This project is by far the hardest single thing I’ve ever undertaken. Thankfully, there are lots of guides out there that talk about good ideas for small home design, how to build this and that, and how to make these ideas a reality. There aren’t many that deal with the stresses that come along with it.

There’s a dude in Pennsylvania named Chris, whose writing I’ve admired for a long time, who is also in the process of building a tiny house. His house is on solid ground, and his walls are square (I’m jealous). He’s writing a bit about the frustrations that come from attempting to do something like this without any experience, and it’s been helpful to read. I’m going to try and include a bit more of that as well.

For a long time, whenever people talked to me about how much they would love to take a trip like the one I did in 2009, I told them to do it. It’s easy – stop dreaming, start doing. I don’t think I’ll be saying the same thing about this project.

Chris wrote a great manifesto for building a tiny house on a shoestring budget. I recognize that he’s right about the personal imperfections of occupant-assembled living quarters, but I’m still trying to make reality reach a vision I have in my head. Sometimes it’s hard when the two don’t mesh.

I’m working on it.