Another long gap between posts. I would really like to do more, but time is so much of an issue. Anyway, with the end of the year rapidly approaching I thought I would log in one or two, and say that I will try to do better in the future. My loose plan is to carry a voice recorder with me at all times and when a topic occurs to me I can talk it out and get the majority of it done before I sit down to write. I find it’s easier and the ideas flow better when I’m doing something else, and not writing as I go.

I’ve recently noticed how many people are building, or planning to build, a tiny house. These, for those that haven’t heard, are structures built on a trailer to resemble a house. Usually an old camper is torn down to the trailer frame and the house is built on top of that, but sometimes a new trailer especially made for tiny house construction is used. The general idea is to make the thing so that it can be moved to a new location, set up and lived in.
My first real look at this was through a video I watched on YouTube made by Kirsten Dirksen maybe two or three years ago. At the time I thought that the idea was interesting, but I also thought it takes a special type of person to actually live in an area that small for an extended period. This would be especially true if you spend a lot of time at home, not out and about.
My next encounter was several months ago, again on YouTube. I subscribe to “The Homestead Craftsman” and he has a tiny house that’s in the later stages of construction. In fact, he has started a second channel devoted to the project. In one of his recent videos he talks about the reasoning and motivation for the build, and I found that very interesting. He has a definite plan and a practical approach to the idea. Not only that, he has the experience and ability to do it and keep it reasonably inexpensive. If you have considered building a tiny house, it’s a good idea to watch the video through and take note of some of the points he makes
That brings me to some other examples that I have seen. Now, I’m not going to directly reference anyone in particular here, since what I have to say might (will) be taken as negative.
Enter the young couple that have absolutely no building experience, or practical knowledge on how to decide what materials should be used, but does have some money to spend. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that these builds are only for seasoned professionals. I think it’s great that a young couple would embark on a project like this. I was never a big believer in the adage “start small”, as in pick a project that’s more suitable for a beginner to gain some experience, but it kind of makes sense here. Although it’s a “tiny” house, it’s still a really big project to take it from first nail driven to final coat of paint.

The “knowledge base” that many of these novice builders rely on are various online forums that have sprung up since this has become popular. Again, don’t get me wrong, I will say that forums can be a deep, valuable resource for information, but the process for finding what’s good is like panning for gold – one tiny nugget in a ton of dirt. On top of that, the lack of practical experience will make it difficult to actually recognize what is solid advice.
My point? Well, like the homestead craftsman said, they are spending way more money on it than they should, and using methods and materials that are not especially practical. So what, you say, the main thing is that they finish it and have a neat place to live. True enough, but not when measured against what you could do with the same amount of time and money. If you have a budget of $20,000 to build your tiny house, it would be a much better idea to use it as a down payment on a real house – a genuine fixer-upper. There are literally dozens of small ones on the market that are going (or will go) for well below their potential. I know, I bought one. Buy one of those, spend some time fixing it up and reap the benefits of real home ownership.
In a year or two you could sell again and walk away with enough to upgrade, assuming you spend the time to improve the building. Or stay, the point is the options are there.
Ok, you say, but what about a mortgage and property tax? I look at it this way, like in front of me is a balance and on one side you have mortgage and property tax, and on the other you have all of the often unforeseen drawbacks of owning a tiny house. These include where it will be located, how it will be moved, how it will be powered (electricity), how it will be heated and where will the water you use every day come from.
There are more points on both sides, but the picture becomes clear: you need to apply the overall experience and potential benefits to both to decide which is more suitable for you in the long run.