Tiny House, Big Dream

A week ago I decided this was the year for me to build myself a tiny house.

My reasons:

• More independence. I'm living with my mom & whoever else will have me but am ready for my own space. I want to be more self-sustained & do things like have my own land & garden & do some sewing & crocheting.

• Money. My student loans will be paid off by August, & I don't want to go back into debt. I imagine it will be a slow process, but I want the freedom to travel (without a mortgage to pay) & still have a place back home for all my stuff. I also want to use the money I earn to give to missions & other projects.

My findings:

•  http://www.relaxshacks.blogspot.com/ This website is where I found a 3-day hands-on workshop that sounds just like something a beginner like me needs! Not only will I (if I get to go) be able to tour several tiny houses, but I will also be able to build & ask questions & network. This one's in Memphis but there are others in different locations although they aren't all hands-on. They teach how to build a house on a trailer & just on the ground.
•  This TED Talk My house doesn't have to be perfect. I want it to be cheap & not moldy or falling apart or letting the weather damage my stuff, but it doesn't have to be just a smaller version of other houses common today in the U.S.
• FREE Home Depot Workshops These are weekly & another way to get hands-on experience especially if you're a beginner like me. (The only thing I've built is a crate out of pallets.) I haven't been yet, but I'm signed up for one tomorrow. I'll have to post about that next week.

 I spent about 7 hours researching to find this stuff, so I'm hoping to help others save some time. (There are other resources I've found but haven't looked into enough to give an opinion on.) I wanted to find a blog like this where someone could walk me through the process. This is the closest thing I've found. It's a lot to sift through because she's almost finished with her house. She also spent $25k which I don't plan to do. She's downsizing whereas I don't have my own house to downsize from. I found her through participating in Jon Acuff's 30 Days of Hustle, which brings me to some advice I have for anyone else wanting to do this (or some other Big Dream).

My advice:

• Find other people doing something similar. After sharing about my goal with people in 30 Days of Hustle, I found several others with the same goal. We're all at different places in our journey (some have land or chickens, some are on a 3 year plan), but we started a group for 11 of us to share ideas, advice, & experience. We're spread out across the U.S., but I have a feeling some of us will meet at some point. It's difficult doing something big alone. Don't make things harder on yourself!

• Have a plan. This is some advice I read early on, so I started a notebook to keep my findings & ideas in. This is where I'm getting most of the info for this post. I wrote down my 

1. Time-frame (by my birthday on March 1, 2015...we'll see!)
2. People I have in mind to help me (always thankful to have 3 brothers!)
3. Reasons for doing it
4. Financial investment I hope/think it will take (I gave a range & realize that I may go over it, but that's ok since I've never done this & have no idea.)
5. Other sacrifices (such as time, comforts/conveniences, brain power, sweat...& blood & tears?)
6. Things to research (salvage yards, Craigslist, house plans, materials, blogs/videos)
7. Small goals to help me along the way (post a blog a week, spend 5 hours a week researching)
8. Ways to keep it fun (read Little House on the Prairie series, which I haven't read since elementary school...the influence has stayed with me, though! I also plan to visit her house/museum in Missouri. And finish reading Thoreau's Walden.)
9. People who know more than me to talk to about it.

            Having this notebook will give you something to refer to & remember why you started out. Plus you can use all the information to help others wanting to start. I'm sure I'll forget lots of these details after I've gotten started on other steps. The plan will  make it easier for you to share what you really want in your house & not just what other people want it to be or think is best or easiest. Then you can decide what you are willing to give up or change. It will also keep you more organized.

This post is getting long, & I really hope to keep it manageable. So, until next week!

Megan

P. S. What is your big dream? Are you interested in doing something like this? Do you know anyone else who wants to build a tiny house or already has? Do you know any good resources I missed or have any other advice? Would love to hear it!