Tiny Home Movement Documentary – We the Tiny House People

FREEDOM, it’s something that’s starting to become a foreign concept in this country, and I’m not just talking about politics.

A tiny home in the woods

From technology and mainstream media, to the never-ending quest to out keep up with the neighbors, Americans have become shackled down by our modern consumer culture. They have forgotten what it means to be free.

The Tiny Home Movement

We have talked about the Tiny Home Movement in the past, and how a growing number of people are giving up their large homes in search of a simpler way of life. A new documentary from Kirsten Dirksen, with Fair Companies, called “We the Tiny House People,” showcases people who downsized their lives and took an alternative approach to life.

The thing that intrigues me about the “Tiny Home Movement” is how ordinary everyday people are finally starting to wake up and realize that they don’t need to buy into the modern “American Dream”. That’s not to say I don’t believe in the American Dream, I just think it’s been warped into some perverse gimmick used to convince people they need to go into massive amounts of debt to be happy. In my opinion, that’s not a dream; it sounds more like a nightmare.

“We the Tiny House People” is a 5 year project that looks into the alternative living movement. It features people searching for simplicity, self-sufficiency, minimalism and happiness by creating shelters in everything from small shacks and house boats, to converted treehouses, caves and trailers. While this lifestyle may not be right for everyone, it definitely shows that you don’t need much to be happy. It’s also a good reminder that there’s a whole world out there waiting to be explored.

Watch the “We the Tiny House People” Documentary

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34 Comments

  1. My husband and I took an old tractor barn on our property 24×22 and turned it into a house,full bathroom with full size washer /dryer, stand up shower stall,full bedroom,gally kitchen,full size appliances,livngroom/dining room/ work station.plus we have wood stove for heat,little tight but comfortable,so it is possable to live comfortable in small spaces and downsize,you have to learn to use every space and wall for storage,this was a very good documentary. we have never needed anything fancy,big and expensive,everything we buy is used….from the out side it stills looks like tractor barn somewhat,no one knows we live in here other then family and a few friends.

  2. The small homes we have designed for our Haiti project are a great alternative for “tiny homes” here in the US. We hope to make a difference for the homeless veteran and others who have found themselves in that situation.

  3. I so agree with you. My family does not watch t.v. anymore because we realized we were parking our butts down and watching others live.

    • I don’t have t.v. anymore because it is truly trash, offers nothing uplifting, moral, or constructive. I do like sports but not enough to spend my money on cable.
      I haven’t missed it, but I do have internet. All I need.

  4. they are forcing this on all of us whether they mean to or not. the price of gas has me cutting out allot lately, but once the economy tanks, and I dont have a job to drive to, I’ll have all I need at home already. food shelter, and a heat source. I’ve made games again out of making candles with the kids, we color, or read instead of TV or video games. etc.etc

  5. Is it not odd/interesting that most of these people with the tiny houses are in same sex relationships?

    • Yeah, I noticed that too! Maybe the company that made/sponsored the documentary is owned and run by homosexuals. They can be pretty clannish.

      • Would it have been odd/interesting had most the couples been heterosexual? Or would no one notice or feel the need to comment on it? Try and be more accepting and understanding.

        • The world is mostly heterosexuals so that statement doesn’t really make sense. That’s like if all the people had pets and you were like if they didn’t have pets would you of mentioned it. He noticed something so he mentioned it, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

  6. i neeed to eat every day one good would do me about i cant get heath care for teeth why is that. the will give me eye care so i can see what im not eating.vietnam vet no home. no income, what the fuck. i asked the goverment to help me. shit i have to go through just to go through, im hurt and cant get what i need to help me. kill them all. is that it /should i check outim so pissed tha i neeed to usse somomes in ter net.next time you see me mfay be on the news

    • You are the kind I have moved to the wilderness to get away from. thank god my place is off the road. please go to your nearest VA hospital.

    • In this world of greed you really have to help yourself. Go to Veterans Affairs there are programs people don’t know about.

  7. I was looking at building one of these and taking it to BOL. Its isolated on some woodland property I own up north. I am for the moment still debating it. I have access to buy some shipping containers, and a friend in the construction business who said he can get me windows, and lumber for it. Im not really sure, I may go both ways and build one of these up there too. I have a pretty extended family and more room for people to bunk maybe needed if SHTF situation.

  8. That is great for those who fit the lifestyle, but I have things that are important to me that require at least twice the space of most, if not all of those houses. I like to craft, my husband likes to camp, we have food and emergency storage and I love gardening, so all of that doesn’t fit with that small of space. Good on the people who love their tiny houses though.

