Whether you are going the shed to house or out-right tiny house path, figuring out how to fit everything you NEED can be a daunting task! You and whoever you live with needs space to eat, sleep, relax, and everything in between. Finding space for all of your needs is the tricky part, and it doesn’t happen by sitting at your computer one time to push through a plan.
Get acquainted with tiny house challenges by joining and interacting with others in Facebook groups, watching YouTube videos, browsing Pinterest and taking notes about what you do or do not need from your smaller living space.
Even if you are able to do only a couple of these activities, it will help you build the right house to meet your needs! Connect with others with similar dreams, learn from what others are doing, and have fun leading up to getting into your own tiny house. Living small can be hard if you’re not thoughtful and resourceful! So let’s do this!
Take Notes, Keep a Journal of Ideas
So whether you are going straight to your tiny house or taking the stair-step approach of a shed to house conversion (check out the differences here), it’s important to start honing in on a list of what is important to you. In this stage, you’re really just looking to understand what you do or do not want of your living space. This is likely to change over time as you learn and interact more with the idea and discover the common challenges that folks on this journey have,, so don’t stress out! This is the fun part that makes the journey fun… the anticipation and planning leading up to your own tiny house adventure.
As part of this, take note of the elements of other projects that you do like. This can be as simple as saving posts on Facebook, having a well-documented Pinterest board, or a notebook that you leave next to your favorite relaxation spot.
Personally, I keep a list in OneNote plus Pinterest exploration, of course. My husband goes for the notebook. The important thing is that you are starting to build a framework of what you need out of the project. It also serves as a way to document your journey. That will be fun to look back on, or at least in the middle, it will serve as a way to stay motivated. That’s half the battle sometimes when you’re in the messy middle!
Find Other Tiny House Enthusiasts
You really need to understand how big of a tiny house you need before you jump in with both feet. Here’s an article to help you decide on the right size. Once you have that figured out, it’s time for inspiration! The fun part!
Forums and Facebook groups can be extremely helpful! You might not feel it, but you are not alone in this journey! There are lots of people on similar paths, and we tend to be seeking our tribes for help and inspiration. You will find a ton of floor plans, building advice, and materials used by joining in.
Facebooks groups can be hit or miss, but these seem to have healthy traffic for inspiration and to help with floor plan questions. Here is a list of Facebook groups to get you started if you haven’t already started looking:
- Shed to House
- Shed to Home, Tiny Homes & Container Homes
- Shed To Cabin/Tiny Homes And Off Grid Living
- Shed to House Conversions: A to Z
Jump into the conversations! Share your floor plan and seek feedback. You don’t have to agree, but it is so helpful to hear what others are doing to help you hone in on your dream and solve the problems you’ll encounter along the way.
Did you ever hear about how a community would get together to help with a ‘barn raising’? This is the modern equivalent in some regards, so jump in!!
Pinterest and Blogs for Inspiration
Pinterest can be hit or miss as they decide what they want you to see. Know that clicking into a site has become more difficult BUT if you’re looking for tiny house images to get inspired, it’s a great spot.
Here is my personal Pinterest board for ideas if you’re looking for a starter. Interior and floor plan specific ideas here. I go through moods where a minimalist look is more my style, but the rustic then starts calling my name. We’re building multiple over time, so let’s see where I land!
Another source of inspiration are tiny house blogs. Here is a list of 101 images from TinyLivingLife.com that is bound to give you some inspiration!
YouTube Tiny House Inspiration
There isn’t a shortage of material on the internet to help, so of course you have lots of options on YouTube! Here’s a list to get you started, and YouTube’s magical algorithms will suck you into a rabbit hole from there!
Channels to start with:
