Home & Garden Highlight: Tiny Houses

Written by Rebekah Gonzalez

There is no true definition of what constitutes a "tiny house," but the term is generally applied to dwellings that are less than 600 sq. ft.  These spaces can be on permanent foundations, on wheels, in the water, or even in trees.  With so much room for customization, the possibilities are endless.  Although there are some obvious drawbacks to living in a small space, there are many who still find the option appealing.  Benefits can include a smaller environmental impact, less clutter, getting out of debt, and more freedom of movement.

Would you consider living in a tiny house? These recommended readings can help you decide.

Recommended Reading

Building Your Tiny House Dream: Design and Build a Camper-style Tiny House With Your Own Hands by Chris Schapdick

Combining the "why" with the "how to," Building Your Tiny House Dream will show you each step to constructing your own custom camper!

Tiny House: Live Small, Dream Big by Brent Heavener

Imagine living debt-free in an environmentally-friendly home. No mortgage, no clutter, and boundless freedom. This is the reality and dream of people all over the world thanks to the widespread momentum of the tiny house movement in recent years. Designed to fit on the tiniest of coffee tables, this book features 250 full-color photographs of the smallest, most efficient homes around the world, with interviews, features, and smart tips straight from the homeowners. From tiny mobile homes in California, Nashville, and Minnesota to a surfer-built tree house in Washington to a school bus that has been converted to a camper in Oregon, this lookbook is packed with big inspiration.

Tiny Houses, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts by Derek Diedricksen

This Old House meets Wayne's World in this zany guide to designing and building tiny homes Derek "Deek" Diedricksen has been fascinated with compact living ever since his father gave him the book Tiny Tiny Houses by Lester Walker for his tenth birthday. Combining his artistic abilities, wild imagination, and passion for small houses, Deek self-published Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts, and Whatever the Heck Else we could Squeeze in Here in 2009. This new and expanded edition is a collection of Deek's creative/imaginative sketches for building small houses, shacks, cottages, and forts. Deek's one-of-a-kind sketches are accompanied with hand-written commentary, both instructive and comical. His main purpose is to encourage people to get off the couch and start building. Believing that specific building plans squash creativity, he avoids too many detailed instructions, so that do-it-yourselfers can put their own creative spin on their very own small abodes (even if it is just in their imaginations).

Skoolie!: How to Convert a School Bus or Van Into a Tiny Home or Recreational Vehicle by Will Sutherland

This complete guide to turning a school bus into a tiny house brings the dream of a nomadic life and a cozy home on wheels within reach -- and within budget -- featuring how-to photos along with creative layout ideas and profiles of skoolie fanatics.

Inspiring Tiny Homes: Creative Living on Land, on the Water, and on Wheels by Gil Heriz

People have been living small for centuries for reasons of practicality, mobility, flexibility or personal choice. More recently, tiny homes have become the answer for many who need somewhere affordable to live and possess the creativity and energy to create something different. Gill Heriz has brought together a collection of some of the most incredible tiny homes, from Seattle in the north-west of America to Findhorn, on the north coast of Scotland, to show how beautiful, and achievable, tiny-home living can be.

Additional Reading