BUILDING WITH BOUNDARIES
Mariah Hoffman
Photo: Julie Blair
There are SO many lessons that I learned the hard way during my build. Many of those included navigating the physical and emotional toll that truly comes with a DIY tiny house build. For as much as I learned about building and construction, I learned just as much (if not more) about my own limits, capacity, and bandwidth in managing a project of this scope. So please, learn from my lessons in setting better boundaries in building your own tiny home!
5 TIPS FOR BUILDING YOUR TINY HOUSE WITH BOUNDARIES:
1. BUILD IN BREAKS AND CELEBRATE MILESTONES: This one was hugeeee for me. Building on weekends for 5 years was tiring and tested every inch of my endurance. But one thing I learned early on was to find small ways to celebrate my wins. This usually included a party and bonfire after finishing another milestone (obviously, adapt this within COVID reason now).
Annual birthday parties in my house-in-progress pre-COVID. I miss these days and these Queens!
2. EMBRACE THE PREP DAY: As the saying goes in construction, everything takes 3x as long and costs 3x as much to build. My tiny house build was no exception. If your build is anything like mine, you might be balancing a full-time job during the week, and building only on weekends. If that is the case, do yourself a favor to an allot specific time before any project to gather materials, double check what supplies you have on hand, clean your job site, and make an action plan for your limited time building.
My re-grouping usually starts with snacks. And ends with snacks. It’s mostly snacks.
3. BE CONSCIOUS OF AIR QUALITY: I’ve struggled with chronic migraines since high school. Although I’ve gotten wayyyy better at identifying my triggers (i.e. lack of sleep, diet, and hormones etc.), building a tiny house can still expose you to chemicals, fumes, and lots of dust. As someone who needed to move into my house during the last year of my build, I learned to be hyper-aware of mask wearing while using paints and dusting. As an added measure, I used an air purifier and kept my fan running on days when there was added dust in my small space.
4. BE WILLING TO ASK FOR HELP, IF NEED BE: Coming from this over-achiever, this was one that I had to learn the hard way. Having been fed dozens of advice warranted or not (*ahem* mansplaining), I conditioned myself to keep my head down and avoid asking for help many times. But over the years, I collected a short list of trusted friends I could call on to help on specific projects. So try calling it a “Work Party” and invite help on a day you need that extra push. Pro-tip: Beer and chips are a nice incentive for friends after a good long work day.
My homegirl and fellow builder Lena helping me install my custom door handle.
5. AVOID COMPARING YOUR JOURNEY TO THAT OF OTHERS: One more time for the people in the back! As much as we want to see ourselves or our similar designs in other peoples tiny houses, PLEASE AVOID the trap of comparison. Even with the same framing plans, no two DIY builds are the same. So trust your journey, your process, your timeline and know that your tiny house success is relative to you.
