Tiny House Podcast

When great minds think alike, and then great minds partner up, great things happen. And when our guests this week partnered with their local municipality to advocate for allowing tiny houses to be legally used as accessory dwelling units (ADU’s) REALLY great things happened! Despite their workload and backlog, Nick and Pat from California Tiny Homes took time to chat with us this week about the groundbreaking progress that is being made, and has already been made, towards legalizing tiny homes on towns across the US. This duo, along with other Fresno area advocates, have created a true tiny house win/win situation; builders who no longer have to worry about where their customers will park their tiny house. And, we think it’s a brilliant model worth noting, and following. And we’re not the only ones. Zach brought them along to the Jamboree stage to share a bit of their story, but certainly left us wanting more. So if you too are looking for the rest of this story, we’re more than happy to oblige.

http://www.californiatinyhouse.com/

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the one and only builder (that we know of) who actually lives in a tiny house on wheels and builds them as well! I know. No way!? Here at the podcast we have a bit of a tongue-in-cheek approach to “posers”. (aka: People who are active in the tiny house movement but don’t live in one) And while we appreciate that living tiny is not for everyone, even if the tiny house movement is, we also certainly and most indubitably appreciate a builder who lives in a tiny house on wheels and the unique perspective that provides. This week we’re talking with Jeremy Weaver, Owner and Chief Builder (our words, not his) at Wind Rivers Homes about the challenges of building not only houses, but communities for these houses to park. How has living in a tiny house influenced his sense of design? How does a 6’6” guy who weighs 225 lbs actually FIT in a tiny house? What does Wind River homes see in the future that maybe we don’t? How has zoning, and building codes, affected their builds and plans for growing their tiny house business? You’ll just have to listen to find out. Sorry. There’s no cheat sheet at the end of THIS chapter. :o)~

If you’ve ever met Frieda, you know she’s an active and creative type who’s not about to settle for a “normal” existence. If you haven’t met her, you’ll certainly want to after hearing this week’s episode about the challenges of living in or building a tiny house abroad, or more specifically, in the Netherlands. (Good luck finding her though, she’s literally straddling two countries!) Here in the US, although the tiny house is still a growing movement, we are blessed with so many builders and places to put them. However, even if Europeans have been living in tiny apartments all their lives and they “so get” the tiny space living “thing”, they have fewer resources than the US does when it comes to building a tiny house on wheels. What if you want to live tiny in Europe AND be mobile? Will Frieda move permanently to the US in pursuit of her tiny dream? What impact will living in a tiny house have on her life, her job, and her future? How has her past influenced her decision to commute, several times a year, between continents; in pursuit of her tiny living dream? You’ll never know unless you tune in!

This week we interview THE guy who gets to work in THE coolest, funkiest, most fun, most creative, and most hipsterish workplace in all of Portland. If you're a fan of all things tiny, and unique; you'll want to hear all about Ben's adventures while permitting, remodeling, moving and then moving into three rail cars that were originally built in 1947 but now house his staff and two other creative think tank companies as well. And, in true Portland fashion, BEER takes the center stage in a story about this office's most stressful day EVER! The further we venture off the tiny house path, the more we discover how much that tiny house enthusiasts have in common with anyone who lives or works in an unconventional space. So if you love the outdoors, re-thinking old spaces in new ways, you already know how to use a composting toilet, and you DON'T live or work in a tiny space yet....well....why NOT!?

The tiny house movement is pretty big, and growing. And, within the movement is a much smaller subset of people who actually live in tiny houses. But, and rarer still, are the families who live in tiny houses. We were thrilled to actually capture Macy Miller and Kim Kasl at the Jamboree for long enough to talk about the challenges and rewards of living with small children in a tiny house. Do they feel guilty for not participating in “Mommy Consumerism”? How do they find private time, and maintain balance in their relationships? So much toddler energy, so little space, does the limited space drive them nuts? We ask these, and many more engaging questions, and we expect that you might be as surprised by their answers as we are!

