First 24 hours living “Tiny” in the TaHOW 40-foot Gooseneck Tiny House on Wheels

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Finally, after over an entire year of construction and building (plus time spent planning, designing and customizing), “move in” day took place in the 40-foot long, 400 square foot gooseneck tiny house on wheels, aka the #TaHOW.

IMG_1258It was by the far the easiest and simplest move-in ever.

There was more than one suitcase (lol), but there was NO heavy furniture to move or anyone else needed to move in.  In fact, it was rather anticlimactic.  But that just made it faster to get in and living in the house.

Now that’s not to say we moved everything in and had everything set up within minutes or a few hours, but we DID get in, and set up quickly enough to where Lacey came home from work and within a few hours we were soundly asleep in the cozy loft of the tiny house.IMG_1263

Just like moving into any new house or living situation, it takes a little time to readjust to where things are and establish new routines.  The advantage in the tiny house of course, is that you find things pretty quick and nothing’s that far away :).  It’s really nice and convenient and we have no boxes stacked around to sort through to try to find where we put stuff, it’s more a matter of organization so that we ensure everything has its place and doesn’t get in the way.  I’m really enjoying the efficiency of living this way so far, everything with its place and not a bunch of useless junk taking up space.  It makes you feel nimble and light on your toes…IMG_1280

Moved into TaHOW Tiny House, but still work to be done

With all that said, the house still isn’t completely finished and we aren’t completely set up.  We thought that would be a nuisance, trying to live in an unfinished space, but its actually been kind of the opposite.  Every day the house comes even more alive (its been 72 hours now or 3 days since we officially started living in the house) and continues to transform into an even cozier, comfortable and really good feeling space.  It definitely is home sweet home!

Dogs and Tiny House Living

IMG_1114IMG_1291The transition for the dogs has been a little more challenging.  Claude, my 12-year old black lab, doesn’t do so well with steps anymore, so he definitely won’t be able to make it up to the loft but also struggles getting up to the bathroom or front room, so he’s limited to the main floor.  Initially he hesitated to even go up the front steps through the french door and did not like the 8 foot long ramp I custom-built just for him (even with slats like a chicken coup ladder or whatever).

IMG_1293But after a couple days now he’s getting used to the front steps (I did make them 16-inch deep for him now) and I built him a whole new staircase off the back deck as well, also with 16-inch deep stairs.  He does love being so close to us in the house at all times though, loves being right there in the mix when you’re trying to work on something…

Sailor, the highland west-terrier, doesn’t mind the steps, and although he normally would sleep in the bed, he’s not a fan of the loft and actually prefers staying down below with Claude (which I’m sure Claude is happy about), and they sleep curled up in their beds, side by side.  It’s pretty cute – and not what we were expecting lol.

IMG_1310Sailor’s big hangup is the dog door.  Claude will go in and out with no problem (just hesitates at the stairs as he’s getting used to them), whereas sailor will just sit outside the back door and stare at us in the kitchen – and even scratch the back door glass on occasion – instead of going thru the dog door a foot to the right of the door.  He has no problem using the dog door, he just seems to pretend that its not there and wants his masters to open the “human” door for him (he thinks he’s royalty – King of the tiny house.  I’m sure in time he’ll enjoy being perched up on top of the loft, better able to oversee his “kingdom” below… ;).

Tiny House Surprises – Extra Space!

IMG_1276One of the surprising things so far about living in the TaHOW Tiny House on Wheels has been how much extra space we have in the kitchen!

IMG_1308Not only is there plenty of counter-top space (even with a temporary microwave taking up a lot of it – eventually we’ll have a microwave/hood installed above stove), but the cabinets underneath also have plenty of extra space, where we’ve also stashed the dog food container.  We don’t even have any upper kitchen cabinets, just two open shelves above the 8 foot long counter tops; it makes me wonder what else I had that filled up my kitchen in my old “traditional” house in the kitchen that seemed small without enough space.  How funny…

We did end up deciding that the best place for the trash can was under the sink.  I do wish I had thought out a better space for that because a larger free standing trash can would work much better.

