Tiny House Nation Reality Check

Tiny House Nation® seemed to make people’s dreams come true. Now in reruns, the television show starring John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin ran from 2014-2019, and featured weekly stories of folks making the move to tiny living. For me, as for many, this show was often the first point of contact for people interested in the Tiny House Movement. I was captivated by the whole idea of personal downsizing and the challenge of constructing a viable residence in only a few hundred square feet. My research into this new world eventually led the creation of this website, Tiny Life Consulting.

I have met both John Weisbarth and Zack Giffin.  Zack is actually a skilled carpenter and built his own tiny home to support his extreme skiing lifestyle. Before the show, he traveled from ski area to ski area with tiny home in tow.

John was a sports announcer and admits to being a little apprehensive about joining the show, but when he met Zack they clicked and the partnership you see on the screen was formed.

Tiny House Nation is Produced for TV

Here is a link that lists the entire crew behind the show.

You literally see hundreds of names. In the first few seasons it seems that the tiny house is built from start to finish in just a few days. In reality, that was mostly true. Planning and filming the nine episodes of the first season took eight months. They were actually constructing the homes in just two weeks at first, and eventually in about 10 days by the end of the season.

That first season, the schedule was exceptionally difficult to maintain. By “reveal day” you were looking at a Zack who had maybe two hours of sleep. They would film for close to twenty hours, then Zack would finally have a few hours to do what he most wanted to do: build.

The second season produced eighteen homes, each built in eight days, but corners were being cut. Quality suffered because Zack had to pull back from framing and building tasks to concentrate on the Zack Hacks- unique projects specifically designed for that unit. They were not happy about it, but never left the homeowner without a completed project.

By season three you see the build is well underway by the time filming starts. The quality was better. The schedule, while still insane, Zack said, would usually only require one all-nighter instead of many.

By season six they were working exclusively with professional tiny house builders whose clients had some clever and unique design ideas that made their build something special. They try to complete the home within the five day film process.

Zack credits his dedicated crew Greg Dewey, Josh Sandell, and Lee Roman for being able to accomplish this massive task.

Example Tiny House Nation Episode

Tiny House Nation participant, Asha Mevlana details her involvement with the show in her blog. When you read all of her entries you will get a realistic view of the process like getting a building permit, design, and material ordering. Her blog begins mid-July. She did most of the material ordering and logistics herself. They did not get the actual building permit until mid-August. John and Zack arrive September 12. The house is almost finished by then.

During the filming, the producers write in the typical “catastrophic problem” scene and John and Zack solve the issue by building another trailer, supposedly spur-of-the-moment. Of course, you can tell by Asha’s blog that the second trailer and been planned far in advance, designed, permitted, and built long before the shows filming began. You can see the episode at fyi.tv. Asha was actually chosen to be on the show because of her unique design ideas.

Because of scheduling conflicts, the show was filmed in four days (not seven).  You can also see that scenes were filmed out-of-order, and many times the pictures just have a voice-over that was done later.  That is the way producing a TV show goes sometimes. Asha finally got her Certificate Of Occupancy January 7.

Compared to Other DIY TV Shows

Compared to other DIY TV shows, these participants were real people going tiny and intending to live in a tiny home.  The home was created with a reasonable build crew and a realistic budget. This particular build had a foundation so regular building codes applied. From the city housing inspectors viewpoint, the additional trailer was not living space; basically it was just a trailer parked in the driveway. The only part of that that needed a permit was the cement pad it sits on.

Asha estimates the final cost around $90k. She added that the cost could have been lower, but she chose many high-end finishes.

Zack is most proud that his friend Asha Mevlana’s home was rated the #1 home of 2017 by Dwell Magazine.

Was Tiny House Nation The Real Deal?

I have to yes as long as you watch it with a discerning eye.  The show originally was intended to be just the story of people downsizing to a tiny lifestyle.  But the building aspect quickly became an integral part of the story when producers realized that the tiny home itself is a key to accomplishing a sustainable tiny life. Both John and Zack want to make sure that the message of tiny homes as a viable living situation moves forward.

Zack is the real deal

Zack is an excellent carpenter. He actually does design and build the cool Zack Hacks  seen on the show. He says Greg, Josh, and Lee do the heavy lifting so he can concentrate on the clever engineering aspects and the welding.

Zack built his own tiny home to facilitate his pro-skiing addiction. His journey to tiny homes began with remodeling a travel trailer. He lamented that he wasn’t allowed to park it anywhere because it was an “eyesore.” He then lived in a 400 sq./ft. cabin with six people and four dogs. The cabin was fine, but the living situation was not. He followed that with a year of van life during which time he became aware of Jay Shafer who is often credited for the start of the Tiny House Movement in the US.

Zack built his tiny home in just seven weeks in 2003 with a monetary boost from one of his skiing sponsors. He lived in it for three years and “felt dignified” to be living in such a nice home. Ski areas welcomed his home in their parking areas.

In his off time, Zack builds homes for veterans. He also does workshops for tiny home enthusiasts through Operation Tiny Home. He is a huge proponent for tiny homes as a way to solve the affordable housing crisis.

Living Big In A Tiny House

Here is a YouTube® video of Asha Mevlana being interviewed by Bryce Langston on “Living Big In A Tiny House.”

Bryce’s YouTube® channel features interviews with people who have successfully built an awesome tiny home and transitioned to tiny living.

How Tiny House Nation Relates to Your Build

As with any “made for TV” show, they tell you a story in the time allowed. Some scenes are recreations of actual conversations the build team had with the participant/owners. They make every effort to bring an authenticity to what the show portrays.

Positive takeaways from this particular episode

• A tiny home can be a good alternative and can help you live a sustainable life.
• I like the huge porch. It really extends the living space. But it seems to rain a lot there.
• I like the glass garage door. I will need to research the cost and see if they are practical in cold climates.
• Those cool “Zack Hacks” might be useful in your tiny house build.
• Downsizing can be a painful task.

Dispelling the myths of tiny house building

• Tiny homes can be built in seven days. Probably not. Plan extensively and build carefully for the best outcome.
• You can put it on a cute corner lot in a residential neighborhood. Here is a reality check on building codes.
• You can build with this professional quality on your own. Maybe, but most of us should hire an architect and designer or buy a set of plans already made.
• Your tiny home will be this good and easily built even though you do not employ professional designers and builders.
• Your build will be fun and exciting all the way through with a big reveal at the end. Let us know how it really goes.

See The expanding coffee table Zack built on this page.