Arya Mazanek 0:00

But for the most part, you know, the interior modules can be adapted. Like for instance, I have a customer who wants to have the sink in the middle with a window above it. So something like that is relatively simple to incorporate. Whereas if someone wanted the bathroom on the opposite end of the house, that would not be as easy.

Ethan Waldman 0:16

Welcome to the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast, the show where you learn how to plan, build and live the tiny lifestyle. I'm your host, Ethan Waldman, and this is episode 224 with Arya Mazanek from Wilderwise Tiny Homes. I've been seeing a lot of buzz about this company worldwide, so I decided to invite one of the founders, Arya Mazanek on for an interview. Wilderwise is taking a custom approach to just about every aspect of their tiny home builds from the custom aluminum trailer that doubles as the floor foundation to the aluminum and SIP frame. What really sets these tiny homes apart is the fact that they expand have a full height second floor once they are parked in place. In this interview, I'll ask Arya how the homes are built, how the second floor expansion works and what makes them modular. Stick around for this interesting interview with Arya Mazanek.

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All right, I am here with Arya Mazanek. From a very young age, Aria knew that whatever career she chose to follow her mission was to help people and the planet. After graduating college she fundraised for environmental organizations and then worked in solar sales. It was at her solar sales job that she met her co founder, a senior aerospace design engineer. He had created the concept of a two storey lightweight, modular off grid tiny home that could be taken anywhere. He had the dream of disrupting the housing and construction markets and changing the world for the better. Arya was immediately inspired by his vision, seeing that this path was the perfect fit for what she wanted in her career. And Arya Mazanek of Wilderwise, welcome to the show.

Arya Mazanek 2:52

Yeah, thanks for having me, Ethan. Happy to be here.

Ethan Waldman 2:55

Yeah, happy to have you. So I kind of remember seeing like Zack Giffin like, organization build a a pop up tiny house at one of the festivals. But it didn't look like - it didn't look that stable. It didn't look like it would work that well. And so I was really excited when I saw the concept and see that you're actually building them to have you on the show. So let's just start with, can you kind of describe the house or what what is special about the house?

Arya Mazanek 3:29

Yeah, yeah. So one of the big features, as you've already mentioned, is the two story functionality. I actually talked to Zach Giffen, about this, I believe it was earlier this year, last year, and he was really excited about what we were doing. It's something that is unlike any other two story tiny house that's been created. A big difference is that our goal is to have them in production and have the ability to be producing them for multiple customers. It's not just a one off where someone parks it and then leaves it up and it's just a simple request by a single customer. We know of a lot of people that are looking for something outside of the traditional loft concept, and are looking for the ability to move the home themselves. So what we've done is created a system that is very user friendly, so it only takes one person to operate. We use all industrial components in the lifting system and that makes it possible to lift and lower regularly if need be. And to do it yourself. So it's designed to be very seamless, and simple to use, and to be in higher production. And we're promoting an innovative new way of going about tiny homes. I know that tiny homes themselves are already an alternative living solution and ours kind of takes that to the next degree where we are including all this new technology that can help people that are more tech focused and keeping in line with that tech focused changing world. We want to be able to appeal to those customers.

Ethan Waldman 5:09

Nice.

Arya Mazanek 5:09

Another of the big things is that we use an aluminum frame. And so it keeps the weight down quite a lot. So we have about 300 square feet on only a 21 foot trailer and loaded as is about 9000 pounds. So we can tow it with an F 250. My partner and I have traveled already over 4000 miles with it. So we really are putting it to the test and showing people what's possible with this kind of lifestyle.

Ethan Waldman 5:36

That's awesome. And so the the frame is aluminum. And then it looks like, just from looking at your website, are the panels SIPs?

Arya Mazanek 5:47

They are our version of a SIP panel. Yeah, yeah. So they have an aluminum framing and we use a grid on the inside. And the insulation is part of the structure. And what's really cool is they are modular, so they're designed to be able to be taken off and put back on if someone needs to assemble on site because they can't access their, say their backyard because of a narrow access road. We can actually bring all of the modular building panels and the interior modules into the site through a standard five foot easement and then assemble on site if that's what the customer requires.

Ethan Waldman 6:24

Cool. So it's like a it's almost a hybrid set, because there wouldn't really be a frame with a SIP build.

