Odd that I would not only write a post about myself, starring myself but perhaps even more odd that the post is an interview with myself by myself. It sounds even more odd saying it out loud. But this week I felt really compelled to tell a bit more about who I am behind Tiny r(E)volution (other than just the “big mouth” of the duo) and how we got started almost 5 years ago in the tiny house movement.
There has just been so much commentary lately regarding the anxieties, difficulties, and frustrations that come along with a tiny house build. What seems to have been forgotten is the joy, feeling of accomplishment, and excitement that seemed to have been inherent just a few years back. And so that is why I felt it important to record this Vlog. It is a bit long, yes, coming in just over ten minutes but I feel like it is a glimpse of the Tiny r(E)v story seldom seen…especially not on video.
I invite you to watch and enjoy. Feel free to ask questions, leave comments, share your story, etc. in the comments section. Provided you don’t verbally destroy me I’ll do my best to respond! To watch just hover over the video image and click on the red, centrally located, standard YouTube play button to view.
After having watched the above video I hope you’ll consider subscribing to the Tiny r(E)volution via the button below for a weekly video uncovering more topics of tiny houses and life on the road.
By Andrew M. Odom for the [Tiny House Blog]
loved it!
Thank you so much Kate.
Andrew, changed a few words to fit my life of 75 years of working and dreaming.
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams,
endeavors to live those dreams which he has imagined,
he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
“However mean you think your life is, meet it, challenge it and live in the joy of it.”
“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth,
as a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind,
to make a deep physical path, we must walk again and again,
the thoughts we wish to dominate our lives
we must think over and over “
Watch for our new project of building 480 Sq. foot homes for all the un-housed people in the world. NewBeginingHomes a 501 3c org. despertly looking for new ideas on interior lay outs.
Good luck, Mike
I’d love to see your home again, especially inside, since I’m definitely interested in the gourmet kitchen.
All of our photos are hosted on our Google+ page. You can visit the specific “finished house” page here: https://plus.google.com/photos/115663763662641260344/albums/5867877162454562417
Great personal recap. Thanks. Here’s mine.
In 1977 my husband and I moved from MI to Choluteca, Honduras CA. We took a WellsFargo, added a window and vinyl floor and filled it with what was left after we stored or gave away the rest of our stuff. Although it was used as our guest house for the most part, the house we moved into there was tiny by US standards, more like a Korean apartment a la caribe. Actually a dessert design. The tiniest home I ever stayed overnight in was about 14 X 14′. Our hosts were a couple our age and their elderly parents. We got the middle space on the floor under the hanging fruit pantry. The chicken at my right foot was culeca, or sitting on eggs. I pulled the sheet we were laying on, tucked under my toes, over our heads, so that the cockroaches falling from the fruit basket above would scurry away from us. That night at least 70 miles from any paved road sitting on a hill in Chiapas I explained that the light in the sky flying far far above our heads was a satellite, to people who had never even ridden in a car. In 40 years of marriage we resided in 32 houses in 4 countries. Owned two of them. I am in the planning stage of stripping down a cargo van to set out again. Living light and mobile, a pretty fair definition of nomad. Only from the outside can we see how stuff crazy the U.S. is. George Carlin had it right. He said we think we need stuff, then we need more stuff to use the other stuff and finally we need a bigger box to keep our stuff in. We self derisively call those big look alike boxes MAC-mansions. Love your blog. ¡Viva la revolution, mano!
Thank you so much for that story Julie. Sound as if you and your husband had some amazing adventures and came into contact with some amazing people. Viva la revolution indeed! Thank you for sharing your story.
Lovely story but the term is “McMansions” named after McDonald’s ridiculously large food.
You summed it up in one thought, taking a house to a home. Wish I had lived this life.
I wish we lived it better. HAHAHAHAHA.
Please send the videos on various subjects individually so we can collect them in a folder for reference. Please don’t bury them in a digest where, even if saved, will get lost in the shuffle, be hard to access and will probably get overlooked and forgotten. If you value this information, please allow us to value it, too. Thanks!
