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On today’s podcast episode I have a conversation with Ryan Mitchell from TheTinyLife.com and he answers questions like these and others.

The Modern Homesteading Podcast, Episode 104 – August 24, 2018 – Tiny House Homesteading.

Homesteading In A Tiny House

Ryan Mitchell began his tiny house journey after a job loss in 2008. Ryan believed that if he went to college, worked hard, and did all the things society tells us to do then he would have job security throughout his career, he quickly learned that wasn’t the case which sent him down a path of figuring out a better way. 

Building A Tiny House.

Ryan decided to lower his living expenses by building his own tiny house, he had no previous building experience and there wasn’t a lot of information available about tiny houses at the time like there is now. He spent his weekdays researching and brainstorming and then his weekends working on his house, a year and a half later he completed his 150 square foot home that he has now lived in for over 5 years.

If you’re like me and you’ve watched a few too many of those tiny house shows on TV then you may be thinking that tiny houses are just an overpriced fad that would do more to put a person in financial bondage then set them free. Ryan convinced me that a tiny home can be built yourself at a reasonable price even when using all new materials.

Living Tiny To Get The Life You Want.

Ryan and I discuss how tiny house living can work to jump-start a person’s life to get to the kind of life they want much quicker. With a focus on living debt-free, with less stress, and with freedom from an abundance of material possessions that tie many to the bondage of working a lot of hours in order to pay for them. 

Can Tiny House Living and Homesteading Go Together?

We also chat about how tiny house living and homesteading can work together. The question I asked Ryan was; if tiny, minimalist living meant sacrificing a level of self-sufficiency to which he acknowledged the challenges of limited storage space and smaller kitchens but also gave us permission to define tiny living as whatever works for the life you want for yourself. He also wanted to clearly state that even though he is a big fan of tiny houses, they are not for most people. 

If more space and a larger kitchen are what you need then an 800 square foot tiny house rather than 150 square feet might be more practical for the life someone wants to build. There really are no hard and fast rules as to what makes your house tiny, tiny for one might be different than another, build the home that works for you and your situation.

So You Want To Build Your Own Tiny House, What Should You Do Next?

Ryan gives some great advice to follow before you pick up a hammer and start building.

The first thing he suggests is getting your finances in order and eliminating debt from your life. He and I both suggest following the teachings of Dave Ramsey to accomplish this, he has great plans for debt elimination and wealth building.

Second, Ryan recommends a time of evaluation of what you want out of life just to see if tiny houses could even fit in that plan.

Third, he suggests downsizing your possessions and try living a tiny house lifestyle for a time before building your home just to determine if it’s a way you even want to live.

Fourth, determine what you need a house to do for you and build that home to fit you, not some idea of what’s expected.

Fifth, start researching what it’s going to take to build your tiny house. Books, websites, videos and any other resources you can find to build your home. Ryan’s website is a great resource full of valuable information.

Recommendations:

Check out Ryan’s Website: TheTinyLife.com Follow The Tiny Life on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetinylife

Follow Ryan on Twitter: @RyanTMitchell

Ryan wanted to share with you a great resource he put together for anyone considering purchasing or building a Solar Oven. He has done the hard work for you in picking the right one for your needs and put together The Complete Solar Oven Guide

Dave Ramsey and How to Get Out of Debt Using a Debt Snowball – https://www.daveramsey.com/get-started/debt

Books:

Tiny Houses Built with Recycled Materials: Inspiration for Constructing Tiny Homes Using Salvaged and Reclaimed Supplies by Ryan Mitchell – https://amzn.to/2OXd3Ab

Tiny House Living: Ideas For Building and Living Well In Less than 400 Square Feet by Ryan Mitchell – https://amzn.to/3wpOiDi

TheTinyLife.com for Ryan’s Other Books – https://resources.thetinylife.com/store/