IMG_1324It’s also been good that the house hasn’t been completely finished for that fact that it allows us to continue to customize different spaces for the best utilization of them.

IMG_1325For example, I wasn’t sure exactly how we’d use the closet space.  It has a 6-foot, 4-inch long closet rod for hanging clothes (which is a premium because that’s hard space to find after the fact if you don’t plan ahead for that).

On top of that is two large, tall, deep shelves in addition to a pantry shelving system to the right of and in front of the clothes, closed off to the kitchen.  I didn’t know how much food pantry space we needed so I’ve been customizing that as we’ve moved in and brought food into the space to see how it could best be utilized and accessed.

IMG_1323I also left space next to the fridge at the back of the house where the dog door is to create a little mud-room type area.  So as we use the kitchen and closet and house we’ll determine how to best design that space as well.

Clothes storage always seems to be a main concern for people going tiny, so I built in a lot of different options for that as well.  It’s a little different than a normal housing situation in that you don’t have big bureaus and drawers and a closet all inside your sleeping room, but all in all, its no big deal.  We have drawers in the stairs, a bootleggers hatch in the hallway, a large closet in the kitchen, there’ll be more storage under the couch (still to be built), plus the bonus room/study/guest room/other room over the gooseneck where I’m building another custom hanging clothes closet as well as the 8 foot wide by 7 foot long storage area under the bathroom.  AND I’ve been adding additional storage areas to every nook and cranny I find (which drives Lacey nuts lol)…

IMG_1321IMG_1322I was able to build a lot of stuff into the bathroom though I do wish I had built it a little bigger. The washer/dryer took up quite a bit of space that would have been nice for good cabinet and drawer storage of bathroom items, so that definitely is a change we’re adjusting to, but again with some clever storage ideas we’re able to maximize the space.  There is a large counter top over the washer/dryer so that allowed for multiple organizing options which gave Lacey the opportunity to incorporate more decor as well.

My favorite spot in the TaHOW Tiny House on Wheels

My favorite area of the house so far though is the loft.

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With the skylight, five surrounding windows, view of the feature cedar wall with the large TV and fireplace and dogs below… its just awesome.IMG_1312

And Lacey has decorated it so wonderfully, adding colors, layers, textures (I’m learning a lot of decorating! :), it really has a warm, cozy, homey feel to it, just makes me smile sitting up there or lying in bed looking down below and seeing the rest of the house.  It’s cooler than I ever imagined!  It’s the space with the view that reminds me just how much time, planning, money and work went into creating and bring to to life this big (but tiny) beautiful baby.

To sum it up, we are loving it.  Go Tiny Be Free.

More posts, pics and videos to come over the next few days, weeks and months as we continue to finish the house (and catch up on sharing all the pics and videos I’ve been taking over the last year!).  Still lots to do, watch this space!

And if you’re on snapchat, follow me @snaukered and @gotinybefree for live spontaneous, fun pics and videos.

And for the latest updates, like the GoTinyBeFree facebook page.

Thanks for reading!  I appreciate you!

– Hans

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New Tiny Micro Wind Turbine Technology for Off-grid Living, 24-7 Power Generation, Backup Battery Charging

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Are you running off Micro Wind Turbine Power yet?  If not, why not?

No doubt you are familiar with solar power (PV solar panels) as a means for living off grid, and generating power in a green, regenerative way.  But the truth is, solar power isn’t quite there yet for most people and most common needs/applications…

First of all, with solar, its rather complicated and difficult having to not only install multiple large panels generally on your roof but also wire them together in series or parallel or series parallel… having to figure out what voltage is coming and going… and of course hoping your roof is large enough for the number of panels you’ll inevitably need to install to go “off grid.”

Also, best case on a really sunny day when there are no clouds, in the middle of the summer when the sun is overhead you can expect to get 6 mean hours of sunlight.  In other words, you can produce power for 6 of the 24 hours in a day or 1/4 of the day so you’ll need 4 times as many solar panels to produce the power you actually use all day.

