Deb Durham here again. Yep, the tall broad with a penchant for small spaces and little automobiles.

When you can’t afford or don’t want to expand a home’s footprint, here are 2 remodel ideas for transforming existing space to best advantage. This is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1,200 sq. ft. home I renovated outside of Santa Fe, NM. I call it Asian Adobe.

I understand Southwest style may not be everyone’s cup of tea and it may be larger than your idea of a small home, but work with me here. There are many useful takeaways you can apply whether you’re focused on a 175 sq. ft. home on wheels or a 6oo sq. ft. cottage.

#1 Portal (that’s a “porch” for you East Coasters) Turned into ¾ Bath and Laundry Room Combo

Floor Plan of guest bathroom/laundry

When I bought this house, the previous owner had enclosed a 6 ft. x 9 ft. portal at the back of the house which he used as an office. See the small roof above red door in top left pic? I wanted to add a guest bathroom next to the guest bedroom that would also serve as a powder room and include a washer/dryer. I was able to do it using a stackable washer/dryer and an open shower with 1 glass wall so it feels very spacious. Plus all materials were tone on tone neutrals of quartzite stone tile, American Clay plaster and natural pebbles. The one unorthodox thing about the bathroom is it doubles as the back door entrance to the house, but no one seems to mind!

#2 Turn a Hallway + Laundry Room into a Deep Soaking Tub (for 2!) with a View

Tea for Two Tub

Tub with View

So, “Where was the laundry room before the remodel?” you ask. It was in a short hallway between the living area and the master bedroom behind cheap bi-fold doors. The good news is the plumbing from the washer was already in place (read: money savings!) and there was an existing sky light above the hallway portion. Fewer and/or smallish hallways in homes make for better use of tight space. I installed a 6 ft. Kohler Tea for Two soaking tub with gorgeous views out to the mountains via a narrow horizontal window. You do not need a huge window when you are in the tub. To determine the exact dimensions for the tub window, I sat on the floor in the living room facing the same direction and taped off existing windows to see the minimum window height and length I needed. This one is 18 in. x 48 inches.

• If I had it to do over, I’d position the tub filler on the surface edge of the tub vs. on the short wall so that the window would start at tub surface lever rather than the 5 inches above. I also gave the tub area some visual separation by installing a beam parallel and above the edge of the tub which repeats the same look elsewhere in the house. The shelf above the tub could hold a steady supply of towels but I chose 5 whimsical torsos I found at IKEA.

By placing the soaking tub here, I was able to enlarge the Master Bedroom shower and closet….but that’s a whole other story.

Please let me know if these ideas were helpful. If so, I have some more space expanding ideas from this home for my next guest blog. Cheers!

Deb Durham

There comes a time when anyone who dreams of living in a small house has to ask the question, “Where will I put my tiny house?” When choosing to site build a little house, this becomes an ever bigger question since zoning codes and neighborhood association rules are often at odds with small house goals. As a result, many tiny house people look to rural areas where restrictions may be less stringent. However, not everyone prefers country living, and site development costs for utilities can be prohibitive on undeveloped land.

For those that would rather live within more established areas, close to walkable stores and with sociable neighbors, older and historic neighborhoods may be a good choice for building a new small home. The average size of an American single-family home has grown exponentially over the years, but most of our ancestors managed to live in much less square footage, often with much larger families. Therefore, there are many established neighborhoods with precedent for small homes. Historically laid out with small lots (for example, much of the historic core of Lake Worth, FL was platted with 25′ wide lots), local zoning in designated historic districts is often tailored so that new construction within the district remains in scale with the historically smaller homes in the neighborhood. In addition, many historic neighborhoods also allow accessory structures behind the main home that can be even tinier than the main home.

Some historic neighborhoods have few available empty lots, while others have many vacant lots available due to fires, demolitions, or never having been fully developed. It may take some diligence on your part to find the right spot, but with careful consideration you will likely find an affordable lot in an up-and-coming older neighborhood that suits you perfectly.

