we found some disheartening
statistics about the current home building practices,
such as this one: “According to the National
Association of Home Builders study, an estimated
8,000 lb. of waste is created from the construction
of a 2,000 square foot home.” Our big house was
already built, so we thought maybe we could make
it more sustainable, but we quickly realized we
could not afford to add solar panels, geothermal and/
or a green house due to their current cost and the
size needed to run such a large home. A tiny house
was a great way to have a smaller environmental
impact. We are still working on saving up for solar
panels but everything is wired and ready for it. We
love having our water tanks in our home because we
are more aware of our water usage. When we have
to go outside and turn on the hose to fill it up so we
can shower and do dishes, we’re more likely to take
shorter showers and wear our clothes a couple times
before washing. We enjoy our wood-burning stove
that takes pellets or small pieces of wood. When we
buy our own property we can chop down our own
wood for burning purposes. We used all non-toxic
paints and stains that we got from Natural Built
Homes in Minneapolis. Our amazing contractor
built our home to be sure we would have great
airflow with an air filtration system. We went with a
carbon whole house water filter to be sure we have
the best water possible. We get our drinking water
from a local natural spring right from the source. We
fill up three five gallon jugs for the week. We hope
to buy a property with a well and turn to solar as
soon as possible. We will also have an organic
garden and compost our food waste as much as we
can. We are slowly ridding ourselves of all plastic
products by using mason jars, glass Tupperware and
compostable garbage bags. We do our best to buy all
organic furnishings, sheets, bed, pillows, etc. Living
tiny has allowed us to eat 100 percent organic, (local
whenever possible) and non-GMO food due to the
money we are saving on not having a mortgage and
minimal utility costs. With less cleaning I have had
the time to harvest at local organic farms with my
son in return for organic food. We use way less
electricity as it takes less to heat and cool. We have
smaller appliances that are energy efficient, so that
takes less electricity as well. We designed our tiny
home to have as many windows (including sky
lights) as possible to have natural light and avoid
turning the lights on. We are more aware of the
weather than ever before, which gives us a sense of
connection to nature. It’s so soothing when the rain
is pinging on the tin roof, we fill the chill in the air
as we add more fire to the wood burning stove, and
we feel the warm sunlight streaming through the
skylights. It will forever feel like a cabin vacation.
We have greatly decreased our consumption because
there is no place for anything new to go. It is a great
way to minimize clutter and find out what items are
really important to you. Clutter adds to our daily
stress according to Psychology Today:
“Clutter bombards our minds with excessive
stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our
senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t
necessary or important. Clutter inhibits
creativity and productivity by invading the open
spaces that allow most people to think, brain
storm and problem solve”
When you have fewer things you start to really
focus on what’s important. For us that was family,
adventure and nature.
So, should you live in a tiny house? Hopefully we
provided you with some ideas on how it may
benefit your life, but mostly we hope to inspire
you to break free of the walls around you and take
control of your life, instead of allowing your
processions to take control of you. For us, the best
thing about living tiny is freeing up time to
reevaluate life and do the things that bring us great
joy! Before living tiny, we would have just kept
going with being ok with our lives. Now, we have
the freedom to follow our dreams and passions
because we can relocate quickly and easily. For
me, I will follow my dream of organic farming,
mindful parenting, homeschool/unschooling, and
bringing moms healing through mind, body and
soul, holistic care. If you are interested in living in
a tiny home definitely go visit one or even stay in
one for a couple nights. The tiny house movement
isn't about square footage. It's about living simply
in a way that works for you, the environment and
your checkbook. It's about finding out what's
important in life and making those things a
priority. It's about being mindful about
consumerism of both goods and resources. It's
about inspiring others to eliminate stress by living
within their means and making everyday feel like a
vacation. We will continue to share the big
moments
in our
story and
hope we
inspired
you to
change
your story
by making
the changes
in your life,
big or small,
towards
the greatest
version of
yourself.
 (Not) Business as Usual
Upper Valley Tiny Homes
If one company has taken advantage of social media to showcase their
tiny homes, it’s Utah-based Upper Valley Tiny Homes. However, what
Mike Tveter, you might not see from the Facebook photos and YouTube videos is that
owner of Upper the owner, Mike Tveter is an energetic, savvy, yet down-to-earth,
Valley Tiny business owner who hopes to see tiny homes make a real difference in
Homes talks the world.
about his new
designs, the Upper Valley Tiny Homes employs four additional builders as well as
plumbing, electrical and drywall contractors to build about four homes
elusive $10,000
per month in a 4,800 square foot facility. In the next few months, the
tiny house and
company plans to expand to a 7,800 foot space to concentrate on eight
buyers remorse. homes per month. Tveter began his business and building career with a
degree in construction management that was funded from his own
business building sheds.

