Building a tiny house can be time-consuming, frustrating, and overwhelming.
But it doesn’t have to be.
You’re sold.
You’ve taken the journey from tiny house blog reader to future tiny house owner. You know tiny house living is for you.
In your mind, you’ve already moved in.
But as you start to wrap your head around the thousands of choices you’ll need to make as you build your house, you can feel the overwhelm creeping in.
You’ve read plenty of personal stories. You’ve found books on framing your house, doing your own electrical wiring, even selecting the right toilet for your house.
What you’ve yet to find is the guide that brings it all together and walks you, start to finish, through the process of researching, planning, and building your tiny house.
Tiny House Decisions is insightful, honest, and thoughtful. If you want to live in a tiny house, this guide will empower you to make informed decisions. I highly recommend it!
How many hours have you poured into research that feels kind of…well, aimless? Tens? Hundreds? (Thousands?)
I get it, because I’ve been there.
My own journey to tiny house living began a few years ago. I was fed up with the corporate world and ready to start my own business, but I worried the jump from 9-to-5 to solo entrepreneur would make it hard to pay my rent.
Then I discovered the tiny house movement. Here was a structure I could build without permits, park without paying taxes, and live in for very little money. Everything about it felt in line with the freedom and simplicity I craved.
I got to work finding plans, researching options, and gathering materials. I dove headlong into gathering information, combing through the internet’s wisdom to pick out the bits that would eventually shape my house. In June of 2012, I started building, and 14 months later, my house was complete.
Do you know what I spent most of that time doing (aside from the actual building)?
Research.
I spent hours and hours fighting through decision fatigue to make choices that would yield the house I wanted. If I’d had a comprehensive guide to help me identify key decisions lay and understand my options, I know my house would have been done sooner and with less stress.
It was through the Facebook page I set up to share pictures of my progress that I realized I wasn’t alone. Every day, I answered all kinds of questions from fellow tiny home enthusiasts. I loved seeing how all the careful research I did to build my house could help thousands of others build theirs.
That’s how Tiny House Decisions came into being.
If you are looking into building your own tiny home, I highly recommend Ethan Waldman’s guide, Tiny House Decisions. Ethan walks you through construction decisions and the infrastructure of where and how to place your home and much more. A must read.
Tiny House Decisions is a comprehensive field guide to help aspiring tiny house builders (like you) make the right choices for their unique homes.
In it, I take you through the decisions I made, what I ultimately decided for my own house (and why), and how those decisions affected the overall project. I’ll help you:
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Identify key choices and understand the relationships between them so you can plan your house effectively — without spending countless hours researching.
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Save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your tiny house by avoiding common mistakes.
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Feel confident about the choices you’re making, because you’ll know they’re the right decisions for you.
It’s hard to figure out exactly which questions you should be considering when you’re faced with so many choices. That’s why Tiny House Decisions starts at the very beginning of the decision-making process.
Here are just a few of the things you’ll know by the time you finish Tiny House Decisions:
Is a tiny house right for you? Why (or why not)?
Should you build it yourself?
Should you build it on wheels?
Should you buy pre-made plans or go the custom route?
Should you buy a used trailer? (Hint: I wouldn’t!)
When should you start building?
When should you start building? What are the best water, heat, and ventilation systems for your space?
And plenty more!
The right investment — even if it’s small — can save you time and money while planning and building. Tiny House Decisions just might be that investment for you.
From philosophical to practical and from useful to honest, Tiny House Decisions is a candid and gritty guide that addresses the merits and tradeoffs of building tiny. Ethan Waldman answers your big questions with the grace of a storyteller and the ease of a teacher. Tiny House Decisions should be required reading for anyone thinking of investing in tiny living.
Tiny House Decisions is designed to start with the big-picture questions and move you step-by-step into the practicalities of building.
Part 1:
Big Decisions
In this section, we’ll unpack some of the huge up-front decisions you’ll need to make before you start building your tiny house. For instance:
- Are you going to build it yourself, with help, or hire it out?
- Will it be on wheels or stationary?
- How big should your house be?
These first, crucial choices will help define how much time and money you can expect the project to take and turn the vague idea of a tiny house into something solid and personal.
