Tiny House Podcast

Remember the guy who sat by the side of the road, clipping his nails, during our podcast interview? Remember the guy who lived in a dumpster for a year and is actually proud to call himself “Professor Dumpster”? We certainly do and following our first interview with Jeff Wilson, he invited us to “look him up” if we were ever in Austin, Texas. So, Michelle did. And, following her recent visit, she knew she must invite him back to tell the next chapter of the story that is Kasita. Whatever happened to his vision, to his original ideas? Admittedly, Michelle isn’t a high tech junkie, but after having stayed in a tiny house outfitted with the best technology money can buy, she might just convert. How well did the technology contribute to her comfy home away from home? And, what’s next for Jeff and his company that, by comparison, appears to be all grown up now? Tune in this week to find out! Or, better yet, invest in his vision! (I know he won’t mind the shameless plug.)

www.kasita.com

Dominique Moody is iconic as her art. Her art is iconic as her tiny house. That’s because her tiny house IS art. And her Home. With more than a thousand years of family heritage behind her work as an artist and her mobile home The Nomad it was inevitable there would be more stories than we could cover in an hour. From Germany to the US South and beyond Dominique’s life has been - and continues to be - a living artistic expression of family, meaning, deeply-held connections between Home and objects that represent that. Her’s is an outlier among tiny house stories. Listen

https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/dominique-moody-the-urban-nomad

As the tiny house movement grows, so do the opportunities. Tiny houses are now being embraced not only as affordable housing for the masses, but as rolling platforms for corporate brands, and a very impressive source of short term rental income. This week, however, we’ll be discussing a whole new spin in the tiny house concept. If you live in the Portland area, have a large lot, are considering adding an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) but don’t have the patience for dealing with contractors and building your own, you’ll want to tune in for sure! Our guest, Patrick, will be walking us through the basics of the behind the scenes workings of his start up that is devoted to adding easy and affordable housing options. They’ll build an ADU, deliver it to your backyard, manage your tenants, and provide a new source of income. However, even if you don’t live in Portland, we know you’ll be interested in hearing about the progress that is being made, citywide, towards the acceptance and legality of tiny houses and the implications for tiny houses everywhere!

www.dweller.com

Last year at the Tiny House Jamboree, Michelle’s introduction of Andrew Morrison to the stage literally brought tears to her eyes. (and yes, it’s on video and quite embarrassing) This week, Andrew’s story of how his dedication to the tiny house movement has spurred true change, may just have that effect on you too! (our words, not his) It is hard to find unique words to describe our affection for his work but in a nutshell, we don’t know of two more hard-working advocates than Andrew and his lovely wife, Gabriella. So, what exactly IS Appendix “Q”? What does it mean for you, a tiny house enthusiast who just wants them to be legal so you can build one, secure in the knowledge that you did it “right”? Should we all strive for an air tight house? And, what about all the nightmare stories of terrible tiny house builders? Grab a pen, this is show worth taking notes from!

www.tinyhousebuild.com

If you’re a fan of the TV show “Tree House Masters” or you fondly recall your childhood days hoarding scrap pieces of lumber to build a fort or a tree house, you’ll be almost as enamored with our guest this week as Michelle is. Pete Nelson is the proud and ecstatic patriarch of a treetop dwelling empire of craftsmen and family members who have built over 300 tree houses; and they’re not stopping there! In fact we’re pretty sure that he doesn’t even seem to know the meaning of the word “STOP”. Case in Point: This week he took time off of TWO simultaneous builds to chat with us about his inspiration, his dedication, and lifelong pursuit of design perfection in the tree house industry. No more nailing 2x6’s to trees, his floating tiny houses sit atop pretty impressive pieces of technological genius. If you’ve ever wanted to be inspired by a tiny house that’s 30 feet above ground and welcomes squirrels as neighbors, we dedicate this show to YOU! And, Pete, if you’re reading this. Thank you, again, and a million times. We are thankful and inspired and entertained and all want to be just like you when we grow up. If we ever grow up that is.. #inspiredbypeterpan

