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.
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.