story

Preparing for the New Year: Become the Ant

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As a child my tiny house tendencies shined at an early age. When I wasn’t out searching for gnomes or little people living under mushrooms, I was partial to the ant in Aesop’s fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper.” In the story, not only does the industrious ant live comfortably … Read more

The Cicela Family Story

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Frank and Elea

by Collin Vickers Frank Cicela, father and aspiring entrepreneur, has moved with his family from a $200,000 house in the suburbs to a $20,000 tiny home in rural Missouri so that he can start a revolution! Did you know that it only took 66 years for us to progress from … Read more

Small is Beautiful – Released Today!

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small is beautiful infographic

It’s been two years in the making, but Small is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary is finally here! I had the opportunity to view this a couple of weeks ago and also many of you saw a premier of it at the Portland Tiny House Conference. This is a great documentary … Read more

The Coyote Cabin Story

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coyote

by JB McCauley For a the past year, I have been following Tammy Strobel and Logan Smith’s story at Rowdykittens.com, and was envious of the great life they orchestrated. The tiny house inspired my husband and I to begin building our own “Coyote Cabin.” We live near a nature center … Read more

Finding Freedom: a return to Usonia

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“Tiny House History” is not so much an actual academic topic as it is a supposed idea of how we got to the place of sustainable homesteading, as it were. While it may come with some argument or even disdain I propose that tiny house history did not begin in … Read more

Ethan’s Tiny House Story

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front door

by Ethan Ramirez My name is Ethan Ramirez, several months ago I posted pictures of my first tiny house. A 100 square foot silver rectangle that my girlfriend and I built and lived in…at the time. Well since that time a gentleman approached me asking if I would be willing … Read more

Why I Want to Live in a Tiny House

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Tiny Project House

by Michelle in Oregon If you were to ask me why I am excited about living in a Tiny House, I would tell you that the list is so long we’ll have to sit, and chat for a bit, for you to understand how perfectly perfect the idea is, to … Read more

Ben’s Tiny House

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(Fall 2011 – Summer 2012) My name is Ben Norton. This is my tiny house story. A neighbor of mine was all excited about your blog and showed me lots of really cool tiny houses that people have built. I was hooked. I just said, “That’s what I’m going to … Read more

The Week Magazine Features Tiny Homes

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Normally, the “Best properties on the market” section of The Week magazine features French chateaus and Italian villas, mansions with endless pools or the best Beacon Hill townhouses. However, for the week of August 3, the featured properties were all tiny homes under 1,000 square feet. The homes featured were … Read more

Under a Mushroom

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I fell in love with my first tiny house when I was in fourth grade, and it was the size of a mushroom. The book “Under a Mushroom” by Anita Lobel was located in the bookshelf of my classroom, and during nearly every free reading period, I would take it to my desk and pore over the delightful illustrations. They showed small, fantasy creatures living under mushrooms complete with small furniture, pots and pans, miniature wood stoves and even curtains made of flowers. After school I would run home and attempt to make my own “mushroom house” underneath a pine tree.

The story is about a Troll family who live under a mushroom in a meadow. They are content in their tiny home, but a bit bored. One day it begins to rain and various other creatures (Glumps, Dimmles, Gizzygonks, Tomtes and the like) show up to come out of the damp.

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Built by Friends: Evan and Gabby’s Tiny House

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Like an Amish barn raising, Evan and Gabby’s tiny Tarleton house is going up piece by piece with the help of friends and family. The Illinois couple were inspired by the Tumbleweed houses and decided to downsize their already sustainable lifestyle even more. With no prior construction experience, they have been working on their tiny home for just over a year and plan to move in (along with their two cats) soon.

The couple also plan to move around the country, staying in campgrounds that offer year-round rates. They then want to purchase some land where tiny house living is more acceptable.

Their 117 square foot Tarleton, built on a car hauler trailer, will have a great room, a sleeping loft above the bathroom and kitchen, another storage loft above the door and a bathroom with a custom shower and composting toilet that vents to the outdoors. The kitchen has four feet of stainless steel countertop, a two-burner stove, a bar sink, a toaster oven, a small fridge and – rare for a tiny house – a combination washer and dryer that they got from a family member for free.

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