Benefits of building a small house within a historic district:

• Site utilities are already in place, saving on development costs
• Established neighborhoods have sidewalks and mature trees
• Zoning laws are commonly adapted to lot sizes and the scale of surrounding properties, allowing for smaller footprints
• Historic neighborhoods are often within walking distance to stores and restaurants reducing or eliminating the need for a car
• Neighbors to look out for you and socialize with; many historic preservation proponents have similar mindsets to tiny house people
• Historic District design standards direct the area’s future development which often helps to maintain economic stability
• Many historic districts allow for accessory dwellings behind the main residence that can be even smaller than the main house, allowing for rental income or a co-op living arrangement
• Property values are based on livability, aesthetics and historic character rather than a “bigger is better” mentality
• When looking for a lot for your small house, you may find the perfect little house already in existence waiting for your loving touch – historic preservation is the ultimate recycling project

When looking for an appropriate historic neighborhood to build in consider the following:

• Look for a neighborhood of predominantly smaller homes; neighborhoods with shotgun style or bungalows are generally suitable
• Neighborhoods platted from the 1890s to 1930s developed for working class residents often have small lots suited for smaller homes
• Irregular or previously subdivided lots, often called “non-conforming” by zoning standards, may be perfect for construction of a small house and very affordable
• Look for an “up and coming” neighborhood, preferably with an active neighborhood association for more affordable property
• Avoid neighborhoods where the trend has been to demolish the older small homes and replace them with “McMansions”
• Avoid neighborhoods where new additions to existing homes are equal to or bigger than the original historic home
• Look at the architectural style of surrounding homes; you will likely be required to build a home with similar scale and shape (i.e. if most of the homes have gable roofs, yours will more likely meet design requirements if it also has a gable roof)
• Talk to local Zoning officials to find out minimum and maximum lot coverage, setbacks, parking requirements and other site development regulations before you buy
• Talk to the local Historic Preservation office to learn about design guidelines for infill construction within the neighborhood before you design your small home
• Consider buying a lot with an existing home and build a tiny house behind to provide rental income if zoning allows

For those interested in living more economically in a smaller footprint without having to build from scratch, looking for a house in a historic district may be a great opportunity to both live in an attractive home and neighborhood and to recycle an entire house. If the perfect house doesn’t already exist, or is not within budget, building a new small house within a historic district may be just the right combination.

Visit Historic Shed’s website  http://historicshed.com/

I have featured several couples who have made this choice and are very happy that they have, but most of us find ourselves in a situation where only one person is totally convinced. So, I have decided to broach the subject with you, my readers, and hope you will join the discussion in the comment section below with your suggestions.

I, personally, still live in a small home, around 1200 sq ft. Our son is in college, but comes home fairly regularly and our daughter’s room has become the guest room/office/workroom.

Our goal is to downsize when the both kids are completely out. However, I don’t see us moving into an extremely tiny house (130 square feet like some couples have). We are getting older and a loft is out of the question and we each need some private space for work or play. I see us eventually in a smaller home of 400 to 700 square feet as our answer.

What is your answer and how will convince your partner to downsize with you?

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

A few people have asked me why I love my little house so much. I’m sure I’ll continue adding to this list, but for now, here’s a quick response. What follows is in no particular order.

I love our neighbors. They’re warm, funny, and welcoming. I’m enjoying getting to know them better.

I love how the kittens learned to climb the loft ladder in less than 24 hours and how Elaina looks like a little sumo wrestler as she goes up toward the loft, throwing one leg over at a time, with her belly swinging below. On the other hand, Christie is a little ninja. She’s light, quick, and silent as she slinks up and down the ladder steps.

I love watching the bike commuters ride by our house every morning. Logan and I sit in the window nook and watch them zip by, all bundled up and ready to face the day.

I love how the afternoon light spills through the French doors and how the sun casts a glow onto the orange leaves, making them sparkle.

I love sitting on our tiny front porch, watching the kittens take their first steps into the natural world.

I love being inside on a clear, crisp fall day, while still feeling like I’m outside. I’m glad we opted to go with the French doors because it opens up the house and makes it feel a whole lot bigger.

I love how much love went into the design and building process. Dee and Katy are amazing and I’m grateful for their help.

I love that our stuff actually fits in this space. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to fit, but we have plenty of room and more.

I love sitting in the loft in the evening. Compared to our old apartment, it’s so quiet in this neighborhood. I love listening to the trains go by and how the cats immediately start purring when I climb the loft ladder.

I love our new composting toilet that Dee made us, especially since it says “Hercules Power: High Explosives Dangerous” on the front.

I love the woodsy smell of the pine interior.

I love being able to walk a few blocks to a cute, little coffee shop and write in the morning. I probably won’t be there everyday, but it’s a fun spot to hang out, especially if I want to get out of the house.

