We loved last year's Tiny House Conference in Asheville. This year, the Portland conference was another home run. Beautiful houses to tour (see below), tiny house enthusiasts and experts to chat with, great vendors sharing their wares and receptive audiences for our talks. New this year: I was on a panel of tiny house dwellers dishing on lessons learned living in compact spaces. Ryan Mitchell of The Tiny Life knows how to throw a conference. (Thanks, Ryan, for including us!)

One of the highlights for me is still touring the houses on site at the conference. The artistry as well as the practical solutions, the tried-and-true approaches and well as the creative takes on small living—I love it all.

At this year's conference, Covo Tiny House Co. blew me away with their technology. Bluetooth controls for just about everything in the house (lighting, heating and security included) aren't just convenient and cool, they're space savers. The Mio model we toured would make an amazing live/work space with its sit/stand work desk, built-in monitor and a slew of USB charging ports.

Two other on-site builders underscored the importance of a good foundation. For a THOW, that's the trailer its built on. Tiny Mountain Houses (TMH) and Seattle Tiny Homes (STH) offer trailers specifically designed and engineered for tiny homes. STH says their trailers offer DIY builders 18" more buildable space (which is huge when you're talking tiny). The company also sells complete plans, including materials lists and step-by-step guides. TMH trailer design allows the company to maximize interior height, so their lofts didn't feel like crawl spaces. TMH also made the case for RV certification (which their houses have) for insurance and parking accessibility.

When it came to sheer beauty, a few DIY houses on site were a joy to tour, including the Gypsy Caravan, Sanden House and Patrick's Tiny House. Here are a few photos from my tiny house touring.

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Before we built our house with boards and nails, we built it over and over again in our dreams. I would literally go to sleep wondering about where to put the sink and wake up the next morning with a new idea for the kitchen layout. So when I met tiny house builder Robin Hayes and she gave me one of her construction pencils, I loved—and identified with—the words printed on it: "Dream big, build tiny."

That's Robin Hayes' motto. With more than 30 years of construction experience she can build the tiny house of your dreams...but what she enjoys more is teaching people to construct their own tiny dream houses. I've written before about Robin's workshops. She's holding the next one October 7-9, 2016, in Berryville, Virginia. Participants work on at least two tiny houses in different phases of construction, learning about framing, roofing, wiring, plumbing and more. Construction novices can arrive a day early for a Beginner's Tool Workshop. I don't know of a better way to learn the ropes.

We'll be stopping by the workshop to talk about our build and life in a tiny house. Get more information about the workshop at Build Tiny. And even if you can't make it to the workshop, keep dreaming big.

Photos by Thom Stanton, courtesy of Build Tiny.

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."

Robin Hayes of Build Tiny doesn't just build tiny homes; she teaches people how to build their own. And everything in between. 

Hayes has been in the construction business for more than 30 years, building big and small structures. She's a Green-Advantage Certified General Contractor, Master Plumber and Master Gas Pipe Fitter. Just outside Berryville, Va., on her Two Filly Farm, she rents construction sites where people can build their own tiny homes, paying for as much help and consultation from Hayes as they want.

At semi-annual workshops, she leads attendees through the process of building tiny. Not just how-to lectures, these are hands-on affairs with instruction on everything from tool safety to design to construction principles. The next workshop's just around the corner: June 24-26, 2016.

At the workshop, participants will work on at least two tiny homes in progress. One, a 26' gooseneck-trailer model, has its framing in place; so, it's an opportunity to see the bare bones of a house and learn about  wiring, plumbing, roofing and siding a tiny house. Another house, further along in the construction process, will get a bathroom installed during the workshop. Time permitting, participants may help with construction of a subfloor on a third project.

We've had the pleasure of touring Robin's build space and talking to the participants at one of her workshops to answer questions about our own build. I can't think of a better way to learn the ropes of tiny house construction than at one of Robin's workshops. Get more information at the Build Tiny website.

Pictures courtesy of Build Tiny.