By Christina Nellemann | Photos by Upper Valley Tiny Homes

“I was able to bring in $3,000 a month building
sheds and graduate with no debt,” Tveter says. “I
ended up building recreational cabins after that.
I’ve only ever built buildings under 200 square feet
or on temporary foundations, so this is the perfect
career for me.”

Upper Valley’s fame has come from the interesting

custom homes that dot their website and YouTube
videos. The homes feature innovative storage
solutions inside stairs, under platforms and floors,
clean lines, plenty of windows and some fun Upper Valley Tiny Homes are known for their
colors. While the company will continue to build compact staircases, ladders built from plumbing
custom homes, Tveter wants to focus more on fixtures, fun colors and clean lines.
creating two standard designs and making them
affordable for all incomes.

“These models will be ‘what you see is what you

get’ designs,” Tveter says. “From experience, I
know what people want in their tiny house.”

The first model will be a 26 foot long model with a

utility closet in the back that encloses all the
home’s utilities. The house will also have enough
room for a full kitchen with full appliances, a full
bathroom and still room for a couch and TV in the
living area. A shed roof will allow for maximum
headroom in two lofts and the house can still
accommodate many windows for plenty of light.

“It’s a good, comfortable house for the square

footage,” Tveter says. “I’m a bit of a spoiled brat, I
need a full size kitchen for Thanksgiving. The 24
inch wide stove will fit that turkey.”

Tveter plans to keep this standard model to

$30,000.
One of the standard Upper Valley models will feature two lofts, a full kitchen and bathroom for $30,000.
The second model will be a design that comes in at
7x18 feet and will contain everything you need for
minimalist living. The house has a loft, kitchen
with a two-burner stove, bathroom and small living
area. Tveter wants to keep this model at $20,000 to
$25,000.
“These are the two types of designs that people
really want,” Tveter says.
While these will be the standard designs that Upper
Valley focuses on, Tveter wants to make sure all
customers are happy and is up for the challenge of the
$10,000 house.
“About half my subscribers have about $10,000 in
their pocket,” he adds. “And they would really love to
have a house that can fit that budget. It would have to
be a super stripped down model and it’s a hard goal—
but possible.”
While Tveter wants everyone to enjoy their new
homes, he encourages new tiny home buyers to
spend some time and money to do their research.
He recently had a customer who grew up in a
5,000 square foot home downsize to a 160 square
foot Upper Valley Tiny Home—named the
“Crosswinds”.

“After growing up in a 5,000 square foot home,

she was devastated at how small the loft was,”
Tveter says. “I told her this was a tiny house and
this is what she ordered.”

Tveter was able to re-sell the home to another

buyer, but says that about 60 percent of his
customers never step foot in a tiny house. In
addition, about one out of every five customers has
some sort of buyers remorse.

“Before you spend $40,000 on a tiny house, spend

$500 for an airplane ticket to visit a builder, check
out a house and see if it’s right for you,” Tveter
adds.
Space saving and unusual details can be integrated
He also encourages anyone to come by his own into any home. These include under-floor and under-
warehouse to see up to four Upper Valley Tiny stair storage and showers made out of mop sinks.
Homes being built at once. Upper Valley also
offers a free online quote form, a seven day, 100
percent money back guarantee, and offers
nationwide shipping.

Tveter has his own favorite Upper Valley house

and it’s the 8x26 design. He loves the two sets of
stairs that lead to the two loft bedrooms

“Those stairs are really not that hard to build,”

Tveter says. “Even in a compact spot.”
 “Don’t ever, ever, ever mention tiny house.”
Tveter recommends that if you are planning on parking your tiny house at a mobile home park or an RV
park, don’t mention that it’s a tiny house. Many parks will not allow tiny house owners to rent a space.
Upper Valley Tiny Homes pre-registers their homes as park models or travel trailers. Instead, show the
registration as a travel trailer or park model.

