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Bill and I have had the pleasure of being fellow speakers with Ethan Waldman at the last two Tiny House Conferences, and both our homes were featured in a Fiscal Times article in 2016. Ethan began building his tiny house in rural Vermont in 2012. He started a blog when the house was still just an idea and, today, that blog has thousands of readers. Ethan's two eBooks, Tiny House Decisions and Tiny House Parking, have been praised by readers for their practical tips and extensive research. His latest project, Tiny House Engage, is an online support group for people researching or building tiny houses. 
 
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Simply Enough: Can you tell us a little about what inspired you to go tiny?
Ethan Waldman: For me, it was mostly a financial decision, but wound up being a lifestyle decision. I was working a corporate job that wasn’t making me very happy, and I really wanted to have my own business. But I just couldn’t imagine supporting myself through starting a new business with the monthly expenses I had at the time. I looked at everything and realized that rent was my biggest monthly expense. When I saw Tammy Strobel’s blog (rowdykittens.com) and was introduced to the tiny house on wheels concept, I knew it was the answer to my problem. 

Your house is beautiful. I think you worked with someone on your design. How did you decide to go that route and how did that collaboration work?
I worked with Milford Cushman (cushmandesigngroup.com). I initially purchased a set of plans and was all set to build them. Milford is a family friend who knew about my intentions to build a tiny house. Over dinner at my parents house, I showed him the plans and he offered to work with me on designing something for me. I brought him and his team photos of many different tiny houses I loved and they started sketching from there. 
 
Your plans are available for sale on you site. Have you seen any houses built with your plans? 
 I just started selling the plans in mid 2016, so I haven’t seen any completed houses yet. I can’t wait, though!

You built your house yourself. Did you have help for any of the build? What surprised you about the building process?
I did hire a local carpenter to help, which turned out to be a really smart decision. I worked the first three months alone and barely made any progress. Once Jason and I started working together I had someone who could teach me as we went a long. I still did a lot of work on my own but having someone to call and consult with was a huge confidence builder. I was shocked by just how much work it is. Even though the house is small, there are points along the way where the tasks just feel like endless chores. And then, all of a sudden, you’re done. 

What do you like the most about your house after living in it for some time now? What's something you would do differently if you were starting over?
I love all the windows. Even though they make the house slightly harder to heat, all of the natural light inside the house is amazing. If I was starting over, I’d consider a shed roof to maximize head room in my loft. 

One of your tag lines is "Build your tiny house smarter and faster!" Can you give us one "build smarter" tip and one "build faster" tip?
You can build faster by building smarter. All by planning your build in advance! Know what appliances you’re using, what colors you're painting, and what cabinets you’re using before you start. Make your tiny house decisions before you start so you can focus on getting the job done.

Please tell us a little about your latest project, Tiny House Engage?
It’s been an adventure! The idea is to create a community of people who can help each other along their tiny house journeys. Plus, we do a live call each week (sometimes Q&A, sometimes with guests!) and those calls get recorded and put into the growing video training library. We have a group of about 50 people and I’d estimate that at least 10 of them are currently building tiny houses. It’s fun to connect with people who are in the thick of things with their projects. People can learn more and find out when registration opens next at http://thetinyhouse.net/tiny-house-engage. 

Time and again, I get asked the question: How did you find a site for your tiny house? In our case, we had a friend with land offer us a spot—but not everyone looking to go tiny has friends or family with land to lend. That's where Try It Tiny could come in handy.

A new entry into the shared economy landscape, the online marketplace matches home owners with landowners and tiny-house wannabe dwellers with micro-home owners looking for rental income. Founder/owner Maggie Daniels offers free listings to both land and tiny home owners. Like AirBnB, guests are charged a fee when a booking is confirmed.

The Simply Enough team met Daniels at the 2017 Tiny House Conference in Portland and followed up with a few questions.

I know a little about your background—you moved to a tiny house after you began renting out your “big house” out for extra income, right? 
MD: Yes. Renting my house on Airbnb proved so successful that I was leaving my home too often. Building a tiny house provided a way for me to stay on my land, to have my mini/aspiring homestead and continue to receive rental income. Up until last week, I felt I was "full-time" tiny—except, now, my tiny house has been the thing I'm renting out more frequently! 

The next step was realizing that I have room for more tiny house parking spots on my land. I went ahead and added hookups to make it easy and friendly to a variety of different needs. Then, I needed a way to let people with tiny houses know I could accommodate them on my property, and I realized I could help elsewhere, as well.

What else in your background was an influence in starting this business?
MD: My background is in finance and business, and I always thought of starting my own business but never dreamed it would be so soon or happen almost organically. While researching my own tiny house, I learned of the challenges in finding places to park. Living in rural Indiana, I was initially very surprised, thinking, "There's land EVERYWHERE!" How naive. After helping some folks find land here in Indiana, I started piecing things together, which turned into a full-blown business plan. It became apparent, very quickly, that this need was far greater than I originally imagined, and it was going to demand my full-time attention.  So, I got serious, got some funding and a lot of my savings together and took a leap of faith.

