Guest Post by Andrew Odom of Tiny r(E)volution

Since December of 2010 when we first stumbled across the tiny house living lifestyle we have had a dream to build our own, custom, tiny house trailer.

Having both lived in more traditional “sticks and bricks” homes and having both seen our fair share of consumer debt, mortgage bubble worst-case scenarios, and the like, we realized that we wanted something different; something more that could only be found in something less, so to speak.

We no longer wanted to live the status quo and fall prey to what we now realize is an antiquated “American Dream.”

We had no desire to get to know Fannie or Freddie and we knew that we wanted to further develop our micro-homestead, our self-sustaining lifestyle, and our desire to have a home that grew with us rather than us having to figure out how to fill it up.

So for the last three years or so (even before our tiny house dream) my wife, Crystal, and I have worked hard at simplifying our lives.

We have minimized the number of clothes we own, the amount of books/CDs/DVDs we own, the types of food we eat, our dependency on cars and travel in general, the number of square feet we need to exist indoors, and our overall debt!

Because of this exchange, we have maximized our quality of life, our love for each other, our concern for the world around us, our ideas of true entertainment, our health (both mental and physical), and our general dispositions.

In regards to our tiny house trailer, we are about 15% into it. We have secured our trailer (30′ long former travel trailer), sandblasted the entire thing, painted it, replaced the tires, replaced the leaf springs, etc. (see photos below).

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A few days ago I received Derek Diedricksen’s latest edition of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks in the mail so I was pretty excited to be able to review it so you can see what it’s all about before you order it.

In this video I’ll give you a sneak peak of the book that way you can figure out whether it’s something you’d find useful or not.

It’s a really fun book with tons of ideas. Some very practical and others are straight up funky. Either way the book will certainly get you thinking.

Well, enough yapping on here. Click the “play” button below to watch the complete review.

If you decide you want to order your own copy, you can do so over at Amazon.com.

Click here to order your copy of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks through Amazon.com.

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When you ask Simon Dale why he’s doing what he’s doing, he has a simple answer: it’s fun!

He has nearly completed building his second unique, sustainable, low-impact home in Wales, designed to nourish the residents as well the natural environment.

Dale has a more down to earth response to why he builds the tiny sustainable houses that have come to be known as hobbit homes.

“Our society is almost entirely dependent on the availability of increasing amounts of fossil fuel energy,” Dale writes, and if we don’t start drastically decreasing the energy we use we as a world will be faced with an “ecological catastrophe.”

The method of reducing consumption that Dale is passionate about is building homes that respect, repair and connect with the immediate natural environment.

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Photos Courtesy of Simon Dale and Low Impact Woodland Home

The first natural home he built, which also happened to be the first major construction project he’d ever tackled, is tucked in the side of a quaint hill in Wales, is wood heated and solar powered, and was built in less than six months for under $5000.

I encourage you to learn how by checking out the rest of the article, photos, and videos: [continue reading…]

The Fieldsleeper is a unique motorhome designed by a company named Tonke. I found out about these gorgeous campers thanks to the famous Lloyd Kahn over at his blog. By the way, Lloyd’s recently released his latest book, Tiny Homes: Simple Shelters, that you can order now through Amazon.

But anyway you’re here to see the Tonke Fieldsleeper 1 Camper because it’s that AMAZING motorhome that DETACHES from itself. Pretty smart concept! And the exterior has a very yacht-like style. It’s very cool! If you like mahogany and gloss, you’ll LOVE this…

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Tonke’s Fieldsleeper Detachable Motorhome Tiny House / Caravan

Photos Courtesy of Tonke Campers

If you want you can check out the rest of the pictures and watch a video of how it works: [continue reading…]

Can you imagine living in your truck, van, or car just so you can pay off your debt?

That’s what this 27 year old student, Andy, decided to do so he can pay off his $11,000 credit card.

Thank you, Steven, for sharing this video clip on Facebook.

Andy decided to leave his $800 per month apartment and turn the bed of his pick up truck into a bedroom.

Why? Well, I think this may help sum it up for you:

• He’s a full time college student
• Working part-time

His credit card balance every month was going untouched. In other words, he wasn’t getting ahead at all.

So Andy did what he had to do: take matters into his own hands. He..

• Put all of his stuff in storage
• And began sleeping in his truck

Photo Credit MoneyTrackTv via YouTube

He was immediately able to begin putting all of that money that was going into rent ($800/mo) into paying off his credit card debt.

How did he remain sane? He joined a rock climbing gym and that’s where he showers.

Besides that he eats simple foods and uses the College campus to study and use the Internet during the day.

What kind of sacrifices would you, or are currently undertaking, in order to get ahead for your future?

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Ever wanted to turn your backyard barn or shed into a livable tiny house for guests or yourself? Even if it were only for the kids to camp in once in a while…

One of our awesome readers, Jean, sent me photos and information on how she converted this barn into a little home. At approximately 288 square feet, it’s not incredibly tiny, but you can take the same concepts and apply it to an even smaller structure. Jean bought a 12′ by 24′ barn with a loft and converted it by hand into a guest cottage.

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It All Started With This 12-ft by 24-ft Barn

Photos Courtesy of Jean H. [continue reading…]

So you want to find reclaimed materials for your tiny house project because paying upward of $20,000 for a one-hundred-something square foot home just doesn’t seem right. Fortunately there are people who have built their little houses for less than $10,000 using some of the tips in this article.

• DIY tiny house on a trailer for $5,500 by Matthew Wolpe
• Another one for $3,500 by Jenine Alexander

Finally, there’s Dee Williams, who you are likely familiar with. She built her humble house for around $10,000 after leaving her big house.

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5 Strategies for Acquiring Reclaimed Materials

Photo Courtesy of Nicolas Boullosa via Flickr and Faircompanies inside Jenine Alexander’s tiny house

3 Easy Tips on how to get Reclaimed Materials for your Tiny House Project

1. Be on the lookout for structures around you that are going to be demolished [continue reading…]

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to run into Meg and Joe’s tiny house tour on their YouTube channel.

Then I found their blog, Living Small Under the Big Sky, and was glad to read some of the inspiring quotes on living simply.

But when I say live simply I also mean living richly.. Just in a different way than most of society sees it. You know what I mean, right?

Tiny House Tour after Construction

After Meg and Joe finished the construction (thanks to the help of some friends and family) they were a bit fearful about moving it.

Fortunately, it towed perfectly fine without any issues. 🙂

 

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Photos Courtesy of Meg via YouTube and Living Small Under the Big Sky

I encourage you to watch it in action in the video clip at the bottom of this post. [continue reading…]