Arya Mazanek 6:29

Right? Yeah, they're not a traditional SIP. Yeah, we have our own custom design that has its certain set of features, like what I mentioned.

Ethan Waldman 6:38

Awesome. And, you know, not asking you to give away any of the secret sauce, because I'm sure this is was the hardest thing to figure out. But can you talk about how that that kind of gap for that junction between the top and the main part of the house stays dry and stays insulated?

Arya Mazanek 6:57

Yeah, definitely. I mean, one thing is if for it to stay dry, that's a simpler part because the gap is not exposed to the sky where rain would come from. So even when we don't have the seal closed, and it's rained, we haven't had an issue with water getting in. But we have designed our own custom seal. I can give it in simple, simplest terms, which is one part of the seal is attached to the ledge on the lower wall and then the other part of the seal is on a hinge. So when the roof is moving up and down, you pull back that second part, which is on a hinge. And when it's in position, the seal gets pushed back into place. It's a rubber foam seal and it creates a very tight, tight pressure against that outer wall. And that keeps out moisture and air. And we also are including an expandable netting which is attached to both the upper wall and lower wall. So even if the steel is lifted, because you're lifting or lowering, that prevents any bugs are particulates from getting into the home.

Ethan Waldman 8:02

Cool. How long does it take to raise and lower?

Arya Mazanek 8:06

About 90 seconds? Oh, pretty quick.

Ethan Waldman 8:09

Yeah. And it's I'm guessing it's motorized, right? You're not like cranking on something?

Arya Mazanek 8:13

No cranking. No, it's an electric actuator.

Ethan Waldman 8:16

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 8:16

All of our future builds will be a 12 volt actuator. So you can actually power it with the use of just the battery. So you don't have to be plugged into the grid to lift and lower the roof. We also use a series of gas springs that keep everything balanced as it's going up and down, as well as a rail system which keeps everything smooth. And so before that 90 seconds happens, one of the big steps that has to occur beforehand is moving all of the standalone grade cabinets that we have as part of the structure. So simply enough, we have upper cabinets, which are attached to the ceiling, and then their lower cabinets are standalone, so they're not actually attached to anything. So when we want to lower the roof, the lower cabinets get pulled out of place, you pick them up, put them on the ground on the sides of the bed and in the middle of the kind of the lounge office space. Everything fits really well kind of Tetrised into the different spaces. And once the spaces on the sides are cleared, then the roof and the upper cabinets can come down into place. So that takes probably another 15 minutes or so. But in general, it's a pretty simple process, getting everything set up for travel.

Ethan Waldman 9:28

Okay, so you move some things around and then you lower the roof.

Arya Mazanek 9:33

Yeah.

Ethan Waldman 9:35

And then does anything... What's the height of the of the house in both configurations?

Arya Mazanek 9:43

Yeah, so it's 17 feet fall when the roof is lifted, and then it's 13 and a half feet tall when it's lowered. We've also incorporated a limiter into the actuator in case there are height restriction in certain areas. So there's certain cities in California that have a 16 foot height restriction. So we'll have a limiter in place so that you can be within the height restrictions.

Ethan Waldman 10:06

Got it. Got it.

Arya Mazanek 10:07

And on the inside, you have on average, six, six and a half feet of headroom on the upper level.

Ethan Waldman 10:15

Okay, so tall enough for somebody who's fairly tall to stand up in the loft. I guess you don't even have to call it a loft. It's like an upstairs.

Arya Mazanek 10:22

It's actually not a loft. Yeah, it is considered a full second story.

Ethan Waldman 10:26

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 10:26

If it's six and a half feet or more, it is technically considered a second storey and not a loft. It also contributes to the square footage. So we have more than double the square footage on much smaller footprint, which is one of our big goals in maximizing land space that it's available, allowing people to park in tighter spots, or in smaller backyards, and really maximizing the real estate so that it can be used and lived in and people can have, you know their space for themselves.

Ethan Waldman 10:55

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That's, that's really cool. I mean, so are the windows in the upstairs on the part that slides up and down? Or are they on the bottom? And what do you refer to the top and bottom pieces as? Because I feel like I'm not saying the right thing.

Arya Mazanek 11:14

I would call it like the the roof module or the upper walls.

Ethan Waldman 11:18

Okay.

Arya Mazanek 11:18

And then the the lower walls would be kind of what's static and what's actually secured to the trailer. The windows are on the upper roof module. You can see one of the windows behind me.

