Tiny Home Tours

Can the home you love today support your needs in the years ahead?

On this episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, Cindy talks with Tiffany McDeavitt, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, and founder of Accessible Housing Solutions.

Tiffany shares how watching her great-grandmother struggle at home helped inspire her work connecting healthcare and residential design. Together, we explore questions to ask before buying, building, or renovating—from entry steps and bathroom accessibility to kitchen functionality and main-level living.

We also discuss what tiny home and ADU buyers should consider when planning for changing mobility and long-term independence.

Learn more about Tiffany’s work:https://www.accessiblehousingsolutions.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590677803334

Listen to Let’s Talk Tiny on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and subscribe to Tiny Home Tours for more conversations about living smaller.

https://bit.ly/THTNewsletterLink

Are you designing a tiny home? Before you choose a floor plan, watch this.

One of the biggest mistakes people make isn't buying the wrong tiny home—it's designing one that doesn't fit the way they actually live.

In this episode of Let's Talk Tiny, Cindy sits down with Kelley Walker of Cowtown Cottages to discuss what she's learned after helping hundreds of people design custom tiny homes. As a designer—and a tiny homeowner herself—Kelley shares the questions every buyer should ask before making decisions that can affect daily life for years to come.

Whether you're planning your first home, downsizing for retirement, looking for a more affordable lifestyle, or simply exploring tiny living, you'll walk away with practical advice that could save you money, frustration, and expensive design regrets.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✅ The biggest mistakes people make when designing a tiny home

✅ Tiny home trends that look great online but don't work in real life

✅ Where to spend your money—and where to save it

✅ The custom features homeowners appreciate most after moving in

✅ How your age, lifestyle, and future plans should influence your floor plan

✅ Tips for designing a home you'll love for years to come

If you've ever thought, "I wish my home fit my life better," this conversation is for you.

Kelley Walker, owner of Cowtown Cottages, is a Texas-based tiny home dealership specializing in custom-designed cottages built around the way people actually live. Kelley has decades of experience in real estate, remodeling, and interior design and has created numerous custom floor plans while helping buyers navigate the purchase of their tiny home. She and her husband Warren also live in a tiny home themselves, giving her firsthand experience with the lifestyle she helps others create.

Links:

Website: https://www.cowtowncottages.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cowtowncottages

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cowtowncottages/

Kelley's Tours with Tiny Home Tours:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVr-ZyFNLN0&t=1019s&pp=0gcJCUwLAYcqIYzv

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGkMS8OVHm4

Could you live well with less space? Before you buy a tiny home or begin downsizing, how can you tell what you actually need?

This week on Let’s Talk Tiny, Cindy talks with Laura Fenton, author of The Little Book of Living Small and writer of the LIVING SMALL newsletter. Laura shares why she began writing about real people in small homes, what it means to “test-drive tiny,” and where to start when your belongings feel overwhelming.

They’ll also explore the decisions behind decluttering, the debate over storage units, and the benefits and tradeoffs of choosing a smaller home. Whether you’re planning a move or hoping to make your current space work better, this conversation will help you take a practical first step.

Join us live and bring your questions for Laura!

Laura Fenton is the author ofThe Little Book of Living Small and the best-sellingSubstack newsletter Living Small. Prior to her independent writing career, Laura was a senior editor at several national magazines including Parents and Good Housekeeping. Her home and garden writing has been published in the Better Homes & Gardens, Gardenista, Real Simple, and The New York Times, among other publications. She lives in a 690-square foot apartment in New York City with her husband and son. 

https://laurafenton.substack.com/

This is how they can subscribe to her newsletter.

Her website: https://www.laura-fenton.com

In this episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, Cindy talks with Chris Moeller, founder of Pathway Communities, about what it takes to make homeownership work beyond the day someone gets the keys. They explore why a lower purchase price is only part of the picture—and why utilities, insurance, maintenance, and other monthly costs matter just as much.

