Tiny House Podcast

Many tiny house enthusiasts start out with the the notion that they’ll build a tiny house using reclaimed materials to save money. This certainly MAKES sense. The reality of that plan, however, is often difficult to implement as Jess and Dan Sullivan will explain on this week’s episode. But, despite the challenges, they proudly report to having used 40% reclaimed materials on their utility-free tiny house. But now, they’re moving on. What? Say it isn’t so! Listen in this week while this fun couple talks about what’s it like to live with someone, full time, in a house with no plumbing. And this fun conversation doesn’t stop there. What early life experiences led to their “Ah Ha” moment that then lead to their tiny house? How does this power couple balance the power in their relationship? And, why oh why did they sell their tiny house!? (Noooo!!!????)…..and speaking of “Noooooo!!!???”.....We certainly hope that our listeners appreciate the crass and irreverent nature of our show. With that said, however, you might NOT want to turn up the volume at work for the opening banter on this episode. Consider yourself warned. Or intrigued. You pick.

www.facebook.com/anothertinyhousestory

When we think of Jamaica we certainly don’t think of a small town in Vermont but that’s where we’ll be podcast partying this week. (insert steel drum sound bite here) This week we’re chatting with the Jamaica Cottage Shop’s Founder, Domenic Mangano, and delving into the transforming world of backyard sheds, cottages, chicken coops, playhouses, DIY tiny house kits, and his uber creative vision for his own tiny corner of the tiny house world. His operation, however, is anything but tiny! We’re always somewhat surprised (but by now we really shouldn’t be) by the common thread that connects all tiny house enthusiasts. And this week Domemic is weaving a colorful story that incorporates a love of nature and everything outdoors, a desire for a healthier planet, a very creative outlook on cottage design and life, a die-hard work ethic, and optimism for the growth of the tiny house movement at large. Seriously.This guy knows his shit and it shows in everything he does! Vermont may be cold, but after this conversation, we’re all warmed up now! Smiles and laughter has a way of doing that to us.

http://jamaicacottageshop.com/

Sarah Murphy may not be the ONLY person who is renting out her tiny house but she is truly the most gracious "Hotelie" we have met yet. (Yes. That is a word.) Take one part advanced hospitality degree, two parts southern charm, one part tiny house designer, two parts tenacious advocate and "BAM!" You'll end up with the Music City Tiny House, quite possibly the most famous tiny house in Nashville! And while this journey didn't exactly take the path she expected, she has enjoyed every moment of the ride and now gives out great (and some FREE advice) to others who seek to follow her lead. She has written and teaches an e-course on how to run your own tiny house B&B, is a mom, a local and outspoken advocate for tiny houses in her community, and has hosted over 500 guests in the past two years. Bottom Line: Sarah is currently on Michelle's list to call for advice when Michelle's next tiny house is finished and ready for guests, and we can't think of a higher praise to offer than that. http://www.tinyhousehotelie.com/about-me/

Few people in the tiny house movement have has as great of an impact as our guest this week, Darin Zaruba. While he tends to prefer to remain very much in the background, his conviction is front-and-center-evident during his brain-child-event “The Tiny House Jamboree”. (both of them!) And that’s not the only major project he has on his plate! As the President of Eco Cabins, and now the Publisher of Turning Tiny (now available as an e-book, just in time for Christmas!) he noticed, early, the opportunities that the movement would bring and didn’t hesitate a moment to get involved and out in front of the not-really-tiny wave of interest. If you’re a facebook stalker like Michelle is, you’ve no doubt noticed him lobbying far and wide and often for better coding and zoning that will allow tiny houses to finally be legal. Darin is seemingly everywhere that tiny houses are and sometimes we wonder if he has a twin or a clone! His energy is contagious, his creative side is admirable, and his drive is unstoppable. (Psst…..if you listen real closely, you might hear the latest scoop about the location for the next Jamboree…. Sshhh, it’s a secret!)

http://www.ecocabins.com/

http://turningtiny.com/

We first met Bonnielee at the Tiny House Jamboree and were pretty happy that she set aside some time this week to chat with us about her own personal journey to tiny house living with her son in the mountains of Tennessee. Armed with a journalism degree, a particularly keen sense of fashion, and an eye for beauty; she finally found her peace and place on 15 acres far from where her adult journey began. After growing tired of the fast pace of New York City and a life changing divorce, she found solace and inspiration in an unexpected spot. Her love of animals and the outdoors is what drives her and we love her creative advice on how others might follow in her homesteading footsteps. We know you’ll be inspired by her story AND her Rooster’s insistence that he really should have been the star of this week’s interview. Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!

