The last few months have been pretty huge for me, friends. Part of that was going smaller – downsizing into my new tiny house Jolene, passing off my old house to my nephew – but there was more at work too, the messy personal stuff that happens when you love a lot of great people….Read more
A few months ago I announced my intentions to go from Tiny to Tinier, giving my little house to my nephew Jonathan and moving into my 56 square foot Don Vardo, Jolene. In the time since, I not only had to downsize (again!) and move, but also prepare my old house for a 1,500 mile…Read more
When I built my tiny house, I was nervous about installing skylight windows, thinking they could leak gallons of the Pacific Northwest winter rain into my house. But I also knew that a skylight would completely change the way my house felt. All in all, installing skylights was the best decision I made while designing…Read more
While Dee Williams is downsizing from tiny to tinier, the new owner of her “Kozy Kabin” house is actually upsizing into 84 square feet. Dee’s nephew Jonathan is a recent college graduate and whitewater rafting guide who’s been comfortable living in a tent for months at a time during summer rafting expeditions and on a…Read more
By Dee Williams In February I asked myself the question, “Will I always live in my tiny house?” And the answer was a classic Dee Williams hedge: maybe. I went on to write about why I still love my house — the skylight windows that pull the moon in at night, the cedar planking that…Read more
At PAD, we love supporting schools. Seeing young people get their feet wet and hands sawdusty in a construction project just lights us up. We also love seeing people build off PAD’s plans, with the subtle but inevitable differences in approach and details to the original. So we’re excited to share this news from our…Read more
This guest post is by Gary Rogowski from the Northwest Woodworking Studio, who knows a thing about tools and how to teach others to use them. The Northwest Woodworking Studio is one of PAD’s Expert Partners, and they’re leading a hands-on tiny house construction workshop series this spring in Portland including Tiny House Framing on…Read more
By Dee Williams Lately, I’ve been looking at the unexpected education that I’ve gotten over the past 13 years of tiny house living. When I set out to build my house, I knew I’d learn more about how to use a saw. And before I moved into my house,…Read more
A lot of DIY tiny house enthusiasts are relatively new to building, and wisely look for ways to get hands-on experience with construction in addition to education about tiny house design principles. That’s just one of the reasons we’re excited to announce the newest PAD Partner, The Northwest Woodworking Studio. They’re offering Tiny House…Read more
By Dee Williams I live in an 84 square foot tiny house in my friends’ backyard. Over the last 12+ years in this arrangement, I’ve been gifted with an opportunity to help when I can and (more problematically) learn how to accept help. The latter is harder for me, but both are part and parcel…Read more
People ask us all sorts of questions about houses and home, and when there are no easy answers, sometimes all we can do is share a story or a perspective – “advice column” style. This response is from Billy, author of the Life in a Tiny House Ebook. Dear PAD, My goal for the new year…Read more
By Billy Ulmer As the frenetic holiday shopping season winds down, we often turn to the new year with a sigh of relief. For me the commercialized holiday season is the perfect prompt to think about what I want to do differently. Traipsing through busy malls and making shopping lists just makes me hyper aware…Read more
Our Winter Sale is now over, but check out our current Books and Plans any time! Winter is a great time for reflection, and for planning what’s next. So we’re offering some special packages and sales designed to help you use your winter wisely, or help others do the same. Consider giving the gift of…Read more
By Billy Ulmer Five hundred designers, builders, planners, realtors, students and homeowners gathered in early November to learn how powerful and important it is to build small. The energy in ballroom that morning was electric, and the day was packed with people looking for new ideas for homes that match the needs of our current…Read more
By Billy Ulmer Last week I met with some researchers who were studying the tiny house movement from an academic perspective. They asked me two questions that still stick in my mind a few days later: What’s changed in the last three years of the tiny house movement? What’s going to happen next? I’ve thought…Read more