I love exploring my new neighborhood by bike and by foot.

What do you love?

If now is the time to infuse a little beauty and wonder into your life, join Courtney Carver and I for a lovely course, Create Space. For $21 you’ll receive 3 weeks of materials, awesome homework assignments, a live webinar and email feedback.

You can intentionally add beauty to your life with a simple shift of focus. Make lovely a priority. Don’t let stuff, obligations, responsibilities, stress, debt, worry or unease force you to put your life on hold. Sign up by March 19th and look forward to your lovely life. And don’t forget to check out our website.

Photo Credits Tammy Strobel

By Sarah Protzman Howlett

I’ve always, always loved small spaces. As a kid, I’d scoop up my dolls, Walkman, blanket and pillow, and move into the half-bathroom, settling into the tub with a Beverly Cleary book. It sounds silly, but it was freedom: I could fit every thing I needed into that room. Years later, when I moved to New York City, I was largely unfazed by my 7-by-11-foot bedroom. (It only took 60 seconds to Swiffer—what’s not to love?)

So last fall when I found myself in Boulder with filmmaker Christopher Smith and his 130 square feet of freedom, I couldn’t have been more excited to talk tiny with a kindred spirit for an article in Denver’s 5280. The duo’s project will become a documentary called Tiny: A Story About Living Small, out this spring. When it’s complete, the house will sit on five acres near Fairplay, Colorado.

Smith and his girlfriend, Merete Mueller, invited me to observe as they labored under a steamy sky one Sunday. My hand stuck to my notebook as I wrote furiously, recording everything about the house. Red paint on the outside bids you welcome; the indoor wood siding feels and smells like your favorite uncle’s cabin. Though only the exterior was complete at the time, Smith showed me where the bathroom, lofted bed, and built-in shelves would go, and told me about their sustainability efforts, such as using beetle-kill pine. What surprised me about Smith’s tiny house is how even with exposed wires, sawdust on the floor, and camera equipment strewn about, the space already felt like a home.

The day, and my notebook, wore on. I watched Mueller and Smith stain wood, use a scary buzz saw, and manage not to step on the bevy of roosters milling about the property. Smith was a novice, had never built a thing, but he’s nothing if not a quick study.

Few Americans actually live in tiny houses—a July 2011 New Yorker article put the number at several hundred to several thousand—but in these troubled times, the movement has resonated, helping us pause and take inventory of what matters. Though I share a 500-square-foot apartment with my husband now, I knew there had to be ideals of the Tiny House Movement anyone (yes, even you, suburbia!) can adopt. After the bulk of my reporting was complete, I asked Mueller for some pointers:

• Quality over quantity. Invest in high-quality, durable items. “When each thing we own actually means something to us, we’re satisfied with less,” Mueller has found.
• Double duty. “In a small space, almost everything needs to have two uses,” Mueller says. Storage ottomans and under-bed boxes create storage and keep clutter at bay, while hooks and floating shelves utilize wall space.
• Cut back on knickknacks. Decorate with things both useful and beautiful, such as books, brightly colored spices or interesting cookware. “You don’t have to pack every inch of your house with stuff,” she says.
• Picture the future. When you buy something, imagine yourself having to store and/or move it. “It puts the real amount of stuff we own into perspective,” Mueller says.

As I walked down the hill away from the tiny house, I thought about my childhood, and how much joy it brought me to bed down in the bathroom, even though I knew I was playing pretend next to the hand towels and seashell-shaped soap. Moreso than being just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen—which it is—Smith’s tiny house is a home. Not a playhouse. Not a tool shed. And I can’t help but think that has more than a little to do with the enterprising couple, and their willingness to ask themselves what they really, truly want.

Learn more: tiny-themovie.com; http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/03/smallville

Sarah Protzman Howlett is a Denver-based freelance journalist.

She doesn’t like being labeled, but I still can’t help but dub her a “Maven of Minimalism”, (and hopefully she won’t get mad at me for it!), and for good reason, as Tammy Strobel has moved from what most would already consider a small living arrangement (a 400 square foot apartment), into a new, even smaller, 128 square foot home! Her story, I feel, is not only gutsy, but fun, and enlightening at the same time….oh yeah, I should mention that she also lives in this very same house with another person- Logan Smith- so at 64 square feet a piece, I felt they might have quite a bit of light to shine on the world of living with little.