http://bohemianecolove.com/

http://withlovebonnielee.com/

OMG! We already LOVE Pam and Bruce and Allison and we just met them! This week we’re cuddled up in the cozy living room of one of the tiny houses at the newest addition to Portland’s Hotel Scene; The Tiny Digs Hotel. All 6 of us. Too fun! This hotel has a huge dose of charm, lots of open space, and (so far) 5 tiny houses. Whether you're a fan of modern aesthetics, or love a good old fashioned barn raising, you’ll find a tiny house that is guaranteed to provide you a fun and unique overnight stay! You might think this will be just like another tiny house hotel’s story but his week’s interview is not without a few surprises. (Spoiler Alert! We were shocked to hear that the entire project, from idea to Grand Opening, took only 12 months!?) If you have ever wondered how “serendipitous” really works, listen in this week while these lovely friends share their story of meeting, meeting again, realizing they were meant to be partners, and then jumping in HEAD FIRST to the tiny house hotel world by ordering trailers before they even had a place to put them. We can’t wait to see what’s next for this tiny, but growing, collection of tiny houses built with the traveler in mind.

http://www.tinydigshotel.com/

In the tiny house world we tend to think we’re the only ones with problems moving our houses. But, now we know better. This week we were quite surprised, and entertained, by Bruce’s story about why he decided to move into a retired Boeing jetliner, how he moved it, what he did with the leftover parts, and why the nose of his “house” appears to be precariously perched on a pile of pallets. One third Engineer, one third Artist, and one third Passionate Music Enthusiast; Bruce literally lives on the cutting edge of the Reuse and Recycle Movement. And, he’s not stopping there. What’s next for this retired world traveler? How do you fit a musical performance onto the wing of an airplane? And what actually happens to the hundreds of aircraft that are retired from service every year? If you love small space stories with an reclaimed aerospace twist, you’ll love this unrivaled story of efficient use of space, and a few fun aircraft puns thrown in for good measure.

http://www.concertonawing.com/

It was bound to happen. Michelle traveled to Tiny House Summer Camp in Vermont and met a few new friends? Say it ain’t so!? And, since she was there “on assignment” the podcast crew was pretty happy that she came back with more than just a few souvenirs. This week we’re interviewing Ethan Waldman, a cool and funny speaker at that now infamous backwoods event (and many other events) and a pioneer in the tiny house movement. Even if you’ve never met him, however, you most certainly know about his very famous e-book “Tiny House Decisions”. In it, he not only explains all of the various “decisions” and options a tiny house builder faces, but which ones he chose, and (surprising to us) which ones’ he regrets. We can’t imagine tiny living in the frigid temperatures of Vermont in Winter but he not only does, he teaches others how to! Ear candy is a given, this week, when you listen to Ethan tell us how he balances tiny country life, condo city life, working from home, and all about his latest life addition; his adoring wife. Awwww….. We really do love a good tiny house story with such a happy and romantic twist.

Want to read more? Ethan has generously given our listeners a 15% discount code to purchase his book "Tiny House Decisions":

And the discount code is: tinypodcast

We love our guests. We really do.

http://www.thetinyhouse.net/

We really LOVE having live studio guests and this week was especially fun! Michelle’s friend Celeste just got her tiny house delivered and we couldn’t be more happy for her. She’s not a blogger, or a builder, or a speaker (so, no, you can’t Google her) but she’s a fun, creative, driven, and focused professional, livin’ in a secret corner of Oregon; with a great story to tell about her decision to go tiny. How did she decide which builder to choose? Why didn’t she build her own? Where and how did she get financing? What has been her biggest challenge so far? How has living tiny affected her view of the future? Celeste has so much in common with many of our tiny house podcast listeners and we think you’ll get a lot of great info and inspiration from this “Lady on the DL”.

Need a good excuse to shop? Looking for an amazingly fun way to make a living? Love lemonade? We’re thinking you would love doing what our guest at Beautiful Wrecks does. Their mantra is “Stay, Play, or Take it Away” and we love the idea so much we’re not sure which we’ll choose. This week’s interview with Lisa was so fun, we’re already planning a trip to Bend Oregon to tour her amazing collection of vintage trailers at what she calls “Rancho Del-Wrecko”. Lisa describes herself as a pathological risk taker but we wouldn’t mind coming along on “Mr Toad’s Wild Ride” with her at the wheel not one little bit. Hearing her describe her Summer of Fun, made us nostalgic. Listening to her story about how her father influenced her creative side, and how she learned to focus on what’s more important than Family, Life, and Country; helped us appreciate again how our own hard lives have made us better people. Don’t really have the time to listen this week? Need the Cliff Notes version of our show this week? “Do something now. Commit to it. Focus on the goal. And, it’s OK to change your mind.”

http://beautifulwrecks.com/