If you subscribe to our YouTube channel Lisa you can see every video on chronological order since we started 4 years ago. They are not hard to access at all and they are archived for life.
Nice commentary and great advice Andrew.
I’ve been following the r(E)volution, I guess, since you started your blog. But currently stuck in the development stage. Keep changing my mind on designs cause there are so many great ones out there. Always something new or a new way to do it. But someday soon I’ll drive by you TH and shout “Viva r(E)volution! my friend!” Keep the blogs coming to inspire more of us to be more with less.
You aren’t alone Eric. We went through 7 versions of our build before we ever drove the first nail. It can be complicated or it can be frustrating but it can also be done. My suggestion is to make a list of MUST have’s and rethink the build from the top down while on Internet haitus until you come up with a build. There will always be something new under the sun. Don’t let yourself get distracted.
You are so right about the must haves. My build should happen this summer but has gone through so many changes in the 8 years since I first set up a tiny travel trailer and deck on my newly bought and paid for little chunk of paradise. Some changes were due to seeing all the amazing places other people were building, some were due to changes in my personal situation. Throughout the whole process there were a few things that stayed essentially the same and those became the main features. Oddly enough, I’ve come pretty much full circle and am back to one of the first designs I started with, but much improved by the many design journeys. The time it took to save money for the build was exasperating but my eagerness to build (and inability to do so without debt) was balanced by the enjoyment of exploring the many options and watching the explosion of creativity in the tiny house community.
You guys are truly the pioneers and have been a huge resource for us in learning about Tiny Houses and the whole sustainable movement!
We are helping our kids get a start in life with Tiny Houses and to see them excited and being able to provide for their families is truly rewarding for us.
Thank you Andrew for the sharing your wealth of information & resources to us!
Loving the journey and looking forward to the evolution!
Thank you so much for your kind words Jordan. Odd to hear we are pioneers. We were looking for that when we started our project. Now we are them? That is too cool. So happy our experience can help you and your family Jordan. Best wishes and hope you stay with us on the journey!
I thought for a while I would be retiring to a tiny house in a few years. It looks now like I’ll instead be moving into the (small) home my grandparents built for their retirement, with their own hands and help from my parents. The tiny house movement, however, has continued to provide me with inspiration and hope even though I probably won’t be joining it–but it’s helped me to de-clutter, to get rid of tons of stuff, and to feel confident and happy about the idea of revamping my grandparents home to fit my needs. I think the most important thing you said was not to let anyone else define success for you. I may never live in a tiny home, but the tiny house revolution will continue to live in my heart!
Loved the Vlog and continue to be a friend and fan, Andrew!
This was, indeed, a nice way to personalize yourself better for many who might be familiar with your name in the comments section, but needed a ‘face’ – and a personality and soul! – to go with it…
And it was a smart way to identify yourself more purposefully with the THM, share your part, your hand, your INTENT, in the movement!
Good show, Andrew…. (with a good-natured and genuinely affectionate slap on the back)… Good show.
😉
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Thank you Andrew for the most uplifting encouragement! When I first started planning and dreaming two years ago this is how the tiny house community was. It seems over this past year there has been so much negativity and high expectations that it can cause one to want to squash their dreams. Yours was one of the first videos I found when I was dreaming and your encouragement was what made me feel I could do it! And anytime I get overwhelmed and a bit discouraged I come back to your blog page and rejuvenate my thoughts!
You are so welcome Sheliah. Thank you for your kind words! It sends me over the moon knowing we have been able to inspire folks like you.
My husband and I are in the dreaming phase of tiny house building and I really enjoyed this vlog and finding your blog! We have a 15 month old and hope to have a few more children in the future- so it’s cool to see another family living this lifestyle- not just couples or singles. Keep it up!
HI Andrew,
It was great to hear your story and also see you o the tiny house with Ethan’s book, Tiny House Decisions. I have been trying to get on your website to read your blog to no avail….I am finalizing my decision to actually build a tiny house without incurring any debt, what a challenge but I know I can do it.
Tiny house dreamer/developer,
Dora