Join Us At One Of Our Tiny House Workshops In 2016!!
We are thrilled, delighted, even ecstatic to announce that we are offering a line up of tiny house build workshops starting in February, 2016! Enough people have been asking and for long enough that we finally decided to make it happen. As you may or may not know, Andrew has been teaching construction workshops since 2007 (www.StrawBale.com) and in that time he has personally taught over 2,000 people! Suffice it to say, when it comes to workshops, there are very few people that have as much experience as he does.
In this article I had the fun task of interviewing my own husband (Andrew and I are married in case that point was missed!). We have worked together since 2004 and during that time I have interviewed many dozens of people but this was the first time I’ve interviewed him!
Why offer tiny house workshops?
I love teaching and inspiring people to reach the greatest goals they are capable of. I’ve been teaching workshops in the field of straw bale construction since 2007 and I’ve worked with over 2,000 participants in that time. I knew I wanted to teach in the field of tiny houses so when I presented my idea for this workshop to Gabriella, she and I both got really excited about what it can bring to the tiny house community. We are even more excited about sharing the overall workshop experience with you.
As I’ve said in regards to our straw bale construction workshops for years: “It’s so much more than a workshop.” After all, when a bunch of people with like minds and hearts get together to achieve a common goal, great things happen. I have seen this time and again over the years and I look forward to sharing that experience with all of you.
What do you bring to the table?
In terms of construction, I’ve been a professional builder for 20 years and in that time have worked as a general contractor, land developer, custom home builder, property manager/landlord, teacher, and consultant. I’ve built custom straw bale homes, conventional homes, and tiny houses and I have worked in both new construction and remodeling. At 42 years old, I have spent nearly half of my life in the field of construction, and I have a passion for sharing what I have learned with others.
In terms of leading workshops, I have nearly 9 years of experience teaching large groups of people and I know what it takes to build a solid group dynamic and convey potentially confusing information about construction techniques in a simple to understand manner. My biggest passion in life is inspiring others, and that’s always the goal of every workshop I teach.
What can people expect to learn at one of your tiny house workshops?
We will break down the construction process of a tiny house including discussions on everything from trailers and design elements to framing techniques and finish work. We’ll talk about what tools to use and what materials to consider; and we’ll learn techniques to build things safely and to high standards. We will discuss issues related to codes, zoning, where to park a tiny house, and legalization strategies.
We will also step outside of the “normal” construction discussions and talk about some of the deeper issues that come up during a build. For example: how to manage your time effectively; how to work with subcontractors, banks, building and zoning departments; and how to manage stress and frustration. Yes, stress and frustration are an inevitable part of building and they can be the ruin of any project if you don’t have ways to manage them. Most workshops don’t broach these topics but we will be stepping right into them because they are vital.
What is your favorite workshop moment?
That’s a hard question to answer. I know it sounds corny, but there have been a lot of special moments. I think my favorite experience in teaching is seeing people get inspired and educated. When people leave saying they are excited to build their place with confidence…and then they do!…that’s a great feeling.
Do you believe that anyone can build their own tiny house?
Absolutely. What’s more important is that I believe anyone can build their own tiny house well and love the entire experience from trailer to doorknobs. This workshop is about more than just learning to build, it’s about learning to understand the entire journey and the potential challenges that come with it. There are good days and bad days on a tiny house build, or ANY build for that matter.
Knowing how to handle the ups and downs and how to create tools to manage your time and your stress levels is something that every builder needs. I’ve already mentioned this, but I think it is worth saying again. When people dive into a build, there is often a level of fear and stress that surround the project. After all, many people who “take the leap” have never built anything before and the idea of suddenly starting with a house can be daunting. That fear and stress, if not addressed, will cause all kinds of problems along the way. It will lead to self-doubt, poor decision making, a feeling of “giving up, and can ultimately lead to a failed project or worse, a failed relationship.