Ethan Waldman 11:29

Okay.

Arya Mazanek 11:30

And the way it's designed, it doesn't come in contact with it when when the roof is moving up and down. But we also don't have any electrical components in the roof. So we have this nice ambient string lighting that goes around the edges, actually has a nice effect and also has a functional purpose, too.

Ethan Waldman 11:48

Yeah, yeah. And then I'm guessing all the power outlets are in the lower module, which are probably at a good height for outlets in the upstairs.

Arya Mazanek 11:57

Yeah, it's like a standard height that you would find for a residential outlet. And one of the things that we've done to support the modularity of everything is all of the wiring is on the outside of the walls, covered by some trim. And so that way, if it needed to be taken apart to be assembled on site, all of the wiring is not affected and you don't have to cut open the wall. So one of the design considerations.

Ethan Waldman 12:23

Nice. So when you say on the outside, you mean like surface mounted on the inside of the living space?

Arya Mazanek 12:28

Yes, the innermost wall, so it's not contained with behind like the drywall or... Yeah.

Ethan Waldman 12:36

Got it. Okay. Okay, cool. So you mentioned interior modules. Can you talk about what modules there are? And like, how much customization? When somebody orders one of these homes, they can say, like, "I want..." What options are there in terms of what modules you pick?

Arya Mazanek 12:54

Yeah, sure. So, the modules are like the kitchen module, or the stovetop and oven is. And then there's a staircase module, which has the fridge and the washer dryer, the bathroom module as well. So for our first set of customers, we are keeping them mostly standard. The cabinetry can be updated. Like if you want closed cabinets, open cabinets, you want to window instead, things like that can be updated. But the general like floor plan is staying the same, because that's helping us to get into full production and have all of our systems in place. But for the most part, yeah, we take these customer customization requests on a case by case. Certain things we're integrating as standard options. And then I have some customers who have a long list of things that they want. And we do our best to include those as long as it doesn't disrupt the engineering and the practical functionality of the home and all the technology that it has. But for the most part, you know, the interior modules can be adapted. Like, for instance, I have a customer who wants to have the sink in the middle with a window above it. So something like that is relatively simple to incorporate. Whereas if someone wanted the bathroom on the opposite end of the house, that would not be as easy.

Ethan Waldman 14:09

Okay, yeah, that sounds like it might not be quite as easy to do.

Arya Mazanek 14:12

Yeah.

Ethan Waldman 14:15

We were talking about the the panels before. What's the approximate R value and insulation is of the house?

Arya Mazanek 14:24

Yeah, so overall, it's about R-24. I believe the ceiling is more than R-30. Walls being R-27. I think the trailer has the least amount. I think it's R-21. So it averages out to about R-24 for overall, which is great for moderate temperatures. And then I have, for instance, some potential customers in Colorado who are looking for like a winterized model. And so that's something that we're looking at doing with like a steeper pitch roof and additional thicker insulation in the wall.

Ethan Waldman 14:55

Thicker insulation in the walls. Yeah. And would that, well, I not an engineer, but I'm like imagining, oh my god, this like whole thing needs to be re engineered for that.

Arya Mazanek 15:06

There's definitely some additional engineering work that will go into it. I have I have four engineers on my team. So they're always hard at work, making sure that everything works together. And I have gotten much more involved in the engineering process, then, you know, I expected because I'm working with with so many engineers, and I've discovered how changing one little thing affects everything else to a degree. And so there's always design decisions that come into play with, like, oh, we want to make the staircase extend a bit further in both directions. We want the staircase to be less steep. Okay, well, then how does this affect where the appliances go? How does this affect the floor space? And what bed size can fit? How does this affect the like, the opening? Where, as you're walking in? And how does that affect where you know, the bed and the cabinets are? So there's all these variables. And so one thing we've learned is to, you know, set set certain expectations, and also, you know, be willing to make certain little sacrifices and decide what the priority is for certain design decisions and where it's like small sacrifices can be made. And it's a big part of kind of the redesign and engineering process with both improving the product, as well as incorporating, you know, customer's request and what they're looking for. Yeah,

Ethan Waldman 16:21

I asked John and Fin Kernaghan with United Tiny House Association what they love about their PrecisionTemp hot water heaters and here's what they told me.

