We sat down with Jim Harrington, owner and designer of the Rain Water Pillow to get some of the facts that you need to know about rainwater collection when you are taking your tiny house off the grid.

Realistic Expectations

The catchment area of a tiny house alone is probably not large enough to provide enough water for all of its occupants year round. However, as Jim says, “If you asked me for 10 dollars and I only offered you three, would you not take the three dollars?” Rainwater collection may not fully replace your consumption unless you live in an area with higher than average rainfall, but it can certainly augment your plan and save you some serious money.

Doing Some Math: Supply vs. Demand

To determine how much water you can harvest, use the following formula from the Tiny House Design and Construction Guide:

This formula should be calculated for each month, since average rainfall will vary from month to month. The US Climate Data can give you an idea of how much rainfall you will have where you live. Now let’s figure out how much you are typically going to need? When calculating the amount of water you will need, be sure to consider all or your activities that use water. Below are a few of the common activities and their typical consumption. Again, from the THD&CG:

Assuming your usage is 15 gallons per day and the dimensions of your tiny house are 8 feet by 24 feet, then you would require approximately 4 inches of rainfall each month. Depending where you live, you may or may not have enough to get by. Jim also talks about how not all parts of the country are created equal. “If you live in California and you get all of your supply in three months, you will need a large cistern to hold your water,” Jim explains, “If you are in an area like on the east coast, the rain may fall a little more evenly so you are able to go with something smaller.”

Off the Grid Does Not Mean Dirty

“One of the biggest concerns that people have is about animal droppings in their rainwater catch,” Jim says. “But if you look at where most cities’ water comes from, it is lakes and reservoirs. Think about how much ‘stuff’ there is in storm water runoff alone, never mind all of the animals, fish, and even humans that are in that water, and you will quickly realize that roof water is incredibly clean.”

Jim’s water solution has three levels of filters as well as a pass through UV light and a charcoal block before the water is drinkable. The truth is that the cities of the world need WAY too much volume of water to do that kind of a filtering to your water at home.

Storing the Water

So most systems require you to have a tank somewhere and in the colder environments, you have to definitely keep that tank indoors so that it doesn’t freeze. The Rain Pillow can be made to fit any space and it is portable as well. So if you need it to fit under your bed, a kitchen cabinet, or you have enough room to put it outside, you can have it custom made to fit. If you want quick disconnects on it so that you can take it with you, consider it done.

In Conclusion

While rainwater catchment in a tiny house is possible, you will want to make sure you have a backup or supplemental water source. And know that all water is not forever. Jim will tell you, “Droughts happen and wells dry up. Be prepared by valuing your water and understanding your consumption.” For more information on the Rainwater Pillow, click here.

Do you plan on going off the grid? What fears do you have? let us know in the comments below.

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Family Size

I know that this seems like a no brainer, but if you have two kids, they are going to need their own sleeping space. Two bedroom tiny houses are becoming more and more popular, and as I called out to in my article last week. But this also holds true in the other direction. My wife and I originally thought we wanted a 24”trailer with an additional 8’ building space over the fifth wheel. After walking around in a 28 foot tiny house, we decided that not only did we not need our idea, but the 28’ even seemed too big. So get out there and experience a tiny house in person.

Read More: How to Find Tiny Houses Near Me

Stuff

You will want to make sure the home is big enough for your stuff. This can be hard since your ideas of what you need will surely change after your move. We’ve witnessed it over and over where people are concerned they are going to have enough room and then end up not needing it. The things they thought they just couldn’t live without end up not being as important.

But the desire for some things likely aren’t going to change. For instance, you’re not likely to decide that you don’t want a washer and dryer after the move. Or that you wished you had a smaller couch. So, make a list of some of the larger items you’ll want and add them to a drawing at scale. This can really help in deciding the length of your house.

Towing

Dan and I recently took a 24’ tiny house shell out to Tulsa, Oklahoma. That’s the finished product there. Turned out pretty good, huh? Well let me tell you a thing or two about driving a 24’ tiny house. There are definitely things you are going to have to think about and wind is one of them. Also, you are going to get worse gas mileage, but you would have that with any larger vehicle. And clearance is the the biggest one. Sure you want to build to the highest level you can, but you don’t realize how tall 13’6” is without seeing it first. Remember the longer the house, obviously, the more it weighs. And that means the bigger the tow vehicle that you need. Sure, I know, you likely aren’t planning on moving it often, but 20 years from now (and yes, your home will last you even longer if you build it right) when your children are in charge of the house and want to take it across the country, you want them to be able to.