All this amounts to a lot of money, a large footprint and space needed to install and really, not much power generation considering the resources involved and the output…

But if you want to go off-grid with renewable or clean energy, what other options do you have?

Well, until now, all you really had was solar PV (photo voltaic panels), hydroelectric (which requires access to a flowing stream nearby) or a very expensive, bulky, heavy, obtrusive triple-blade fan on a really tall pole (eye sore and dangerous)…

If only there was a smaller, more powerful, lighter, quieter, less vibrational and cheaper wind power generating device…

Introducing the Brand New MicroCube – A state-of-the-art Micro Wind Turbine

Producing power from as little as 1.5 mph, this 9 inch x 9 inch x 9 inch MicroCube wind generator that weighs less than 10 pounds can produce as much as 1 kW (1,000 watts) of power, 24/7 designed for 25 years of use.  That’s a whole lot of power production from a very small foot print!

Designed and built right here in Huntsville, Alabama The high efficiency comes from the unique, multiple airfoil design, which captures a high level of wind flow. This unique multiple airfoil and pitch design was borrowed from the blade design of jet engines.   this brand new technology takes after jet engine design and function in order to produce so much power so efficiently and in such a small (tiny) package.

The MicroCube is available as in the pictures of the prototype above with a tail (unit in production is even sleeker with new design and 2 interchangeable tails – see colorful rendering down below) or as a cube (hence the name MicroCube), units that can be stacked side by side, on top of each other and even 5 units deep to create a “wind wall” for larger applications (or commercial, industrial, etc).

Typically, wind turbines experience a loss of around 30% of the power they produce whereas this unit is so efficient it loses only 7%!  All its components are sealed and enclosed inside its tiny frame, generators, converters, inverters and all, capable of producing 3-phase AC power or DC power with a simple plug on the back of the unit (for the cube, or integrated into the pole if  not the cube version).

Here’s the power production capabilities of this tiny but powerful wind power generation device:

Imagine the possibilities for a device like this!

It is so small, so light, yet so simple and so powerful!  Here’s some more neat facts…

The MicroCube & MicroSphere is:

  • Comprised of 11 blades within a shrouded cover that harness a greater cross section of the wind entering the turbine and multiple generators to increase the overall energy efficiency output of the wind turbine
  • Quiet by design. The decibel noise level is only 40db
  • Built from environmentally friendly materials and processes (3D printing and/or Injection Molding)
  • Easy to maintain by individuals with limited electrical knowledge
  • Easy to assemble
  • Repairable with interchangeable parts
  • Stackable in 3 dimensions (X, Y & Z, where Z is along the central axis of the wind turbine)
  • Versatile with its plug and play connector (AC and DC connector); owner can select what power output they want or need

Production of these Micro Wind Turbines has just begun.

If you’d like more information or want to get your hands on either the MicroCube or MicroSphere (or more), I’ll update this post with more information over time, but for now just click here to CONTACT us now.

Wind power has never been so exciting and so realistically attainable as it now it is, thanks to the technology of the MicroCube.

As soon as I have the MicroCubes installed on my TaHOW Tiny House, I’ll provide a full demo of these wind turbine power generation units, how they work, how simple they are and of course how powerful they are.  Stay tuned for more!

Click Here Now to CONTACT us for more information 

 

Is Building your own Tiny House on Wheels worth it?

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Building a tiny house on wheels is a lot of work, especially if you’re doing it yourself and have never built one before (and if it’s a 40+ foot long tiny house on wheels like mine lol).

But the question is, is it worth it?

From a financial standpoint, building your own tiny house on wheels could save you tens of thousands of dollars.  That could mean that you could afford to build a bigger tiny house than you’d otherwise be able to afford (twice as large) and/or include that many more modern conveniences, technology, etc to allow you to make even more of your tiny house living experience.  Typically, your cost for labor will be about the same amount or so as your materials.