John Kernohan 16:30

Hey, Ethan. This is John and Fin Kernohan with United Tiny House Association.

Fin Kernohan 16:35

We organize tiny house festivals.

John Kernohan 16:37

Oh, yeah, I guess so.

Fin Kernohan 16:38

First and foremost.

John Kernohan 16:39

We have a total of three PrecisionTemp on demand hot water heaters. The thing we really like about these and folks know this, I think they pick this up on Fin and I, if we don't like something, you'll never hear us talk about it. So the two things we noticed and experienced immediately, they took painstaking effort to make sure that it was done right and installed. And so that was pretty cool right there. The other thing is the continuous on demand hot water that just ran forever without any fluctuations or anything. I can't imagine an application, especially in our environment and our lifestyle of being the nomad, transportable, mobile, tiny lifestyle where one of these units aren't good to use.

Ethan Waldman 17:30

You know, in terms of what comes with the house, it looks like it's more finished out than your typical tiny house might be like. It looks like the toilet and the solar, maybe come with the house?

Arya Mazanek 17:48

So the solar is extra. That's probably the most expensive add on. All the batteries and panels do come at an extra cost. The goal is to make the whole electrical system to be solar ready, so that people can add those things at a later point if they would like to. And for the most part, yeah, everything that you see. And you know, the photographs we have online, most of those things are included in the builds, with the exception of some of the appliances. People have a lot of different preferences on what kind of appliances - gas, electric, dishwasher, no stove, or whatever it might be. So that that is customizable to an extent. Like, if they're going to be off grid or on grid that would change those selections. So we've tried to include everything with the base model that we see as being a common choice for everybody. Everybody's going to want these things. And then as we've gotten more feedback, we're finding out that people want to put in their own dresser or they want to put in the different appliances or whatever it might be. Then those things we'll have as as options and add ons.

Ethan Waldman 18:52

Got it. Got it. Is the trailer itself aluminum as well?

Arya Mazanek 18:57

It is. Yes, so the trailer is aluminum. We are a licensed trailer manufacturer in the state of California, so it is custom designed aluminum frame. The only parts that are a steel are the tongue of the trailer and the axles. So those parts have to be steel to keep the weight distribution proper. And also for just the all the pressure that it gets constantly when it's on the road.

Ethan Waldman 19:26

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 19:26

But what's really cool about our trailer is that we've created it to be pretty tall, so the thickness and height is probably bigger than you've seen before. And that's because we are containing all of our water tanks and batteries within the trailers. They all have their own components, which is great for storage purposes. But also, having that added weight at the bottom makes the driving more stable and in windy conditions, even when you're parked. Having that additional weight in the trailer is really great for stability.

Ethan Waldman 19:57

Yeah, yeah. And also just the fact that the trailer itself is the floor, or is the frame for the floor, and you're not building another thing on top of that. Like that is it.

Arya Mazanek 20:09

Yes, yeah. It also contributes to the the modularity of everything. So the way we have all the beams and posts bolted into the trailer. It wouldn't have been possible with, a trailer we just bought off the shelf.

Ethan Waldman 20:24

Right, right. Or the house would be a whole lot heavier, because I would imagine that, yeah, significant weight savings going from a steel to an aluminum trailer.

Arya Mazanek 20:32

Yes, definitely. Yeah. And then the rest of the framing is also aluminum. What a great thing is about aluminum as well, is that it doesn't rot or mold, like wood might, and it also doesn't rust. The steel does rust, especially if it's painted.

Ethan Waldman 20:47

Oh yeah.

Arya Mazanek 20:47

Whereas aluminum just does not have that property.

Ethan Waldman 20:51

Yeah, no, aluminum makes a lot of sense for for tiny house trailers. And I know, I don't know, off the top of my head. I know, there's like one company that's making, you know, aluminum Tiny House trailers that people can buy to build on. And they do save a significant amount of weight. But they're, I mean, aluminum is expensive as a material.

Arya Mazanek 21:09

Yeah, it's, it's from what I know, and I'm not the main person handling our supply chain, it's not too different from steel. But it's the manipulation of it that takes more time and you have to have a specialty welder to do it. So the process of working with it is more extensive, which I think probably adds to the final cost when it's being sold as a finished product.

Ethan Waldman 21:32

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 21:34

And the other component of it is that it can expand and contract slightly with changing temperatures. So when designing the rest of the house, you have to keep in mind that there's a very slight amount of expansion. And so all the components need to be able to account for that. So another engineering consideration.

