Lee Pera is an early pioneer in the tiny house movement and she actually helped build the first tiny house community that I ever saw, which was Boneyard Studios in Washington D.C. I wanted to have Lee on the show because she is planning a tour to teach classes in construction project management, and in addition to that, she has a lot of experience building tiny house communities. We’ll talk about why Boneyard Studios ultimately did not succeed, but how it’s all part of her tiny house journey. It’s a really interesting conversation that will teach you and inspire you quite a bit.

In This Episode:

Lee’s decision to build her own tiny house and start a tiny house community
How Washington D.C. re-wrote it’s zoning to allow for accessory dwelling units
The part that Boneyard Studios played in the start of the tiny house movement
Boneyard Studio’s demise and what Lee learned from it
Should you plan to move your tiny house often?
Why did Lee buy a “big” house and what is NACA?
About Kotierra: what it is, what the name means, and who it’s for.
The Kotierra tour vehicle and locations
Lee’s partnership with the American Tiny House Association
What does a modern-day geographer actually do?

Links and Resources:

Guest Bio:

Lee Pera

Lee is a geographer and community builder. She lived in 28 houses in six countries before landing in Washington, D.C. where she built her own tiny house on wheels and started a tiny house community. Founder of Kotierra, Lee shares her expertise as a tiny house consultant, helping communities and cities implement zoning changes for tiny house development and leading workshops for individuals curious about the movement.

https://www.instagram.com/kotierra/

https://www.facebook.com/Kotierra/

thenewhomemakers.com

This week's Sponsors:

Strategic Insurance Agency

Early on in the tiny house movement, getting insurance for your home was incredibly difficult. Strategic Insurance Agency now offers homeowners style insurance for movable and ground-bound tiny houses in all 50 states.

That means you can get covered for fire, theft, liability, personal property, and more. People often pour their life savings into buying or building a tiny house, and Strategic Insurance Agency can help you protect that investment. They even cover your house if you want to try short term rentals like Airbnb, and offer special insurance for tiny house builders as well.

The best part is that it’s super easy to get a quote. Head over to mystrategicinsurance.com/thlp to get a quick, free quote for insuring your tiny home. And, for every tiny house policy written, Strategic Insurance Agency will be donating $5 to a tiny house charity of your choice.

Tiny House Forum

Tiny House Forum is an online community for exchanging information, ideas, and resources related to the tiny house movement all in one central location. Tiny House Forum is dedicated to inspiring and nurturing all who are interested in furthering their knowledge of the tiny house revolution.

Right now you can be entered to win $500 cash by joining Tiny House Forum and making your first few posts. You can learn more about the contest and sign up at tinyhouseforum.com.

Tiny House Forum is 100% free to use and joining is easy.

Thank you so much to Strategic Insurance Agency and Tiny House Forum for sponsoring our show!