So now that I’ve gone to to a conference and I am literally all fired up and ready to go, uh where to – not sure yet. I go to work each day and it’s almost too much, as I have way to much planning, reading, researching and purging to do. My job is a necessary not so horrible evil, as it does still provide me with a much needed income, but honestly all I can do is focus on my tiny house project. I mean I know its not really a tangible project as of yet, but in my heart and head it is as tangible as anything I have ever done.

So. in order to fully feel as if I am being productive in making my project a ” real project” in progress, without actually being involved in the actual building process, I do a lot of reading, researching, finding tiny homes to visit, finding tiny house builders to talk to, proposal writing, and blogging. All these things, though not actually hands on building, are in some way paving the way to my future building as I am taking note of all things relevant to actually building a tiny home. It’s inquisition on steroids. I figured, all this passionate inquiring can only insure a more well orchestrated building project when I do finally get there.

Some helpful things to do prior to doing any building:

*Go to a building Conference – Learn about the actual building process; learn about what it means to live in a tiny house from those who are actually doing it. Check out Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, they have many workshops going on at different times and in different states around the US. Also check out Tiny House Blog, they also have listings of workshops in various areas.

*Read, read, read – Nothing will give you more inspiration than reading the stories of those who have forged the way already. You will gain passion, perspective, insight and tons of do’s and don’ts from your fellow tiny housers. It is also a great way to see designs and start thinking of what you like and don’t like.

*Keep a recording Log – Since I decided that I was going to build a tiny home someday, I started to keep a log of dates and ideas, whether its reading, watching videos, talking to builders, talking to other tiny house enthusiast. Any and all of it, I keep notes. I use my iphone to take notes as well as something as simple as a marble notebook. I also keep a file with loose papers, such as photos and articles from magazines. All this gives me a point of reference for when I am ready to build.

*Start a Pinterest Tiny home Board – Pinterest has a search engine where you just type in tiny homes and OH MY GOD….you will find thousands of design ideas, photos, links, and just probably all wonderful cool things to look at. Be warned, it can be highly addictive. One minute you are cooking dinner and just browsing through casually – the next minute your smoke alarm is going off because you forgot about dinner and an hour has gone by or you start to look for just one thing and you look up and two hours have passed.

*Visit or stay in a Tiny House – I have found it helpful to visit tiny homes – thanks to google and friends who know about my obsession, I have been able to go in a few. Being in one is quite the experience and may actually help you to really see if this is for you. I walked into an 27 foot tiny house and my first reaction was “wow this is huge” and then I also went into a 14 foot home and so “oh boy too tiny” – thing is you really need to know what you can live with. Like Goldilocks, you have to try it on for size.

*Look around your current “bigger” home – Go from room to room and start thinking “what can I live without?” So far, without even moving or getting rid of anything major yet, I already have cleaned out house in my head. I also started to make a list of what needs to go and what I will allow myself to keep. Happy to say that the to go list is longer than the must keep 🙂

*Start a possible building team – Listen, one can easily have a tiny house built by one of the many builders out there. There are many reliable, awesome companies out there: Tumbleweed, Four Lights Tiny House Company, Tiny Home Builders and a few others who will build you a beautiful tiny home but the price may not be so tiny. These are fantastic companies but if you are like me, and finance is an issue, building your home with a good set of plans and the help of friends and family, you can build your tiny home for under $20,000 or as I’m hoping much less. Building your own home, also allows you to build over time without having to borrow and incur debt which is probably one of the reasons you are doing this in the first place AND you can build a little at a time. Sure it may take you longer but there are some perks – such as pride in doing it yourself, community working together, time to get a feel for your own style, and it is financially feasible.

*Think about where you are going to build – Okay, if you are like me and don’t really have property or a backyard to build on, this could be a problem. I live in Queens, New York, in an apartment with no backyard and on a very narrow street. I had originally written a proposal (and I might add that it was a very compelling one), which I sent to a local sculpture park. The administrator found it commendable and intriguing but because it is a state park, personal building is not possible, so he recommended I apply for a fellowship with a theme of Art Installation. Well, I am going to give it my best shot. I have also noted various warehouses in the area that I am planning to petition to (I will keep you posted to how this is received and my progress). A friend had kindly offered her driveway in the suburbs of Long Island but there may be issues with permits, neighbors who may not be keen on the idea and also its not demographically desirable because of the distance (about an hour travel for me). I need to build near me so that I can build every second I have available. One tiny house builder, told me that she was trying to build in a friends backyard in New England and the friends neighbors went bananas. So, having an ensured place to build is one of the first things you should figure out.

These are just a few things that come to mind and things I have done in my own process. I honestly feel that it is so important to do these things prior to building, as the more you know the more prepared and knowledgeable you will be. I find that every day, I learn and read something new. Gosh, Composting toilets can take weeks of research. I never ever thought that toilets could be so captivating, but they are!