So if you’d pay $70,000 to a builder to build your tiny house, it would cost you about half, or around $35,000 typically, to build it yourself (with some help from friends and family, which might cost you some pizza and/or beer ;).

Now building it yourself will most likely take a lot longer to build it, but even if it takes you a year, that’s $35,000 you are essentially paying yourself in that year (or the equivalent of $70k a year if you can get it built within 6 months!).  That’s like having a pretty good paying 2nd job.

You’ll also need to set aside some additional time up front and along the way to research and learn how to build a tiny house, see how others have built theirs, read some books, watch some videos and hopefully go to a Tiny House on Wheels building workshop to get all your remaining questions answered and give you that last bit of assuredness (is that a word?) that you’re ready to start building your tiny house!

So for a part-time or spare time gig, financially for many, it could very well be worth doing.  But why else would you want to consider building a tiny house on wheels yourself?

Learn the carpentry skills required to build a house

IMG_7442These learned building skills will come in “handy” later in life and help you more easily make modifications or repairs to your tiny house in the future should you need or want to make any (which again could save you lots of money).  And you’ll also learn new ideas and ways of doing things than you otherwise would have known from just looking on pinterest or facebook or wherever when you’re in the process and having to problem solve and find solutions to get a certain look or functionality (that in and of itself – practicing critical thinking and finding your own solutions – is a great skill set that will aid you in all areas of your life).

And you may even find a new hobby or side income source using these new skills, doing something new that you love at the same time…

Customize your Tiny House on Wheels exactly how you want it

When I set out to build my tiny house on wheels, I’ll be honest and tell you I didn’t have it all figured out.  Not by a long shot.

I did know how long I wanted it (that’s a difficult one to change once your trailer arrives lol), and how I wanted it to look (more or less), the layout of the rooms and the flow of the house, but there were a LOT of details I wasn’t sure about.  I could have spent another year trying to figure it all out and have it all mapped out (and it would have still changed along the way), but I knew enough of what I wanted to get started.

IMG_6305When you build the house yourself, you can make changes along the way.  It’s really hard to figure out the inside space, of how much space you’ll need for this and how much room for that… You can draw it out on paper or use programs like google sketchup to render it in 3D, but really until you’ve created the space and can FEEL how much space you have (at least in my opinion), it’s hard to get it just right (granted, I’m also a perfectionist lol).

Also, sometimes regardless of how much planning you do up front, there are new things that develop or ideas or different ways of doing things.  You might be in the middle of building a part of your house and realize its just not going to work the way you thought it would, or there’s not enough space for that – or too much space – or you change your mind…  There’s lots of variables along the way, and you can flex and adapt as you go based on how easy or difficult it may be to build, or based on feedback from other people or builders, or on new ideas or gadgets that come about (I see new clever products coming out all the time that make me rethink certain aspects of my tiny house to make it even cooler, convenient, cheaper, fun, etc).

New level of Self-Confidence in yourself & Self-Esteem

IMG_4259When you look back on the tiny house you built yourself – going back through your photos from when it was just a bare metal trailer and not knowing for sure if you could really build something so great – to the finished, functional home that is now yours and ready to live in, it’s a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction you can’t buy or get any other way.

Knowing what you went through, the problems you encountered that you figured out a way to solve, the time you didn’t think you had, the jokes from people who thought you were crazy wanting to go tiny who are now some of your biggest fans…  it definitely makes something more of you and for sure adds to your character (and not to mention your resume).

(And my girlfriend thinks it sexy that I can build a house… another “confidence booster” right? 😉

And if you can build your own house from scratch – and a tiny house at that with all its new complexities and complications – what else can you do??

There’s a ton more reasons why its worth building your own tiny house on wheels.  If you’ve got some to share, please share below in the comments!

I appreciate you!

Go Tiny & Be Free!

