Macy Miller tells all in her MiniMotives eBook
For those of you who don't already know, Macy Miller is a an up-and-coming star in the tiny house world. Her "MiniMotives" house (as well as her personal story) has been all over the press, soon to appear in Time Magazine and Dwell! She's created a fantastic set of plans for her house (she's an architect, so they are VERY well done!), and now has a brand new eBook out that gives a ton of details about her entire tiny house process.
I've had the pleasure or reading MiniMotives: A Tiny House Story and I was surprised by how much amazing detail it contains. Macy condensed her entire design and building process (over 300 blog posts, plus some "extras" not found on the blog) into one clearly laid out explanation of what she did, why she did it, and in many cases, how she did it too! Having this insight into the thought processes, planning and problem solving strategies of another tiny house builder is extremely helpful as a jumping-off point for your own tiny house adventure.
I liked hearing her express a very similar sentiment to what I first thought, as I started my research and planning:
Macy in her house, during construction.
One night in the midst of life I had a dream that I lived in a very very small house (it was almost the identical layout as my final home). I woke up wondering why more people don’t do that. I nearly wrote it off as ‘there must be a reason that you can’t live like that legally or more people would do that, it makes too much sense.’ Instead of writing it off though I started looking into it. I figured that people live on house boats, that was a good place to start my research but since I hate the water that wasn’t the right option for me. I was researching boat appliances though when a picture of Jay Shafer’s house popped up and I had the reassurance that I needed to move forward, knowing that others DO live in these! From there I went down the rabbit hole that is the tiny house concept, it has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and it suites my family and I very well!
That is just the beginning. In the other 49 pages, she goes into detail about how to she went about designing her space (make a top-10 list!), why she chose some special sustainability features, details about her rainscreen system, radiant heating, composting toilet and graywater system, finishing (with many salvaged materials!), and a whole lot more! She talks about doing her own electrical work, dealing with troublesome products and suppliers, and navigating codes. Not only that, but she shares some of her personal experience from over a year living in her tiny house (with a dog and baby, no less).
Example page from the eBook
For the cost of just a few cups of coffee, it's a very worthwhile read for anyone with interest in the ins-and-outs of tiny house design and building. What I love most is Macy's willingness to share her personal story and the true reasons behind many of her choices. She's bold and determined, and I find the whole story very inspiring!