You might have guessed by now that the podcast crew does not shy away from a good debate. And, we’re not afraid to ask tough questions. And no time in our short history of interviews have we proven that more, than during this week’s Jamboree interview with Jewel, Bonnielee, and Dominique; The Tiny House Trailblazers. Their purpose is to highlight the stories of tiny house people of all colors and walks of life and to share stories about the unique challenges they face. But, who’d thunk that our conversation would get so heated? (In a friendly kind of way, of course.) Is Michelle oblivious to the plight of the African American community, or naïve? Is a gesture by a neighbor, after a potential confrontation, laudable or justifiably dismissed? How do we engage and encourage diversity in the tiny house movement? Tune in this week and prepare to hear diverse engagement, in all its uncomfortable glory, in action.

Get ready to split your pants with laughter for this week’s irreverent interview with two of the funniest guys in the tiny house movement, Andrew Odom and Deek. These two know each other better than even THEY would like to admit so the banter, questions, answers, rap lyrics, and information is as engaging and funny as it can possibly be. Getting ready for the Jamboree was work, work, work. But this first Special Edition interview at the Jamboree made all the work worth it. Does living in an RV guarantee that one will be immediately and dramatically kicked out of the tiny house “club”? Do either of them regret their lifestyle choices of NOT living in a tiny house? We promise. The only thing that could have made this interview more fun would have been a bottle of bourbon. (Hey! Andrew! For the next interview, YOU’RE BRINGING IT, RIGHT!?)

At first glance, Tracey’s house looks like it just returned in time from an episode of “Back to The Tiny House Future”. Honestly, we have never seen anything like it and her story is just as original as her vision. If your taste leans towards Modern Minimalist and you’re not a fan of all the barn wood encrusted, cabin-like tiny houses you’ve seen, you’ll LOVE the ideas and materials she has incorporated in her ultra-modern tiny house on wheels. External insulation? Yep! TWO breaker boxes? Check! A porch and stairs to dream about? Got it! An Incinolet toilet? It’s in there. Listen in this week while we chat about how her new life is everything she dreamed about while growing up in an RV with her family. Now THERE’s a storyline twist we didn’t expect.

Looking for a relaxing weekend away from it all? Longing for a simpler time? An off grid vacation experience? Breitenbush doesn’t exactly advertise their tiny house accommodations but Perry was impressed enough with them when he went there to relax and recharge, that we invited the General Manager, Peter, on our show. So, what’s it like to maintain a tiny house village that may well be the oldest in the country? Do they face the same coding and zoning challenges that new tiny house communities face? How do they keep up with the tens of thousands of annual visitors and still maintain a quiet and communal experience for all? And, does everyone really get naked in the hot springs? (Did Perry?) Tune in this week and you might just be inspired enough to ditch the bathing suit and dive in to this unique tiny house vacation experience for yourself.

Space really isn’t the new frontier for this philosopher turned tiny house builder. The new frontier is the one that David Latimer is building with his team of amazingly talented artistic builder friends. You may recognize him from the TV show “Tiny House, Big Living” or maybe you met him at the 2015 Jamboree where it all started. Regardless, we’re here to report that in less than 12 months he’s gone from “lookie-loo” to full on “builder guy”. We don’t know about you but we’re really impressed with what he’s been up to. David and his crew are, no doubt, well on their way to becoming the brightest stars in the tiny house movement. Check out their press page! Whoa! We’re almost embarrassed that it took us so long to get him on our show. New Frontier houses are an impressive combination of beautiful and rugged, and David’s ideas for the future reflects his introspective look at society as a whole. We’ve heard more than a few stories of people who have walked away from the high life to join the tiny house movement, but this one just might be our favorite. OK, maybe it’s just Michelle’s favorite. But, really, who can blame her? Have you seen this guy smile?