Tiny House Podcast

decided to give interviewing each other a shot, so you get a sense of why the three of us came together in the first place. This is our first installment. And we’re not even sure it’s going to see the light of day. Fun fact: We actually recorded similar shows early on, but guess what? They haven’t seen the light of day either. I don’t even know why I’m writing this...chances are, you’re never going to read it.

We were surprised this episode passed so quickly. Which is always a good sign. Michael Withy made a name for himself in the Occupy movement in Portland, Oregon during its heydays. Remarkably (to us) that notoriety would catapult him into his current line of work: conceptualizing affordable housing communities around the country. Fascinatingly enough, we never got to what Michael does because we were blown away by his stories about what he did. Don’t worry, it all ties together nicely to tiny houses. And as you can tell by the end of the show, we’re going to have to have Michael return to the studio for round two.

We started this show with an joke that had unintentional macabre connections with reality. Once we recovered from that ghastly story, we were pleased to welcome Tiny Innovations principal Jeremy Killian who shared his secrets for succeeding in the Tiny House Movement as one of the preeminent builders. Jeremy should know a thing or two: he has over 200 builds in the works, both commercial and private individual clients seeking his builds, and an amazing business model that has put Tiny Innovations seemingly in the middle of it all that is Tiny...all without having to deal too much with zoning, planning, and many of the other challenges besieging other builders. It was almost as good as the conversation we had after the show. But since we didn’t record that, you’re just going to have to settle for what we did record. Snatch your hammer and beer and enjoy our latest episode.

Tiny houses meets ex-offenders meets the housing crisis. Linda and her husband David, one day went from being entrepreneurs straight into debtor’s prison….literally. But this story ends up positive as the experience lead to David receiving “a calling” to serve those people they found themselves behind bars with. The result? Fresh Start Ventures, a new non profit organized to help ex-offenders avoid returning to prison. What’s really interesting about Fresh Start is they combine their mentoring work with housing...tiny house housing for ex offenders, through an innovative program that uses Tiny Houses as ADUs, community development and mentorship to create better and lasting opportunities for those coming out of prison.

Who on earth goes from a tiny house in Idaho to a nationwide road trip in a tiny travel trailer? Uh, that would be Macy Miller! We caught up with her and her family on a nationwide national park junket to talk about their newest digs, which they rebuilt from the frame up, their road trip and one of the nicest jurisdiction violation conversations we’ve ever heard. Here’s what you get when you pair two architects, two kids, a great dane and a road trip with no definite end: a pack of stories to last a lifetime.

Designer, treehouse builder, creator and fanboy of Buckminster Fuller, Dustin Feider takes advantage of nature’s oxygen-makers to create nothing short of art. Dustin’s designs typically riffs off the “bucky ball” aka the geodesic dome. Primarily his treehouse designs are enjoyed by Californians and range from $10,000 to more than six figures. So where did this passion for trees, oxygen and unusual, artistic structures originate? You’re going to have to listen to the show to find out. But bring a healthy dose of “give us some slack”: We somehow got super-high in this episode and we sometimes make no fucking sense whatsoever…..plus we have a new co-host. No we didn’t shit-can Michelle. How could we do that? http://www.o2treehouse.com

Having BA Norrgard on Tiny House Podcast has been a long-anticipated event here at the studio. She and her new husband John graced us with their presence to talk about their story, how they got into the tiny house movement, what they see as the future of the movement and how they are plugging in to that movement in a way that will be personally profitable. From paralegal to tiny house luminary, BA has had many of her tiny dreams come true. We sat down with her to find out what the future holds for her. http://www.abedovermyhead.com

Janice and Brian are intrepid entrepreneurs who met “in the worst workplace in the world”. That fateful encounter led the two not only into their relationship, but also into two successful organizations, one of which has introduced a brand new teardrop trailer to the car-camping market. Aeroteardrop trailers makes well-built, semi-customizable trailers with so many feature options, your head would spin. One option is a “car-roof tent” designed for the African Plains to keep lions from doing what they naturally do…..eat people. Janice and Brian joined us in-studio to share their story, how they got to where they are and what’s next for this intrepid entrepreneurial couple. Take a listen! http://aeroteardrops.com

Jeremy Weaver from Wind River Tiny Homes quit medical school years ago to pursue a masters degree that emphasized entrepreneurialism. Thus Wind River was born! And now, he’s about to move on from Wind River to pursue other, even more wonderful adventures, including living in a farmhouse he built himself, popping out another baby and, possibly traveling to Africa to do some really fantastic things. But before that, Jeremy joined us on the show to update us on Wind River builds, customers, quality and his own personal journey as an owner of one of the premier tiny house builder companies in the United States. http://www.windrivertinyhomes.com

What a lovely surprise. Our volunteer sound engineer Rick McNerney joined us on the show today. By now you probably know our show is so much better with Rick’s assistance (thanks Rick). What you may not know is we met Rick at a tiny house festival, that we hit it off instantly and, that Rick and his wife are nearly-complete co-building an epic tiny house. We’re still scratching our heads at how this creative guy, with so many hobbies and a 60-hour-a-week job manages to have time to make us sound so good each week. We’re also still scratching our heads about how great this episode was. It was like a chat among friends over beers. Take a listen.