Read More: Watch Your Roof! Respecting Tiny House Height

Building for Resale

As the tiny house movement continues to grow there are more and more people turning over their house. Whether they are just interested in building a new house to make what they have better or they are planning to build for others, think about what would resale. The most popular models are the 20’ and the 24’ sizes. They are easier to build, tow and sell and they don’t intimidate either way. Trying to sell a 12’ is tough, but for the right person, it is exactly what they want. We sold one the other day to a young lady who wants to have it for college. It is her permanent dorm room.  But even in the last year alone, we have seen MANY more 28′ and 32′ popping up which means down the road, their should still be a draw for them.

Knowing if it is the Right Time

Which brings us to the next point. Are you really ready to go tiny? If you need to have a 32’ long with an 8’ gooseneck at 8.5’ wide and 13.5’ tall because those are the maximum dimensions you can have, you may not be ready to go tiny. There are plenty of ways to simplify your life without having to buy or build a tiny house. So seriously give it a real thought before you pull the trigger to do so.

Read More: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Going Tiny and  5 Signs You Aren’t Ready to go Tiny

Bigger isn’t always better for everyone and neither is going really, really tiny. Knowing what your goals are, truly going over what stuff you need to take with you, and doing a headcount of the kids and pets are just some of the things you need to do before building or buying your tiny house. What tiny house size do you want or have? What considerations went into your choice? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Which Tiny House Size is Right for You? appeared first on Tiny Home Builders.

Myth #1: I have to give up everything I want

First and foremost, let’s get this right out of the way. Downsizing does not mean you have to abandon all of your Earthly possessions. It does mean that you have to make some sacrifices and compromises. When you go tiny, you are trading in the cost of an item for the cost of space for an item. That being said, you are the one who makes the decisions as to what you need to have and what you don’t. On every tiny television show the people moving in are given one Rubbermaid container and told, “That’s all you can have.” You do have to get rid of a ton of stuff, but you do not have to get all crazy about it.

Myth # 2: I have to give up my Privacy

Every time you see pictures or television shows about tiny homes, they are all bright and have as many windows as possible with as much open space inside as possible. The reason for this is to make the space look bigger. But you can have shades, curtains or blinds and even window treatments if you so desire. Also, don’t think that you can only have one big open room. There are plenty of designs where you can have walls, pocket doors and more. And if worse comes to worse, hitch up the home and drive to the middle of Montana.

Myth #3: I have to maintain a nomadic lifestyle

Just because you have a house on wheels doesn’t mean that you have to move it. There are plenty of people who find a nice comfortable spot to park their home and they just leave it there. People build decks on the front and sides of their home, plant gardens and even pour concrete walks up to the front door.

READ MORE: The Pros and Cons of Tiny House Travel

Myth #4: I can’t have guests

This is one of the biggest things for people to wrap their head around. You can still entertain. Sure, if you have 50 people over you will have to bring the party outside, but in most tiny homes there is enough room to comfortably hold a small party. People rarely move from one space when they have guests anyway and nowadays with the culinary world taking off, cooking while entertaining has become status quo. There is no better place to do that than in a tiny home.

Myth #5: I have to be young and childless

Just because you have children or you are over the age of 30 does not disqualify you from owning a tiny home. There are plenty of floor plans that have a room for the kids or have a guest bed in the loft, etc. As you get older and decide that tiny living is for you, there are plenty of single level homes out there to keep you from having to go up a ladder at night.

Tiny House Problems – Bonus Myth: I can’t have full sized anything

When you decide to go into a tiny home, you need to make a priority list of what is the most important to you. Remember here, the commodity is space, not money that we are dealing with. For instance, if you like to cook, you might want to allocate more space to the kitchen. Are you a bigger guy? Maybe you want a shower that is actually big enough for you to move around in. The key word here is priority. If you want a king size bed, you can have a king size bed. Finding the way to compromise between function and form is the true challenge.

Those are just a few of the mental hurdles that people have to get over to get into living tiny. What tiny house problems do you have or anticipate having? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Tiny House Problems That are Really Just Myths appeared first on Tiny Home Builders.

As the business grew, we began to advise and work with tiny house enthusiast who wanted to take things into their own hands and build a home themselves. So out of this need, our Tiny Home Builders Workshops were developed. And all along the way the movement grew and expanded to reach all demographics of people. But a common theme among the tiny house community was a desire for independence and mobility. Many people were extremely interested in living off grid or at least a more nomadic lifestyle. So as this subset grew so did the questions about off grid building materials and supplies. There were questions about solar panels, composing toilets and how to be sure they were drinking safe water.

