Alexis and Christian of Tiny House Expedition, explores the feasibility and affordability of doing just that.

Alexis and Christian show us six different case studies by examining several different sizes, priceing, and the legalities of shed-based tiny house living.

Video and Photos via Tiny House Expedition

Featured Shed Conversions:

Budget and Off Grid

Vernita and Travis build a tiny 160 square foot home. Their home is located off-grid on the Navajo Nation. They manage to keep their price under $10,000, by doing the construction themselves and by using minimal utilities.

Permitted ADU

Precious was able to transform a 297 square foot shed into a legal ADU (accessory dwelling unit) in Atlanta. It was extremely important to follow the legal requirements for the ADU to pass. Precious called upon proffesional help to make this happen.

A Mountain Cabin

Claire took on the challenge of building a cabin in the mountains. She purchased a shell with high quality framing which was needed to withstand the rigorous mountain weather. Claire constructed her 288 square foot tiny home on raw land in the Cascade Mountains.

Living in a Community

Located in a tiny home community, Jim shares his 400 square foot shed home. Larger than many tiny homes, Jim’s home will allow him the alternative of future expansion and a changing life style.

Texas Family Compound

Using up-cycled materials and designing their own homes, Grandma Judy and her daughter Gina have constructed two separate tiny homes on one property. At a cost of $25,000, Judy built her 280 square foot studio home. Gina built her “luxury cottage” for $30,000.

Shed Conversion Considerations

Quality of the Shell

Make sure you have residential level framing. This is 2x4s with 16 inch on center framing. You must also consider purchasing upgrades such as house wrap, and insulated windows for durability and heating and cooling.

Budget

Doing it all yourself will save money. Purchasing a completed shell will cost more but will shorten time to completion. Keep in mind the expense of a foundation and connecting to utilities such as water, sewer and electricity.

Making it Legal

Be sure and verify your local building codes and get legal advice if necessary. Permitting an ADU is important and you must follow the guidelines in your location. Use the standard
Appendix Q of the International Residential Code as your guide.

Tiny shed homes are an option to consider. Do your research as this may be your answer to making the switch to tiny living.

Planning and Motivation

Annie was tired of renting so she and her parents decided to build a tiny house on Annie’s parent’s property. Purchasing a set of plans off of Etcy for a 300 square foot structure they created a custom tiny home which was modified to meet Annie’s needs.

Video and photos from Tiny House Giant Journey

Construction and Cost

The tiny home’s total construction cost was $45,000. All expenses and time were kept track of on a very detailed spreadsheet.

The project was a family collaboration. Annie’s mom who became known as the “DIY Queen” was extensively involve. The time to build the house was around two months.

Tiny House Design Features

Annie’s tiny home is filled with features that are personal to her. She wanted a pink kitchen with a custom coffee bar. It needed to have high ceilings to make the small space feel larger. She has a cozy lofted bedroom with large windows to bring in light.

Independent Lifestyle

The tiny house has given a 19 year Annie a new level of independence. Even though she is still close to her parent’s house she is learning to become more self relient.

She uses her tiny home as a place to edit her YouTube videos, keeps a prayer board in her upstairs loft to track all her hopes and keep track of her personal growth.

Advice to Others

Annie wants to encourage everyone not to wait till the time is perfect, start now and take the steps to build the life you love.

Don’t be limited by conventional thinking. If you find that purchasing a tiny house is to expensive, or even finding a good builder is to difficult, consider taking on a challenge and build it yourself.

We also have a surprising story from contributor Laura LaVoie. Her opening may catch readers off guard, especially coming from someone so connected to tiny living. Is she talking about building her tiny home, living tiny, or something else entirely? You’ll have to dive in and find out.

Meanwhile, Brenda Mason Paramelee shows us how small living can connect beautifully with local community life. Living in a stationary motorhome, she has turned visits to her local farmer’s market into something much bigger than shopping with a creative and personal way to grow her own garden.

And finally, Macy Miller returns with what may be the final chapter in her ongoing battle with the International Code Council. Has progress finally been made? Is the fight finished, or is there still more work ahead for the tiny house movement? Her latest update asks important questions that affect all of us who care about the future of tiny living.

The digital Tiny House Magazine Issue 161 has been published

Inside this issue, you will find:

• One More Thing
• Before You Hitch Up – What You Really Need to Know About Towing a Tiny House
• What We Got Wrong
• The Tiny House of Peace
• Opinion – After The Dream – Where Does The Tiny House Movement Go Next?
• 8 Characteristics of People Who Are Good At Decluttering Their Possessions
• When the Farmers Market Became My Garden
• Tiny Houses, Big Resistance: Build Anyway

Purchase The New Issue NOW!

A few pages from Issue 161

Located in the charming hamlet of Livingston Manor in New York’s beautiful Catskill Mountains. Depending on your location, we’re roughly two hours from the city. There are no street lamps on our shale road, so bring a headlamp. Guests who don’t wish to sleep in a house are welcome to camp on the grounds. Everyone is free to use the bathrooms, kitchens, and showers.