The same goes for banks. If you are looking to finance your tiny home (Upper Valley can help with in-
house financing as well), ask for a travel trailer or park model loan. Take the VIN number of the trailer to
the bank to prove that you are buying a trailer. Applying for a construction loan works as well.
 One To Watch
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AN ONLINE MOVER & SHAKER IN THE TINY HOUSE WORLD

TINY HOUSE, TINY FOOTPRINT

Tiny House, Tiny Footprint was created more than
two years ago by Kathleen and Greg in an effort to
document and photograph their experiences living in
a camper trailer—their version of a tiny house on
wheels. Kathleen and Greg chose a minimalist
lifestyle because they wanted to live more
intentionally and be active stewards of the Earth. On
their Instagram, they share stories of others who live
alternative lifestyles in hopes to inspire and educate
others about tiny living, reducing their
environmental footprint and the importance of
spending more time in nature.
One To Watch
Teaching Tiny House
Workshops
Then, Now, and Into the Future

written by :: meg stephens

Teaching tiny house workshops in 2013 was the
wild west of the tiny house movement. Workshops
were bursting at the seams with attendance because
there were so many people interested in going tiny
and not much good information out there for them.
It was the year of the DIY-er. Almost everyone
who attended a workshop that year was an
individual interested in building their own house
and making the leap to tiny. 2014 was the year of
the professional builder. I saw a significant uptick
in students who were interested in starting a tiny
house business and making a go of building tiny
houses for commercial purposes. This trend
continued into 2015, but then in late 2015 and
through 2016 I saw a swing towards tiny house
communities. The percentage of students who
mentioned tiny house communities as a developer
or as a place they were interested in living was off
the charts. I chalk this up to the first Jamboree,
where a large number of people interested in tiny
houses were all in the same space together.
I’ve been teaching tiny house workshops for four
years, and one thing that hasn’t changed over the
four years is the power of camaraderie among tiny
housers in a room together for a weekend. We’re
all there, interested in this thing that is so strange
to the majority of the population. It’s a bond that
brings very diverse people together. I see my
students laughing and chatting and exchanging
phone numbers as they walk out the door on
Sunday afternoon after the teaching is over; I
wonder sometimes how long those relationships
last. Do my students go on to help each other on
their tiny house builds? Have any romantic
relationships been started at a tiny house weekend?
Either way, there’s a unique solidarity that forms
among students learning about a tiny way of life.
Probably because we have all been faced with
skeptics and are familiar with “that look” – the one
a non-tiny house person gives when you describe
your ideal tiny space. The look that says we’re
crazy. Being in a room with other students and a
teacher who instead legitimize the tiny house
passion must be refreshing, and it’s the wellspring
that grows as tiny house ideas and concepts are
discussed.
Another unchanging dynamic among tiny house
students is the male to female ratio. I’ve always
been proud and excited to see just as many women
in the audience (if not more!) as men. Tiny houses
are uniquely accessible for women, unlike other
types of construction. I love getting to teach a
wide range of people construction skills. One of
my most favorite students over the years is Ms.
Dani, of The Tiny House That Grandma Built.
Dani came to my workshop, and she had an
indomitable spirit that was infectious all weekend
long. She’s mobility challenged and uses a scooter
to help her get around. I love that she didn’t take
no for an answer, and after the workshop ordered a
custom trailer and shell that accommodated her
scooter and mobility issues. She now lives in her
tiny, which you can read more about on her blog.
I’m your quintessential extrovert. I love meeting
new people, talking to them, figuring out what
motivates them. Teaching tiny house workshops
fuels both of my major life passions: discussing
interesting ideas with interesting people and the
architecture of housing. In college as an
architecture student, I took a class about
vernacular architecture—which is what an
untrained person builds when they have a need. I
believe that architecture is the second oldest
profession. Anyone can build; the desire and need
for shelter is so deep in our bones that necessity
will turn anyone into an architect. I’m still learning
today from my students at tiny house workshops.
Some incredibly creative ideas have come from
conversations with my students around the bar at
the end of a Saturday. I think I can count on my
fingers the number of architects who are playing a
major role in the tiny house movement; tiny
houses really are a grassroots movement of the
people in architecture.
As we move into 2017, I think that the tiny house
movement is at a crossroads. The end of 2016
brought the code changes we need as a movement
to legitimize tiny houses as a realistic, legal
housing option. There’s still more work to be done
on the code front, but the first major hurdle is
cleared. I really hope that tiny houses will continue
 to be accessible to the
common man and woman
and not be steamrolled by
commercialization. To this
end, I’m going to continue
teaching at workshops and
on my website. I hope that
I can give anyone who
wants to build a tiny
house the proper tools and
information to do so
safely, and that they can
become the architect of
their own space.