I want to speak more to the topic of the impacts on relationships that building can have. In my 20 years in the industry I have seen people and relationships fall apart in the construction process. For example, I have seen married couples get divorced because they could not decide on what color drapes to get in the living room, or what tile to use in the shower. It sounds crazy, but it shows you how much stress, frustration and resentment can build up during a build if those things are not addressed right away.
I have seen people sitting on the stoop of their unfinished house in tears because they didn’t plan properly and had run out of money to finish their home. There is no reason that these stories should reflect your experience. There are ways to manage all of this and, I believe, learning those skills is even more important than learning how to properly layout a gable roof or how to hang cabinets. These lessons, like I mentioned above, are LIFE lessons that can and will have a lasting, positive impact on all aspects of your life, long after the build is done.
Why should people go to one of your workshops?
Learning time-tested and approved construction techniques, code requirements, and “best practices” will give you the confidence you need to build your home. Make no mistake about it, there is a “right” way to build and choosing that path is the best approach for a successful project. Knowing what passes code, how to build (from a technical standpoint), how to properly manage your project, and how to enjoy yourself along the way will help you create a better built, safer, and more inspiring tiny house.
Since 2007 I have been teaching people not only how to build houses but also how to improve their lives. I want to share these same concepts with you and inspire you to build the best tiny house you can while creating the best life for yourself along the way.
Where do I find out more information about your workshops?
We are working on the tiny house build workshop page right now and will be releasing the locations for the early part of 2016 schedule on November 27 at 9am Pacific Time. Stay tuned for more information about that date and also for “The Biggest Tiny Sale” we will be running from November 27-December 4. You will have an opportunity to sign up for our workshops at a sale price during that time.
What will the workshops cost and what does my tuition cover?
We will reveal the price, locations, and dates on November 27. What I can say though is that we are throwing in a crazy amount of free bonuses to each workshop registration! In total the bonuses are worth over $300 and include The How To Guide To Building A Tiny House (Instant Download), How To Be Your Own Contractor Video Series (Instant Download) AND our hOMe Digital Plans Package. All of those items are available as instant downloads as soon as you sign up for a location.
Keep me in the loop. I’m definitely interested!
My son and I are interested in a workshop. Please forward times and dates. Thank you.
I hope Chicago??
Yes Please chicago.
Hi any workshops in Boston area??
Thanks
Hi Chris. Stay tuned… We will announce the exact dates and location on Friday, November 27th. Less than a week away!
Keep me in the loop. Deffo coming
Hi Andrew,
Have you post the location yet??? I can’t find!!!! I al looking forward to join!!!!!!! All the best!
Hi Joana! We sure have: https://tinyhousebuild.com/workshops-2/ Look forward to meeting you! 🙂
Hi I’m late getting in on this but will you be having a tiny house workshop in the mississippi gulf coast area? Thanks , jason #futuretinyhomebuilder
I am dedinantly interested in attending a “how to build your own Tiny Home” workshop….
Please keep me posted
Blessings.
Todd
I am interested in the workshops.
Hey my name is Alex thuer and im from india state nagaland looks like chinese and i’m intersting in tiny house so how can i join my whole with you.
Hi Alex. Great you’re interested in tiny houses! What kinds of resources are you looking for with tiny houses?
Very interested. Living in Denmark, but very eager to move to southern Europe and find a spot to build my tiny house.
Would love to come to the States and learn how to build.
Let me know where and when and I´ll be there for sure 🙂
I’m excited! I can’t wait to sign up!
Married? Really? I totally missed that!
🙂
Really though, I think this is GREAT!! Always felt yours would be a workshop I would want to attend… if/when I was able to. Opportunity isn’t here just yet. But someday. 🙂
I will be there!
Hey Andrew!
I was wondering when you would get around to this! Keep me informed. I have already bought a 2 axle 24′ RV frame with hydraulic tip-out mechanism and written 7 pages of specs. Currently I am working with the state of Montana to establish licensing protocols (and yes I gave them your name just last week!). Get in touch with me and I’ll give you the contact info.
Regards,
Will C
Flathead Strawbale Workshop 2014
I really hope you guys do one in St. Louis! I’m going to start building my tiny house this summer, and would love to attend a workshop!
