By Dee Williams A friend recently sent me an article from The Onion about a beaver who shifted his dam project from that of house and home to esoteric art project. She added a little note that said, “For some reason this made me think of you.” I read the article and not surprisingly, my…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, I am in love with tiny…Read more
By Dee Williams When you live in an 84-square foot house, you get used to taking about home. People ask you about yours, and they want to tell you about theirs – what it is now, and what they want it to be. But no matter how many conversations I have about home, there are…Read more
By Dee Williams Someone once wrote an article about my tiny house that described me as a “Sustainable Barbie,” which threw my friends and I into hysterics. We joked about the accessories that would be come along with a Sustainable Barbie: a pop up tiny house, a teeny, tiny roll of duct tape, and a…Read more
By Billy Ulmer, author of the Life in a Tiny House Ebook. A tricky question we face as members of a consumer society is not, “To buy or not to buy?” But, “How can I have access to what I need?” Shopping might be the most common means to that end, but it’s only one…Read more
By Dee Williams If you saw an ad that said, “Superhero Wanted,” would you feel qualified to apply? Most of us would say no. And I think that needs to change. You can be (and likely already are) a superhero in your own life, simply by the way you show up – by waking up…Read more
By Billy Ulmer, author of the Life in a Tiny House Ebook. Let’s say you’re working on yourself to become a more conscious consumer, but then it’s the holidays or somebody’s birthday, and you’re suddenly obligated to buy stuff. And just thinking about how to explain to your sister that you’d rather not buy her son the…Read more
Are you curious about tiny homes on wheels, but equally curious about other kinds of little houses? Maybe you’ve considered building a backyard cottage, or dreamed of living in a pocket community of neighbors and friends. If you’re interested in the tiny house movement but are still looking for your specific place within it, then…Read more
By Billy Ulmer, author of the Life in a Tiny House Ebook. Last week I signed up for the “Unshopping Challenge,” a commitment to buy nothing new for a month, except consumables like food and gas. I wanted to take the challenge because I’ve been thinking about my possessions more than usual lately. It’s spring cleaning…Read more
By Dee Williams I’ve been writing about gratitude this year, and the upcoming holiday weekend brings me full circle to several folks who have not only offered me their friendship, but have profoundly altered my course by providing inspiration and encouragement when I needed it most. On Memorial Day Weekend 11 years ago, I hosted…Read more
We’re celebrating two things today – Earth Day, and the paperback release of The Big Tiny, Dee Williams’ memoir about building her tiny house on wheels in 2004. In this new excerpt, Dee shares an example of how making thoughtful choices about your building materials can pay off in more ways than one. Having seen…Read more
People often say they’d like to “start a tiny house community,” but what would that look like? What kind of “home” could balance your needs for independence and interaction with others? Lina Menard found her answers to those questions in the Simply Home Community. Lina’s passion for housing and community building started young. She was…Read more
A couple of extra-exciting things are happening in April, so we’ve turned our free, monthly Tiny House Mixer into an extra-special event. If you’re in Portland on Friday, April 17th, you’re in luck! And a few more tiny house folks might be in Portland that day than usual because the Tiny House Conference is in…Read more
By Dee Williams Years ago, a friend introduced me to 3D checkers. As a nerd, I loved this new spin on an old game; it demanded re-thinking the old moves, and it demanded a certain rigor and creativity that I loved. Designing a tiny house is no different. Over the past several years, I’ve had…Read more
By Billy Ulmer, author of the Life in a Tiny House Ebook Do you like looking at pictures of houses? ME TOO. But…why? When we look at pictures of other people’s homes, what exactly are we looking for? Eye candy? Design ideas? “10 Stylish Ways to Store Shoes”? It took me years of drooling over…Read more