When did you launch? And how much has the site grown since then?
MD: We launched the business in March 2017, so we've been up and running for a a couple months now.  I started working on the business almost a year ago (in concept) and left my former job to do it full time at the end of last year. I've been really happy with the reception! We've had a lot of users sign up to the site (we hit 1,000 recently), and we continue to add inventory each day (woo hoo!). We still have so much more to do. It's not just about having "inventory" in any particular state (we're in 30 states), it's about having the right inventory, in the right location and sub-market, at the right/fair market price, at the right time with a Guest and Host match. It's extremely challenging—very daunting at times because people's lifestyles are relying on you.

Do you have any “success stories” you can share?
MD: Yes! I'm happy to say we have several success stories since our launch: Land hosts who are hosting tiny housers in need of long-term solutions, and people giving tiny a try by renting a tiny house.  We have had these situations in places like Washington (state), Massachusetts and the Midwest. There is already a testimonial on the homepage at the bottom from a match in Washington. I haven't had as many tiny house rentals yet, so I don't know of someone who has then gone on to purchase a tiny house after renting one.  

Are there any upcoming additions/changes in the works?
MD: Yes! We just launched a new "forum" feature this week (!) which will be more of an open Q&A with Hosts so they don't have to answer the same questions over and over, and it will give a lot more information to the Guest who is traveling (to see the back and forth and answering of questions). We are also working on a long-term monthly renewal program which will automate monthly payments for longer term stays. This will help make booking and payment more efficient, plus it will have an auto step-down cost structure so it's more cost-efficient for the Guest!

We also added a calendar syncing feature which probably isn't as exciting as some of the other inovations, but it is certainly a functional improvement that will help people who book multiple locations, trips or have several listings.

Tiny house builder and dweller, writer, photographer and editor, Andrew Odom is a pioneer in the tiny house movement. In addition to living in small spaces with his family, Andrew blogs about the movement and edits Tiny House Magazine. He is the author of Your Message Here: Gaining Corporate Sponsors for Your Tiny House Project (2014) and How to Decorate the Tiny House (2013), as well as a contributor to the Turning Tiny (2016) anthology. Though in the midst of planning the first Tiny House NC Street Festival, Andrew generously took time to answer a few questions.

What brought you to the tiny house movement?

The short answer is that in 2009 my wife and I were looking for affordable housing. We were victim to the “American Dream” ethos. We found a home and were approved to buy it. However, I was working a dead-end job and she was working a seasonal position; we didn’t have anywhere near enough money for this little home. To combat our trepidation we started looking at non-traditional homes. That led us to everything from an igloo to an RV, a cabin kit to a tiny house on wheels. 

Your family has lived in more than one tiny dwelling. Can you tell us about your first tiny house? Did you design/build it yourselves? How long was the build and how long did you live in it?

Our first tiny house was 30’ long and was single level. We designed it as a napkin sketch based on what we needed to live. It was built on a salvaged Shasta RV trailer and took us nearly 14 months to build. We did all the labor except the metal roof. We had professionals install that. We lived in it for 2 years. 

You sold your tiny house a few years ago and bought a travel trailer. Was it a hard decision to let go of the house? How did life compare in a travel trailer? 

It was bittersweet, yes, because we put so much of “us” into our tiny house on wheels. However, we were ready to move on to the next adventure. We lived on the road for two years. I can’t possibly sum up in just one answer how life compares. I encourage folks to visit my Tiny r(E)volution website to read all about the similarities and differences.

Living "tiny" is about more than square footage, but your current 860-square-foot house wouldn't be considered "tiny" by purists. Still, you appear committed to the movement. Before we talk about the street festival, can you tell us about other projects you're involved with?

I am the Managing Editor for Tiny House Magazine. I blog weekly on Tiny House Listings and Tiny House Blog. I have two self-published books on tiny house sponsorship. I have been a keynote speaker or a featured speaker at a dozen tiny house festivals. I do about one workshop every two months or so. Plus, I am mentoring a local school system on building their own tiny house on wheels. I am all over the place!

Now, for the 2017 Tiny House NC Street Festival...what was the inspiration for this event? 

Passion for non-traditional houses and passion for the great state of North Carolina. 

Since this isn't being called a conference or a workshop like many other tiny house events, what can attendees expect to hear and see at the street fest?

Builders will have houses on hand. We will have a wealth of speakers. Vendors will be set up. It is truly  a celebration of tiny houses in North Carolina. 

Any unique features of the festival you'd like to point out? 

Perch & Nest Tiny Homes will be showcasing a Feature House, which means we will be putting their unique home on a city lot complete with landscaping, etc. We want to show what a tiny house on wheels would look like in a more traditional neighborhood setting. 