I’m in Arkansas, but willing to travel to the workshop. Definitely interested.
any in western canada
Will there be any workshops in the Midwest? I live in the La Crosse, WI area. My wife and I are putting our place up for sale next Spring and will be radically downsizing. This is a perfect time for me to attend a workshop, if not to build a tiny house, at least to build a shell to house a tiny studio.
As much as I would like to, I just can’t travel to the west or east coasts to attend workshops.
Looking forward to reading what the shedule will be.
-Rob
Hi Rob. We did our best to start the workshop season with locations that would be accessible to as many folks in the US as possible. The locations and dates will be released in less than a week on Friday the 27th. Stay tuned… 🙂
Hello everyone , can I get a download link “How To Build A Tiny House” or DVD
Can not take part in the workshops because I from another continent .
I live in Croatia. Thanks in advance.
Hello Neno. You can pick up either the DVD or the instant download on our sales page: https://tinyhousebuild.com/dvd/. The DVD will work in any computer worldwide, but will likely not work in your tv/dvd player. Cheers.
I’m working on downsizing from a 3bd…2ba rental house to a travel trailer. ( to see if I can handle living in a tiny space) while saving for and working on details of my Tiny home…I’m in Southern CA..fingers crossed a workshop will be closer!! Also hoping sing core will be discussed as a possible building material?
Happy Thanksgiving and looking forward to hearing about the dates!!
Yay, pls come to austria 😀
Hope that one of your locations will be local here in southern oregon. If so you can count us in for sure.
We can’t wait to hear dates/locations! My husband and I have our custom built trailer and really need to get more info before building. We’ll do everything we can to make it! ♡
If there is one even remotely close to me then I will be signing up! This is what I’ve been waiting for!
Please let me know about any workshops or other events in New England.
Thanks,
SK-B
Brattleboro, Vermont
Another one hoping for a Midwest workshop- I live near La Crosse, Wisconsin also where we have the highest concentration of organic farms in the country!
Madison? Chicago?
Could I get more information about the upcoming workshop.
Walton Burke
We are in the process of building our tiny home. We built our home (yes built not finished) our home which includes 16′ vaulted ceilings and 9 skylights some 30 years ago. We felt confident building our current home but the tiny home will be on wheels so we have some questions.
Our main question at this time Is will you offer classes on the East Coast and PLEASE allow a husband and wife to come as a unit. We cannot do this alone and courses are too costly to pay for two people living in the same house.
Looking forward to more information.
Thanks for your suggestion Cathleen. We will take that into consideration and see if we can offer that. Because space is limited, that may be hard to provide, but we will certainly take a look at the idea and see.
Please keep me in the loop
Orlando, please!
I’m Very interested in a workshop and more. Please keep me informed.
Thank you!
Interested in attending workshop . Please send info. Thanks
I live in Dallas, TX.
I would love to join if you have the workshop in TX.
Please keep me in the loop.
OREGON! 🙂
Definitely interested. Would love to remain informed. I am saving your page
Is it possible to put a tiny house in a tree!!! A tiny tree house!!!! New Mexico Thanks
I would say it’s easier to put a tiny house in a tree than a big one! We have a small (160 sf) tree house on our property. It doesn’t have anything other than a main room and a closet, but with proper design elements it could certainly be a tiny house.
Wonderful, please come to Florida, there are not a lot of workshops for tiny houses down here. I don’t understand why though we have more trailer homes and RV parks than any state, well you would think anyway. Lol.!! Please, please, please!!!