Ethan Waldman 21:57

Nice. Would you say, the Wilderwise house is like... Who's your ideal customer? Or what's your customer avatar that you have in mind when you designed a tiny house that was modular in this way, that could raise up and lower down?

Arya Mazanek 22:13

Yeah, I think that there's a few different main customer groups. I would say the first is the young professionals, people that maybe are working remotely now especially after, or amidst, the COVID pandemic, where people are working from home, and maybe want to have the ability to live in multiple different places throughout the year. Or at least have the ability to bring their home with them and have that level of flexibility. I think that this is a great first home. So it's really geared towards the next generation of homebuyers, ones that are looking for something lower cost. They don't want to be tied down by a mortgage, a huge mortgage payment, and want the flexibility of just being able to take their home with them and having it have a lot of high tech features that fit the lifestyle that they already are living. I mean, we've seen the growing of the vanlife movement and the RV Life movement, and that's become a huge popular lifestyle change for people say in their 20s and 30s. And although a tiny house like this one is not as mobile as a van would be, it definitely still is on that same kind of trajectory, where people don't want to be stuck in one place. They want to have the ability to go where life takes them, and especially for younger people.

The other category I would say is retirees. And we - I mean, that's I think probably the biggest group of people that are buying tiny houses. So people a lot of times want to live smaller, want to be closer to their family. We have a design in the works for actually a lifting platform like a little one person elevator that goes in the place of the stairwells. So that would be geared towards people who wouldn't be able to go up and down stairs as regularly.

And then of course, there is the customer who already has a property and they are wanting to put something in their backyard but maybe don't have an accessible backyard. So that's where that modularity comes into play. I have talked to people that have a narrow access road to their backyard but then they can't get a tiny home craned in because it's on a slope or the spot that they want to put it is really far back and you can't get a vehicle back there. So the goal is to really use untapped real estate in those spaces. And there's a lot of people like especially in California, where they have passed ADU laws allowing tiny homes on wheels, people that have that their mortgages are so expensive. The state itself just the cost of living is so high that people need additional sources of income. And so this is really geared towards helping out those people providing more housing for those that are being pushed out of their apartments, as well as landowners that that need a little extra income to pay off the mortgage and to afford to live in such an expensive.

Ethan Waldman 25:23

What kind of financing options are there?

Arya Mazanek 25:29

We are working on financing options. I have a couple lenders in mind. We have a few more things that we have to finalize before we can offer that to customers. So one of those things is setting up our additional facility in Tucson, which is what we're planning to do this year. But the two biggest tiny home lenders that I know of are Liberty Bank of Utah and 21st Century Mortgage in Tennessee, I believe. So we're in conversations with both of those. I just have a couple more requirements that we're looking to fill in the next few months. At that point, we'll be able to offer financing, which is great because I have 27 people on my waitlist that put refundable deposits down that are wanting to purchase one, but they they're waiting for the financing. So I think that once we get that settled, we'll really be able to tap into a much larger market.

Ethan Waldman 26:21

Yeah. How? What's the manufacturing process like? And what's your capacity right now? And what's the plan for the next year, 2, 5..?

Arya Mazanek 26:32

Yeah, yeah, I actually just have been working on production scalability analysis with my team and seeing at what point we can get to certain capacities. At this point, as some context, that took us about six months to build the first build that we did, which is where I'm sitting now. And it's taking about three months to do the next one. And then the next six or seven that are on our build list currently, are going to be closer to a month, month and a half. And each time we build one, it'll get shorter and shorter. Our capacity in the production facility we currently have, can go up to about four to five per month. So that's just a matter of having enough resources, being able to buy the inventory, and have enough people involved. But, that's kind of how we see it. So right now about one month per build, eventually four to five builds per month. And then of course, if we can expand into a much larger facility, the production is designed to be highly scalable. So we could be upwards of the point of even like 100 plus per month. Just because from the very beginning, our goal was to create a home that could be eventually a home that's in serial production. Because there is such a housing shortage. It's been this way for 10 plus years, where every single year there's less homes being built than people that need the homes. So having scalable production and being able to get to a point where we can be cranking out homes on the regular and installing them on properties is going to make a huge difference in the housing crisis that we face. I think in that time, the time now we're building, say one per month, up to the point where we're building, say 50 per month. That'll take, of course, a few years. But that'll give enough time for the legislation to pass that allows these kinds of home in more places, and for zoning laws to change. And all of that's already happening. So I think we're kind of right at the right points in the tiny house industries trajectory where in the next few years, it's going to be a lot easier to place these, and there will be more builders that can produce them faster, which means that more and more people will be in a better position to find housing that's affordable to them and that they love and empower them to live their best lives. So that's, that's what we're going for.