While there are several great companies that make solar panels and compositing toilets, we had a good go to answer when it came to water filtration, Berkey water filters. It is like Berkey had the tiny house movement in mind when they developed the Travel Berkey. Its sleek modern design is even reminiscent of the iconic Airstream!

As folks travel around the country in a THOW and dock in unfamiliar spots its reassuring to know that they can always count on their Berkey to provide their family with safe drinking water. Another concern for many in the tiny house community is reducing their carbon footprint and being ecofriendly. The microfiltration method of cleaning the water is facilitated by gravity flow so you can’t get any more eco- friendly!  A pair of Black Berkey® Purification Elements will last up to 6000 gallons. With the use of 3 gallons per day, you will be paying 2¢ per gallons over the lifespan. Berkey also outperforms other top water filters on the market in both the amount of the harmful things its filters out and it’s longevity.

And don’t get me started on plastic water bottles! Obviously using a Berkey completely eliminates our reliance on these Earth killers. It is heart breaking to think that over 50 billion water bottles are used every year and only about 20% are recycled. Not to mention the harmful BPA that we consume while drinking from a plastic bottle.

With a Berkey you can refill your reusable stainless steel or glass water bottles. I like to use glass bottles, add fruit, and keep them in the fridge for a quick on the go cool drink.

We here at Tiny Home Builders really love the Travel Berkey. It can hold 1 ½ gallon of clean, tasty water and filter up to 2.75 gallons and hour. The size and capacity are perfect for a tiny home which usually house 2 or 3 people. It is small enough that it does not take up too much counter space, which is at a premium in a tiny house.

We even take a Travel Berkey along with us to our Tiny Home Builders Workshops. Our attendees appreciate being able to refill their reusable bottles instead of one of those plastic bottle.

For easy of use and portability you can beat a Berkey Water Filter to insure you always have safe drinking water.

Comment below and tell us what adventures you’ve taken your Berkey on.

The post Need Clean Water on the Go? appeared first on Tiny Home Builders.

Find a Tiny House Builder

Although the market is becoming more and more diverse the older the tiny house movement gets, finding a builder who has models for you to tour is tougher than you think. If you are lucky and they are in the middle of building a house, you can probably pop by to take a look. Just call first. One of the things to remember is that local contractors may build tiny homes, but they aren’t typically going to stock them because of the expense to keep an inventory.  To be fair, there are a lot of people who claim to build tiny homes, but haven’t ever built any. So a search may be fruitless and time consuming. You may be able to find some through our Tiny House Marketplace.

Rent Tiny Houses Near Me (You) for the Weekend

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who get into the tiny house movement, only to have circumstances happen upon them and force them to go back to big living. Many of these folks in turn rent their tiny homes out. There is no better way to see if you are right for tiny living than to spend a couple nights doing so. Vrbo.com and airbnb.com are two personal rental websites with very robust filters, but they have not yet broken out “Tiny House” as a category. But let me promise you that they are there. Choose “bungalow”, “studio”, or sometimes “other” to find them. I have also found them under “whole House” and then I choose 1 bedroom and voila! Tiny houses await! We have also created a board in Pinterest that list Tiny House Rental. Some of these tiny house owners will even let you come by and take a peek at the house without having to stay in it. But here is a word of advice: stay. Stay for a couple of days and really get a feel for it. Don’t be the couple going, “Wow! It’s so small!” because I will yell at you on my television. You may also find someone near you on the Tiny House Map that would be open to giving you a tour.

At Least Get a Feel for the Space

If there are no tiny house builders near you, you can at least get a feel for the space (or lack thereof) by finding a local shed dealer. Go take a look at a shed that is about 8 ft. wide by whatever length they have and now picture your entire life in there. There is a lot less room than you think. Some people will mark out the dimensions on their garage or living room floor so they can visualize how much room they will have and try to put everything they have within that space. But without actual walls, the space within the floor markings can appear deceivingly small.

The average tiny house is about 192 sq. ft. which is smaller than some people’s bathroom. So it takes a lot to go tiny and no matter how small you think it might be, when you see it in person you are still going to be surprised. But that is mostly because it is relative to what you are used to. Which is why it’s better to spend some quality time in a home. So get out there and look! You are bound to end up saying, “Wow! There are a lot of tiny houses near me!”

Have you rented or stayed in a tiny house? Tell us about your experience!

The post The Tiny House Hunt: How to Find Tiny Houses Near Me appeared first on Tiny Home Builders.

