The story of small and tiny shelters is as old as mankind. Save for royal and ultra-wealthy families, lives were typically born, lived, and lost within the walls of little, humble abodes for thousands of generations. Isn’t it ironic that it’s the story of the tiny house that has hit center stage when in fact, it’s really the tale of the “modern-day house” that deserves our attention?
Today’s average American residence is a heavyweight champ scaling in at an unprecedented 2,658 square feet. Never have we seen larger average homes on our soils. In a worldwide competition, we would stand on the gold podium.
But how did we get here? What are the implications? Where do we go from here? And is all this extra square footage making us happier?
The tiny house movement is a diverse collective of people from teenagers to octogenarians, including all walks of life from military personnel, teachers, artists, scientists, professional athletes, musicians, financial investors, and millionaires, to those recently escaping homelessness. Many of us simply grew tired of working hard to pay for a house that was larger than necessary and that we rarely spent time in because we were wasting so many hours commuting and working to pay for it.
We’ve been living in our tiny house since 2013 and are happier here than in any other place we’ve ever lived. All our needs are met, we’re out of debt, and our family is thriving. Assuming we never move from here, we will never, ever have another housing payment again. That peace of mind is priceless.
Our new life didn’t begin in the blink of an eye though. Instead, it began over the course of a few years. At first, our path rarely seemed clear, but in time, the guideposts became brighter. Our hope is that our experiences help shed light on your own tiny house journey.
We encourage you to take the plunge into your own downsizing, minimalism, and tiny house living adventure. You’ll never know what’s on the other side unless you dare to begin.
How This Book Is Organized
We’ve broken this book up into four distinct parts, 20 chapters, and two appendixes to clearly explain all aspects of tiny house living, from downsizing all the way to the installation of the final finish detail. Here’s a breakdown of how it’s all laid out:
Part 1, Gearing Up for Tiny House Living, walks you through the essential steps you must take to embrace a tiny house lifestyle. You learn basic definitions and how to prepare for the downsizing process. We cover topics such as insurance, financing, and the ever-changing face of legalities surrounding tiny house living. You learn how to safely tow a tiny house and the details surrounding road restrictions, permit requirements, and route-mapping strategies.
Part 2, Defining Your Style, takes you room by room through a tiny house and addresses important details in each area. We guide you through options for furniture, appliances, layouts, costs, and more. We teach you how to be honest in your assessment of what you need versus what you want. And where would a tiny house book be without an open conversation about toilets? Don’t worry, we cover that, too.
Part 3, Custom Designing Your Tiny House, takes you into the process of tiny house design, whether you want to do it yourself, hire it out, or buy an existing set of plans. You learn what foundation option is best for your situation as well as how to ensure that engineering principles keep the structure safe, especially while being towed. Lastly, we cover how to read construction drawings like a pro and get you on the path toward building the very best tiny house possible.
Part 4, Building Your Tiny House, covers the nitty-gritty of the construction process. We show you how to find a great builder, how to work with subcontractors, and how to be your own general contractor. We cover the best tools for tiny house construction and how to acquire them without breaking the bank. We teach you how to anchor your house to a trailer, how to frame floors, walls, and the roof, how to install windows and doors, and how to add all the finishing touches for a beautiful end result. We talk about utility installations, loft access options, and ventilation. Lastly, we cover living off-grid, how to create a tiny house appropriate solar system, and how to bring water to your little abode.
The appendices provide a glossary of terms, as well as a list of resources that will help guide you through your own tiny housing evolution. By the time you’re done with this book, you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of all things related to tiny house living and construction. Enjoy!
Extras
Throughout the book, we include four kinds of sidebars to enhance the text and help you better grasp the concepts at hand. Here’s what to look for:
DEFINITION
We will reference several terms that may be unfamiliar to people new to tiny houses and/or construction. The definition sidebars explain what these words mean.
TINY TIP
These sidebars contain smart tips that will save you time and money and generally make building your tiny house easier.
TINY WARNING
Take heed of these sidebars as they provide warnings on common pitfalls and mistakes that you may fall into during your tiny house construction process.
TINY QUOTE
Check out shared tiny house knowledge in these sidebars, sometimes from sources outside the tiny house world, that speaks directly to what we’re creating together.
Acknowledgments
“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent”–John Donne, 1624
The tiny house movement would be a mere shadow of itself were it not for the tireless efforts invested by early pioneers. Though many helped pave the tiny house road to where it is today, two people, in particular, served as our personal inspirations and we would like to formally thank them here: Jay Shafer and Kent Griswold.
To all our amazing friends in the tiny house community (you know who you are!), thank you for your courage, your sense of adventure, your care for the environment, and your commitment to joy. You inspire us and make our lives a better and happier place every single day.
A special thanks to Macy Miller for showing us what grace, generosity, and kindness look like … every step of the way.
We are grateful to our fantastic technical editors for reviewing the manuscript: Richard Brundt, Darrell Grenz, and Jeremy Weaver. Special thanks also to Martin Burlingame, Chris Keefe, and the good folks at Recology in the Rogue Valley for their willingness to share their expertise with us.
We are indebted to the contributions and feedback of our talented editors: Terra Morrison, Lucinda Weatherby, and Khaliqa Rogmans. Becky Brown, Maud Powell, Eva LaBonty, Michael Morrison, Penelope Boettiger, and Heather Morrison, your support and encouragement each step of the way served as fuel for those long midnight-oil nights.
This book would not be possible without the help and support of our acquisitions editor at Alpha Books: Janette Lynn. Thank you for believing in us and for seeing the potential in the tiny house movement.
Last, but certainly not least, we want to personally acknowledge each one of you who’s just starting to dip those toes into the tiny house movement. We’re thrilled you’re taking this step and wish you every success imaginable. We invite you to create the life you’ve been dreaming of and to jump in with all those toes when the time is right. Come on in, the water’s fine!
Stay tiny, friends.
Gabriella and Andrew Morrison