Archive / Tips

Tiny House B.I.G. Book: a Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to a Complete Tiny House Build

Hi all — just a quite note to let you know that Abigail Ross, from Bread and Butter Tiny Homes, has released a great new time house resource: Tiny House B.I.G. Book: a Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to a Complete Tiny House Build This book is VERY detailed and I think it will be an extremely helpful guide for those who want to undertake a DIY build, even if starting with no building experience whatsoever! It really walks you through the details of almost every single step of the tiny house building process. Read on for more info… The Tiny […]

Tips to Successfully Design and Build a Tiny House

Things have changed a lot since I designed and built my tiny house way back in 2013. So much great info can now be found online that did not exists at all when I was building. However, the core principles of a successful design and build process remain the same. Here are some tips to ensure your tiny house build goes smoothly. Design: Don’t overcomplicate things If you plan to build this yourself, or you’re thinking of way to keep costs down, just keep things simple. Some of the best tiny houses are very simple architecturally; essentially a box, with […]

10 Downsizing and Minimalism Tips for Tiny House Living

I recently contributed to an article on what can be learned about minimalism from people living in tiny houses. Up until now I have not written much at all about minimalism or downsizing as a topic of its own, though the sentiment is often mentioned or implied in nearly everything tiny house related. I’ve always believed that a tiny house goes far beyond its 4 walls and a roof, and is only part of a conscious personal choice to live in a more simple and sustainable way. I hope my house and continued tiny house outreach helps to catalyze a […]

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Introducing TinyHousePlans.com: your 1-stop shop for the best tiny house plans available

We’re really excited to share a brand new tiny house resource that will make comparing and choosing the best tiny house plans so much easier. The new website TinyHousePlans.com is now live and the Tiny Project plans are featured on the site. Before this launch, there was no central site from which to browse for tried-and-true plans, making this search sometimes tedious and time consuming. Their curation process is intensive and only those tiny house plans which meet their strict safety and quality standards make the cut. We’re honored to be included, but more importantly we want to share this with you […]

Don’t miss the “Living Tiny Legally” documentary, exploring the legalities of tiny house living.

Living Tiny Legally is an educational documentary series that explores the benefits tiny housing can bring to a community, the legal obstacles and how these are being overcome in a growing number of cities and in model building codes. This is YOUR guide for making legal, full-time tiny house living a reality in YOUR community! Created by Alexis Stephens and Christian Parsons of Tiny House Expedition. Parts 1 and 2 are now available online and being applauded across North America as an insightful, inspiring educational resource for both tiny house advocates and government officials. Stay tuned for Part 3 and […]

9 things you need to safely tow, park, and level a tiny house

Many factors are involved in safely towing a tiny house on wheels. Most important, of course, is the design of the house itself. This post will focus on specific safety items and tools you’ll need to tow and park a house, and will touch on some important design considerations as well. I’ve already written extensively, describing in detail my two long towing trips (2,000 miles each) and everything I did to prepare. Please read the two posts below as well to get all the details not included in this post. Towing a Tiny House (from California to Texas) Our Tiny […]

The greatest single-page list of tiny house resources ever assembled?

Hi All — Just a quick note to tell you that I’ve been continuing to update the Tiny Project Resources page. There is so much information contained on this one page, it’s crazy. Whether you are just starting out and tiny house curious, or already diving in to your tiny house build, you’ll find TONS of helpful information about nearly every tiny house topic there is, including: Tiny House Plans Guides & eBooks Water Heaters Appliances Stoves / Cooktops Books Product Reviews Planning & Design Tiny Living Cost Safety Trailers How-To’s Events Zoning / Parking Building Systems Downsizing Kids / […]

The true (and unmentioned) cost savings of living small

My friend and fellow tiny houser, Laura LaVoie of Life in 120 Square Feet, recently wrote a good post expanding on an article that may mislead some about the true cost of tiny houses and small living. Here’s what happened: Laura and I (plus some other tiny house greats, like Lina Menard and Christopher Carson Smith) were contacted by the Lauren Modery (writing for GOOD magazine) for research into tiny house (and tiny living) costs. She asked some great questions about how much our houses cost and what our cost of living was like now that we’ve been living tiny […]

How Sustainable are Tiny Houses?

Tiny houses have their advantages for the environment. Besides their tiny footprint on the land they occupy, a tiny house can definitely help you keep your carbon footprint tiny, too. Many of the creative space-saving and self-sufficient concepts used in the design of tiny houses have sustainability benefits that can be applied to larger homes as well. If you are building a home that is 1000sqft or larger then you could think about hiring a LEED consultant to help you get your home LEED Certified. In case you don’t know, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating […]

The Benefits of Taking a Tiny House Workshop

Community & Support One of the biggest benefits of attending a tiny house workshop in person is that you get to meet a room full like-minded people all on a similar journey as you. This sense of community, understanding and support is oftentimes one of the most important takeaways from a workshop and usually inspires people to work towards creating physical tiny house communities as well, to bring that supportive feeling into daily life. It is often very inspiring to hear other people’s desires for going tiny, to see their plans in progress, and to help them in way you […]