– Hans Schoff

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PS> If you’re wanting to go Tiny but are at all uncertain or unsure about a part of the process or just want a head-to-toe overview of the entire process to make sure you’re not missing something, join us for our upcoming Tiny House on Wheels Building Workshop.  Get full details here (LIVE in person AND LIVE-streaming over the internet options available)

PPS> Have you “liked” us on facebook?  Join us as we feature Tiny Houses on Wheels and Freedom, including Tiny House on Wheels Community updates, workshops and so much more!  Just go here now and like the page!

Building a 32-foot Gooseneck Luxury Tiny House on Wheels (Part 1 – Trailer Modifications)

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It has begun!

However, I’m sending the trailer back to the trailer dealer so they can flash the whole underside of the trailer and paint it to keep the elements out (road grime, water, snow, ice, salt, insects, etc, etc) from getting in under my house as I drive (and while stationary).  This flashing also gives the closed-cell spray foam something to spray to and actually seal up any gaps between metal sheets, etc (subfloor OSB will be installed directly on top of the steel cross-members, maximizing my vertical interior height in my tiny house and providing a very solid flooring system).

Here’s a little step by step of what I was doing to get it ready for the flashing.

Tiny House Trailer Preparation for underside flashing

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I took 2×8’s and stapled on some polyurethane foam strips were the wood be in contact with the metal trailer frame (because it would help reduce thermal bridging and was easy).  I then screwed them into place on the sides of the trailer, attaching them to the angle iron on the sides.

This again allowed to close in the floor cavity from top to bottom (sheet metal on the bottom and angle iron on the top) and gave me a few inches still under the angle iron to secure future all-threads, screws and/or bolts to secure the walls to the trailer in the future.

See the pictures to get a better idea of what I mean.

The wall sheathing will then cover this remaining exterior gap between the angle iron and the sheet metal flashing, closing that in as well.

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Here’s the final product once I got my trailer back again from the manufacturer who installed the rear jacks and flashing underneath.  The 24 awg flashing was very strong, strong enough that you could walk on it.  I then put the front stabliziers down and the rear jacks to level the trailer and get it ready for insulation and subflooring which you’ll find in the next post.

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Thanks for reading – what do you think so far?

Let me know in the comments below (video was a little shaky, I know… lol).

I appreciate you!

– Hans Schoff

Hans and tiny house trailer

PS> Get the latest updates on my tiny house build as well as free resources, information and training on Going Tiny and Being Free and building your own tiny house and much, much more by clicking here.

GoTinyBeFree “Tiny House on Wheels” Building Workshops – NOW AVAILABLE!

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Want to go tiny, but don’t feel you have the knowledge, know-how, skills, or confidence to do it?

We get it.

And that’s why we’re putting together an awesome, very comprehensive Tiny House on Wheels (THOW) Building workshop schedule for you.  (Look out for special Early-bird Pricing!)

Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 8th-10th, 2016.  That’s the weekend we’re hosting our first GoTinyBeFree Tiny House on Wheels Building workshop (Friday night thru Sunday evening) in Huntsville, Alabama, where we’ll get into the nitty-gritty on how you too can Go Tiny & Be Free and build a Tiny House on Wheels of your own!  (Like the 40+ foot Tiny House I’m building here)

We’re packing in as much as we can, adding more and more experts (see below) and other unique features to make sure you’re going to walk out of our workshop feeling ready, confident and already on your way to going Tiny and becoming Free…

Imagine not just getting to learn about all the various aspects of tiny house building, but also getting an introduction to reputable experts in each trade of the build who we have used for our tiny house builds and recommend – from one of the best custom trailer manufacturers in the country, to specialized insulation installers, discount material suppliers for your build (lumber, sheathing, etc), a certified electrician, plumber, HVAC tech and more – all here to answer your questions regarding their specialized areas of expertise and tiny houses.

We are assembling our team of certified and experienced tradesman and sub-contractors and putting them in front of you to make your tiny house building experience that much easier and seamless – as if we were the ones contracting out your tiny house (we put you in OUR shoes)!

