With so many tiny house designs to choose from, new builders popping up left and right, and so many questions regarding living tiny beyond the perfectly staged Instagram images, where do you start??
It's all a bit overwhelming to say the least. We've been there, and we know exactly how you feel.
Your best asset is reaching out to people who are dealing with the daily challenges of a tiny life, but more importantly, learning how to overcome them in their own unique ways.
From all walks of life, from every corner of the world, these 18 individuals and families have and continue to inspire us to dream big & live tiny! Check them out!
1. @threetinyhams – California
Family of three—the Cunningham family—are raising a young daughter and a rescue bull terrier in their beautiful 28’ tiny house on wheels. We’ve been following their tiny journey since they made the leap last September of 2017, and have been a great resource for how to live tiny with a kid! Their tiny house has undergone many changes in one year, & they firmly believe that your tiny house will inevitably evolve to suit your lifestyle—so don’t sweat the design & build phase too much :)
2. @tinyhousebasics – California
Joshua & Shelley from Tiny House Basics have been living tiny for 4 years now in their cozy 374-sqft tiny house on wheels in California. If you’ve been following the tiny house movement in the recent years, you have probably seen their home at some point on the Internet—for good reason—and they have done a great deal for the movement, inspiring others to live tiny as well. If you’re in the market for a trailer for your tiny house, they also sell & ship tiny house trailers to all 50 US states & Canada!
3. @nicolettenotes - California
Nicollete, a 24-year-old dreamer, self-built her tiny house with her boyfriend, Michael, and have been living tiny for a few months now! Nicollete also share bits of her daily tiny life with us on her YouTube channel, nicolettenotes, and even vlogged some of their build! Be sure to give her a follow to see where their tiny journey takes them!
4. @belafish – California
Another #tinyhousegoals family—Bela Fishbeyn, her husband Spencer, & their beautiful daughter Escher live in one of the most beautiful tiny houses we have seen yet! Their 30’ gooseneck tiny house on wheels has been on the cover of many prominent home & garden magazines, & was even temporarily for rent on Airbnb this past summer while Bela & her family road tripped around the US! Their home was sought out so much last summer, that Bela & Spencer decided to rent their home again this past winter and are currently visiting family and doing some more traveling! Check out their blog, Tiny Migrations, to see what tiny living with a kid is all about.
5. @tiffany_the_tiny_home – Florida
Tiffany the Tiny Home—home to Tim & Sam in Florida—is a 1920s bungalow-style tiny home with one of the dreamiest bathroom tubs you may ever see in a tiny house! We met Tim & Sam this past April at the St. Pete Tiny Home Festival after following them on Instagram for about a year (just when they purchased their home!) and was so great finally getting to meet them in person. Be sure to read through their blog for their advice on everything from living tiny with pets to travel to tiny house product reviews!
6. @tiny_house_expedition – Everywhere!
Alexis & Christian, documentary filmmakers behind Tiny House Expedition, have been traveling for over 3 and a half years in their self-built (with the help of some friends!) 130-sqft tiny house on wheels! After building their home in North Carolina, they set off on an expedition around the US to document tiny house communities, interview city officials regarding tiny house regulations, & coincidentally, have become the World's Most Traveled Tiny House on Wheels with over 54,000 miles under their belts and counting!
7. @shed_tinyhouse – Washington
The SHED tiny house, self-built by owners Robert & Samantha, was home to their family of 3, including their daughter Aubrin! Their 204-sqft tiny house is a simple, yet functional (& very aesthetically pleasing) home that was built for only $30,000. What we love about Robert & Samantha’s tiny journey is how transparent they have been about their goals for living tiny—this is not their forever home, but a means to an end. To create the lifestyle they have always wanted to live. And true to their vision, the family is transitioning from their tiny house to a larger home for their growing family. Regardless, the couple has shared some great insight and tips for your own builds & tiny lives so be sure to check their blog out. Best of luck Robert & Samantha!
8. @luxurytinyhome – Ohio
Brooke & Wilhelm (@brookeandwilhelm) are copywriters and lifestyle strategy coaches who decided to build their dream tiny home in January 2018 and it was finished a few months ago. The couple is madly in love and committed to a life of minimalism in order to downsize their “stuff” and increase their life experiences. They plan to park their home on a family farmland in Ohio during the winter months and then travel around with their home in the warmer months— their first stop is Florida.