Chris shares the surprising buyer response to an 800-square-foot, single-level home and explains the thinking behind Hudson Commons, a planned community with homes ranging from roughly 500 to 1,100 square feet. They also discuss shared equity, connection, and how Hurricane Helene has shaped his thinking about building communities that can withstand disruption.

If you’re considering a smaller home, approaching retirement, or looking for a more attainable path to ownership, this conversation will help you ask a bigger question: Can I afford to live well here for years to come?

In this episode:

• Why buyers chose a smaller, single-level home

• What Chris means by “stable living and ownership”

• Who Hudson Commons is being planned for

• The costs to consider beyond the purchase price

• How community design can support connection and resilience

• What to ask before choosing a home or community

What matters most to your long-term stability: a lower purchase price, predictable monthly expenses, the chance to build equity, or access to community resources? Tell us in the comments—and bring your questions for Chris to the live conversation.

Join Let’s Talk Tiny live on Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. Central, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Chris Moeller is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based developer, entrepreneur and systems thinker; CEO of Orion Growth; Founder of Pathway Communities; and Land Steward at The Retreat at Firefly Farm. His work sits at the intersection of the built environment, emerging technology and regenerative economics, exploring how AI, systems thinking and lessons from natural systems can create more stable, connected communities. He is also a speaker, educator, housing practitioner, and Producer and Host of The Edge Report: From Bricks to Clicks. 

Website: http://www.pathwaycommunities.org/

Building a small home on raw land may sound simple—but what happens before construction begins can determine whether the dream stays on budget or becomes an expensive surprise.

After living in ten homes and completing six corporate moves, Wanda Glover thought she understood the building process. But creating her custom 450-square-foot home on undeveloped land in South Carolina required an entirely different kind of preparation.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, Wanda shares how she transformed a peaceful wooded property near her daughter and grandchildren into a beautiful, debt-free home designed for the life she truly wanted.

We’ll discuss:

• What to investigate before purchasing raw land
• County regulations, covenants, and minimum-square-footage requirements
• Soil tests, surveys, drainage, grading, and driveway decisions
• The cost of bringing utilities and road access to undeveloped property
• Easements and private road-maintenance agreements
• Choosing an architect and builder with local experience
• Protecting your budget and construction funds
• Designing a small home around your belongings and lifestyle
• The three questions Wanda believes every buyer should answer first

If you’re thinking about purchasing land or building a smaller home, Wanda’s story will help you understand the questions to ask—and the costs and complications you may not see when you first walk onto a property.

Watch Wanda’s complete home tour on the Tiny Home Tours YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k-Ovku_g7s

Let’s Talk Tiny airs live every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Central. You can also listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

What does tiny living really look like after eight years, four moves, extreme weather and the realities of community life?

Betsy Barbour has lived in her 200-square-foot tiny house through hurricanes, snowstorms, difficult community dynamics and challenges she never expected. Yet through it all, she remains passionate about living smaller, building stronger communities and creating a more sustainable life.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, Betsy shares the triumphs, trials and hard-earned truths of long-term tiny living. We discuss what went wrong during her first attempt to build, the financial and emotional toll of moving her home four times, how she prepares for severe weather and what separates a place to park from a community where residents can truly thrive.

Betsy also reveals the questions every prospective resident should ask about builders, lot rent, community leadership and long-term affordability before making the move.

Whether you’re dreaming about a tiny home, searching for the right community or already living tiny, Betsy’s story offers an honest look at what it takes to build a tiny life that can last.

Join us live and add your questions in the comments. You can also listen to Let’s Talk Tiny on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

[email protected]

https://tinyhousetalk.com/

Tiny House Alliance of Southwest Florida https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404783419608950/

What does it take to begin again after profound loss?

After more than 30 years on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Chris O’Donnell packed up a lifetime of memories, left the “salt life” behind, and began a new chapter in the mountains of western North Carolina.

