Organization is one little piece of the minimalism and simplicity movement and this week’s guest is an expert! Amanda Clark, owner of Ever So Organized, brings us tips, techniques, and wisdom she’s learned from helping over 100 families per year. In this interview, we discuss general clutter, principles of minimalism, common decluttering roadblocks, and Amanda shares her favorite organizing products! Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/261 In This Episode: Amanda’s organizing process ...
May 05, 2023•40 min•Ep. 261
After coming across photos of a tiny house being placed by a crane, I became fascinated with the owner's story. That owner is Sabine, also known as Bleeptrack, an artist and creative technologist who chronicles her art and tiny house experiences on the "Work in Progress" YouTube series. Bleeptrack’s home is a beautiful and modern-looking prefabricated home - something I think will gain popularity in the United States. In this conversation we talk about the regulations and realities of living tin...
Apr 28, 2023•32 min•Ep. 260
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a tiny house in Iceland? Damien and Steph, the creative duo behind Tiny Spaces, recently traveled to Iceland to film some of the most extraordinary tiny and small houses and they share their insights and experiences with me. In this episode, we explore the unique design features of these tiny spaces, the building materials and systems that keep these remote spaces safe from the harsh climate, and some insights that people can gain by explor...
Apr 21, 2023•28 min•Ep. 259
I've always loved the idea of his and hers tiny houses, where a couple downsizes into two separate houses that are parked next to one another. Well, I finally found the perfect guests to interview about it! Elisa and Ryk share their insights on why they chose two tiny houses, the logistics of parking them, and how living tiny has changed their relationship. They have lots of great lessons to share about living tiny and advice for other couples who are considering dual tiny homes. Full show notes...
Apr 14, 2023•49 min•Ep. 258
Amanda Kovattana is a 6-year veteran of tiny house living who lives completely off-grid in the drought-ridden landscape of Northern California. In this conversation, we get a sense of all of the ingenious systems that Amanda has developed to live tiny comfortably while also working within the bounds of the resources she has - including an interesting way of collecting rainwater. During the course of the conversation, I also learned about the alternative to a composting toilet that Amanda uses ca...
Apr 07, 2023•52 min•Ep. 257
Can honeybees offer valuable insights into the worlds of investing and housing? As Hank Svec converts a 52-acre oceanside property into 1.5-acre lots for tiny homes and transforms his 50-acre farm into a honeybee sanctuary, he is eager to share his experiences and expertise. In this enlightening conversation, Hank shares the details of his tiny home development, delves into the concept of value investing, and explains how bees can teach us the benefits of a patient, value-oriented approach to we...
Mar 31, 2023•53 min•Ep. 256
Why would someone choose an RV over a tiny house? When Brian Aleksivich and his wife downsized from a 35-acre homestead they chose an RV over a tiny house on wheels. In this episode, we explore the advantages and disadvantages of their choice, factors to consider when choosing between an RV and a tiny house, and also touch on the challenges of living with three Saint Bernards in a relatively small space. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/255 In This Episode: Making an RV suitable fo...
Mar 24, 2023•33 min•Ep. 255
How can minimalism inform both your lifestyle and building techniques? This week, a multidisciplinary artist talked to me about her process as she built her first tiny house in 2019 with no prior building experience. Carina Gibson’s beautifully designed tiny house was built on a tight budget using repurposed materials and her imagination. In this intriguing conversation, she explains why she calls herself Dirtbag Minimal on her online profiles, how minimalism plays a role in her building and lif...
Mar 17, 2023•37 min•Ep. 254
I love sharing insightful interviews of everyday people who are living in or building tiny homes in different and unique ways. Tina Quintana is a teacher who has maximized the potential of her tiny abode as a studio space, a guest room, a full-time tiny home, and even a virtual classroom. We dive into why she opted to build out a shell and how it works for her. Tina offers valuable information and encouragement for those who lack building experience but still want to be involved in their tiny ho...
Mar 10, 2023•49 min•Ep. 253
Are you struggling to choose the perfect foundation for your tiny home? This week, Bill Taha shares expert insights and tips from a structural engineer’s perspective. He explains which materials are best suited for different climates, offers advice on how to safely anchor your tiny home, and suggests budget-friendly options for building a sturdy foundation. . In This Episode: What is a tiny home? Framing, material, and design options Anchoring your tiny home: why and how Preventing sinkage in yo...
