Want to build a tiny house -- but have never even used a table saw!

[ChillPhill]

I've been very inspired by the Mustachians and am contemplating buying a small plot of land up in the hills and building a Tiny House (about 500sq feet) on the land. I WANT to do most of it myself--but I'm a writer who's been strapped to a computer his whole life, and I've never done ANY carpentry, nor do I have MMM's huge set of woodworking tools. Any suggestions on how/where to start would be appreciated!

[FoundPeace]

Youtube has some great tutorials. A great place to start might be "framing" or "how to build a shed" or "framing a shed". There are also somevideos about building tiny houses. For hands-on experience before you start building see if there are any classes at your local community college or get a part time job in construction. Also make sure to look into local laws, where you would put it, etc. before you build. Also note, that tiny houses tend to not hold their value.

i would love to build a tiny house, but it isn't really practical for me (wife and 2 kids).

Good luck with the project! It sounds like fun.

[Roland of Gilead]

First step, don't get a table saw.

Most used tool will be a chop saw or circular saw (or better, both!).

I have a worm drive circular saw and a 12 inch chop saw (miter saw).  I use my cast iron table saw for holding drinks and a writing surface while working.

[paddedhat]

I say it on every thread of this type, and hope that those that get beyond the dreamer stage take the time to do their due diligence on the matter.

 In the vast majority of the USA, in any location that has even a hint of regulation, you will probably be prevented from occupying a "tiny house" on a full time basis. Doesn't matter if the local regulations use building codes, zoning regulations, or whatever, typically it isn't going to work.

I follow a forum on the topic of cheap RV living. Many there own property in very remote areas, particularly in the southwest, often dozens of miles from civilization. Many of those folks are clear that if they are caught occupying their van, RV, unpermitted cabin, shipping container, tiny house, etc... they will be fined, or evicted.  Up until very recently, I was seriously considering relocating to a beautiful, remote western mountain town. One of the deciding factors in not doing so was a recent ruling by the town council to absolutely ban anything but storing RVs on property in the town limits. Fines are levied if there are any utilities connected to the RV, or evidence of overnight occupation. Sorry, but I'm not spending my money in a town where a friend can't pull their RV in the back yard of my place, and stay a few days.

I like the concept of tiny homes, but they are like shipping container homes, straw bale homes, etc.... a concept that ends up being well done, and legally occupied by a tiny percentage of those that plan and attempt the project. Most never get beyond the dream stage, many that start never finish, and a significant percentage of the "finished product" is done very poorly.  Very few end up as real impressive accomplishments. The Tiny house documentary I recently viewed on Netflix should be a wake up call. A totally clueless young guy devotes all of his efforts to building a tiny house. A year later he has a marginally done habitable dwelling, and a severely damaged relationship with his S.O. To put it in perspective, I have supervised many Habitat for Humanity projects where we built a modest home in a week, and as a professional, I can build a very nicely detailed 1300 sq. ft. home in six weeks. OTOH, the subject of the documentary painfully floundered about for an entire year to build a few dozen square feet of a poorly done tiny house.  Kind of like deciding that you can't move on in life until you faithfully reproduce Columbus's fleet in 1/20th scale, using popsicle sticks........ what the hell is the point? 

[Casserole55]

I agree with padded hat. Somewhere between the huge houses that are being built today and the Tiny Houses that get lots of media attention these days is a sweet spot. My husband and son and I live happily in our 1500 sq foot home. But I'm sure we'd also be happy in a 1000 sq foot home. Seems like no one is building smallish homes anymore.

[Thegoblinchief]

You gotta walk before you can run. Habitat for Humanity is generally a good place to see if you even LIKE building things. Plenty of people don't.

[Dee18]

Casserole55
I completely agree.  The metro area where I live is really a collection of townships.  All of the ones with decent libraries, parks, etc, have size restrictions on new building, some even have design approval boards, so you cannot build a new house under 1500 or even 2500 square feet.  One of the many reasons I am planning to relocate.

[kendallf]

I think the truly environmentally and fiscally smart decision in many areas is to buy an old, small house and do any required renovations yourself.  No zoning or permitting issues for the most part, you're reusing materials (a whole house!) rather than building with new, and the cost can be much lower than even a new construction tiny house.

I bought a ~1000 sq. ft. house in an older neighborhood in Jan. 2013 for $35k.  It had been vacant for about 4 years but was in good shape structurally.  I spent $9k over about 9 months to renovate it and moved in about a year ago.  I enjoyed (for the most part!) my efforts and learned some new skills. 

On the skills and tools topic, start small.  Circular saw, maybe a chop saw, volunteer at Habitat or build a small project at your current house if you own it.  Don't remodel something because you don't like the color; fix stuff that's broken or add stuff that will bring at least some return upon selling. 

[ChillPhill]

Wow, thanks for all the advice. Habitat for Humanity is a great idea. Also, I've been told there is a wood shop program at a local suburban community college that's worth looking into.

As for Tiny Houses--I agree that they are actually too small. My idea is to do it modularly, so start out with say 240 square feet and then build on to that until you have something livable in the 900 to 1100 foot range. I'm a bit leery of "renovations" as often run down houses have problems on top of problems....