9. @operation_atlas – Washington
Dylan & Amy from Operation Atlas built their DIY tiny house over the course of a year in 2017, moving in during August 2017! Amy works as a traveling nurse, & Dylan is a software engineer, so their nomadic careers allow them to live somewhere new every 3 months or so. We also met Dylan & Amy in April 2018 at the St. Pete Tiny Home Festival and were amazed at the beautiful home they were able to build on their own!
10. @gobetinyhome – California
David built his own 24-by-8 foot home in California designing the home himself rather than following a building plan. He is a firefighter who lives in his gorgeous home with his black lab, Cash. The name GoBe was inspired both by his grandparents (GoGo and BeBe) as well as the idea to go be. David’s tiny house is his way of creating a smart and simple home that matches his lifestyle.
11. @living_the_tiny_dream – Washington
Alexis & Brian have been living in their beautiful tiny house on wheels with their cute pup, Cooper, for almost 2 years! Living tiny has allowed the couple to minimize their financial obligations so that they can pay down substantial amounts of loans, and has encouraged them to spend more time outside in the beautiful PNW!
12. @tinymissdollyonwheels – Australia
Dolly was inspired by a house-truck in New Zealand back in 2013 so she set out to rent AirBnB tiny homes to see if she could give this lifestyle a go. Since then, Dolly hired a company to build her a 25 sq meter home (including loft areas) that was ready in 10 weeks. Her space is nicely decorated featuring a mostly white and wood interior with pops of pink and green that she says match her personality. She also makes her best effort to live sustainably in her home.
13. @westcoasttinyhome – British Columbia, Canada
Amy and Craig have spent the last year building their tiny home on wheels in British Columbia. This blue home currently sits on Vancouver Island and is still being finished up, but already looking incredible! They also have a new super cute Vizsla pup, Murphy.
14. @tinyhousefamily – Florida
Family of 5 (Micah, Jana, Silas, Abel, & pup, Winter) lived in their first tiny house for 3 years—started as a small family of 3, and quickly grew to 5. They recently bought a larger tiny home and transitioned their original tiny home into a guesthouse & Airbnb!
15. @buildingtinyauckland – Waiheke Island, New Zealand
William and Kate built a stunning tiny home of wheels on their half acre in Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Thanks to William’s architectural skills coupled with Kate’s designer abilities, the couple has created a cozy space in a secluded feeling destination. William and Kate are now expecting a new addition to their home soon, a baby boy due in March.
16. @tinyhouseofny – New York
Jess and Todd ditched their normal-sized home and downsized their belongings to design and build their own tiny house on wheels. They travel around with their two large pups, Marco and Allie and find that having the dogs actually helps ensure they all spend a great deal of time outdoors as a family. Their journey began nearly two years ago.
17. @no4cottonburrow – North Carolina
After retiring from the Air Force, Tanya had a 36-foot custom tiny house on wheels built by Perch & Nest. This home is non-toxic using as many natural and chemical-free products as the space and budget would allow. Tanya also shares her home with her cat, Pete.
18. @tinytimberhouse – New Hampshire
Paul and Makenzie are a couple who have lived in their tiny home full-time for over 4 years now. Paul built their 8x18 timber frame tiny on wheels over the course of two years. Since then they moved to Wyoming but have now returned to NH where they live and work on a small sheep farm. Their journey is accompanied by their precious Australian Shepherd, Copper.
These 18 wonderful dreamers & tiny house dwellers round out our list this time around. Each and every one of these individuals have inspired us in many ways while growing this platform and on our own tiny journey, so for that, we are forever grateful! Keep dreaming big and living your best tiny lives.
With so many incredible people and families living tiny these days (which we LOVE), it was tough putting this short list together! If we left out any tiny house on wheels dwellers that you think we should add to this list, leave us a comment below or send us a DM on Instagram (@dreambiglivetiny)!
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+Hi There!
My name is Alan—founder at Dream Big Live Tiny Co! A few years ago, I quit my consulting job to pursue a life full of adventure. After traveling around the world for a year, I sold most of my stuff and moved into an 160-sqft tiny house. Now I spend most of my time showcasing incredible people living with less in pursuit of more freedom, as well as incredible tiny houses around the world!