Mar 03, 2023•40 min•Ep. 252
Kate Bohn is among the voices that I've been eager to feature from Tiny House Engage, my online tiny house community. In this episode, Kate explains how she turned her tiny house dream into a reality, even after her original builder was unable to complete her build. She and her husband negotiated an empty shell and completed the build themselves while negotiating rising costs and learning new skills. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/251 In This Episode: What went wrong with the bui...
Feb 24, 2023•50 min•Ep. 251
This week’s episode is all about the philosophy that helped shape a nomad’s life. Teekay Rezeau-Merah talks to me about veganism, extreme minimalism, and nomadism and the principles that guide him in this world. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/250 In This Episode: How veganism led to minimalism The nomadic mindset Slow living and the nomadic lifestyle Pingu the Campervan Positive effects of chronicling a minimalist’s journey This week's sponsor: Tiny Tuesdays Did you know that I p...
Feb 17, 2023•39 min•Ep. 250
Want to be inspired by someone who decided to jump into the tiny lifestyle using what he had? Matt Coldren didn’t wait for permission or save up a bunch of money for his tiny home. He bought an inexpensive camper shell and moved right into his pickup truck! Matt’s living life his way while he travels for work and plans to live tiny well into the future. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/249 In This Episode: Finding dispersed camping spots Pros and cons of living in the truck Work-li...
Feb 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 249
This week, I got to talk to an amazing couple that has been living in their van for about four years! Frankie and Alex, aka FnA Van Life, tell me about living nomadically in Central and South America and why they upgraded from their first van to their second van after about a year. Frankie and Alex are also podcasters and YouTubers, and they have some great stories, amazing tips, and wonderful energy to share. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/248 In This Episode: RV or van? How FnA...
Feb 03, 2023•47 min•Ep. 248
This week’s guest is a longtime member of my online tiny house community, Tiny House Engage. His name is Bill Knapp, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to watch his build take shape over the last couple of years. Bill is a retired educator and he’s quite skilled in construction, among other disciplines. He put together a fascinating PowerPoint presentation so we decided to share the video of this podcast interview, which I normally don’t share beyond Tiny House Engage. Full show notes, images, a...
Jan 27, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 247
Alex is a reuse expert who embodies the reuse lifestyle. In 2008, Eaves began what he calls “the reuse life;” avoiding disposables and finding reuse solutions for his needs and wants. He recently completed a ~100 square foot box truck made from nearly 100% reusable materials. You won't believe what it cost! In this interview, Alex helps illuminate what the difference is between reuse and recycling. They are extremely different! For years, we've been hearing that if we are recycling, we are doing...
Jan 20, 2023•28 min
When I built my tiny house 10 years ago, I missed out on some of the more modern smart home things, like smart locks and smart thermostats. I’ve spent the last few months modernizing the house to make it work as an Airbnb in its current location. In this episode, I review all of the things I purchased for my tiny house in 2022. Whether you’re planning or building your tiny house or already living tiny, you can definitely find things in this episode to make your tiny lifestyle a whole lot easier....
Jan 13, 2023•24 min•Ep. 245
Designing for small places has its own special challenges. Who better to talk me through approaching the design of your tiny house than an experienced designer who specializes in small spaces? Sarah Bronstein, who both designs for small spaces and lives in an Avion LaGrande travel trailer, talks to me about her own transition to living tiny, her favorite interior design products for small spaces, and helpful tips for you as you plan out your tiny house. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse...
Jan 06, 2023•44 min•Ep. 244
2022 was an incredibly busy and wonderful year! This week, I give you a recap of the Tiny House Summit, an update on my personal tiny house, and I also share some of my favorite episodes of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast. Thank you for listening to the show every week. Happy New Year! Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/243 In This Episode: My biggest business and teaching accomplishment Moving and renting out my tiny house Upcoming tiny house maintenance How is this podcast doing? ...
Dec 30, 2022•21 min•Ep. 243
Why are tiny house festivals important? My guest, Renee Seevers, is the creator of TinyFest Midwest, TinyFest California, and recently TinyFest Southwest. Renee tells me about switching from a tiny house to a skoolie, what it’s like running the festivals, and what you can expect at one of her TinyFest events. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/242 In This Episode: Terrifying tiny house mistakes What to expect at a TinyFest Building community for people on the move Upcoming tiny house...
