Blogging Your Tiny House Build?

This is a topic that comes up pretty often and I am sad to say that a lot of people have chosen NOT to blog their build, number one reason I hear ‘the niche is saturated already’.  Makes me SO sad to hear!

When asked if I think you should start a blog for your own build I ALWAYS answer with a great big ‘ABSOLUTELY I do!’

I will back up and say I am not a ‘real blogger’, I didn’t get into ‘tiny housing’ to blog nor did I ever expect that any other soul would read the words I write (and boy I’m sorry sometimes when I go back and see all the posts that were never proofread or even spell checked…).   I started blogging for me and I suggest others start for that reason too (rather than to make money, get famous, tell others what to do or anything like that…)!  There are a few reasons for this:

• If it isn’t for you it is really hard to justify those late, late nights recapping your days work to the internet, who is really not all that likely to respond in droves… If it is for you, and you commit to it, it gets easier to justify that time.
• If you are constantly trying to think about what others will want to see about your build, or hear from you you are not going to have a ‘genuine’ feel and will most likely have a hard time finding readers anyway, people want honesty and they want to see what it is that you are doing and why you are choosing to do it… and you’ll want to remember over time too, occasionally.
• It is nice and handy to have your build documented.  I used it both to get registered at my final inspection and I have referenced back MANY times to remember how I did something…
• Simply put, if it is for others you won’t do it, if it is for you, you might!

There may never be anything that comes out of blogging your build, it does take a lot of time and commitment to follow through – but if you are at all interested I strongly suggest you give it a go!  Some things you might not expect that COULD happen….

• People read your posts!
• People send you nice supportive comments and emails!
• People re energize you when you are feeling overwhelmed with the tiny houseness and give you that boost of energy you need to get over the next hump!
• People stop you from making a huge mistake if they see something unsafe happening (take it all with a grain of salt, they aren’t ALWAYS right… but they might be!).
• You might get materials donated to you by companies who see you as a great way to advertise their stuff.
• You MIGHT make money (this is a long shot… my first check was $2.39 for a month, but let me tell you, I was STOKED!  Hardly a job replacement though…)
• You will learn, about the internet, about yourself, about building and teaching…
• You will have a great open journal and documentation to show prospective buyers of how your house was constructed, should you ever need to sell… and inspectors…
• You’ll be able to answer all of your friends and families questions at one time and stay in touch over this ‘weird project’
• You’ll probably introduce some new folks to the tiny house idea, normalizing things and inspiring all at the same time!
• It may make it easier for you to find a place to park your tiny once it’s complete by both providing a ‘finished picture’ as well as showing the safety measures taken throughout your build to prospective hosts!
• You might just have fun!

You may never have more than 10 readers, you may never make a cent, you may start and then stop and be all sorts of inconsistent (well you probably will be) BUT in the end you MIGHT just have a really cool journey documented to show your friends and family, you’ll have something to be really proud of!

So, what are your reasons NOT to blog?  If you’re not blogging how else are you planning to document your project/progress?

Finally, if you have a blog and happen to see this post can you leave it in a comment below, I LOVE following new and old builds!