Earlier this year, a production company contacted me to ask if I could spread the word that they were looking for tiny houses to feature in the second season of an AOL online channel. After I posted to a few tiny house groups, on a whim I decided to submit our house. Eventually, they contacted me and asked when they could send their camera man.

That was around the time I told Bill about the whole thing. How I convinced him to go on camera I still don't know. But he did. And for months I've been cringing, thinking about how awkward I felt in front of the camera and dreading the day the show came online. But guess what? The cameraman took incredible shots, and the editors worked their magic cutting our most awkward moments. 

Why put ourselves through this trauma? For the same reason I forced myself to accept an invitation to be interviewed on a tiny house podcast and the same reason we talk at tiny house conferences. It sounds a little evangelical, but we have a message: You can live better with less. If you're happy with a big house and lots of things, I'm happy for you! But, if like us, you find yourself working a job you don't like and spending all your money on your big house and its big bills when you'd rather be off on an adventure, then maybe you, too, will want to Dream Big, Live Small.

All photos and video courtesy of Dream Big, Live Small / AOL.com

I've answered several, individual questions lately about what products we use for coffee, kitchen composting and more. So, it seems time to post images and info about things we use every day in the tiny house. You'll find more info about all of these on the Products page.

Coffee setup. We have everything we need to make our morning coffee on one shelf near the stove: our mugs and stainless steel coffee canister, french press and kettle. We each get a mug and a half of coffee from one pot.

Kitchen composting. We've written before about our composting setup for kitchen and yard waste. What I didn't give details for is the compost bin, a thick stainless steel canister complete with a filter and vented lid. Before this one, we used a solid-lidded canister. The scraps inside stayed wet, and nothing kept the resultant smell from infiltrating the kitchen. No smell now. We also use a 3-gallon Biobag to keep the canister tidy and make emptying it easier.

Water filters. We're not on municipal water. We filter our spring-fed water for drinking and cooking with two Berkey water filters—one for the main house and a bigger one for the screen house. We love the function and the looks of them. In the screen house, the reservoir is large enough to use for washing dishes out there.

We've had the pleasure of meeting tiny-house guru Ethan Waldman as co-speakers at a couple of conferences. We've interviewed him for this blog and included his website in our list of e-resources. In addition to having built his own micro house, Ethan has written a guidebook on the subject (Tiny House Decisions), he coaches would-be tiny-house dwellers and, now, he hosts a podcast, Tiny House Lifefstyle.

I've listened to, enjoyed and learned from all nine episodes of Tiny House Lifestyle now out. Well, one was a little nerve-wracking to listen to, so maybe I didn't quite "enjoy" that one as much as the others. That would be the podcast where Ethan interviews me about our house: Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast #009: How to Rightsize Your Life and Retire to a Tiny House. 

When I had finished cringing over every stumble in my speech, I listened to the podcast again, this time attempting to pay attention only to the content of what I'd said. That was more enjoyable. It's the hallmark of a good interviewer when he/she helps the interviewee articulate the things that matter. So, thanks, Ethan, for helping me think about this "tiny" life we're living.

​
Subscribe to the Tiny House Lifestyle podcast on iTunes, Android, GooglePlay, Stitcher or TuneIn—or by email or via RSS.

Who knew AOL is still a thing? And it has programming? 

I didn't know until a production company reached out to me, asking if I would let people know they're currently casting for season two of "Dream Big, Live Small." So, I went to Aol.com, clicked on "Shows" and found the eight-show series. If you haven't seen the video series, you should. Among my favorites: the guys who throw huge dinner parties and host concerts in a studio apartment. 

I've enjoyed watching all the edisodes. Each has its own theme: living green, entertaining, fashionista, raising a baby, beach house, etc. If you're interested in micro living spaces (and I'm assuming you are, since you're reading this post), check out the series. 

And if you're living in a tiny space, you might want to spend a few minutes and fill in the application. Maybe we'll be watching your story in season two.

An update: After sending out the word to other tiny house dwellers, I decided to fill in an application for our house. It looks as though we'll be one of the second-season episodes. I'll blog again after the filming. Stay tuned...

While we don't advocate a one-size-fits-all solution to homes, it is refreshing to spend a weekend talking to a group of people who think less is more when it comes to housing. Around 100 folks, all considering building or buying a tiny house, came to this year's Tiny House Conference in Charlotte, NC. Their collective curiosity, open-mindedness and sense of adventure made speaking with them  a pleasure.