Highway Overpasses

So you know that if you are equal to or under the maximum height allowed by the NHTSA (13’6″), you are going to be fine on all of the major interstates. Plus, most of the time, the state roads are marked. But as you start to get down to some of the smaller roads, you have to very careful not to take the top of your house off. Call ahead, go slow and find a height-specific GPS (we’ll talk more about that in a bit).

Gas stations

No one ever thinks about clearance at gas stations when it comes to tiny house height, because your house doesn’t run on gasoline. Your towing vehicle on the other hand, does have to refuel and with the diminished gas mileage from towing your house, it will need a fill up more often. Some gas stations are kind enough to mark their clearance right on the covered pumps. Unfortunately, many do not and so you will have to watch out closely. We have heard more than one story where people have had to unload the tiny house in the street, go fill up their truck and then hook it back up before carrying on.

Trees

Often you will see the electric companies or civil services cutting away branches from the main road so that they are clear of traffic and power lines. The problem comes when you get away from the main drags and head out on the smaller roads. If your home has a peak style roof, you may be able to navigate down the middle of the road and clear the trees on the sides where your tiny house height is considerably lower. However, if you are sporting a shed style roof, you are more than likely not going to be able to avoid the low hanging branches. Make sure you are going slow, use a spotter and if worse comes to worse, stop and get someone from the local authorities to come in and offer advice. They may have an alternative route that your GPS did not tell you about.

Respecting Tiny House Height With Navigation

Speaking of GPS, technology is a beautiful thing. There are now navigation programs that allow you to enter the dimensions of your vehicle and they will route you the way you need to go to avoid a collision. If you are old school and want to go with a stand alone GPS unit, we recommend the Magellan RoadMate RV9165T. This unit allows you to customize your route based on your vehicle length, width, weight and height and even has the “Good Sam RV Travel Guide and Campground Directory provides one-stop RV resource for every aspect of RVing experience.” Not necessarily everything you need for tiny house living, but the resources can’t hurt.

If you are in the market for an app for your smartphone, look no further than the CoPilot RV USA app. You can set your height, weight and length and even which roads have propane restrictions. The app also downloads the maps for your route so that if you should lose cell signal, you are still covered.

So what do you use when navigating with your tiny house? Have you ever had a close call? Let me know in the comments below.

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Number 1: Matlacha Village

Matlacha Florida is just west of Fort Myers on the causeway going from the main land to Pine Island. This adorable little community offers 3 tiny homes. Each one is painted in a different bright color that just screams beach vacation! The amenities in the village include a BBQ grill, dock, sun deck and kayaks. My favorite home there is called Margarita. It’s spacious, the closest to the water and who doesn’t need a margarita?

Number 2: Pennsylvania Farmhouse

Many tiny homes are on rural land. The combination of a small space in a remote setting creates an opportunity for connections. Situated on a working farm a short distance from Lancaster PA, this home, having no WIFI capabilities, will force you to unplug and decompress.

Number 3: Think Big TH Resort

Located in the Catskills of New York this tiny house resort is one of a kind. Along with beautiful water views this resort includes an in ground heated pool, hiking trails and a waterfall, kayaks, tubing, a floating raft, baby goats, ducks and bunnies. Did I say baby goats? And yes you can do yoga with them! My favorite house is The Flat. It’s one of the bigger homes and has a great view!

Number 4: Ohio River Tiny House

Located at Riverside Marina on the Ohio river this tiny house in northern Kentucky clearly has a great view. The modern tiny house is super cute and would be lots of fun to stay in during an event at the marina.

Number 5: Smokies Simplicity

Located in Sevierville Tennessee, this rustic home is a great place to get away but still be close enough to drive in Gatlinberg to visit all the area attractions. This dog friendly rental offers hiking and biking to scenic views.

Number 6: Getaway Los Angeles

There is a really cool rental company called Getaway. They specialize in tiny home rentals within driving distance of large cities all around the US. The one you see is here is a property outside of Los Angeles Ca. They encourage their clientele to pack light and lock their technology away in provided cell phone boxes.

Number 7: Caravan TH Hotel

There is a groovy, eclectic tiny house village located in the heart of the popular and vibrant Alberta Arts District in Portland, Oregon. It’s within walking distance to lots of bars, restaurants and local attractions. My favorite house is the Pacifica, but they are all pretty cool!

There are so many tiny house rentals out there and as tiny homes grow in popularity there are going to be many more. From mountain top to city center, choose your location and experience preference and there is sure to be a tiny home to rent! If you want to see new tiny house rental opportunities follow our Pinterest board. I list new rentals all the time.

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