Small House Sunday ~ Review of "Tiny House Basics"

As you begin your journey into the Tiny House world, you are excited at all of the possibilities in front of you.

Then, you may begin to feel overwhelmed with all the information that you are finding. Quite understandable!

I think I have a solution to your problem! 

May I present a great resource that answers many of your questions all in one book...

Tiny House Basics by Joshua
Engbergand Shelley Engberg

As you start looking at books on the topic, you begin to discover that most of them seem to be just tiny house design & idea books. Although they are wonderful for that purpose, they just don't seem to be quite what you are wanting.  You are looking for so much more than than just design ideas.

What is it that you want?

You Want to Know Everything

With chapter titles like these, you can see that this book has so much more to offer!

• Making the Decision to Go Tiny
• Planning: Research
• Downsizing
• Building: The Unspoken Realities of Doing It Yourself, Plus the Cost
• Why We Chose Our Design Aesthetic and Layout
• Making Room For Your Junk in a Small Space
• Pets in a Tiny Home
• How Practical Is a Tiny House for th Long-Term?

And, here is my favorite ~

• Relationships in Tight Quarters

Chapter 8: Relationships in Tight Quarters
 (Source: Tiny House Basics)

Why is that chapter my favorite, you ask? Although my husband and I did end up choosing to live in a Amish-built shed that is being converted into a home, we had lived in our 18-foot camper for over a year.

We downsized from a 2,000 square-foot home, into an 18-foot camper. Now, we are happily living in our 500-square-foot "shabin".

A sketch of our home & guesthouse. 

Although my hubby and I did not choose to go into a tiny house, we were at a place in life a few years ago to make some decisions. We downsized, donated and dug deep into all of our possessions.

We researched our options, and the "shabin" eventually made the most sense for us. We needed a temporary place to live while we were converting the cabin. Since we already owned the camper, it made the most sense.

Going from a 2,000 square-foot ranch style house with a basement and garage down to a 18-foot camper...What an eye-opening experience!!! My hubby and I had to to stay on top of our relationship game!

Each chapter is filled with the questions you want answered. The authors have an easygoing writing style as they walk you through their experiences. Many of the chapters end with an extra, such as an "Are you ready?" quiz, tips for downsizing, etc.

I bring up my background as a librarian for two reasons. I have the soul of a researcher, and want to find the best user-friendly information I can find. The second reason is that as the adult librarian in a small library, I have to spend the money wisely. 

And I chose to spend the library's money on this tiny house book, out of the many that exist. I am sure that I will buy more in the future, but I was very confident in this purchase.

In Case You Want a Second Opinion

As I close this post, I leave you with one other glowing review. I had read a post in a in tiny house group. The person was in the beginning stages of planning, and wanted book recommendations for initial planning. 

I suggested "Tiny House Basics", and she chose to buy the book. Three days later, I received this reply: "This is so what I needed, excellent recommendation! It's so exciting reading each page and thinking over and over 'yes! This is exactly what I wanted to know!!'

Would Love to Hear Your Opinion

Have you read this book? If not, check it out and let me know what you think! Share this review with your friends who may be thinking of going tiny through FB, Twitter, IG and Pinterest!