Ethan Waldman 29:03

Yeah, I've been really feeling like the financing piece is kind of the most important and missing piece of the puzzle for a lot of tiny homes to be accessible to those who currently can't afford housing.

Arya Mazanek 29:17

Right. Yes, yes, that's a big, big component. And like I said, there's only two main ones that really do it.

Ethan Waldman 29:23

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 29:24

on a longer term basis. There's a bunch that do it's like you have to pay it off in five years, interest rates are really high. And people are looking to have more of like a 15 to 25 year loan.

Ethan Waldman 29:34

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 29:34

I've talked to lenders and it's it's a lot of figuring out the details because at this point, the being on wheels and it being a full time dwelling, those are like the two contrasting components in what tiny homes offer. And so it takes time for those lenders and financing companies to find a way to offer it. And I guess to reduce their liability I'm sure is a big part of it too. But there's definitely a need there. So I think that when it becomes more obvious to the big players in the in the game that we're going to be seeing more lenders come in with with new loan options.

Ethan Waldman 30:10

So, yeah, and what is, you know, for somebody just paying cash or financing outside what, you know, what's the starting price of one of the homes?

Arya Mazanek 30:20

So normally starting at $85,000. I think most people will be paying between like $85 and $100,000, for their home, unless they're doing a full solar setup, which can be $20k to $30k on top of that, yeah, with solar and batteries and all that. But we also currently have a couple spots left at a lower price point, a promotion we're doing for our first 10 Customers starting at $75,000. So we sold eight of those spots, and I'm in conversation with a couple more people to fill the other two.

Ethan Waldman 30:51

Nice, and those are those are paying in full spots?

Arya Mazanek 30:54

Yes, yeah, it's cash paid builds, either pay in full or do 50% and then in increments until the build is completed.

Ethan Waldman 31:02

Got it. Got it.

Arya Mazanek 31:03

That's a reward for being our first customers. They're going to be very integral to our options that are available, and what colors we're going to offer and just supporting us and giving feedback. And so those people are, we're calling them our early adopters, early innovators of this new product that'll help get everything off the ground and gain more exposure to the technology that we're building out offering to.

Ethan Waldman 31:28

Nice. What other kind of interesting technology are you incorporating in the house that you don't see in other tiny homes?

Arya Mazanek 31:38

Yeah, so I guess so I already mentioned the main things the lifting roof.

Ethan Waldman 31:42

Yep.

Arya Mazanek 31:43

The the little person elevator, we're looking to also incorporate slide outs as an option because the walls are modular. They can be taken off and a modular slideout can be added instead. We're also looking at making the home just as as like a total smart home. So having everything integrated into a control panel where you can manage the levels of the the tanks and your battery storage, as well as controlling the blinds and the lights and the different electrical components of the house. You'd have the ability to really live in a smart home, high tech space that can really suit all of your needs and make life just as convenient as possible. A lot of what we're doing is convenient living solutions.

Another of our big kind of visions as well is to not only be building the homes themselves, but to support the entire system and process of moving into one of these spaces. And a lot of times that means finding the land as well. And being able to hook up to the land, monitor your utilities, and your energy usage, water usage. So we're looking at building kind of a second piece of hardware, which would be like a smart meter that can track utility usage. So say, if you're parking on someone else's property and using their land, our platform and hardware would manage rent payments, as well as your utility usage so that it can be kind of a more seamless process for people who would also include the ability for people with tiny homes to find land to put it on hosts per se, you know, people that can provide all of the necessary hookups as well as the land available and to kind of make that process as seamless as possible, kind of going towards both residential locations, but also expanding out to more community based, you know, land sharing opportunities for people, which I know a lot of people really want they want to live in tiny house communities and right now there's just not enough of them. So we're, we're we're looking to partner with with other companies already have some contacts and I'm working with it, actually buying the land, setting up the communities, building the homes and having everything kind of be convenient, seamless process for people to find and find housing and to be you know, really loving where they're living. So that's really important to us.

Ethan Waldman 34:07

Awesome. Awesome. One thing that I like to ask all my guests is, are there two or three like books or resources - people, YouTube channels, really anything open ended just recommendations for our listeners for anything that's inspired you or, or helped teach you in this process?

Arya Mazanek 34:29

Yeah, um, I mean, I'm a big advocate, you've probably already gotten this answer. But the folks over at the Tiny House Expedition, they did a video of us and they host a lot of really great videos that offer great resources for learning about going tiny. My good friend, Lindsay Wood, she has a tiny academy that she's starting out that helps people to find the land, understand the build process, what to look for that kind of thing. So we're always collaborating and helping one another. But she she has a wealth of of knowledge about, you know, that whole process. So I always go to her and yeah, and then the folks over at Tiny House Expedition.

Ethan Waldman 35:12

Awesome. Well, Arya Mezanek,thank

Arya Mazanek 35:14

is and then they

Ethan Waldman 35:14

go ahead.

Arya Mazanek 35:15

Yeah, I was gonna I just remember one other thing, just the tiny house Industry Association as well, they have tons of resources. And they're really the ones that are advocating for tiny living.

Ethan Waldman 35:26

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 35:27

So I would definitely go to them as well. And I just want to add one other quick thing. Something else that's really unique - I know you had asked this before - is that myself and my partner, my boyfriend, we have been traveling in the home for the last month, and we'll be doing so for another two months. So what's really cool about our company is that we're not only builders of this new product, but we're also living in the home and utilizing it, taking it to extreme lengths to test its capabilities, providing feedback to our engineers and build team as well as taking feedback from customers. So that we can really improve the product to the greatest extent. We can also show people what's possible with this lifestyle, as well as being able to share insights, like really insider insights on what it's like to live in this kind of space, what it's like to travel with it, what kind of car we need to tow it. You know what it's like being on the road and living in a small space with another person.

Ethan Waldman 36:25

Yeah.

Arya Mazanek 36:26

So we can offer not only like the lifestyle feedback, but also the kind of technical feedback. And I think that having that really well rounded insight is really, really valuable to customers. So I've been able to connect with people on so many different levels as not only a builder, but also as a tiny house dweller. And that kind of adds to what makes our offering and our company so special.

Ethan Waldman 36:51

How many of them are in existence at this point?

Arya Mazanek 36:55

There is one in existence, I'm currently residing in it. And we are in the process of building number two, which is going to customer in Arizona, and then we are in the process of buying all the materials for number two in free.

Ethan Waldman 37:10

Nice. Yeah. And where can you know this, this podcast episode will kind of live on forever. But you know, if anyone ends up listening during the summer of 2022, where can they go and see one in person? Are you doing any festivals or things coming up?

Arya Mazanek 37:29

Yeah, yeah, so we just finished two events in Colorado. We are headed to a show in Sacramento in August, to Tri County Home and Garden Show, I believe, and then also Tiny Fest in September, which is in Pleasanton. So those are two shows that are on our schedule. We might add a couple of shows in the winter time, but it's kind of up in the air, depending on how everything else is going. But generally, we're available for private tours in Tucson, Arizona, and also sometimes in Southern California, which are two kind of home bases where we have the house.

Ethan Waldman 38:06

Cool.

Arya Mazanek 38:06

Yeah.

Ethan Waldman 38:07

Awesome. Well, now we'll wrap up. So Arya Mezanek, thank you so much for being a guest on the show today. This was this is really interesting. I love learning about Wilderwise Homes.

Arya Mazanek 38:18

The wilder homes.

Ethan Waldman 38:19

The wilder homes.

Arya Mazanek 38:20

Yes. Yeah, so it was a pleasure. pleasure talking to you, Ethan. And thanks for having me.

Ethan Waldman 38:27

Thank you so much to Arya Mazanek from Wilderwise Tiny Homes for being a guest on the show today. You can find the show notes, including a complete transcript, video tour of the Wilderwise home, and lots of photos over at thetinyhouse.net/224. Again, that's thetinyhouse.net/224. Well, that's all for this week. I'm your host, Ethan Waldman, and I'll be back next week with another episode of the Tiny House Lifestyle Podcast.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai