A few different companies offer tiny house workshops to teach people how to design and build their own tiny homes and find freedom from debt, freedom from stuff, and freedom to roam. But as the free and online resources for tiny houses get better and better, what’s the “value” in taking a tiny house workshop?
Dee Williams has been teaching tiny house workshops for years, and her company PAD Tiny Houses recently contacted former participants who have gone on to build tiny homes on wheels so they can understand how workshops help people when they’ve really gotten going building. They received a letter from Kate Goodnight, a former workshop participant who’s now partway through building her “Naj Haus” tiny home on wheels in Hood River, Oregon reflecting on her experience:
“Building a tiny house is no small endeavor. Houses don’t just miraculously stand on their own. They need to be framed just so and be protected from the elements. They need to breathe and stay warm. They need to be wired and plumbed safely. Stick them on wheels and you have a whole new set of complications to keep your house from shooting off the trailer, bits flying willy-nilly in a trail of destruction down the road. To be able to pull off building a tiny house, you need a lot of experience to draw on. If, like me, you don’t have it yourself, you need to find it elsewhere…
Photos from recent PAD Tiny House Workshops:
Dee Williams showing off a partially constructed tiny house at a PAD Workshop. Photo: Chris Tack
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This is the story of a man who built his own tiny house for less than $500.
His name is Scott and he calls it his transforming tiny home because it has a custom and very simple fold-out bed. And here’s what’s really interesting. This is the biggest house he’s had in almost 3 years because before this he lived in a dome-tent, and before that, out of a backpack. So for him, the 83 sq. ft. cabin is roomy. Scott and his friends designed and built the simple tiny shelter for less than $500. It’s located on a friend’s 20-acre plot of land. Enjoy the full tour below. Can you imagine building a house for only $500 in materials? Talk about life-changing…
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How he built a $500 tiny cabin with help from friends
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Could you share a tiny house with one of your parents? It wouldn’t work for everyone, but it’s working just fine for Candice and her mother, Baoying.
Candice and Baoying in the sleeping loft.
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Right now I wanted to share this man’s DIY tiny cabin for affordable living.
It just goes to show you how simple you can really make your own tiny house project.
It doesn’t have to be on wheels. It doesn’t have to be made with the most expensive materials. And it can still be nice and do its job just right.
Mine ain’t fancy, but it works 😉
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205236690934427&set=o.117537014936981&type=1&theater
Man’s DIY Tiny Cabin for Affordable Living
Images © David C Newman
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This Pop Up Trailer to Teardrop Camper Project is a guest post by Ryan Parks
Alex,
After following your site and much pressure from my wife and friends I thought I would go ahead and send you pictures of our tear drop camper build.
It was built on top of a salvaged pop up camper trailer that I was able to acquire from a friend (his wife was grateful to see it gone). We cleaned up the old trailer and painted it up nice.
We opted to draw out our own plans after looking at multiple drawings on line and looking at different types of tear drops.
Almost all materials were acquired from RV salvage yards (door, side window and roof vent). We initially wired it up and installed a breaker panel for use in camping facilities that provide electricity but after more thought we went ahead and bit the bullet and set it up to use solar power as well if we decide to park it in a primitive camp site.
The interior was finished using cedar from a sauna that I had removed from a house.
We also have it set up for water. Again we tried to use as much salvaged and recycled materials as possible. We used an old stainless mixing bowl for a sink!
Your site is an excellent source of ideas and information. I almost wish I hadn’t built this one because my wife and I would love to build a “bigger” tiny house!
Again, thank you for having this site available for all of us that enjoy the smaller things in life.
Ryan and Debbie Parks
Davenport, IA
Images © Ryan and Debbie Parks
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This is the story of how a daughter and her husband designed and built a custom tiny home for her dad.
My husband and I wanted to build a house for my Father to live in on our property in Colorado. We decided to buy a pre-built shed and turn it into a home. The house is 12×32 with an 8×4 covered porch. The house sits on a permanent foundation with a crawl space underneath. The 20 gal. water heater is under the house. It’s a one bedroom one bathroom home with a living/kitchen area.
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They Built The Perfect Tiny Home For Dad…
Images © Kim Mendenhall
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This $2k tiny home story (part 2) is a guest post by Winston W. Johnson
Here’s four more pictures of the progress on my $2k off grid tiny shelter. You can see the new heat shields and cathedral ceiling box that I built and painted with high temp black paint in the photos below.
You can also see my ‘shower’ setup, I purchased one of those old-fashioned galvanized round tubs and use it as my shower base. I installed eye hooks on the ceiling and hang a shower curtain from them. When I’m ready to take my shower I bring the tub in from outside, set it on the floor under where I’ve installed the eye hooks, hang the shower curtain and I’m good to go. When I’m done with my shower I empty the water in the tub, let the shower curtains dry over night, fold them up and take the tub back outside. It only takes a few minutes setting the shower up and/or taking it down so it’s no big deal. I use one of those pump up garden sprayers for the pressurized water to take my shower.
You can also see my newly completed front door, it’s one of those double Dutch barn door types, the picture shows the top door open. And there’s another photo of my new door with both top and bottom doors closed. Quite a lot of work went into making my new front door. Each door, top and bottom, had 18 pieces of wood that I had to cut, glue and screw in order to complete the build.
After the first of the new year I plan on adding a 4ft x 8ft deck on the front of my tiny shelter. I’ll probably install the new wood floating floor next. If you missed my original article you can click here to check it out. Please enjoy the updates and re-share below. Thank you.
An Update on My $2k Off-Grid Tiny Home
Images © Winston W. Johnson
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This $3k DIY Teardrop Camper Project is a guest post by Nathan Pizzo
I started this teardrop camper about three point five months ago… from a 5×8 trailer… I was trying to build it in 30 days, but I soon found it was a little tougher than I thought. However… it’s all ready to go now, besides some further refinements that are best done at a slower pace. I spent my first night in it last night… in the garage, where the weather would not be a factor, just to get the feel.
My wife was very pleased with the result and said it was cozy, comfortable, and nice. I think it’s pretty sharp too. I am not exactly sure what it cost me to build but if I exclude new tools, and other special things I purchased to help me build it… I believe it’s something close to $3000 in materials alone. I think my labor would factor in to make it a higher price also. I built it in my garage.
Now to find some good places to use it!!
He Built A $3K Teardrop Camper in 3.5 Months (2014)
Images © Nathan Pizzo
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This man with a family of 4 (and 5th on the way) started his tiny house project in August of 2012 and finished it August 2013 while working part-time. He did all of the work himself and found much of the materials he used for the build on Craigslist.
By using salvaged materials, including a free travel trailer that he stripped down completely, he was able to finish the entire tiny home for less than $5,000. But it did take a lot of work in terms of labor.
Recently the family has given away their tiny house to a minister in New York and they are now preparing to buy a large 5th wheel travel trailer so they can travel the country together as a family. Please enjoy the videos below to learn more.
Man Builds Tiny House for Family for less than $5k
Images © marrieddragoon/youtube
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