This will be a tiny house building workshop like no other

As this is our first GoTinyBeFree Tiny house on wheels building workshop, space will be limited and we anticipate the workshop to sell out quickly… (tickets now available for purchase here!).  (Therefore, we may decide to open up live streaming of the event for those who may not be able to make it in person to accommodate more people… so stay tuned!)

And when I said comprehensive, I meant it.

In fact, we want you to be able to fully focus on all the content, speakers, information and resources we give you that weekend, full immersion, so we’re going to make it an all-inclusive weekend.

We want to simplify the process.

You just need to arrange your transportation to the event Friday evening and away from the event Sunday evening and we’ll take care of everything else in between: lodging, meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner Saturday, breakfast & lunch on Sunday) , snacks, a social meet-and-greet event Friday night in Hans’ 40+ foot tiny house, entertainment Saturday night, introductions to important contacts to help make your tiny house build easier, faster, better and more enjoyable… and much more!

And of course, we’ll have Hans’ massive 40+ foot Tiny House on Wheels on display each evening, open for viewing and questions (and answers!) as well as at least one trailer ready to build on… And so much more!

 

So mark your calendar, and be sure you’re on our GoTinyBeFree mailing list to make sure you get the latest updates on this and other future workshops to make sure you’re able to book your place and attend this comprehensive tiny house on wheels building workshop – you don’t want to miss it!

 

More info and exciting details to come soon!  Stay tuned!

We appreciate you!

  • Hans Schoff, Founder
    New American Dream Project & GoTinyBeFree.com

 

Building a 32-foot Gooseneck Luxury Tiny House on Wheels (Part 0 – Trailer Intro)

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My Tiny House Journey Begins!

That picture above is of my custom 32-foot Gooseneck Trailer with an 8.5 foot deck over the gooseneck (maximizes space), on which I plan to build a 40.5 foot long tiny house (38 feet long inside with a 2.5 foot deck on the back, including a 10 foot loft, roughly ~380sf or so).  

If you haven’t heard my story or want to know WHY I’d want to live in a space less than 400 square feet (LOL), click here to read my story about going Tiny if you missed it or you can also watch this 4-part video series I created on my personal blog about what a tiny house is and some of the benefits of going tiny, which I created while “out on the road” traveling, as I love to do…

The Details of my 32-foot Tiny House Trailer

In this first blog post about my future 40+ foot gooseneck tiny house on wheels (THOW) that I’m going to be building personally, I’d like to get right into the details about this trailer.  But first (lol), here’s a quick video of me on the day I first laid eyes on my custom built 32-foot long gooseneck trailer…

My Custom 32-foot Gooseneck Tiny House Trailer Specs:

  • Custom-built 32-foot long gooseneck trailer with 8.5-foot deck over the gooseneck (40.5 total length, 8’4″ total width)
  • Triple axles rated for 7,100 lbs each or total of 21,300 lbs
  • Constructed with 32-foot long 2×8 metal tubing and 8-inch C-channel for front and backs of trailer and deck; gooseneck drops down from front C-channel (so house has flat front wall) along with electric brake controls and trailer lighting (as well as gel battery brake backup unit) and backup/emergency chains; (bought a gooseneck hitch lock as well and converted trailer supports handle to be removable); also had additional jacks welded onto the back of the trailer on each side so entire trailer could be lifted/leveled off ground and wheels (pics and details in the next post)
  • 2″x3″ perpendicular cross-members, flush with 2×8 metal tubing, every 16 O.C. (on-center)
  • 3″ angle-iron runs on both sides of trailer, parallel to 2×8 metal tubing to get to width of 100 inches (8’4″), connected via 2″x3″ metal tubing cross-member extensions from front and back of 9-foot long rectangular-boxed fenders (which rise about 8″ above trailer deck) and on deck over gooseneck
    • I also installed treated 2×8 boards on both sides of trailer to mount the 24 awg flashing I had added to the bottom of the trailer to create an 8-inch deep subfloor; the 3/4″ subflooring attached directly to the floor of the metal trailer for optimum rigidity and strength from the bottom of the house up (you can see this detail in the next blog post in the series here)

(You can click on any of the pictures below to enlarge them…)

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Pretty exciting start on the Tiny House Journey!

