Tiny House Build Along

Building a tiny house by yourself can be intimidating, especially if you have limited construction knowledge. But imagine if instead of doing it alone, you were part of a community of people with different levels of knowledge and experience working in tandem toward the common goal of building and living in a tiny house. And in this community there was an experienced instructor who was there to guide you and answer all of your questions along the way. This is the idea behind the Tiny House Build Along.

At the end of six months you could be living in your own tiny house. A house that is mortgage free, environmentally sustainable, that you built with your own hands. Beginning on March 1st 2012, I will be building a tiny house, and I invite you to build yours with me.

Participants will get access to an online community where each step of the build process will be broken down and scheduled to allow ample time for completion. Illustrated instructions and videos will be provided for each step so that you understand exactly what needs to be done. There will also be a discussion area where you can post your questions which will be answered by your fellow builders and myself. For each step there will also be an opportunity to call in and ask your questions which will be broadcast live over the web to all participants (these sessions will also be recorded for others in the event someone is not available at the specified call time). My personal number will also be provided for a limited number of immediate answers.

The total cost is $849 and includes your choice of one of the Tiny Home Builders tiny house plans (Tiny Living or Tiny Retirement), the Tiny House Construction Guide, and unlimited access to the Tiny House Build Along online community.

You've dreamt of living in a tiny house. You've thought of building your own but didn't know where to start. This is it! This is your start!

Reserve your spot today for only $99.

FAQ

Q: I’m thinking about signing up. What will I need?

A: You’ll need a few things to participate including:

• A computer. Since the training and support will come mostly through a website, you’ll need to have access to a computer to participate. Since you are likely reading this now on a computer, I don’t expect this will be a problem. A digital camera would also be nice but not necessary. This can be used to illustrate questions that are best described by a picture (a picture is worth...) and to show off to your fellow builders your progress. Finally, a Skype account will be needed if you want to participate in the live call-in webcast.
• Determination. Building a tiny house is a several month job. You’ll need to be determined to go all the way. But don’t worry, you’ll have support.
• Time. You will need to be able to dedicate some time towards building your house. The amount of time will be different for everybody but I plan to set the pace of the build based on the pace of the majority. I’m going to try hard to keep us all together but it will ultimately be up to you.
• Money. You won’t only need money to pay for the build along, but you’ll also need to have enough money for materials. Depending on the plans you choice this can be up to $16,000. If you don’t have it all up front you can still get started. Even if you have to pause your build half way through all the online resources and my help will still be there when you come back (your access to the online community and all the information contained in it never expires). You may just have to be jealous of everyone else’s finished house pictures for a little while.
• Tools. This is really part of money. If you don’t have access to tools you will need to have a small tool budget. The good news is that a good percentage of that money can be made back at the end when you sell the lightly used tools.

Q. I don’t know if I am going to be able to start on the date you have picked. What can I do?

A. All the information and resources will be available at all times. So if you have to start a little late that’s OK. You can make your own schedule. I’ll still be there to give you guidance and reassurance when needed. For instance, if you don't have all the money you need to start right away, you can still learn a tremendous amount for when you are ready by following along. Think of it as a 6 month tiny house workshop.

Q. While I think your house designs are absolutely amazing, my spouse who has no design sense doesn’t like them ;) Can we build a different house?

A. Sure. The fundamentals of building are the same from house to house, so you can still greatly benefit from this. One thing to be aware of though is that many plans available do not come with the detailed materials list that ours do. So when it comes time to order your materials, you may have your work cut out for you. Also, if the plans that you do select have some really unique design element (e.g a water slide), the help I can provide may be limited, but I don’t think that is likely. Finally, if you want to participate but don’t need our plans the price of the build along is reduced to $749.

Q. While I’m building my house and questions come up, how fast can I expect to get answers

A. There will be three mechanisms for you to ask questions. The first will be the online discussion area. I (as well as others participating) will monitor that daily and I expect, baring any personal emergencies, no question will go unanswered by me for more than a day. Questions will be answered with text, photos, and videos depending on the complexity of the answer. The other mechanism will be a live call-in webcast. This will be your opportunity to ask me questions directly over the phone or to just sit back and watch others ask the questions. The plan is to have at least one of these for each step of the build process and more when necessary or on the more complicated steps. Finally, the last means for you to ask a question is to call my personal phone. Each participant will be given my personal cell number and be permitted to call me up to three times for thirty minutes each. This is for when you have a question or for when things aren’t going exactly the way you want and you don’t want to have to stop everything to figure something out.

Q. I have to think about it. How long do I have to decide?

A. We’re planning on starting on March 1st so you will want to be signed up before then if you want to build with the group. However, since we need a minimum number of people to participate in order to do this, it is recommended you show your interest by February 1st. by reserving your spot with a $99 deposit. If we don’t have enough people signed up by February 1st, everyone who reserved a spot will get a full refund on February 2nd.

Q. I already bought your plans. Do I have to pay full price since this includes plans?

A. Definitely not. Just send me an email and I will reduce the cost by the price you paid for your plans.

Q. Which house will you be building?

A. I will be building my third design that has yet to be released. But as I said before, the fundamentals will be the same and it will have everything I need to demonstrate each build step. For those curious, this new design is a smaller version of Tiny Living called Tinier Living :)

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us.