———————————-
Interview by Derek “Deek” Diedricksen of relaxshacks.com. The “Tammy” sketch below is from his tiny house design book “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks“- in a brand new “Tricks Of The Trade” chapter with input from Lloyd Kahn, Gregory Paul Johnson, Dee Williams, Jay Shafer, Alex Pino, Duo Dickinson, Mimi Zeiger, Colin Beavan, Alex Johnson, Cathy Johnson, and some guy named “Kent Griswold”!?

———————————-

Deek: What was the turning point in your life where you decided that the run of the mill, status quo lifestyle, and one usually surrounded by “stuff’”, wasn’t for you?

Tammy: About six years ago I took a life changing trip to Mexico. At the time I was volunteering with the Mexico Solidarity Network and was unhappy with my career and huge mound of debt. After visiting Mexico and seeing so much poverty, I realized how trivial my problems were. When I got back, I knew I had to make some serious life changes. And a few months later, Logan and I happened to watch a You Tube video featuring Dee Williams and her tiny house.

Once we saw Dee’s video, we knew tiny house living was a good fit for us. So we started taking steps to transform our lives, like paying down our debt, selling the cars, and giving away a lot of stuff. Seeing the video of Dee and her little house was a big turning point for us. It gave us a whole new perspective on what our life could be like; that I didn’t have to drive two hours to and from work everyday or live in a big house either. It was empowering to realize I could live life on my own terms.

Deek: Have you always been a minimalist, or what was the catalyst for this mindset? Any books that moved you towards this direction? I ask because I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting reading, and love when authors, bloggers, and creative people overall, share their roots and inspirations….

Tammy: I don’t consider myself a “minimalist” because I shy away from labels. I’m a lot of things like a friend, daughter, wife and community member. It just so happens I don’t have a lot of stuff in my life. Not having a lot of stuff in my life has enabled me to focus on building strong relationships, instead of hanging out at the mall.

Other books and sources inspiration? There are so many! Derrick Jensen’s books were pivotal reads. I remember sitting in front of Jamba Juice in downtown Sacramento, reading “The Culture of Make Believe” and thinking to myself: “What the F-ck am I doing with my life?”

I also love Your Money or Your Life and The Overworked American.

Deek: In your quest to clear out your life, what items were the very hardest to part with?

Tammy: The cars. I loved my blue Honda Fit and Logan was in love with his little Ford truck. However, once we crunched the numbers we knew the cars had to go. I was really hesitant to let go of the cars, but I’m glad I did! I’m happier without those hunks of metal. I love biking and walking everywhere. I have a new appreciation for my body and neighborhood.

Deek: Its amazing the things that you do miss while flying by everything at high speeds in a car! Anything you tossed or parted with, that you regret losing?

Tammy: Nope. It’s been really nice to shed excess stuff and focus on doing things I love, like yoga, writing, taking long walks and hanging out with friends.

Deek: Now in terms of your brand new home- and a huge congratulations on that- how has the transformation been from your apartment to this micro-home- and tell us a little about it. Has it been harder, or easier than you imagined- and in what ways?

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

Tammy: The transition has been easier than I expected. I thought moving from a 400 sq ft house into a little 128 sq ft home on wheels might be more difficult, but it’s been a blast.

I also feel extremely lucky to live where I do. We’re in the backyard of a friendly couple and I feel really comfortable and safe here. It’s an amazing feeling to know that you have neighbors that actually care about you.

And as an added bonus, I get to spend time with two of the cutest dogs on the planet. Our neighbors have an older dog and a puppy. In the mornings they come over and literally run around the house and briefly come inside for a treat. It’s a lot of fun.

It’s funny, Logan and I had a lot of fights about whether or not our stuff would fit in the little house. I didn’t think we’d be able to squeeze everything in and Logan thought I was crazy because we didn’t have much after giving so much crap, I mean stuff, away. Well, everything fit and we even have room to expand if needed.

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

I was telling a friend yesterday that the hardest thing is being without a full shower. Sometimes I just want to hop in the shower at home and not worry about doing yoga. Typically, I shower after yoga class and that’s great because every time I go to yoga I feel wonderful afterwards. So not having a full shower is actually a benefit for me. I don’t have to clean the damn thing and it motivates me to get out and exercise, which never hurts.

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

(Deek- I wonder if an on-demand, propane, outdoor shower, would work down the road, if the cravings don’t subside?)