The trailer cost me around $6,000 and took several weeks to construct.  Had I thought to get the flashing added ahead of time (much easier for them to do when building the trailer at the factory than for me to get access to that kind of flashing and attach myself), might have cost me around $7,000 total (probably would be $9,000 plus as configured anywhere else that I looked).

The next step is modifying the gooseneck trailer in order to begin insulating the 8-inch cavity floor which you will see in the next post!

Let me know what you think in the comments below…

I appreciate you!

– Hans Schoff

Hans and tiny house trailer

PS> Get the latest updates on my tiny house build as well as free resources, information and training on Going Tiny and Being Free and building your own tiny house and much, much more by clicking here.

Why a tiny house community – is it even necessary?

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If you’re relatively new to the Tiny House thing, perhaps you’re wondering WHY a Tiny House Community (or tiny house subdivision, tiny house village, tiny house co-housing situation, etc) is even necessary…

Here’s the thing: tiny houses on wheels (THOWs) is a relatively new thing.  Smaller houses of course were the norm and used to be everywhere (back when economics actually made sense, lol – subject for another blog post!).  But these newer Tiny Houses on wheels are unlike anything else that’s come before them.

You may think it’s no big deal, but your local zoning and building departments think otherwise!

In fact, a lot of times, they don’t know what to think: is it a house?  Is it a trailer?  Is a mobile home?  Is it an RV?  Is it a travel trailer?…

The answer is no.

While some tiny house companies like Tumbleweed like to classify their tiny houses as Tiny House RVs – as an exclusivity thing to justify their higher tiny house purchase prices (as they currently are one of the only tiny house building companies to certify their homes as RVIA approved), most tiny houses do not fit into any of the above categories, and therefore your local building or zoning department doesn’t know what to do with them.  And so be default, they outlaw them and classify them as illegal to reside in a tiny house in most locals (and even if they do have the RVIA stamp, RVs are not designed to be lived in as a permanent residence so that doesn’t fly with zoning officials either).

Now this kinda sucks, because although tiny houses are the solution for many of the problems cities face – from affordable housing, to less pollution and a smaller footprint, and much more – they often won’t allow them (legally).

The illegal tiny house route

Source: http://tinyhousegiantjourney.com/2015/10/30/tiny-house-eviction/

Because of this, many tiny housers will simply live in defiance of the law (illegally) and just hope they don’t reported by their neighbors.  Of course, the house is on wheels, so there’s not a lot at stake if you do have to move (you just hook up the truck and tow it somewhere else), but if you really liked where you were and had a good setup, it’s not fun to have to move because someone else says you have to (mucks up the whole freedom thing somewhat too).

The “park your tiny house in an RV Park” option

rvpark12Another option that works for many is RV parks.  Of course, there are restrictions in RV Parks, like not staying more than 30 days for example, and a lot of them technically don’t allow tiny houses if they don’t meet their RVIA code or other criteria.  (But I have yet to hear of a tiny house being denied, unless it was just too big or something; after all these are pretty nice, neat houses and there’s no real reason to turn away revenue like that)

But perhaps the only option for some may be living in an intentional tiny house community.

The Tiny House Community Option

Now there is no real standard definition of a tiny house community that I’m aware of as again it’s pretty new.  There are a few tiny house communities around the country but they are pretty rare unless you live in Portland which seems to love tiny houses more than the municipalities in other places across the country (though Fresno, CA just passed some great new exciting “tiny house specific” legislation!)

So a tiny house community could be 20 tiny houses on an RV or mobile-home park-style setup with concrete pads and utility hookups where the houses are lined up side, like this upscale rental resort in Napa Valley, CA, right in the heart of Napa.

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Or it could be a substantially larger piece of property where neighbors can’t even see each other because of the distance they are apart (for more of the individual home-steading type) – or anything in between.