Our topics this year: Off-grid living and Tiny House Budget & Finance. I'll save the off-grid discussion for a future post.

We had given the money talk before, but found updating prices of houses currently for sale or recently completed especially interesting. The average price tag for a home in the U.S. is $207,000 and the average price in the D.C. Metro area, where we live, is a whopping $548,000. Compare that to the price tag for most tiny houses (under 500 square feet): $20,000-$80,000. 

It's not a fair comparison without taking into account that traditional houses come with the land they sit on, and tiny houses on wheels don't. We surveyed a group of tiny house dwellers to ask about their home sites; some had bought land, but the majority were renting or bartering for their spot. This adds anywhere from $0 to $800 a month.

One of the joys of tiny living is having a living space that's a custom fit—with just what you need and nothing more or less. But when it comes to value, buying someone else's dream house can save money. One example: a resale currently located in Chapel Hill, NC, for $21,500. If you don't have to move the THOW too far and you have a place to park it, it's hard to beat the price.

A few interesting discussions came up regarding the build or buy decision. One woman told us she'd done the math and figured it wouldn't really save her much money to build her house herself. If she kept working and earning a paycheck, she could afford to have someone else (with experience and tools and lower materials costs) build the house for her. So, unless building a house yourself is part of "the dream," you won't necessarily spend a lot more money buying something already built or being built for you.

Partial builds are another way to save. Buying a shell (without adding on too many upgrades!) and finishing the interior yourself can give you some of the custom build experience. Tumbleweed "barn raiser" shells start at $15,000, while finished models start at $58,000. Buying the shell gives you a weather-tight package—saving you the build time of framing and then saving you money by finishing the build yourself.

We found good news from last year to this year when it comes to financing. More tiny house builders are making arrangements with banks. Tiny House Building Co of Fredericksburg, VA, for example, has partnered with People’s Community Bank to provide financing for their houses. SunTrust Bank has a division, LightStream, that specializes in tiny house financing with rate discounts for houses with NOAH or RVIA certification.

The good news for anyone hoping to go tiny, is that there are options for just about every budget. Ways to save money (borrow tools, design around reclaimed windows, buy second-hand appliances) and ways to find money (sell your stuff, move in with a family member, take a "hardship" 401K withdrawal). We closed our talk by saying: "If you've got the will, there's a way." We believe it.

​Four years ago, we were thinking about building a tiny house. What got us from "thinking" to "doing"? The Tiny House House Conference.
 
Recently, I wrote a post for The Tiny Life, the blog of conference founder Ryan Mitchell. In my post, I share the story of how attending the conference clinched our resolve to design and build our own house.
 
Two years after that first conference, with our house built, Ryan invited us to speak about our experience. This year marks our third year as speakers at The Tiny House Conference. We'll be talking about off-grid living and tiny house budget and finance. Other speakers will cover design and layout, building techniques, finding land and more. And, just as importantly, you'll get to tour a variety of small dwellings.
 
If you're looking for that nudge to get started on your tiny house, I hope you'll join us in Charlotte, NC, this March 17th and 18th.

The images below are from the 2017 Tiny House Conference in Portland, OR.

Yes.
(Thanks, Unforgettable Fire!)

See below for details: outside and inside temps.

When we were contacted by MightyGoods about appearing in one of their graphics, I had to do a little research. After all, I get contacted on a regular basis by companies suggesting we become affiliates or write about their goods and services (which often have nothing to do with life in a tiny house or minimalism or sustainability or any of the other things I muse on here). So, I looked up MightyGoods and I liked what I saw.

​The website publishes articles about (and often by) intrepid adventurers, experienced travelers, intentional nomads and dedicated minimalists (among others!). They'd done a popular "Vanlife Nomads" graphic, featuring 79 full-time van dwellers. They asked us to be part of the follow-up, "35 Inspiring Houses and the Families Living There."

Besides us, you'll see the homes of people who have lived in their tiny houses for more than five years, as well as homes still under construction. (At two years plus, we fit right in the middle!) You'll see a few families, but mostly couples and solo dwellers. I love looking at the geography of this tiny house nation as represented in the graphic: coast to coast and border to border in the U.S. (or close), plus some international homes. We, the tiny house nation, live in backyards and trailer parks, on private land and on the road, in rented space and on farmland. And, with zoning and building codes slowly evolving, I think the citizens of this nation will only swell.