https://www.nelsontreehouseandsupply.com/

If you’re thinking to yourself “Where are all the How-To-Build-A-Tiny-House videos on YouTube!?” Or, on a grander scale, wondering how you’ll conquer the learning curve of building your own; wonder no more! While this week’s interview won’t fill your dying need of know how to secure your subfloor to your trailer, after hearing our guests story you’ll have a great place to start! You see, Kiva and Jake started right where you are; Square One. And they’re still building, and filming, and teaching us a step at a time so we don’t make the same mistakes they did. Michelle has been their fan from day one, and it’s not just because their tiny house and hers share the same moniker. It’s because this young couple shows us, once again, the meaning of “Let’s DO this!”

https://www.tinynestproject.com/

If you’re a fan of small spaces, and YouTube, our guest this week likely requires no introduction. After over 800 videos, her success and advocacy certainly speaks for itself. If you’re a fan of women who do it all, creatively, you’ll want to tune in his week to hear Kirsten Dirksen talk about her favorite pastime of making videos, and the opportunities that her semi-nomadic lifestyle brings.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDsElQQt_gCZ9LgnW-7v-cQ

As I sit, writing this, Dylan Magaster is sitting on a mountainside filming yet another video of a tiny house builder and occupant; documenting their story of why they’ve gone tiny and what’s next for their life. If you love stories about tenacity and optimism fueled by youth, tune in this week to hear how this young YouTube sensation proves once again that there cannot be failure if one only fails to stop trying. We were lucky to catch our guest this week while he was in town for a recent festival and there, even the downpours didn’t stop his fans from clustering under tents to be inspired by his independence and creative vision. What this 24 year old lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in quiet pursuit of a career unencumbered by traditional norms. Watch and listen closely because, no doubt, you’ll be someday thinking that you’ve seen and heard this SUPER STAR somewhere before!

https://www.youtube.com/user/Dylanmagaster

Ladies and Gentlemen! This week we are proud to present our first SHOUT OUT podcast interview! (Hey! Maybe we should do this more often?) And, what’s the lesson we’ve learned? You (our audience) should be listening to every episode because you never know if we’re going to invite you to be a part of our podcast DURING a podcast. (Just like we did for this week’s guest) In any case, we’re super proud that we finally captured the time and attention of a long time tiny house traveler, Guillame. After hearing Jenna tell the stories of their travels and building their famous tiny house on wheels, this photographer-turned-tiny-house-enthusiast was happy to share his side of the less-than-salacious story. And, hold your hats….he’s recently purchased a van and is planning his future travels in an even smaller vehicle!? This story is technically Part 2 of 2 of their joint story, but definitely Part 1 of his own journey in pursuit of his passion as a photographer. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. Tiny houses aren’t for everyone and, like relationships, sometimes they’re not forever; but they can be a valuable tool into reaching one's dreams of living a life full of new love, new adventures, and yes….even new journeys.

www.photoxplorer.com

This week’s episode is, we guarantee, the MOST fun you’ll ever have listening to a conversation about insurance. Seriously! Even we were surprised to learn that our guest this week, Martin Burlingame, not only takes the subject of tiny house insurance VERY seriously but approaches his job with humor and wit that is no-doubt unsurpassed in his predictably-dry industry. Setting aside the less-than-formal format, for this week’s episode Michelle came armed with so…many…questions. How much does it cost to insure a tiny house? Does tiny house insurance include coverage when it’s being moved? How difficult is it to get insurance for a tiny house that was not built by a professional? What states in the US have readily available insurance for the tiny house masses, and more importantly, what states are still lacking? Do build pictures hurt, or help, your chances of getting tiny house insurance? What happened to all of the tiny houses in Texas and Florida that were recently hit by hurricanes? If you don’t know, listen in this week to the most entertaining “research” you’ll do all week. We promise!