I had the opportunity to speak with Alex from right here at Tiny House Talk the other day. We had a great conversation and he asked a lot of great questions. Some of the things he asked got me thinking about where this all started and just exactly how we got to a point in our lives where building and living in a tiny house seemed like the right decision.
Matt and I have been together a long time – nearly 18 years. We met in college and we were 19 and 20 when we started dating. It’s funny because a lot of people want to know how the two of us can live and work together but we just don’t think about it like that. We like spending time with each other so it just comes naturally. We have always had very complimentary dreams. Those dreams didn’t always include a tiny house; especially since we didn’t even know what a tiny house was back then, but they always included a desire to live in a more extraordinary way.
When I think back on it, I realize that the tiny house idea was really not that far from some of our earlier yearnings for adventure. Maybe it is possible that the concept was always in our DNA but until we discovered the tiny house movement we just didn’t realize it.
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Photo by Laura LaVoie
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By Laura LaVoie
As I am sure you recently read, Alex here at Tiny House Talk spoke with Ryan over at The Tiny Life. The interview was excellent and informative all the way around but there was something specific that struck me.
They both spoke about being dissatisfied with traditional corporate jobs. I thought to myself that I was also dissatisfied with my traditional corporate job and that was one of the things that lead me to make such a drastic change in my own lifestyle.
I began to think of many of the other tiny house builders I know and many are also dissatisfied with traditional corporate jobs, and some have worked hard to change their way of earning a living.
The idea of living tiny is unconventional by its very nature so it stands to reason that most individuals, couples, or families that chose this route also find themselves on the unconventional style. Someone can certainly maintain traditional employment while living in their tiny house; I don’t believe many of us want to.
There is concept that is a parallel to the Tiny House Movement which can help individuals augment their tiny house experience. It is referred to as Location Independence.
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Today lots of people are looking for alternative ways to live without mortgages and it turns out that there are several ways to do it.
Tiny houses on trailers aren’t the only way to go. And with enough labor and the right materials you can create a very lovely home.
The folks at WPICreative took this raggedy old school bus and transformed it into a beautiful home on wheels. It even caught the attention of the writers at Inhabitat.
I guess you can say it’s a custom built motorhome with a rustic charm to it. It has a completely custom wood interior and like all school buses, it’s surrounded by windows.
Unhappy with your view? Drive on.
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Enjoy the rest of the photos below:
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I just got an interesting message on Facebook from a reader who jokingly suggested there should be a tinyhousemingle.com so people like us who are interested in tiny houses can find dates with similar interests. Haha, there’s a question I’ve never been asked before! But really.. why not? At first, I couldn’t think of anything so I thought this would be a great topic to write about and gather ideas on. After you read my initial thoughts below maybe you can help me come up with more ideas in the comments?
I figured I’d give you as many tips that I could think of to help meet other people who will most likely be interested in living small as well. So here they are:
- Yoga classes and events
- Kayaking events, groups, and clubs
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Would you want to live in a 252-square-feet tiny apartment? I would!
If only they were more common.. And this well designed. This particular apartment studio in San Francisco has a lot of features that a tiny house has. For example, an upstairs sleeping loft to save precious space on the first level of the house. At just 9 feet wide and 28 feet long you’ve got to be smart about everything you decide to bring into space.
When the tenant moved in from Portland she had to start over as far as furniture goes. So she went the reclaimed route by finding furniture on Craigslist and utilizing it for multiple purposes.
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Like the television stand in the living room for example. It also serves as clothing storage. She was also able to get a good deal on a beautiful vintage looking desk thanks to Craigslist.
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I got this email from one of our wonderful readers, Teri, who’s getting ready to build a Tumbleweed Fencl tiny house to live in.
She’s got a 95-year-old mother who is excited for her and they’d both love to get the chance to tour a little house preferably a Tumbleweed in the Los Angeles area.
So I thought I’d re-post her message here and ask if you might be able to help refer her to somewhere (or someone) that can help her.
Hi Alex,
Within the next couple of years I will be building a Tumbleweed Fencl to live in. My 95-year old mom supports my dream but she doesn’t really know what a tiny house looks like. I’d love to find someone in the greater Los Angeles, CA area who might be willing to share just a few minutes of their time to show my mom what my future little home will look like. I’ve posted my request on the Tiny House Map, but other than that do you have any ideas how I can get my message out to other Tiny Housers? Would this request merit a mention in your newsletter?
Thanks for your help!
Teri
Loving & Learning Center
Exceptional EduCare for Infants, Toddlers & Preschool
www.LovingAndLearningCenter.com
If you have any ideas or suggestions just leave them in the comments below or if you’d prefer to get in contact with Teri directly her email is terijane [AT] sonic dot NET (hope you can make that out, just trying to avoid spammers). Thank you so much!
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I just ran into this bunkhouse tiny house and thought I’d share it with you. The owner of the little cabin, Sue, runs a blog called A Porch of My Own hence the name of this post. She had the shell of the cabin built by a company that delivered it right to her property as you’ll see in the photos below. Then she slowly finished the interior. It’s actually still a work in progress that’s already looking quite nice and I imagine it will start getting better and better. So far she’s spent much less than $10,000 but it is an ongoing project. Doesn’t it look relaxing?
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You can see the cabin shell being delivered on a trailer in the photos below:
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I’ve got a question for you: would you ever consider running a tiny business on wheels?
With farmer’s markets growing in popularity and people turning back to the simple life to find happiness and meaning it may be a viable idea.
Take Kara Rosenlund for example. She’s converted an old travel trailer into a mobile shop where she sells vintage goods for folks to buy for their homes.
Not only is it a great place to get inspired and do your work, but it’s also a wonderful place to sell your products.
Kara simply tows and goes to any event she wishes and is able to display and sell her goods there. With this approach, she doesn’t have to maintain an entire store with high rent and long hours.
Instead, she can peacefully create her products from wherever she’d like as well as display and sell her work from just about anywhere she wants.
Kara calls her store Travelling Wares. And I think you’ll agree that her caravan is just adorable. Have a look..
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Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com
I encourage you to check out the rest of the photos along with Kara’s vintage decorations below:
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Most of us or at least I think most of us want a tiny house to live in full-time so we can live life on our own terms.
At least that’s why I was motivated to initially look into little homes.. How about you?
And I was able to achieve a lot of the same results with a really small apartment. This helped me save money, lower my living costs, and transition into owning my own business.
Right away I realized that living small also helps the environment which is great. And I believe the future of housing lies somewhere between small spaces and smart design.
But what about a little cabin to write in? To work in? Or maybe just to get away in? It turns out that a lot of normal people in regular sized houses want the same thing for their hobbies. A place to get away from it all or to concentrate on their passion.
So today I’m showing you author Mike Lunsford’s little writing cabin. I hope you enjoy.
Surrounded by nature and and a deck that surrounds part of the house. This makes for the perfect writing studio or even a livable tiny house for those of us eager to enjoy the simple life.
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