Deek: You dropped some tiny living and organization tips a ways back for a new chapter that is in the new version of my book “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks“- one part of which was a solid piece of simple advice “Take a minute or two each day to just look around and put away ten things”- something along those lines. Anyway, what other organizational tips could you offer, in terms of downsizing one’s life, especially now that you and Logan have drastically reduced your living space?

Tammy: A piece of advice I learned from my grandparents would be to imagine doing more with less. If you are faced with a problem try and think how you could use your current tools in a new and creative way. This perspective has helped us identify durable, multipurpose items and then remove poor-quality, single-purpose items from our life. For example, we don’t have any electric kitchen appliances anymore because they are typically designed for a single task, made from cheap plastic, and designed for a disposable obsolescence. If you simply have fewer tools that have more applications its easy to organize.

Deek: And with the holidays here, a real important one….How do you handle receiving gifts when you have little or no space for them? How do you put the word out to control and/or manage the influx, lets say, of unneeded Chia Pets, Snuggies, or knick knacks in general? Just curious. My brother and I have an out-loud agreement where, for the most part, gifts must be small, very useful (ie. tools), or edible so that they don’t need to be stored or kept for a prolonged period of time. I myself have a small home, nowher near as small as yours, but often feel almost a prisoner to “stuff” and finding proper space for it- especially after the holidays.

Tammy: Everyone we know already has too much stuff and adding to that is not a consideration. Plus, I don’t want or need more stuff. So we encourage friends and family members to donate (time or money) to a charity or give educational savings bonds to the kids. And if they have to give us something, we request cookies, wine, or a dinner date in the new year.

In the end, people aren’t going to remember the new set of pajamas they got on Christmas morning. But they will remember a wonderful experience (like sharing a holiday feast or the amazing batch of cookies you made). Similarly with children, they likely won’t remember a single toy you give them, but when they pursue higher education they will always remember your lifetime devotion to supporting their goals.

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

Deek: So I gotta ask, what’s on Tammy Strobel’s wish list to Santa? (Interview was done in December)

Tammy: I actually want to fly down to California and see my parents. I’m also in the market for a few good sweaters. I went a little crazy with purging stuff last year and I’m down to one sweater!

Deek: Damn, I’ll have to return that Ron Popeil Rotisserie Chicken Cooker I was going to mail you two! Before I forget, tell us about the “100 thing challenge”- in particular what is included and how it works/worked. For example, would things like a toothbrush, tube of toothpaste, and hairbrush all count as things towards this list. I’ve never been sure on that….I mean, I’d cut deodorant from my life, but those close to me might have qualms with this….

Tammy: First off, read Dave Bruno’s book The 100 Thing Challenge. Dave started the 100 Thing Challenge a few years ago to decrease his consumerist tendencies. The book is a quick and inspiring read. For me The 100 Thing Challenge is an exercise in mindfulness and not a practice of austerity or asceticism.

It doesn’t matter if you count your tooth brush or each pair of socks.
The idea is to do an inventory of your personal stuff to get an awareness of what comes into and out of your life. Then ask yourself: Do I really need 50 sweaters? Or a whole library of books? Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. But I guarantee this challenge will change your view of stuff and your buying patterns too.

Photo Credit Tammy Strobel

When I read this question to Logan laughed and said, “Don’t cut deodorant out of your life, instead try using something you already have around the house like baking soda as a multipurpose alternative. Baking soda is an awesome deodorant but can also be used as shampoo, a non-toxic household cleaner, and a leavening agent in baking. To quote Mors Kochanski “The more you know, the less you carry”. Try out new things, question “conventional wisdom”, and organize your life to meet your needs.”

Deek: Thanks Tammy, for more on her and Logan’s life, advice, and work, check out www.rowdykittens.com

Pat is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The client who contracted the Lusby contraction wanted all reclaimed wood, so the interior ceiling, loft floors, walls, doors, cabinets, closets and shelves are all made of antique pine (pre-1930) that Pat brought from Texas, his home state. The exterior is of pine siding salvaged in Texas from a c. 1915 house that was slated for demolition. This is southern pine, much of it longleaf, and is beautiful material.

Pat says that using this type of material is more expensive to purchase and requires more labor to use, so it’s not a money-saving deal. But, if someone is looking for character and the satisfaction of participating in the salvage of wonderful old wood, it’s worth the extra cost.