Part 2:
Systems Decisions
In this section, we’ll go through all the major systems a tiny house needs, including:
- Heating
- Plumbing
- Hot Water
- Electric
- Refrigeration
- Ventilation
I break down the pros and cons of the options for each system before revealing exactly which appliances, materials, and tools I decided to use in my own house.
Part 3:
Construction Decisions
In this section, we’ll take a broader look at the construction materials that will go into your tiny home as well as exactly what went into mine. For example, we’ll delve into my subfloor. I’ll explain how it was put together — and why I would NEVER recommend doing it the way I did.
I’ve also included a section on what happens after you’ve finished building (yes, believe it or not that day will be here before you know it!) along with my very favorite additional resources to help you along the way.
Tiny House Decisions is the most valuable guide to making decisions for the a tiny house from a beginners standpoint that I have seen. Going through this guide will give you a good understanding of the big decisions you’ll have to make, various system decisions and construction decisions along the way. This is the best starting point for going tiny that I have seen to date.
Tiny House Decisions is designed to start with the big-picture questions and move you step-by-step into the practicalities of building.
You’ll learn from other tiny house dwellers, including:
Tammy and Logan tell you about how and why they decided NOT to build their tiny house themselves.
Laura shares her experience building a tiny house on a foundation (as opposed to wheels).
Thinking about building your own trailer? You’ll want to read Andrew’s story first.
Jane built a tiny house on wheels with her husband…in under 3 months!
Macy shares the downsides and unexpected pros of her unusual (for a tiny house) floor choice.
This inspiring couple digs into what makes their solar-powered 140-square-foot home run.
That’s a powerhouse lineup to help you get your own tiny house dreams off the ground.
There are three ways to put Tiny House Decisions to work for you:
With the Guide + Interviews, you’ll hear insights and experiences from myself as well as other tiny house experts. It includes:
- Tiny House Decisions in 3 digital formats
- Nearly 2 hours of interviews with tiny house experts that expand the conversation.
This package is for you if you want to hear from the experts and get the guide, but don’t feel like seeing another tiny house’s systems up close and personal would help you much.
The Complete Digital Edition gives you everything you need to get your questions answered and your tiny house underway:
- Tiny House Decisions in 3 digital formats
- 8 insightful interviews with tiny house experts (nearly 2 hours’ worth)
- 12 detailed video tours of crucial systems so you can actually see the inner workings of my tiny house.
Choose this package if you’re serious about getting as much insight and guidance as possible across multimedia formats and from an array of tiny house dwellers who’ve been there.
Tiny House Decisions alone contains over 180 pages of solid advice on planning, designing, and building your tiny house.
You’ll find yourself referring back to its best practices throughout your shift toward tiny house ownership.
If a budget is an issue for you, go with this package and know you’re getting solid advice and great value.
If you're considering building a tiny house trailer, small house, or cabin, in my opinion you have but one choice before driving that first nail, and that is to purchase a copy of this guide and wrap your mind around the experience of another so well thought out and written down.
The Guide + Interviews
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
The Complete Digital Edition
- Normal price – $189
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
Just the Guide
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read a sample chapter to see if it's right for me?
Of course! Here’s a 10-page excerpt from over 180 pages of Tiny House Decisions.
What if I hate it?
I very much doubt that will be the case. But if you hate the guide, just reply to your purchase receipt email within 30 days and I will issue a refund.
Who created Tiny House Decisions?
That would be me, Ethan Waldman, technology coach and tiny house owner. Whether I’m talking tech or tiny houses, my goal is to make hard topics accessible to everyone.
My house and I have been featured in places like the Boston Globe, Design New England, tinyhousetalk.com, Small and Tiny Home Ideas, and the Living Small documentary. I live in Morrisville, Vermont in a tiny house I planned and built from scratch.
Can I help you do the same?
The Guide + Interviews
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
The Complete Digital Edition
- Normal price – $189
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
Just the Guide
- Tiny House Decisions in PDF, ePub, and MOBI formats
- Video interviews with 8 tiny house experts
- 12 system video tours from my tiny house