Read more from Meg

Stephens on her personal
website.

Building A Tiny House Made Easier With A Tiny House Shell

For more information, Please request a free quote on a Tiny House Shell or Tiny
House Trailer. Mention “tiny house magazine“ and get $100 off any tiny house
trailer plus free flush crossmember upgrade and a additional $500 off when
purchasing any tiny house shell. http://www.tinyhousebasics.com/
Seen & Scene

Held December 9-11, 2016, at the Osceola Heritage Park

in Kissimmee, the Tiny House Road Show-Festival of
Lights was a huge success with over 20 tiny houses on
display from such companies as Cornerstone Tiny
Homes, A New Beginning Tiny Homes, Hummingbird
Tiny Houses, and more! Tickets were $15 through
Ticketmaster and at the gate and included some
insightful time with professional tiny house builders,
several product raffles, and a comfortable indoor
environment. All of the houses were lit up for the
holidays and the spirit of celebration and holiday joy
was definitely in the air! Photos courtesy of United Tiny
House Association.
written by :: don niemyer
photos courtesy of :: Kate Creative Photography

What’s
Your Story?
5:48 a.m. on Saturday morning, December
17th.
I’ve been up for an hour and a half, wandering
around a sleepy little city that’s buried win six
inches of fresh powder. My weather app tells me
it’s one lonely degree out there. And just why
would I possibly be out at 5:00 a.m. on a morning
like this? Because two years ago I had the
craziest idea of my life: to build a coffee shop in
a tiny house. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Let’s go back to the beginning.
In 2011 I was living in Portland, Oregon with my
wife, Carissa, and two little girls (5 and 7 at the
time). We owned three coffee shops and Carissa
had a successful doula practice, but we had
started talking about moving closer to family. So
we set in motion a plan to sell our shops and
relocate to Colorado, where we would do
something else in coffee, but we weren’t sure
what.
Work for a larger company? Consulting and
training? Maybe start another shop? We weren’t
sure, so as we continued with our plan for
relocation it occurred to me that, with a little
money in our pockets from the sale of our shops
and no jobs, we could do kind of an extended
relocation trip. We were already going to be
traveling across the nation, why not take our time
and do some research on the national coffee
community? Visit some shops, interview some
folks, maybe dip our feet in the consultation
waters and see if anyone would bite. We could
take two or three weeks, I reasoned. What’s to
stop us? In fact, we could do a whole month! Or
two! Heck, we could do this for as long as we
wanted, right?
It sounded like a blast. But we’d need just the
right vehicle. Something that would sleep four
comfortably, have a place for us to eat meals
together, and a shower. It had to have a shower.
Carissa weighed in with her only requirement:
“It can’t be very big or I’m not driving it.” So in
the interest of not being the new full time
chauffeur we found a little machine called a
Volkswagen Rialta. With only 100 square feet of
living space and all the above requirements it still
drove like a minivan and fit into a standard
parking space. Perfect!
We found just the right one, but still couldn’t
afford it while paying rent on our house. You see
where this is headed, right? Yup, you guessed it.
With our final shop set to sell at any minute, we
put in our 30 days notice on our apartment and
moved into the Rialta. All four of us. In 100
square feet.
Then our coffee shop didn’t sell for two more
years.
So, my friends, that’s how we came to be what I
call “accidental minimalists.” We spent two years
[illegally] camping on the streets of Portland,
running two small businesses, and dropping our
kids off at school as if we were just normal folk.
But all the while living a double life of insane
weirdness and complication.
We never once parked in a RV Park (that would
defeat the purpose of saving money!) so we used
only the electricity we generated by driving
around. We filled with water at our coffee shop
and dumped our tanks at the local Camping
World.
When it was hot we parked in the shade and
when it was cold and snowy we’d park under a
bridge. And you know what? We loved every
second of it!
Sure, we were having to “get by” with less. Less
space. Less privacy. Fewer resources. But at the
same time, we realized we were automatically
getting more! More time together. More time
outdoors. More creativity. We were learning that
we weren’t just able to survive living tiny. We
were able to thrive! It was a revolution for us,
and those two years laid the foundation for what
would become our next step in coffee. But once
again, I’m skipping ahead.
Where was I….Oh yes! Living tiny on the streets
of Portland.
Well, eventually our coffee shop did sell so we
said goodbye to our friends and hit the road. By
this time we had gotten pretty good at this tiny
game, so we’d hit a town and find one of our
normal spots (churches during the week, schools
during the weekend, parks any time—always on
the curbside, and never in front of anyone’s
home) and then venture out to investigate the
coffee shops of that city. We ended up going to
over 200 coffee shops in 45 states. We did a little
coffee consulting, judged a few coffee
competitions (something we’d been doing for
years), saw a lot of family, did a bit of vacation-y
stuff, reported for Barista Magazine, and just
generally had a blast. We spent about seven
months doing this, and were settled in with
family for Christmas but still had this nagging
problem of what to do next.
We now had close to three years experience
living a life of extreme minimalism, and a
national coffee tour’s worth of perspective on our
industry. So the idea of opening up “just another
coffee shop” seemed kind of uninteresting. We
did want to do something beautiful and unique,
where we could serve some of the amazing
coffees we’d discovered and represent some of
the amazing people we’d met on our journey.
But we didn’t want to create a machine that
would require what we now viewed as excessive
resources to maintain itself. So as these thoughts
mulled in my head, one day it finally hit me.
A TINY HOUSE!
It was the tiny house community that had
developed expertise at building grand ideas with
a tiny footprint. This was a great idea! Surely
someone else had done this, I reasoned, so I set
about researching all the tiny house coffee shops
out there so I could learn from their experience
and….crickets.
I found nothing.
There were certainly folks who had created what
were essentially really nice food trucks using tiny
house construction principles. But in each case,
they served out of a window. I wanted people to
come inside! And I could envision the space with
plenty of room for this. I just couldn’t find
anyone else who had done it before. But was that
going to stop me? Heck no! Inspired by the tiny
house community, I did what all tiny-housers do
in the face of impossible odds and unclear
restrictions. I did it anyway!
So, armed with my ignorant inspiration I
embarked on my journey. I had no idea what I
was doing and no idea what lay ahead but, like
all tiny house pioneers, I was excited! I did have
the good sense to recognize my complete
incompetence at building, so I very shrewdly set
up shop in the driveway of a friend who was a
former general contractor. He had a garage full of
wonderful tools, and was kind enough to answer
my questions when I hit a tough spot. He even
strapped on his tool belt and helped out in many
cases, for which I remain profoundly grateful. I
was also blessed with several other friends who
were absolutely paramount in executing my
vision.
From construction to graphic design to solving
intricate parts of the puzzle like electrical and
plumbing (both of which are exponentially more
difficult in a commercial environment), my
friends Brandon and Kelly Noffsinger were just
invaluable. And another friend, Robin Pasley,
jumped in as our interior designer to bring all our
ideas into a cohesive design that is both
functional and beautiful. So eleven months after
that crazy idea hit my brain, we finished our little
house and opened up in beautiful downtown
Colorado Springs, in the middle of Acacia Park.
We call our little shop Story Coffee Company,
because we love to share the stories of all those
coffees we discovered traveling around.
So how’d it all work out? Well I have to say, way
better than I ever thought it would! I think our
space—thanks to all my wonderful help—is just
gorgeous. And we created a number of really
innovative solutions that make it work very well
as a coffee shop.
Along one wall is an eight foot bench which
covers the wheel well and has storage access on
either end and in the middle. Plus it seats five to
six customers. We did something similar on the
other wheel well, except only high enough to be
a foot rest. We have a grand entrance on the end,
with a double doorway, then another door on the
side. This allows us to control traffic flow by
having people come in one door and exit the
other. Once outside, we have a deck that runs the
length of the building, with a few extra seats out
there, and an ADA compliant ramp that runs the
length of the building on the back side.
The deck doubles our seating and really helps the
whole thing feel much larger than it really is.
And speaking of space perceptions, we
intentionally chose a design (the Cider House by
Shelterwise) that maximizes the interior space
while still having a more interesting look from
the outside. Of course, we built it without lofts,
which also helps it feel more spacious.
Our interior design is clean and minimalist, with
white walls and ceilings that are done with long
boards running lengthwise and continuing down
the back wall to, once again, create the illusion of
more space (think how a dress with long stripes
makes you look taller than you really are). As for
the coffee operation, we were able to consolidate
everything into six feet on one end. The focal
point is the island bar, which we custom built to
include a refrigerator, pastry case, cup shelf, cash
drawer, pitcher rinser, pitcher storage, knock box
and a pull-out shelf for extra counter space. We
built this as an island so you can get behind the
bar from either side, which creates essential
access when more than one person is working.
The back wall has custom cabinets that go to the
ceiling. We put doors on everything to minimize
clutter, and found a tiny dish sanitizer, tiny ice
machine, and tiny water heater. On either side of
the sink we installed cabinet “columns” which
provide several essential nooks for things like
napkins, paperwork, towels, etc. And we
included a window above the sink which
accesses one of my favorite things about the
space: a storage shed over the tongue for external
storage, including a 45 gallon fresh water tank,
insulated and heated with an RV tank pad, and a
33 gallon trash can accessible through the
window. When we need to throw out trash, we
just open the window and toss it out!
So is it perfect? Of course not! Which brings me
back to this morning at 5:00 a.m.
While the other coffee shop owners with normal
buildings around town were snug in their beds,
having visions of bacon dancing in their heads
and what-not, I woke at 4:30 and lay there
wondering how my water systems were holding
up to the single-degree weather that had rolled in
overnight. Eventually I figured I was never going
back to sleep so I may as well go check
everything out. I live just three blocks from the
shop (after four years of not having an address
we rented a little one bedroom apartment nearby)
so I geared up and off I went.
Turns out my $150 heated water hose that
delivers my water held up just fine, and I had
blown my drain free of any standing water, so it
was all peachy. So I spent the next half hour
shoveling snow off the deck and clearing the
sidewalks before heading home for a hot cup of
coffee (of course!) and, since my family was still
asleep, decided to tell you all about what it’s like
to run a coffee shop in a tiny house. I hope you
enjoyed my little Story (see what I did there?)
And I hope you’ll come visit some time. We’d
love to have you, and maybe you’ll share a little
of your story with me.
I’d like that real well.
 8 Practical Ways to Change Your
Self-Description by Joshua Becker