Bill and I picked out a couple of our favorites, but I agree that all 35 are inspiring. As MightyGoods puts it: "Living in a tiny house is one of the best choices you can make if you want to get the best out of life, travel more and have more experiences! Instead of spending all your time, money and energy on some big mansion, you will be able to focus on the things that are really important for you."

​All pictures courtesy of MightyGoods.com

Recently, we were happy to see notice of an affordable tiny house gathering in the greater DC area: the Mid-Atlantic Tiny House Expo, October 28 and 29 at the Howard County Fairgrounds in Maryland. We plan to drive up to the the expo on Saturday, the 28th. (See you there?) We had the chance to ask one of the organizers, Frank Hazzard, a few questions about this first-time event.
 
Simply Enough: You're hosting the upcoming Mid-Atlantic Tiny House Expo. What gave you the idea to host a tiny house event?
Frank Hazzard: My daughter Emily is a junior at University of Maryland. Emily expressed a keen interest in tiny houses after seeing TV shows about them. She said she wanted financial independence, geographic mobility and sustainable living. So, two years ago I looked around in the local area for a tiny house builder who could mentor me with a DIY build. At the time there were none in Maryland. 
 
Kirk Johnson and I met when our daughters played softball together in high school. We are both recently retired, and Kirk agreed to help me with the project. We started making plans and buying building materials for the tiny house. Then, Kirk got an idea. “We can’t be the only people in this area who are curious about tiny houses,” he said. “There have to be thousands of people just like us. Let’s stage a tiny house expo to give curious people access to tiny houses.”
 
I had a background in trade show planning and production that I could easily adapt to this market. Other tiny house shows had attracted huge numbers of attendees. Why not here? Fast forward nearly a year. We’ve been working on the expo since February. It will take place at the Howard County (Maryland) Fairgrounds on Oct 28-29.
 
Are you in the process of building a tiny house now? If so, can you tell us a little about the build, and if we can expect to see your house at the Expo?
We built a tiny house shell as a prop to promote the show. It’s a 25-foot house with lots of windows and a handsome, cottage exterior. It was a lot of work! Fortunately, we received help from friends and family. This was not the house we intended to build for Emily. I still look forward to building one with her. We plan to park our THOW outside at the show as a way to attract attendees.
 
You'll have more than 20 tiny houses for people to tour at the Expo. How did you get tiny house builders and owners on board for this first-time event?
Lots of phone calls, email and digital marketing! LOL. As I said earlier, I have a background in events, so I know a little bit about exhibitor marketing. 
 
Can you give us an idea of the variety of homes that will be on site?
We think it will be a nice variety of houses. We have a yurt, a sea container builder, conventional two-story houses with lofts, a single-story THOW. We have a gypsy wagon on steroids. Even a chapel! One builder is bringing three houses. 
 
In addition to tiny houses, you have an impressive number of vendors lined up. What are some of the products and services would-be-tiny-house-dwellers can learn more about?
Thank you! We do have a lot of vendors who offer things that tiny house people need, including composting toilets, flooring, grey water systems, off-grid solar and closet systems.
 
This is advertised as a "rain or shine" event at the Howard County Fairgrounds. Will the houses and exhibitors all be inside an exhibit hall?
Yes, the expo will be in the Main Exhibit Hall at the fairgrounds, which is a one-acre building with tall ceilings and 14-foot overhead doors. It’s a great place for an event of this type. I’ve been to outdoor expos when it rained. Not too much fun. 
 
You said you have a background in trade show management. What are some of the lessons learned you'll be applying at this event?
Number one, lead-time is everything! There is never enough time to prepare for an event, but the more time you have, the easier it is to be successful. You also have to focus simultaneously on the three main elements: exhibit sales, attendee marketing and logistics/production.
 
The net proceeds from the Expo will go to Civic Works, a non-profit teaching job skills to at-risk youth in Baltimore. Can you tell us a little about their connection to the tiny house movement?
Civic Works is an amazing organization. We are thrilled to have it as a partner for the Mid-Atlantic Tiny House Expo. They recently opened a factory where youth are taught construction trades by building tiny houses. The houses are then sold to fund the program. We think this is a great idea. If you think about it, THOWs require all of the trades, only on a smaller scale. It would be a lot more difficult to mentor kids who were building conventional houses.
 
Finally, your organization is called "Tiny House Expos." Does that mean you have more expos in the works?
You noticed it’s plural! Yes, actually. We are very close to booking a couple more events – hopefully in time to announce them before the October 28 event kicks off.