Please, please, PLEASE don’t compare any properly built tiny house to a trailer home or even an RV. I lived in a trailer home (stayed in an RV for a short time also) and there is definitely NO comparison! Quality, style, comfort just doesn’t really exist on this level in those. Even on a trailer base a tiny house is in an entirely different class than those. If you want cheap then go with a trailer home. If you want to travel all over constantly without concern for staying warm in the cold than go with a RV (designed for constant travel at the expense of insulation and environmental comfort unlike a tiny house). A tiny house is first of all a house… just a bit smaller. But the same comfort and quality as any stick built house, even better than many, with none of the extra baggage that you don’t need. 🙂
Yes I would attend for sure – just went to a TumbleWeed workshop in Sonoma. So anywhere in the North Bay or SF Bay area would be fantastic!!! Sonoma County is very tiny house friendly.
thanks
Kelsey Escoto
UGH! I can’t wait for you guys to start these! I am so ready to learn these techniques and later on build my tiny house! I’ve been to a few different websites and I’m always watching youtube on anything tiny house related so I can learn a few things beforehand. I have to say, your hOMe is amazing! and I’m planning to heavily rely on your layout and design for my own build! Please come to FL! Keep up the good work.
Anywhere between the Tampa & Orlando Fl area. There is also a nice little development just off I4 &Hwy 27 in Haynes City in what I think is an RV park, where they built a long row of tiny houses as affordable dwellings (Google Earth it and look to the South side of I4 just West of the Hwy 27 bridge).
What is your 2016 workshop schedule and what is the cost?
Go to the top of this page and click on Workshops SALE link in the menu bar. Everything is explained there.
Yes I am interested, will you have a workshop close to the Mississippi gulf coast?
Jason can you join us in February (13&14) in Orlando? Would love to have you join us!
please let me know where and when the workshop will be
Question:
I am really curious, Why is the roof slanted like it is in the hOMe design? What is the purpose of doing that? I have seem similar homes and the roofs are flat. If the roof is flat, couldn’t you have a rooftop deck? And then you would also have more head room in the loft spaces.
Thank you
The shed roof is better than the gabled roof that I’ve seen on maybe 90% or more tiny houses. The video on this blog explains the reason really well I think (look for videos on the Gallery page and click on the tour of hOMe). A shed roof is also better than a flat roof IMHO due to the extra cost and special materials and work to ensure a flat roof is absolutely leak proof from the inevitable standing water that will sit on it. A shed roof will shed water so no worries about leaks from standing water as there is with a flat roof. If it is also used as a rooftop deck there is the additional cost and effort to make your water proofing even more durable than usual so you can actually use it. I’ve watched industrial workers making large flat roofs waterproof and it’s a whole lotta extra work and effort and materials and time. I think a deck on the ground next to my tiny house would do just fine… and it would be a lot easier to get onto as well 🙂
l
Live in Massachusetts. Would love to attend a workshop in New England or even North-eastern New York. Please let me know dates, times, and cost. Thank you
Hi Susan! You’re in luck…our workshops have gone so well that we are adding 3 locations this summer and fall and the NE is at the top of the list. Stay tuned for more info. Look forward to meeting you in person!
I would love it you can build a tiny house for me
Hi Lady bug1228. So sorry but we don’t build them for others. EcoCabins.com does though! 🙂
Please send me a list of the workshop locations. Thank you
Go to the top of this page and click on the menu bar button labeled “Workshops” and you will see all the currently scheduled locations and upcoming dates. 🙂
Are you planning an exhibit in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale?
Is it possible to come for a viewing of your homes? Is their an entrance fee?
Thanks,
Amber
Hi Amber! We do plan on coming back to FL early next year bc we are getting so many requests. We make best attempt to find a tiny house for participants to be able to tour at each of our workshops. Yes, there is an attendance fee for our workshops. Hope to see you early next year! 🙂
please keep me on your mailing list – very interested to learn from the wheelbase up how to build my own tiny home
Do you demonstrate as well? I was hoping that this was hands on.
Hi Kellie! We are not a hands on workshop. The reason is that if we were to slow down to demonstrate everything that we teach at the workshop, it would be a 4 week workshop which most people can’t do. Instead we chose our classroom model so that we can give our participants as many resources as possible for their building success 🙂
We really need these workshops!! Are there any coming to the Pittsburgh area soon?? Cleveland? Buffalo?……. joe
Hey there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a marvellous job!
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