How we talk to ourselves matters. Numerous studies indicate that our self-description, in a
very real way, becomes the end to which we live.

The words we use with ourselves—both aloud and in our mind—begin to define the reality
that we live.

When we describe ourselves as lazy, undisciplined, or prone to procrastination, we begin to

reflect those patterns in our everyday life. On the other hand, when we change the words we
use to describe ourselves (both internally and externally) focusing on positive attributes, we
begin to display those positive behaviors more frequently.

In athletics, we see this all the time. Athletes are encouraged to visualize making the shot,
sinking the putt, or winning the game. Interestingly, we also see it in small mechanical
reminders… “keep your head down,” “elbow in,” and “follow through.” This positive self-talk
becomes more than the self-description we begin to live towards, it also serves as healthy
instruction on the kind of lives we want to live.

Often times, declaring to ourselves that we can accomplish a task or follow through with a
desired change is the first step in achieving it.

How then, do we go about changing our self-talk? Many of the negative thoughts that shape
our thinking have been around us for decades, ingrained in to us at a young age, so subtle we
barely recognize them.

Simply knowing that these negative thoughts are harmful is not enough. We need to
intentionally replace them with positive self-talk. Here are eight practical strategies you can
use to change your self-description:
1. Start in the morning. At the beginning of each day, make it a practice to speak positive,
encouraging words into your life. Find room for it in your morning routine. If you are looking
for some ideas, Farnoosh Brock has a list of 100 positive affirmations.

2. Remind yourself of who you desire to become. Too often, we notice our weaknesses and
the things we’d like to change about ourselves. This awareness begins to characterize the
description we paint of ourselves in a negative light. But rather than focusing on them as
attributes we lack, begin declaring them as characteristics we are becoming. This can be
accomplished with a simple word change. Rather than thinking, “I’m just not __________,”
begin saying, “I am becoming more __________.”

3. Ruthlessly replace negative thoughts with positive words. No two physical objects can
occupy the same space at the same time. Begin applying this same principle to your thoughts.
When you recognize negative self-talk happening, exchange it for a more positive self-
description immediately—like changing a dirty shirt for a clean one.

4. Recall accomplishments in your life. When you get stuck in a negative cycle, meditate on
the accomplishments in your life—the big accomplishments and the small ones. Determine
the positive attributes that must have been present for those to occur. And begin focusing more
on those positive traits than any negative descriptions.

