Tiny House Living: Ideas For Building and Living Well In Less than 400 Square Feet

Tiny House Living is a treasure trove of information that strikes a healthy balance between imagination/creativity/go-get-‘em and practicality/day-to-day considerations. It is well-written and compiled with great care. I came to this book as a complete newbie and left wanting to join the bandwagon—that’s a lot to accomplish in 173 pages! There are eight chapters with concise, focused titles, such as “Why Choose Voluntary Simplicity?” and “The Path to Living Tiny,” covering just about any topic you could think of regarding a tiny house—from deciding if tiny home living is or isn’t for you, preplanning stages, and preparing to live in a tiny home through construction and living in the home. This is a book that will appeal to many demographics: those readying for retirement, those wanting to pare down their belongings into a more meaningful and streamlined life, those just starting out in life post-college, those dedicated to living green, those excited by alternative housing and/or repurposed construction, those anticipating a mid-life career or housing change, those interested in cutting expenses, and many others. I love the balance between basic information about zoning and laws, expenses, and reasons for building a tiny house alongside the wonderful interviews and full-color photographs of various people who constructed and/or live in the homes. Even if living in a small house is not for everyone, the organizational tips alone make this book well-worth a careful read; I began downsizing my clothes closet and donating items (a process I’d been putting off) while reading the author’s suggestions! I love the book’s focus on personal choice and personal change. I found myself sharing excerpts and tips from the text with family and friends. While there aren’t floor plans in this text—there are plenty of other books that focus solely on floor plans—I cannot think of a single thing this book is missing. The tone is informative and friendly, reminding me of taking a tour with a good friend through the homes. Those interviewed are honest about considerations and drawbacks as well as the great benefits they’ve experienced from living in tiny homes. The three-page appendix of tiny house blogs, builders, books, and websites is fantastically helpful and encouraged me to keep exploring this topic. Kudos, Ryan Mitchell! As a writer myself, I know how much love, passion for subject matter, and dedication goes into compiling such a beautiful book that invites readers back again and again. I’ll surely keep this one handy on my shelf and recommend it to friends.

I am fascinated with tiny or small house living. This is now one of my favorite books. Great pictures and ideas. A small or tiny house must be less than 1000 square feet to me, and I favor 650 to 850 square feet. I think that's the first thing to learn ... what constitutes a small or tiny home to you. For me I need a reasonable bedroom, comfortable living room, kitchen with breakfast nock, full bathroom, and ... here's the biggy ... an office. Even if that office is only 9x9, I need it! That meant I needed a minimum of 650 square feet and really 900 square feet could prove excessive. That surprised me. In fact I reevaluated my total space and made several important decisions not only regarding space but things I wanted or needed in my living space. No, I don't have a small house nor will I be moving any time soon. In fact I have a great old California craftsman that totals nearly 2,000 square feet. But there's only me and my large dog and two cats. And I work and live on the premises. For the first time I realized I could physically afford a roommate. But the great thing about reading this book and others on small or tiny homes is that I am using my space so much more effectively and green. I've learned a lot. In fact I've redesigned my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom ... next is my office. I was surprised with what small changes I could make and enjoy the space so much more. I questioned why I was keeping furniture that actually didn't suit my habits. For example I have a solid oak school teacher's desk I was thrilled to find 20 years ago. But what do I use it for? Well, I'm not getting rid of it ... my first thought. But I am getting rid of two other pieces of furniture in my office to better use the desk and give me more floor space for an Ikea "rocking" chair which has proved a necessity for reading long works. Finally I think this book helped me see different ways to live in my space as one example is a small home with lots of art. That example meant a lot to me. All these books made me stop looking at total space and turn to living space. I really don't live in a lot of space but the space I live in needs to suit me and support my creativity and living style.

This is a great book. The book contains individual stories about how people got involved with tiny houses. For me, that helps me imagine how they might be useful for me. Whether I go into a tiny house or not, the ideas in this book - along with photos to actually SEE what they're talking about - can be used in any kind of house. I really liked some of the storage and space use ideas. I realized "tiny house" is a concept, and a way of looking at how one lives, more so than the number of square feet you have. This book will be a good resource for me over time, wherever I live. The reason I gave it a 4 instead of a 5 is because of a minor detail. Some of the houses I liked didn't have enough information for me to further investigate the builders or their companies. However I recommend this book for anyone trying to decide if the tiny house concept holds anything useful for them.

This book doesn't get into a ton of the nitty gritty details, but for someone who has decided that Tiny Living is a possibility for them, it addresses the emotional and mental aspects of the transition. This book is full of stories from Tiny Home owners that are relatable and portray their inspiration, struggles, and advice for new Tiny Home builders or prospectives. It also helped me with methods of getting rid of possessions, and deciding how to design a Tiny Home based upon my routine and daily needs. The second half gets a little bit more into the nitty gritty of design and building and I think will be a good intro into my husbands and my next purchase, which will be Dan Louche's Design and Construction Guide! Even if you're not considering buying/building a tiny house and think it's a crazy way to live, you should read this book.

First off, I LOVED THIS BOOK! In the past, I have said I loved a lot of books but this one is up there with the greats. My husband and I joined the Tiny House Movement of July 2014 and we have no regretted it a bit. Now that we are looking to make our retirement home on wheels, I saw this book and needed to have it. Inside are case files from other tiny house owners and their experiences as far as building materials, location, finances, etc. The colorful pictures inside helped my husband and I come up with a blueprint for our new home. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is fascinated by the Tiny House Movement, wants to know more information about tiny house living, and for everyone who has ever wondered, "How do they live like this?" Great, great, great, great....book! I cannot begin to emphasize how cool this book really is. Check it out!

I live in a tiny house. Good book for the newly inquisitive but I was looking for more substantial info. For instance, I wanted more unique storage ideas that are abundant on Pinterest. I'm all for the "tiny house movement "; however, people have been living on boats for a long time and have storage tricks and tips that I would enjoy seeing crossover to their landlocked counterparts. We are seeing more and more smart innovations that make living tiny less of a sacrifice and more of a desirable change in living. Less can be more.

I love this book . I'm amazed the insight is amazing I would most definitely recommend

This is a good book for those thinking about building a tiny house. Good pictures and view points from the tiny house owners and good explanations on what to consider when building. I believe since the tiny house build is of such a personal nature that most people only give guidelines on building or what to build. Each tiny house I have seen on different sites are the same only as far as they are on wheels, everything else is based on the owners personal needs and desires. This is a good book for anyone considering a tiny house whether for themselves, a rental, guest house, etc.

Great book - though heavy on photos and light on constructional detail!

内容も表紙の写真のような写真がたくさん載っていたらいいなぁ期待して購入しましたが、 ネットで落ちている写真もあったり、 一番良い写真は表紙だったのでは？？。 という印象でした。もちろん個人的感想です。

👌

Libro ben fatto e con molte illustrazioni. Purtroppo solo in lingua Inglese Avrei preferito una copertina rigida per preservare il libro.

Bought as a pressy - very well accepted