The festival is being held in Pink Hill, NC. It seems that North Carolina has become one of the nation's tiny house "hot spots." Can you talk a little about that?

I can talk a lot about that. *laughs* Our state is so dynamic. The western part is full of beautiful mountains. The central has some dynamic metro areas like Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham. The east coast is on the Atlantic Ocean. All between are beautiful farms. We are into agriculture as well as industry and technology. 

Visit the Tiny House NC Street Festival website for more information about the April 2017 event.

Launched just last October, Driftwood Homes USA has already garnered attention for their sharp design and beautiful finishes. Simply Enough was fortunate enough to tour two Driftwood models at the 2016 Tiny House Conference in Asheville, NC. We loved their builds and knew we wanted to stay in touch. We asked Susan Gunyou, head of sales and marketing for Driftwood, to tell us a little more about their work.

Why build tiny?
There are so many reasons for people to consider building tiny from the economics to the freedom it allows. People are looking for ways that they can make their lives less complicated so that they have more time to enjoy life.
 
How many tiny homes have you built at this point?
We are in the process of building our third tiny home with several more in the design phase. Driftwood is a relatively new tiny home company since we just started building last October. Our parent company, Brighton Builders, is a custom home building company and serves as an inspiration for some of our tiny home ideas.   
 
Who's buying your builds? Couples? Families?
Our primary interest has been from couples, followed by singles and then small families. The age range has varied from early 20s up to 70s.
 
Have your clients asked for any particularly challenging custom design elements?
We haven't run in to too much that's exceptionally challenging yet. There is a plan we are working on that will have a rooftop porch accessible from the loft and the exterior. On our Indigo plan, we needed to work in the wheel well in the bathroom. It worked out great, though, because we ended up putting a shelf in the ceramic tile shower.
 
What are some space savers you've worked into your homes?
Some of the ways we have maximized the space have been to add recessed wall niches for storage, drop leaf tables, stair storage and a murphy bed that converts to a desk. Utilization of pocket doors and barn doors has also been helpful in conserving space.

Are there things you're doing differently now that you've built more tiny homes?
We learn something new with each plan that we build and design to make it more functional and efficient.  One area that we are adjusting is maximizing the best use of headroom for the loft and the area underneath.  We also continue to look for ways to take full advantage of any ways to provide extra storage.  

You can learn more about Driftwood Homes on their website, or by following them on Facebook. On the fence about going tiny? Ask for their free guide, "10 Reasons to Go Tiny."

Around the time Bill and I decided to build a tiny house, we heard about The Tiny House Conference being held in Charlotte, NC. We signed on as volunteers and drove down to meet Ryan Mitchell, organizer of the conference as well as creator of The Tiny Life blog, author of several tiny house tomes and, most recently, cohost of the Tiny House Chat podcast. 

We toured our first tiny houses at the conference, took pages of notes on all sorts of practical considerations we hadn't even been aware of, and got excited alongside other tiny house wannabes. By the time we returned to Virginia, we felt ready to get started. I can't thank Ryan enough for being a big part of that process. Check out some of his tiny house resources below.

An interview with Ryan Mitchell:
What was your introduction to the tiny house movement? One day in 2008, I found myself standing on a curb with my co-workers, holding a box with all the things from my desk and reeling from the sudden announcement our company was closing. Luckily, I was able to find a job quickly, but that feeling of being exposed and vulnerable never really left me. I started looking at my budget and realized housing costs were about half my expenditures every month. I asked myself a crazy question: How could I shrink that? I did some research and discovered tiny houses. After four years of saving money, I began building my own tiny house.

How has your own tiny house build gone? It's been going great, I've moved into my tiny house a while ago and have been enjoying the tiny life!  It of course took longer than I thought to build it and it ended up costing a little more than expected, but all in all I'm very happy with it.  

What's something you'd do differently? I might have considered purchasing a shell, rather than building from scratch, and I think I would have chosen casement windows over awning windows.  

You're hosting your second tiny house conference in Portland this April. What can a prospect tiny houser expect to glean from it? I think people will gain real understanding of the process of building a tiny house.  Two big benefits of attending are connecting with others and getting to ask your questions. Not to mention that you get to see a lot of tiny houses of different styles in one place.  Nothing beats standing in a tiny house.

Any other new ventures you'd like to mention? I recently launched a podcast called Tiny House Chat. We've gotten a lot of positive feedback, and it's been a lot of fun.  

Resources from Ryan Mitchell
The Tiny Life: Features Q&A from Ryan, guest columnists, tiny house ideas and inspirations, practical building advice and more
Books by Ryan: Shockingly Simple Electrical, The New Retirement, Cracking the Code (building codes),  Tiny House Floor Plans
Tiny House Conference: April 18-19, 2015, Portland, OR
Ask the Tiny Life: New Q&A video