Tiny House Living: Space-Saving Ideas for Building & Living Well Under 400 Sq Ft | Compact Home Design & Minimalist Lifestyle Tips

Tiny House Living is a treasure trove of information that strikes a healthy balance between imagination/creativity/go-get-‘em and practicality/day-to-day considerations. It is well-written and compiled with great care. I came to this book as a complete newbie and left wanting to join the bandwagon—that’s a lot to accomplish in 173 pages! There are eight chapters with concise, focused titles, such as “Why Choose Voluntary Simplicity?” and “The Path to Living Tiny,” covering just about any topic you could think of regarding a tiny house—from deciding if tiny home living is or isn’t for you, preplanning stages, and preparing to live in a tiny home through construction and living in the home.This is a book that will appeal to many demographics: those readying for retirement, those wanting to pare down their belongings into a more meaningful and streamlined life, those just starting out in life post-college, those dedicated to living green, those excited by alternative housing and/or repurposed construction, those anticipating a mid-life career or housing change, those interested in cutting expenses, and many others. I love the balance between basic information about zoning and laws, expenses, and reasons for building a tiny house alongside the wonderful interviews and full-color photographs of various people who constructed and/or live in the homes.Even if living in a small house is not for everyone, the organizational tips alone make this book well-worth a careful read; I began downsizing my clothes closet and donating items (a process I’d been putting off) while reading the author’s suggestions! I love the book’s focus on personal choice and personal change. I found myself sharing excerpts and tips from the text with family and friends.While there aren’t floor plans in this text—there are plenty of other books that focus solely on floor plans—I cannot think of a single thing this book is missing. The tone is informative and friendly, reminding me of taking a tour with a good friend through the homes. Those interviewed are honest about considerations and drawbacks as well as the great benefits they’ve experienced from living in tiny homes. The three-page appendix of tiny house blogs, builders, books, and websites is fantastically helpful and encouraged me to keep exploring this topic.Kudos, Ryan Mitchell! As a writer myself, I know how much love, passion for subject matter, and dedication goes into compiling such a beautiful book that invites readers back again and again. I’ll surely keep this one handy on my shelf and recommend it to friends.