[YK-Phil]

I am in the same situation, with no practical skills whatsoever, so the idea of building a house by myself, while romantically appealing in theory, is a bit daunting to say the least especially with my experience with tools and repairs in general (we don't watch TV and have no cable at home, but we keep a big-screen TV in the living room to hide a shitty drywall repair job i did a few years ago). I am giving myself two years to build my small house, probably 400 sq. feet  at most on a small acreage I just bought this week on Gabriola Island, a small island off the coast of the much bigger Vancouver Island. As far as I found out before buying this land, regulations allow for any type of dwellings on the island, including RVs, cabins, trailers, houses, etc. regardless of their size. While I have power, well water, and an old grand-fathered septic system at the property, I plan to go off the grid with a photovoltaic system, rainwater collection system, and incinolet toilet. I am still unsure of what to do with grey water. Surprisingly, the only thing the regulatory authorities do not allow on the island are composting toilets. Go figure. As for my lack of skills, I realize my shortcomings so I hope to get a master carpenter friend specializing in eco-buildings help me design and build, starting next summer. There is also an old 120 sq. foot log cabin in fairly good shape on the property which I plan to rehabilitate into a guest cabin for kids and friends visiting us.

[Jon_Snow]

Congrats on the property purchase ykphil! Greetings from another Gulf Islander, though my wife and I are on one of the most southerly islands.

Our cabin dreams will hopefully come to fruition in the next couple of years. Surprise, surprise, we are also thinking SMALL, but not TINY. I'm 6'4" and I need room for many long limbs. :)

[Thegoblinchief]

Ykphil - very cool! Consider posting a journal when the project gets underway :)

[AccidentalMiser]

I strongly third the HfH recommendation.  Also, take a look at this link,

http://www.ruralstudio.org/initiatives/20k-house

This is a graduate program from Auburn University.  The site was of great interest to my DW and me when we were thinking of building a smallish home for ourselves.

[YK-Phil]

Thanks TheGoblinChief, I will definitely start documenting our little journey, along with my daugher and her boyfriend who live on their sailboat and spend their days sailing around the Gulf islands as practice before heading South (or West or wherever the wind will blow stronger). After spending my life in the four corners of the world, I finally want to be grounded, and my daughter is just starting her own adventure. It is an exciting turn in our lives and my wife and I are looking forward to this new chapter.

Jon_Snow, we might have to start a MMM Gulf Island chapter! From what I see, a lot of folks on the islands are quite mustachian. My wife and I will be splitting tasks between the four elements of life. My job is to take care of air and water so I might have to spend a lot of time on my sailboat, while hers will be to tend earth and fire, which in my mind means the garden and the stove. I have the sneaky suspicion that it might not be so simple :D

[Roland of Gilead]

Not trying to divert the thread but that is very cool ykphil.   We sail our little Monty in the San Juan and Gulf Islands every other year with a group of similar boats.  I will wave at your little house when you get it built!

[RunningWithScissors]

+1 for HfH.  Working on three projects along side professionals gave me the experience and confidence to tackle my own major $10K, then $150K renovation.  I now have more power tools than any other woman I know!

I think it's inevitable to make lots of mistakes when you're starting out.  You don't even know what you don't know so you tend to find yourself in pickles that a far more experienced handyman, er, handyperson wouldn't be in.  As others have mentioned, start with a small project like a shed, or 'shadow' a handy friend and help out on their project.

There's more and more resources on the internet talking about building sustainably and some of the prefab housing sites link to great resources.  Or, try finding blogs of people who have done what you're planning and pick their brains.  Most people are thrilled to share their knowledge.  As a longshot, given the location of your new lot it may be worthwhile to look into a pre-manufactured shipping container home.  Friends of mine built theirs on the BC mainland, but used the container as a barge, floated their supplies to the site, then built their cabin out of the container.

There are so many possibilities, but yes, do your due diligence regarding codes, regulations and fees.  A chat with a local builder or architect might also yield some gems of information.

Good luck.

[nuclear85]

My husband and I are building one! And no, we have NO experience either -- with lots of planning, it's completely doable. Here's our blog if you want to follow along: spacecoasttinyhouse.wordpress.com

Erin

[adamcollin]

Hey, even we are planning to purchase a small plot. At which location are you planning your purchases?

[Mr. Frugalwoods]

nthing habitat for humanity.

Yes, it will help you figure out if you actually like building things (it's not for everyone!).

But if you _do_ like building, the best way to save time on future builds is to spend time with a master carpenter.  There are SO many tricks of the trade.  You'll be amazed at how fast and accurate someone who does this for a living can work. 

You know every time you mutter darkly to yourself (usually while on your back covered in dust...) "There's gotta be a better way"?  There is.  And that greying, stooped fellow on the habitat project driving framing nails with a single blow absolutely will show you.

[FarmFam]

We are looking into this as an in-law suite on our property.  Doing some research I found some workshops on building them.  They cover all the levels.  They are having them around the country. The next one is on November 8 in NC.  The cost is about $399.  http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/pages/workshops