9 Useful Resources for Tiny House Living

Tiny house living is a popular movement that sees homeowners casting aside their large homes for something a little, or a lot, smaller. Those involved in the tiny house movement often strive to live in an environmentally-friendly and frugal way, which is why they choose to scale back so much.

If you are thinking about designing your own tiny home or you recently moved into a tiny house, you need to know what resources there are that can help you succeed at small living. From donating old items to constructing your new home, here are nine great types of resources for future tiny house dwellers to take advantage of:

1. Go to Workshops

If you’re about to design or build your own tiny house, workshops can be a fantastic resource. Workshops are a great resource to take advantage of because you can get valuable information from people with expertise on the subject of living in a tiny home as well as from other people just like you. At a workshop you can learn about anything from designing tips to easy ways to make the transition to living on a smaller scale.

Even if you already live in a tiny house, you should still consider attending workshops dedicated to this lifestyle. Sometimes these workshops can provide useful tips for organizing in small spaces and keeping your energy expenses low, as well as other useful skills. Check around the web and with others in your local tiny house community for opportunities to join one of these workshop groups.

2. Join a Tiny House Community Online or Locally

Another great resource you can use is a tiny home community. Now, there are two types of communities you could join:

• Online: First, you could find an online forum where people who live in tiny homes give each other advice — there are seemingly countless small living forums on the Internet.
• Local: Second, you could live in a community made up of tiny homes. There are communities like this across the country and even across the world. This is a particularly useful resource because it ensures you don’t have to worry about local laws not allowing tiny homes. Some of these communities even hold local meet-ups, where aspiring tiny house enthusiasts can come and learn more about the movement. To find a local meet-up in your area, check here.

3. Utilize House Design Resources

Assuming you’re at the stage where you are preparing to build, you have to think about the design you want your small house to have. There are a lot of resources you can use to actually make your own design. In order to do this effectively, you’ll have to get educated on how to make a design, research building plans that use space efficiently and learn about creative storage solutions for small living.

Of course, if you don’t feel up to making your own design, there are other resources available. You can find a lot of pre-made tiny home designs online and at the bookstore. However, your best and safest bet will likely be to work with an expert. You want to make sure to create something that will be as functional as it is small.

Again, there are books you can buy that offer a variety of tiny house design plans. One of our favorites is Tiny House Floor Plans: Over 200 Interior Designs for Tiny Houses by Michael Janzen, though this is just one of many available to you.

4. Work With a Builder

Once the design is made, you have to build it. There are a lot of builders who actually specialize in creating small homes. This is a fantastic resource to use because then you will be sure to end up with a home that is created with small living efficiency in mind. As you might imagine, you wouldn’t use the same elements and tools to create a small home that you would to build a larger home. Finding the right builder can be one of the most important things you do in the early stages of your small home living.

5. Research Downsizing Resources

As you get ready to move into your small house or shortly after, you will find that you need to get rid of some possessions. Trying to squeeze all of your belongings that filled your old house into your new smaller home simply will not work.

You can sell what you don’t need and use that money to pay down your debt or finance the building of your tiny home. It is easy to find a lot of thorough tips for downsizing your possessions, but here are a few much-needed quick tips for getting rid of some clothing:

• Sort your clothes into three piles: keep, store and donate.
• Only keep clothing that fit you right now.
• Only keep clothing that is in good condition.
• Only keep clothing that you really love.
• Only keep clothing that you will really wear.

There are several organizations that can make downsizing easier than simply throwing everything into a dumpster. Instead of this wasteful action that so many minimalists desperately try to avoid, seek out organizations that would be willing to take old furniture and clothes as a donation, such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Look to see if there are any hospitals, nursing homes, camps, or orphanages that would benefit from the items you are looking to get rid of.

6. Receive Tiny House Organization Advice

Though it seems like it would be a challenge, it is entirely possible to stay organized in your tiny house. However, it requires you be diligent about cleaning; you can’t just throw your sweatshirt on the couch because you might want to wear it later this week. Everything has to have a home, and you have to put everything in its home when it’s not being used. Try to keep things stored near where they are used (i.e. shoes and outerwear near the door, etc.) so it will be easier to remember to put them away. If you aren’t organized in a tiny home, it will be really hard to live there.

7. Read Books and Blogs

Because small living is such a popular movement, there are a number of tiny house books and blogs on the subject. Find these resources and use the ones that address your needs. You can find books and blogs on a myriad of topics related to tiny homes. There are resources that focus on design, building, living in, organizing and moving tiny homes.

Some of our favorite tiny house books are:

• Tiny House Design & Construction Guide by Dan Louche
• Tiny House Living: Ideas For Building and Living Well In Less than 400 Square Feet by Ryan Mitchell
• Tiny Houses: The Perfect Tiny House: The Best Proven Tips, Tricks & Ideas to Live In Small House Yet Feeling Large by Rob Woodworker
• Tiny House: How to Build a Tiny House for Less than $20,000 by Heather Foss

8. Find a Place to Park and Learn the Laws

Oftentimes, small houses either don’t come with a lot of land or they don’t come with any land at all. If you’re in the latter group, meaning you drive a tiny house trailer, you need to find a place to park your home, which can be rather challenging depending on where you live. Different cities have different rules about where you can put your tiny home. To add to the challenge, some cities don’t have specific rules regarding small houses because they weren’t thought of when the laws were drafted.

There are certain websites online where you can find land to rent for a short time. If you want to move your tiny home from time to time, these are great resources to use to find a place to park.

Some of our favorite resources are:

• Tiny House Resource — Parking
• Tiny House Talk — Parking for Tiny Homes
• Tiny House Map

9. Learn the Other Particulars for Your Area

Finally, you need to do some research for your area. Cities in Vermont are going to have different building rules and regulations than cities in Washington. Before you build your home or park your home any place, make sure you understand the logistics to avoid fines or displacement.

Some important questions to ask your local housing authorities:

• How long can you stay?
• Does your town allow multiple tiny homes on the same lot?
• Can you keep your tiny home at a campground?

There are a lot of questions you need to have the answers to before you can live comfortably in your area, so be sure not to drop the ball on this task.

Join the Tiny House Movement

If you’ve already joined the tiny home movement, or if you’re getting ready to join, you need to make sure that you check out all of the available resources regarding living tiny. Don’t hesitate to subscribe to blogs, buy books, attend workshops and talk to government officials. Because of the popularity of the movement, there are a lot of resources available, and there are more every day. Find the resources that give the information that you need, and talk to people in the tiny home community to ensure your transition into a more minimalistic lifestyle is as smooth as possible.