Luke Iseman is one of those people who when he hears “no” he says “hold my beer”. After an appalling realization he and his partner was spending an ENORMOUS amount of their take-home on rent in the Bay Area, Luke got creative. He found a vacant lot he eventually bought, and put a container home on it. Not long after, he had a small colony of intrepid, super-smart, artsy tech people who joined him. Together they thumbed their noses at the area’s stratospheric cost of living….until the city got involved…. That was almost three years ago. Today, Luke has beat the city and is building an impressive business that not only put a (tiny) roof over his head, but also others seeking relief from some of the highest housing costs in the United States. https://boxouse.com

Today we’re doing more off gridding with a heaping dose of authenticity (and facial hair) with Doug from the YouTuber duo “Off Grid with Doug and Stacy”. Omagosh what a show. Doug opened his 600 square foot cabin to us, a cabin he and his wife built all their own, after living as city slickers most of their lives. Having been successful entrepreneurs then getting sick and tired of being sick and tired, they deliberately bought a bunch of land in a zoning and planning district where “we don’t have any of that (planning and zoning) NONSENSE up here” and build their own tiny oasis. It’s complete with all the creatures you might want for feed stock, rain catchment, heat, comfort and...get this NO ELECTRICITY (in the traditional sense). It’s a show worth listening to twice! Sit back and tune in. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChit3QKk051fCsqliwVrbuQ

Andrew Bennett is a craftsman through and through, having roots literally back to the Mayflower. You could almost say he’s kin with Jesus too. Because of the way he lives his life, how he gives unflinchingly to others, and, though he doesn’t like washing feet, he believes things most of us have given up on. “Your best return on investment is through people”: a golden nugget from this master builder who went from remodelling vintage homes to today building teardrop and Shepherd wagons for the tiny traveling nomad. With a crew of three veterans, a wife who uncshools his two kids and his mad skills, Andrew has carved out quite a comfortable little niche for his family, a niche he strongly recommends we all consider as a way of making humanity better than it was when you got here. Check out this week’s podcast. But be prepared to have your life changed. http://trekkertrailers.com

Ahem. We’re still scratching our heads on this show. We’re still wondering how we ended up pulling this one off. Maybe it’s because land use planning and zoning is so endemic to success of tiny houses that, no matter what community you’re talking about, you’re going to come up with interesting subject matter. In this episode we chat with ADU consultant David Wade. He plies his trade in Eugene, Oregon helping local ADU and Tiny House advocates navigate quagmire-like hoops making up Eugene’s land use regulations. David gives tips for other communities doing the same, suggesting that organizing and being vocal are critical to grass roots success. So is knowing who you’re up against: for sometimes, your neighbor may be your worst enemy.

What is Emerson Street House? Well we never really found out because our interview with intrepid Diane Freeney, Wall Street banker turned community advocate, roamed so far from housing and tiny houses, even we lost our way. It was a great conversation nonetheless, ranging from praising President Donald Trump, lambasting the construction trade, solving education in the US, building communities, and most interestingly: how not to build a passive solar home. Join us for one of the wildest conversations we’ve had in a l-o-n-g time. Even we were surprised. It’s a wild and woolly walkabout through what lights Diane’s fire on this episode of Tiny House Podcast! https://emersonstreethouse.com

Luke Kamtz is a bold individual. In 2017 he hung out his (tiny) shingle as the latest tiny house builder, dubbing his company “Kamtz Tiny Houses.” Luke’s courage doesn’t end there, he also believes he can do what few have figured out: make money while building custom tiny houses. Like a little Aussie shrimp, we put Luke on the barbie for a bit and grilled him about why he thinks he can do what few have succeeded in doing. We talked differentiation, construction lessons learned, his first demonstration tiny which has received its share of recognition and reward. Then the conversation turned to the big (tiny) bottleneck: land use planning and zoning. It’s the tiny tech talk episode. http://kamtztinyhomes.com

If there is one company that has the greatest potential of unseating Tumbleweed as the largest, best known company in the tiny house community, it’s tiny house developer Sprout Tiny Homes. Nearly from the get-go, Sprout set their sights not only on the one-home-sale retail market, but also on the larger opportunity represented by full-blown tiny house developments. As a result, they are in the process of developing 200 unit communities, complete with planned community designs promising to significantly increase live-ability and desirability. Alan Kirchhoff, Sprout representative shares both Sprout and his own perspective on living tiny, how tiny homes for the homeless are affecting tiny house reputations, and of course, codes, zoning laws and the economics of building 200 homes at a time. http://sprouttinyhomes.com

#136 Getting Squared With A New Tiny Builder With Scott Wilson by Bigfoot Podcast Network

#135 Navigating to Nowhere? – with Michael Fuehrer Our guest this week proves that you don’t have to be an interior designer to live in a lovely, comfortable, and impressive space on wheels. While attending tiny house events in Washington, Texas, and Florida; Michelle noticed an increasing number of Schoolies joining the party! And, known to go where the party is, Michelle met our guest this week and was immediately comfortable in his space; a renovated school bus. What tiny houses lack in mobility, busses more than make up for! Imagine. Just get in the driver’s seat and GO! What are the unique challenges of driving and parking these funky houses on wheels? What motivated Michael to renovate a bus, instead of an RV? How easy, or hard, are they to drive and heat and occupy? And, what do his parents think? This professor on wheels has a lot to teach us so sit down, be quiet, and take notes. There WILL be a quiz!! www.navigationnowhere.com

What IS a tiny house? Don’t worry, we won’t be arguing the fine points of this concept this week. We will, however, once again be happily welcoming a simple living, tiny space occupying, couple to chat with us about overcoming the challenges of living small and on the road full time. Intrigued? Our guests this week have some really GREAT ideas about how you can too! If not right now, make a plan to listen in later and be sure to check them out on Instagram so you can keep up with where they’re off to next. www.instagram.com/TheFrugalRVer