5. Call out the behavior you want to see. There are times when our self-talk can be more
than motivational, it can also be instructional. Similar to how an athlete might remind himself
or herself to “keep your head down and follow through,” we can speak into our life’s specific
behaviors. For example, if you wish to procrastinate less, try intentionally calling out positive
behaviors that would counteract it, “Sit down and just get started for just five minutes.”

6. Ask yourself if you’d treat a friend in the same way. The old adage rings true, “If you
can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” We apply this principle to our external
relationships, try applying it to your internal relationship as well. Take captive your thoughts
and ask yourself, “Would I speak this way to my friend?” If the answer is no, replace your
disparaging self-talk with something more uplifting.

7. Change “I” to “You.” Sometimes, when talking to yourself, the way you do it makes a
difference. Researchers have found people who spoke to themselves as another person would
—using their own name or the pronoun “you”—performed better under stress than people
who used the word “I.” People whose self-talk used their names or “you” even reported less
shame and ruminated less than the ones who used “I.”

8. When failures happen, identify the lessons you are learning. Difficult seasons are part of
life. When failures do happen, make your self-description more positive by reframing it as
lessons you are learning. Rather than saying “I’m no good,” think “I’m learning perseverance
and discipline and how to work even harder than I did before.” This changes the conversation
we are having from self-defeating, to self-improving.

Our words matter. The description we offer about ourselves often becomes the finish line we
move toward. Let’s make sure the finish line we are painting is in the exact place we want it to
be.

Joshua Becker publishes the blog, Becoming Minimalist: Own less. Live more.
Where do we begin? written by :: fefe duran

“Where do we begin?” was the spend hours researching floor

question my Aunt Lisa asked plans and our lives quickly
“Where do me once I finally convinced her became consumed with nothing

we begin?” that tiny houses were for us.

After battling her second bout
but tiny houses. We had been
living in Atlanta, Ga. for about

was the of cancer, she was as

determined as ever to not only
three years in a beautiful four
bedroom home. We also spent a

question my retire by 50 but travel more.

Having a tiny house would
lot of time renovating it once
we moved into it. Selling the
Aunt Lisa allow her to quit her
government job and live off of
house was the easiest part. A
few garage sales and one
asked me her VA benefits. For myself, it
was a chance at home
massive estate sale later, we
were well on our way!
once I ownership which otherwise
appeared impossible. A former
We both agreed that self builds

finally hospitality manager who

recently started a
weren’t for us. We applaud
those who do it but Lisa still

convinced personalization business,

had a few more surgeries
scheduled for the remainder of
finances were sure to be tight
her that tiny on my end. Not to mention an
2016 and I can barely operate a
power drill. With that being
houses were overly large student loan that
needed some tough tackling.
said, the hunt for a builder was
on. Initially, we wanted to go
for us. Like most folks, we’d binge
watched tiny house shows,
local, so we first scouted for
builders in the area. When the
search only came up with one, we decided to include
Tennessee, South and North Carolina.
We met with four builders and had a really good idea
of what we wanted and a firm budget. We did find
that while speaking with various builders, their prices
had almost doubled within months. The price of one
house quickly ate up 75% of our budget. It was very
frustrating to say the least. We then turned to the
internet and began our search on a much larger scale.
That is when we stumbled upon Titan Tiny Homes
based out of South Elgin, Ill.
I spoke with owner, Bob Clarizio and immediately
felt at ease. He understood me. He understood us. His
build style is totally what we were going for. Tiny
houses that look like little homes, with siding and
contemporary finishes. Wood exteriors are beautiful
but we both knew that wasn’t what either of us
wanted for our homes. He was just starting out and
we wanted to wait and see how his business
progressed before committing to anything.
By the time our house in Atlanta had sold, Bob had
taken Titan Tiny Homes from one build at a time to
three, with a team of employees as well. He had been
featured on Tiny House Nation twice and recently
filmed a third episode. His company won “Best
Builder” at the Florida Tiny House Festival and he
also appeared on the Steve Harvey Show. That’s a lot
of media within less than a year and we were pretty
much sold.
I made sure to ask their sales rep at the time many
questions to ensure they were legit. Business license
information, RVIA certification questions and by the
time we decided to go ahead and sign on the dotted
line, we were more than confident that this would be
money well spent. One word of advice I can give is,
don’t ever feel that you are asking too many questions
or bothering them. They want your business and will
gladly answer any questions or address any concerns
prior to a contract is issued. If they don’t or seem
annoyed, walk away. There are plenty of other
builders out there. Luckily, we had all of our answers
and signed our contracts in August of 2016 and are
currently awaiting our builds to begin. All of that
media coverage built up quite a queue ahead of us!
The signing process was quite simple. They sent over
a PDF contract via e-mail that had the normal contract
mumbo jumbo, and any changes we were having
made based on the model that we both selected. It was
very straight forward and surprisingly, did not require
a lawyer to look over as it was written in layman's
terms. Some may find that to be strange or
unprofessional but we appreciated it. The contract
also had the deposit listed on it which was due
immediately in order to get in line.
My Aunt and I were confident that should any funny
business arise, we would be covered. We did a bank
wire transfer for the deposits and that officially started
our tiny journey. Titan Tiny Homes has an awesome
client portal that is updated once your build begins.
You’ll know what was done, every day. They also
have a warranty on the homes and will either come to
your location or hire a contractor on their behalf for
any repairs. These things were important to us while
shopping for a builder because again, I can barely
operate a power drill.
Finding a builder can be a daunting task… Trust me, I
know. Social media is a big help. I was able to contact
previous customers of various builders to get their
feedback. No one will tell it like it is better than a real
life customer. A few of the builders we met did not
receive great reviews from the customers I spoke with
or visited.
I would tell anyone in the market for a builder to at
least attend a tiny house festival. There will be plenty
of builders present with model homes that you can
inspect closely.
Who knows, you may find the tiny house of your
dreams at a festival and be well on your way to living
a simpler, tiny life?
Seen & Scene