I think that this is a nice option to have and you can contact Pat Crowe at Echo Reclamation at 505-918-5000. Also to view more pictures of what he has to offer please visit his website http://www.echoreclamation.com/reclaimed-wood/

[View with PicLens]

This experimental, free-standing tiny home for students has a kitchen, a bath with a shower, a corner office and an eating area with two chairs. A sleeping loft is accessed by a ladder. This home will rent for 30,000 Swedish crowns ($4,400) a year, when most student housing in Sweden rents for about 50,000 ($7,700) crowns a year. The country has a lack of affordable student housing and most seekers have to stand in line for an available place to live. This home will be rented out for three years to one person who can give the best reason why they should have the house.

AF Bostader created the home as a bit of a rebellion against what they feel are overly strict building codes. The Swedish Housing Authority states that student housing needs to be at least 258 square feet and wheelchair accessible. AF Bostader hopes that the Housing Authority will allow them to build 100 units of new student housing at a smaller size – but not as small as this tiny house.

Photos courtesy of AF Bostader

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Eric Rochow of GardenFork recently spoke with Deek Diedrickson, microhome builder and author of the new “Humble Homes, Simple Shacks” book in an episode of GardenFork Radio.

Deek and Eric (two men cut from the same cloth) discuss the merits of publishing your own book, using recycled and curbside found materials for tiny homes, how to build and anchor a treehouse and how Deek is able to make a living with his various building, music and drawing hobbies.

They also talk about Deek’s future plans which include teaching a few of the Tumbleweed Tiny House workshops, building a houseboat, a treehouse workshop and writing and publishing another book.

You can download the episode from iTunes or you can listen to it on the GardenFork website.

Photos courtesy of Relaxshacks.com.

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

(This information is for the UK not the United States)

Getting a surveyor on-board for your tiny house project can seem like a relatively daunting step. It can be the moment where your tiny house makes its first real steps into becoming a reality. That said, it can also bump up the expense of the project, so it is not a decision that will be taken lightly by those with grandeur objectives for their tiny home.

It should go without saying that it won’t be necessary to bring the technical expertise of surveyors into smaller micro-house projects. There are circumstances, however, where you will bring in the expertise of builders, architects, and indeed, surveyors.

With this in mind we’ll look at the value a surveyor will bring to your project and the circumstances that would predicate this decision.

This article will provide an overview of the role a surveyor plays in the construction of buildings and look at why they may add value to your projects.

There are three factors that will determine whether you will consider using a surveyor:

• The size and complexity of your project
• The budget for the project
• Your prior experience building

Of these three factors, the size and complexity of the project is ultimately the most important. (These however, are often defined by the project’s budget.)

In any new building project, the design is likely to chop and change as the structure begins to take shape. Let’s have a look the responsibilities of a surveyor in a construction project.

Cost Management
The role of a surveyor from your point of view boils down to two words: cost management. On smaller projects, this task can straight forward to manage yourself, but with any job of a significant cost, it’s not recommended you go it alone.

Why?

At the start of any project, you’ll have an approximate idea as to what it is going to cost. There are always (always) unforeseen changes to the project that can cause its costs to escalate.

Whilst this deviation may not be a major problem in small projects, in larger ones they can add up and jeopardize the projects chance of completion.

An architect may have an idea about cost, but they are not qualified to account for the management of building costs as they change over time. The surveyor’s cost management role continues throughout the project,
particularly in accounting for the value of a builder’s work on a month-by-month (or week-by-week) basis.

This isn’t to imply your builders will pull the wool over your eyes, it’s simply a means of giving you confidence that the project is being completed on-time, on-cost, and to sufficient quality.

For example…
As the home begins to take shape, you decide to make a change to the home’s design; for the sake of argument, adding a window, which the builder quotes at $3,000.

A surveyor will audit this quote to ensure the cost is right. You may be adding a window, but you’ll be losing cladding, so money could be saved here.

Your surveyor will be involved in material procurement as well as the negotiation of the builder’s contract, ensuring a fair price as well as the completion of the work to a high standard.

By employing the services of a surveyor for help with the construction of your tiny home, you will introduce a series of checks and balances to the project, helping to fix the cost.

Anyway, that’s my overview of the value a surveyor could bring to your tiny house build. If you’ve any questions, leave them as a comment and I’ll do my best to try answer them.