There’s no need to take off work on Friday; the first class is that evening, at 8pm. For reviews of previous workshops, press, and directions, click on the link below.

The fee includes accommodations, continental breakfast, sample blueprints, sample written plans, a sample builder’s contract, a sample land rental agreement for a tiny house, and a how-to guide packed with building terms, definitions, and facts.

https://www.catskillstinyhouseworkshop.com/

Attendees will learn literally EVERYTHING they need to know to design, build, and move their own tiny house:

• Common misconceptions about tiny houses.
• The obvious nexus, and key differences, between a tiny house and a small city apartment.
• Why there’s NO need to hire an architect to design your house.
• How a person with NO drawing skills can create a blueprint a builder can realize.
• The varying dimensions of movable houses.
• The utilities that are commonplace in tiny houses.
• The handful of building terms required to correctly design your house and convey your plans to a builder.
• The best model trailer for a small house.
• When to begin looking for a builder, how to identify the right one, how much to pay them, and how the payment plan is structured.
• Municipality building codes vis-à-vis non-traditional houses.
• How to find a commercial driver, and the required permits, to lawfully transport a completed house from the building site to its new home.
• Where to procure homeowner’s insurance for your tiny house.
• How to locate and rent land where you can park, and live in, your house.
• How to draw water from a stream or pond once you’re there.

Get all the details https://www.catskillstinyhouseworkshop.com/

In reality, this is not even close.

The smartest tiny homeowners are doing the opposite. Instead of less life, they are creating more life.  How would you like to have more freedom, more income, and also more connection? 

Watch the video:

Video and photos: Tiny House Giant Journey

1) More independence (without losing family)

In this video the Dolenc family didn’t build a huge addition and didn’t upgrade to a larger home. They decided instead to place a tiny home on their land. 

The tiny house they chose cost about $67,000. Their teenage daughters now have a space of their own and the cool thing is that they are only steps away from the main house. They are still part of the daily life. Still learning the responsibility  of running the farm, which includes goats, rabbits and everything else.

It’s independence, without disconnection.

2) More income (from your own backyard)

We look at another family, a large one with a total of seven. They looked at their backyard and say an opportunity.

They purchased a tiny home, upgraded it for around $22k and turned it into a short term rental.

Guest can now come for an experience. They can enjoy the farm animals, see what slower living is like and enjoy a fun getaway.

The additional income from the tiny house helps pay the families mortgage and lets them share their little farm with others.

3) More self-sufficiency (in a very real way)

John and Finn didn’t just build themselves a tiny home, they developed a system.

Starting with a $6,500 shed which they converted into a 300 square foot cabin. With the addition of the green house it is now closer to 500 square feet. To create the system they installed the following:

• Rainwater collection
• A bio-gas system (yes… turns waste into cooking fuel)
• A greenhouse kitchen and bathroom

It’s not just a home, but a completely different way to live and enjoy life. By living closer to nature and becoming more self-reliant, their life becomes more intentional.

So how could living tiny work for you?

You don’t need to go off-grid or rent it out to make this work. Even a simple setup can completely change how you use your land (and your life). Something to think about.

Bigger van.
More gear.
All the “right” systems.

You know… the dream.

Solar. Kitchen. Setup for everything.

And yet…

Something felt off.

Too much stuff.
Too many things to manage.
Too much… inside.

Then I saw something that stopped me.

A 2007 Honda Fit.

Yep. That little car.

And somehow… it was a full home on wheels.

Check out the full car tour and see how simple “home” can really be.

Video and Photos by Dusty Odyssey

The guy who built it (Dusty Odyssey) used to live in a full camper van too.

But he downsized.

Way down.

And here’s the weird part…

He found more freedom.

The setup is simple. Almost shockingly simple.

• A custom bed platform that stretches using the front seat (so it actually fits your height)
• Soft LED lighting powered by a DIY battery built from recycled cells
• Window covers for privacy (but still letting air flow through)
• Smart little storage hacks tucked into every corner

That’s it.

No complicated systems.
No overbuilt setups.

Just what you need.

And here’s what really hit me…

He intentionally left things out.

No indoor kitchen.
No heater.
No “live your whole life inside the box” setup.

At first, that sounds like a downgrade.

But it’s actually the opposite.

Because when you can’t cook inside…

You cook outside.

You sit under the sky.
You slow down.
You stay connected to where you are.

When you don’t have everything inside…

You go explore.

You walk more.
You see more.
You live more.

And maybe the best part?

The entire setup can be removed in about 30 minutes.

Back to a normal car.

No commitment. No pressure.

Just freedom.

It’s a good reminder…

Sometimes we think freedom looks like “more.”

More space.
More gear.
More features.

But often?

It’s the opposite.

Less stuff.
Less friction.
Less between you and the world.

Food for thought next time you’re dreaming up your setup.

Bigger isn’t always better.

Sometimes… smaller is the whole point.

P.S. If you’ve ever considered downsizing even more than you thought possible… this might open a few doors in your mind.