Typically you’d find a common area or common house structure for communal and community events or space to rent/reserve to throw parties or larger gatherings from time to time than would fit in your tiny house, a place for meetings, a place to hang out and play games or just socialize.  There might also be a community vegetable garden for fresh fruits and vegetables, or farm animals for fresh milk and eggs, or nature paths for walking around the property.  These are just some of the features and amenities a tiny house community could offer, which will depend on your location, neighbors, community guidelines and community.  The possibilities are endless!

A tiny house community could be tiny houses you can rent for a duration of time, or you could rent the land and own your tiny house, or buy into the project as a member-owner with your own tiny house to own both the land and your house with neither a house or land payment (or a combination of the above).  Each variation has its advantages, but either way you go you can expect to live more and pay less with more mobility, freedom, and I’d argue, enjoyment.

Tiny House Communities in the works

We are actually in the process currently of building a few tiny house communities across the United States.  We have a small one large enough for probably 4-8 tiny houses in Huntsville, Alabama (Rocket City) and another under construction in East Albuquerque, New Mexico.  If you’d like the latest updates on these and other tiny house communities and projects and other cool tiny house stuff, click here to opt-in for updates if you haven’t already.

I appreciate you,

– Hans Schoff

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(Click on the picture above or on this link here to follow along in my tiny house build progress)

Tiny House Build – Work Day 3 – Installing my Tiny House Gooseneck Trailer Subfloor (THOW)

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Quick video here on Installing the subfloor in my 32-foot Gooseneck Tiny House Trailer (THOW).

More pics and info to come but I wanted to get this video up since it’s been a while already.

Working on the walls currently, but here’s the subfloor going on…

Learn more about my tiny house build project, the tiny house communities we’re creating around the country and much more about tiny houses and freedom at https://gotinybefree.com

I appreciate you!  More pics and videos to come!  Let me know what you think in the comments at the very bottom of this page, looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  Thanks!

And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for the latest Tiny House Build update videos!

http://youtube.com/hanstheschoff

– Hans Schoff

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PS> Excited to get your own tiny house?  Have you figured out what you’re going to do to bring in income while living in it?  Watch this video here – it could help!

How to pay for a tiny house build or tiny house purchase (and afford to travel without a job)

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The perks and benefits of the Tiny House Lifestyle are clear: FREEDOM!

(not one freedom, but many FREEDOMS!)

So, how can one begin the Tiny House journey if they’re short on funds?

(Because obviously it costs money to purchase or build your own tiny house)

And while many expenses can be  dramatically reduced or even eliminated, life still costs money – especially if you want to maximize the Tiny House Lifestyle and live a rich, full life…

So, how do you make money when you’re traveling around in your tiny house without a job?

Watch the video below now to learn how…


Click here for the video to learn the short cut…

 

I appreciate you!

– Hans Schoff

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Tiny House Build – Work Day 2 – Insulating my Tiny House Gooseneck Trailer Subfloor with Spray Foam

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Got the subfloor of my tiny house insulated with spray foam the other day!

Here’s a short video I made with Bob, the owner of the company, as they were spraying the foam (only took 90 minutes for them to do the whole 40 feet, ready for the OCB subflooring!).

I hope you enjoyed the additional information about in the video above about insulating a tiny house with spray foam insulation, whether open cell or closed cell insulation.

One other thing Bob forgot to mention was how environmentally friendly this stuff now is.

It costs him a little more to provide this superior product, but its important to him that this foam be non-toxic and it degrades with simple ultra-violet light (so make sure you cover your insulation from the sun or it will start to disappear on you!).

It’s really good stuff.  More pics and info will be available on my gotinybefree blog here.

If you’d like to know more about the company or have any questions, let me know in the comments below or send me a message here on facebook, I’m happy to share more about it.I appreciate you.

– Hans Schoff

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PS> If you’re looking for a way to finance your tiny house living and travels, check this out – click here.

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