The Joy of Tiny House Living. Chris Schapdick

& Nest (www.perchandnest.com) and Tiny Planet Design.

      There’s a nice view looking down from the sleeping loft. You can see how the natural light enters from all sides of this home and brightens the space.

      Courtesy of Perch & Nest (www.perchandnest.com) and Tiny Planet Design.

      For such a small home, the loft is still quite large, sleeping two with minimal worries about bumping your head.

      Courtesy of Perch & Nest (www.perchandnest.com) and Tiny Planet Design.

      The view from the front door reveals most of this home, including a space-saving ladder to the sleeping loft and an inconspicuous bathroom in the back.

      Courtesy of Perch & Nest (www.perchandnest.com) and Tiny Planet Design.

      A cozy seating nook tucked into the front of the home means there’s always a place to relax for a little while.

      Courtesy of Perch & Nest (www.perchandnest.com) and Tiny Planet Design.

      The kitchen is quite minimal in this small home, with no stovetop. You can still manage nicely with what is there.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      Jenna Spesard of Tiny House Giant Journey downsized her life and built her 165-square-foot (15-square-meter) home in about a year in order to travel around the country and the world.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      There’s room for a woodstove for heating and cooking, a furry friend, and a subtle staircase that also serves as pantry and closet.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      A well-lit loft is the perfect place to rest your head after a day of travel or work. As a bonus, there is roof access from the loft—on a nice day, the roof is a great place to relax.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      Even part of the ceiling is used ingeniously as storage space for snowboards. Jenna spends most of her work time in the seating area at the front, where USB charging ports are plentiful.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      Corrugated metal sheet makes a surprising but stylish finish for the bathroom, which includes a composting toilet and a small tub that Jenna uses to give her dog a bath.

      Courtesy of Tiny House Giant Journey (www.tinyhousegiantjourney.com) and Guillaume Dutilh.

      The distressed reclaimed wood details in the interior make the home feel like a cozy bungalow.

       How I Ended Up in a Tiny House

       A Tiny History of Tiny Houses

       Why Are People Going Tiny?

       Is Tiny Right for You?

       Experiences versus Stuff: Minimalism

       Interview: Alex Eaves

      Before you run out and get yourself a tiny house, there are a few things that you should ponder. It’s potentially a big, life-changing step, and being a bit introspective now will pay dividends down the road. People wind up gravitating toward tiny houses for different reasons. You should ask yourself, and be clear about, what your motivations are. This chapter will help you sort through some of those drivers.

HOW I ENDED UP IN A TINY HOUSE

      I want to give you a little bit of background on who I am and why I’m writing this book. I’m not doing this because you should be particularly interested in my personal story. My story, however, is probably not unique—chances are you’ll see some parallels with your own life.

      I grew up in Canada, and my earliest memories are of being outdoors fishing, camping, hiking, and doing a lot of fun stuff. As an only child, I was lucky to have two parents who focused on me, and I got to spend a lot of quality time with them. In my teenage years, I wound up in the New York City area, and then, after moving around some more, including a stint in Europe, I found myself gravitating toward the New York City area again. Subsequently, I got married and had a child of my own. It was at that point when I realized the environment that I was living in was very much a suburban, densely populated, and congested area, and that this was very different from my experience as a kid. There were simply not enough trees.

      My daughter running around outside of one of my gypsy wagon builds up in the Catskills.

      As a father, I wanted