photo courtesy of Zane Spang

December 2-4, 2016 in the small town of Riegelwood,

N.C., nearly 20 people gathered to learn treehouse and
tiny house building from Deek and Dustin
Diedricksen. From complete beginners to experienced
sub-contractors, the attendees bonded over hands-on
working time, off-grid building, cold cut meals, and
late night bonfires. At the end of two days the
workshop had constructed one tiny house on the
ground and one very cool treehouse (see above). Guest
builders and speakers included Steven Harrell, Andrew
M. Odom, Amy Henion, and Roy St. Clair. The next
Diedricksen Bros. workshop takes place in Los
Angeles at the Craft and Folk Art Museum. “Deek” is
known for his unorthodox (yet extremely safe) hands-
on workshops where the emphasis is on learning and
building with little downtime.
Seen & Scene
 Tiny House Swoon

TINY ADVENTURE HOUSE

The Tiny Adventure House is a 28 foot long tiny house with climbing wall exterior built and shared
by Tiny Heirloom in Oregon City, Ore.

As a family run business, we hold our values and principles close to the heart in every decision we
make. We believe that upright integrity and hard work is how a company makes history. We have set
out to do the impossible and create a solution for those who would like to start fresh with the freedom
to go wherever they desire in a tiny house that is as uniquely beautiful as its owner.

With over a decade of team experience in residential construction, we realized there was something
more meaningful in building tiny. So we immersed ourselves in the tiny home movement and despite
all its glory we found there was something lacking. Downsizing to create a more simple and free life
is what it’s all about but at what point do you stop compromising your life standards? We decided to
bridge the gap so that downsizing doesn’t have to mean downgrading. At this point, we realized there
was something special so we took it even one step further. Why couldn’t we create a way for someone
to downsize and upgrade at the same time? So we set out to do just that and our first prototype went
viral.

Follow us at our website http://www.tinyheirloom.com/

 Tiny House Listings

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AN RV LIKE YOU’VE
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Tiny House Buzz
The Tiny House Buzz app is published by
the Tiny House Blog and contains the latest
tiny house news, tiny house videos, tiny
house books, and more! Get your tiny house
fix right on your mobile device!
info@freedomyurtcabins.com
303-344-0499
Marketplace
 The Last Call
My Tiny Cabin, owned by CJ “Ceige” Taylor, specializes in tiny house inspired paper crafts. Needless to say the
handmade tiny tiny houses were quite the holiday hit this past year. CJ has been building and designing card
models for about 10 years now and has become a master craftsman. This particular piece was the first CJ offered
for sale.

“The real life tiny house was started in March of 2013 and finished about nine months later,” CJ says. The house
debuted on HGTV’s Tiny House Hunters and is now available as a “try it before you buy it” rental. You can
read all about it on the blog My Tiny Cabin or see it on Facebook. You can purchase your own unique tiny
house card model at CJ and Katie’s Etsy storefront.