Tiny House Podcast

Most people look at a parking lot and cringe. Our guest this week, Zane Fischer from Extra Ordinary Structures, looks at them and thinks to himself “how cozy!” He has perfected a construction method consisting of forcing dirt and sand and a bit of concrete into a very wide exterior wall form, aka “rammed earth”. And this has led him to appreciate modern and minimalistic aesthetics, even parking lots. But in direct contrast, it was his high tech of way of building a tiny house on the TV show “Tiny House, Big Living” that caught our eye. We were truly fascinated during this week’s chat where we had the opportunity to hear about how he uses a CNC machine to cut prefab walls for small structures that you can then “fill” with the insulation of your choice. They’re like ice cream sandwiches, and the ice cream flavor is your choice! We like ice cream. And, we like Zane. So, we think you’ll enjoy hearing about this revolutionary way of building tiny houses from the Creator himself.

#52 Alex Eaves Isn’t Just Pro-Reuse, He’s a Reuse Pro! by Bigfoot Podcast Network

#51 Freedom from the Matrix with Brad Kittel by Bigfoot Podcast Network

There's a man (and woman) who leads a life of danger

To everyone he meets he stays a stranger

With every move he makes

Another chance he takes

Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow

Secret Agent Man

Secret Agent Man

They've given you a number and taken away your name

(Johnny Rivers)

Inspired by the simplicity and mobility of the tiny house movement, Jen and Bryan ditched their high life and great jobs for a life on the road in a van. Like so many of us, they were less than enamoured with the idea of spending 60 hours a week at a desk. So they decided to “Run Away”. And, what started as a short term excursion turned into their now nomadic lifestyle. This active and funny couple now spend their time building their business, Zenbox Design, managing their garage-to-ADU conversion on AirBnB, and spending time with their friends living their NEW version of “the high life”. If you’re looking for inspiration to go tiny that doesn’t involve living in a tiny house on wheels; this episode is for you!

Not so long ago, two people met, fell in love, and decided to travel around the country filming a documentary about tiny houses. (Isn’t that how ALL road trips start?) If you’re a sucker for a romantic story, intrigued by unique people, are interested in learning more about how to find successful avenues for legal tiny house living, wonder what Tony Hsieh of Zappos is like in real life, can relate to a story about a self described “pack rat”, and love unexpected stories about amazing and creative people; you should buy your ticket to this documentary-in-the-making, RIGHT NOW!

So many of us have many fond memories of a “simpler time” and Vina is no exception. She remembers her Grandparent’s coconut farm in the Philippines and those memories have shaped the simple way of life she now embodies. Dissatisfied with her job, and in an attempt to capture her philosophy around sustainability in her everyday life, she threw caution to the wind and started her own business, Sol Haus Design. Driven by a desire to maximize functionality with limited space she designed and then built her tiny house in 2013, married shortly thereafter, and now lives her version of a dream life on acreage in California. In this episode, listen in while we talk about her unconventional “neighbor”, their differences, their similarities, and their future. Regardless of the window, every one of hers features a lovely and woodsy outdoor view, and we can’t think of a more perfect setting in which to build an amazing life.

If you’re hankering for a Tiny House TO GO, then Sean’s Bento Box would most certainly fit the bill. In this week’s episode we’re thinking way outside the box and chatting with Sean Burke about his container house. If you think that moving a tiny house on wheels is a chore, just imagine how difficult it might be to move a steel shipping container onto and off of a flatbed! And while his house may not be a usual tiny house, his description of his creation and build process as “transformative” and the changes to his life sound oh so very familiar. An architect by trade, a new vegan, and a fun loving Northwesterner; Sean is a new guy on the tiny house block that we eagerly look forward to getting to know more.

In what is no doubt his most revealing interview to date, Jay Shafer reminds us once again that the tiny house movement is ”not just about the house”. Listen in as Jay waxes poetic about attending art school, civil disobedience, truth, depression, nature, homelessness, money, love, beauty, business and how he fit his entire life into 120 square feet. Like so many of us, his life didn’t follow his expected path. Now, this self-taught icon in the tiny house movement finds himself challenged by his own limitations and facing the dichotomy of his driving desire to promote his newest designs. So, what’s in those mysterious zip lock bags? We’re not telling….

It doesn’t take a sunny day, or even a solar array, to light up Mile’s face. Just ask him about solar technology! This week the podcast crew ventures out to join Miles Heiner in the shadow of the beautiful St Johns Bridge, in a converted shipping container, to learn about solar technology. He doesn’t care if you need him for your tiny house solar system design, if you’re powering a cannabis farm security system, if you want more flexibility in your RV, need an off-grid-system designed for your South African mansion, or just want to pick his brain about what’s next in the wild world of sunny day power. He is ready, equipped, available, knowledgeable, energetic, and creative; and we just plain like him. And when you find your way to his shop you’ll get the added bonus of being able to peek in the windows of his neighbors; almost a dozen tiny houses under construction! Yay!

Show notes:

www.lightharvestsoloar.com

No one can say that Joe doesn’t know his shit because this guy literally wrote the book on it. And, for as much as we thought we knew about composting and composting toilets, as it turns out; we don’t know crap about it. Joe originally had only 600 copies printed of his first edition, and they sold out faster than his pile out back could compost his beloved pet. Poop or pee, urine or feces, he doesn’t care what you call it; just don’t call your “dry toilet” a composting one. Yes, composting humanure is perfectly legal. No, you can’t just pile it in the corner of your garden and HOPE it decomposes. And, yes, you’ll learn more about this very uncomfortable subject listening to this one conversation than you’ll ever want to know. We promise.

Joe literally knows more about shit than almost anybody else on the planet. He didn’t set out to be the authority on all things poop related, but now that he’s sold almost 60,000 copies of his book, we’re thinking that maybe now he’ll reluctantly accept the title of The King Of Crap. This guy’s been using composting as sanitation for over 37 years in the same location. His pile includes everything from humanure to dead animals, layered carefully with organic materials. These efforts then create the perfect cooking temperature which transforms his potentially smelly mess into valuable fertilizer. Surprisingly, he does not separate urine from solid wastes and made us question everything we know about this scientifically heady subject. We were tempted to drop way more poop euphemisms into this show than we did, but rest assured, we wrote them all down. So, grab a cup of Joe, and be prepared to hear nothing but shit for the next 45 minutes.