Dec 23, 2022•39 min•Ep. 242
What is bioregional building? Steven Martyn got in touch with me when he released his latest book called The Roundhouse, which is all about bioregional building. It’s essentially the idea of finding all of your building materials within a 100 mile radius of where you’re building the house and it has a lot of interesting benefits and effects. Steven, a very philosophical and wonderful guest, has a lot of interesting ideas about living on this earth and I’m happy to share them with you. Full show ...
Dec 16, 2022•52 min•Ep. 241
The Bushes are a tiny house couple with an extraordinary back story. Over the first two years of living tiny, they were able to pay off $125,000 in debt. In this interview, Marek and Ko will share the strategies they used to get out of debt, how they continue to live intentionally, and how their Youtube channel has changed their lives. In This Episode: How easy is it to get into debt and how did the Bushes decide to gain financial freedom? The steps that make up the Dave Ramsey method Obtaining ...
Dec 09, 2022•38 min
Kari Gale sold everything she owned, booked a one-way ticket to Spain, walked the Camino de Santiago. Upon her return, Kari built an amazing tiny house on wheels that has some features that have made it a very popular YouTube video tour on Living Big in a Tiny House. In this conversation with we talk about the special features of Kari's house, and the journey that brought her to tiny living. So, what's it like to sell everything you own? Kari shows us how her journey helped inspire her tiny hous...
Dec 02, 2022•53 min
Today my guest is Lloyd Kahn, and if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen one of his books. Lloyd published the seminal book, Shelters in 1973, documenting alternative housing ideas not limited to but including tiny houses, well before the current modern movement. Lloyd has a lifelong fascination with shelter, and this conversation, we trace the steps of how an insurance broker in San Francisco built his own home and slowly transitioned to publishing internationally about Geodesic ...
Nov 25, 2022•45 min
What really happens when you commit to a minimalist lifestyle? Matt Paxton has a uniquely interesting minimalist lifestyle with his wife and 7 children. Matt uses his fantastic storytelling skills to talk about the effects of minimalism on a family, how to continue being minimalist, and the effects of minimalism on the rest of your life. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/240 In This Episode: Minimalism and parenting Tiny living for a large family When it's too difficult to part with...
Nov 18, 2022•47 min•Ep. 240
I found out about this week’s guest because she released a hilarious music video about romance in the tiny house loft, inspired by her own tiny house. Annie Corbett is a musician and in this conversation, she tells me how going tiny affected her music, what makes her tiny house unique, and how five years of tiny living have been for her. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/239 In This Episode: A successful tiny living strategy Specialist, not minimalist Recording an album in a tiny ho...
Nov 11, 2022•34 min•Ep. 239
The Tiny House Online Summit is a unique, free 3-day learning event for anyone starting on the path to living tiny. Immerse yourself in a weekend of strategies and tips to help navigate every aspect of planning, building, and living tiny. Taught by 30 leading experts. Get 100% FREE access November 4-6, and join your fellow tiny housers worldwide! Watch it now at: https://tinyhousesummit.co Send us a text Support the show Listen. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Apple Podcasts Spotify More... Follow Etha...
Nov 04, 2022•9 min•Ep. 238
Why would an entrepreneur who has raised millions of dollars through crowdfunding live in a van? Vanlife doesn’t seem common amongst the startup and tech crowd, yet Rob Rast is living this alternative lifestyle while successfully running his e-mobility business. In this interview, we cover how living in the van brings Rob closer to his work with electronic bikes and skateboards, plus how those devices can get you around in an eco-friendly way. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/237 I...
Oct 28, 2022•26 min•Ep. 237
There are some great tiny house builders out there, but there are also some unscrupulous builders who are cutting corners and putting the tiny house dwellers that buy from them in potentially unsafe situations. Jenifer Levini goes in depth about what the codes and certifications mean, why they are important, and how you can determine whether a house was built to these standards. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/236 . In This Episode: What your contract should cover Why codes are im...
Oct 21, 2022•41 min•Ep. 236
What is sustainability? Amanda Gunawan is an architect who is dedicated to sustainable development, inspired by Japanese culture. In this episode, Amanda tells us about her perspective on sustainability and how architects can build spaces that last through their design choices. Although she does not design tiny homes, there is a lot of crossover in ideas with the tiny house movement that we can learn from and incorporate into tiny house design. Full show notes and images at thetinyhouse.net/235 ...
Oct 14, 2022•31 min•Ep. 235