In this heartfelt episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, Chris shares what it was like to sort through 33 years of belongings after losing her husband—and how grief changed the value she placed on material possessions. She also talks about finding the right tiny-home community, creating a home where she feels safe, and discovering that starting over doesn’t mean leaving the past behind.

We’ll discuss:

• Downsizing after loss and major life changes

• Choosing the right tiny home and community

• Moving from the coast to the mountains

• Letting go of decades of belongings

• Adjusting to life in a smaller space

• Finding the courage and hope to begin again

Chris’s story is filled with honesty, humor, courage, and hope—and may encourage anyone facing an unexpected new chapter.

Have you experienced a life change that made you consider living tiny? Share your story in the comments.

Subscribe to Tiny Home Tours and join us each week for Let’s Talk Tiny. You can also listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Christina's Tour: https://youtu.be/vv_L90iOKbY

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theredeemedwidow/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=the%20redeemed%20widow

Website: Without Him https://without-him.com/

Building a tiny house was only the beginning for Melanie Copeland and her husband, John. After years of layoffs, mounting bills, and working five jobs between them, they built a 144-square-foot tiny house on wheels and began creating a different kind of future.

But the biggest challenge wasn't living in 144 square feet—it was finding land and gaining legal approval to live there. In this episode of Let's Talk Tiny, Melanie shares how they moved from living under the radar to legally living on their own property in Virginia. She walks us through finding land, working with zoning and building officials, preparing the site, understanding costs, and advocating for tiny houses on wheels.

Melanie is the National Spokesperson for Tiny House Alliance USA and the author of Trailblazing Tiny: A Guide to Breaking Free. Her story offers both hope and practical guidance for anyone dreaming of a tiny home on their own land.

Join the conversation and tell us: What is your biggest concern about going tiny—land, zoning, site costs, or choosing the right home?

https://www.instagram.com/serenitas_tiny_living/

https://youtu.be/1oryqvAlnQ4

https://www.amazon.com/Trailblazing-Tiny-Guide-Breaking-Free/dp/B09BYBFMXD

https://www.amazon.com/Trailblazing-Tiny-Tales/dp/B09R751C3B

https://www.tinyhouseallianceusa.org/

Is tiny living still worth it?

In this special Open House Q&A episode of Let’s Talk Tiny, host Cindy Schroppel shares her honest experience of moving with her husband, Joe, from a 2,400-square-foot house into a tiny home under 400 square feet.

Cindy opens up about the life change that led them to downsize, the emotional process of letting go, the realities of community living and what it actually costs to live tiny. She also discusses the everyday challenges of sharing a small space, the freedom they gained and what she would do differently knowing what she knows today.

Throughout this interactive episode, Cindy answers viewer questions about costs, communities, downsizing, storage, financing, floor plans and the realities of tiny-home living.

Tiny living has been worth it for Cindy and Joe—but is it the right choice for you? This conversation will help you look beyond the size of the house and consider the life you want your home to support.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tinyshedlife

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinyshedlife/

Tiny Home Tours video tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=740e9u5v-Bc

Can a family of seven really thrive in just 915 square feet?

Most people think tiny living is about having less. For Sarah and her husband, Hofmann, it was about creating more—more freedom, more time together, and a life built around their values instead of a mortgage.

In this episode of Let's Talk Tiny, host Cindy Schroppel sits down with Sarah to hear the incredible story of how an ordinary family with no construction, farming, or homesteading experience transformed a simple shed into the home where they're raising five children.

Together, they discuss:

• Why they chose a shed instead of buying a traditional tiny house
• What inspired their family's dramatic lifestyle change
• How they built a home with virtually no building experience
• The realities of raising five children in 915 square feet
• The challenges—and rewards—of learning to homestead from scratch
• Why living with less has given them so much more

If you've ever dreamed about simplifying your life, building your own home, homesteading, or wondering whether tiny living could work for a family, this conversation is full of practical wisdom and honest encouragement. If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and share it with someone who's curious about tiny living.