    • You really don’t need twice the space. That’s part of the delusion. If you live in a mobile home, then you’re always camping. No need for excess gear. If you’re closer to nature you can garden anywhere, no need fo excessive gear. If you like crafts, then maybe buy/build an extra five feet into your tiny house and use that to store your goods, use a tent or porch as a craft room, no need for excessive space. It’s not about what we need to be comfortable, but what we can be comfortable with. Simplicity is lost in excuses and reasoning. Simplify your inner life, and the outer will follow.

    • @ Miriam,
      hey we’re building a “small” house, 16 by 35, but for storage we’re also building a 8 by 16 root cellar. I too garden, infact I feed my family for most of the year from our garden and the animals we raise. We’re campers as well as hunters. I also sew, so one of the lofts, there are 2, will be my new sewing room. Just a thought. We are attracted to the tiny house movement because we will own our house, I call it a cabin, in less than a year. Does it have everything we’ve been told as a society that we need? Probably not, but it also doesn’t have a “death contract”, otherwise known as a mortgage, which is the French word for it. I love the idea that the money that would be put towards a death contract every month will now be put towards other things my small family would like, maybe vacationing, I don’t know but the freedom is nice.

  9. We the people are opting to make our own choices rather than to follow the trends in society. Normal is being re-defined and we must choose to follow what be believe or end like sheep in a vast government complex. What you possess is not what defines you it is becoming what possesses you.

  10. I live on an old 1985 34 ft chris craft boat pick up for 4000. I am slowly working on boat. hope to travel around the coast with it when I get done.

  11. I am just sickened that the majority of people can no longer spell or make a sentence. A lot of the posts make no sense at all and they barely pass as English. It’s sad what this society has come to.

    • Your point is especially true in light of the fact that we are all in presently operating a machine that can correct most spelling/grammatical errors for us.

    • @ Sewster,
      Perhaps you need some assistance in removing that stick from your ass? Is my spelling correct? Did I get the punctuation in all the right places? Maybe you just need a good stiff one at the end of the day?

  12. How about that, I’ve purchased a small house 13 years ago and didn’t realize I was part of a new movement. Everyone around me is building bigger and bigger and incurring more expenses as they play “Keep UP with the Jones”. As a matter of fact the “Keep up with the Jones” issue has become so crazy here that they are now playing it with the number of kids they have. If one family has another kid the family next to me has to have another one as well. People are nuts…

  13. it’s truly amazing how many people actually Live in vans trucks etc;I have a old work van I stayed in for years, my 90 chevy is very livable. IE Vandweller.

  14. Love these small homes, problem is getting permits to build one of them. Up where I live the zoning laws are ridiculous, anything under 1,000 sq feet is categorically refused? Cost of the ready-made tiny homes are a problem as well. No way will I pay 100K for a fancy garden shed on wheels.

    A better option is to purchase plans, build your own using recup. materials. Now to find some land …

  15. I am seeking an honest partnership to simplify my existence…willing to downsize to a tiny house to live off the grid and learn more about sustainable living (survivalist)…Can anyone help? I have 25 acres of raw land to sell or TRADE. It took me years to pay for this and I am in need of a mentor to adopt a new lifestyle…If you have any tips,you
    may contact me. I have 10 years of experience with
    working in organic gardens, working with herbs,
    harvesting,drying,preserving,etc. Miya

  16. 06/07/2015

    I have lived poor my whole life!! My husband in 77 and very sick and I have taken care of him for 13 years and want more information about the tiny home movement. I wont be able to survive when he passes and am pleading for help and how to get a person to hear my cry for help and I have never been alone. I am not a contractor and have no idea where to start and how. I live in Tennessee and hoping some person reading this will reach out and help me to not live homeless and without. Please help me to move in a direction and how. Thanks for your time Darlene

    • Omg! We are in the same boat but my love is gone is there real people out there that actually listen to real heart breaking true life current events because this is everyday life havingb to worry about whereby going to live ? How u going to eat ? Nobody u know can help cause u wouldn’t ask cause u know it would be NO .I M NOT ASKING FOR A HAND OUT BUT SAY THANK YOU TO THE PERSON THAT ANSWERED UOUR PRAYER..THATS LOVE . THATS ALL I KNOW IS JUST MY NATURAL NATURE AND RAISE THAT WAY …LOVE FOR NOTHING. SOME PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THEY ARE LOVED EVEN FROM A PERSON THAT HAS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD….ANR KNOW NOTHIN ABOUT YOU BUT DOESNT WANT TO TASTE THAT..OR BE IN YOUR BOAT.TO BAD I DONT HAVE A BOAT. JUST A RAFT.AND NO PAPER CAUSE ID GIVE IT TO YOU,

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