Ryan Mitchell of The Tiny Life website has been keeping us posted about his exciting plans for a modified Fencl. In addition for guest writing for Tumbleweed, Ryan has been blogging about simple living, tiny houses, and environmentally responsible lifestyles on his website: we think he's awesome!

While I have been building my Tiny House, I have been living in a traditional house until my house is finished. The unfortunate thing about modern neighborhoods is that people don’t really know their neighbors, while my neighborhood wasn't any different; an interesting thing happened when I pulled up with my trailer and started building. At first it started with people craning their necks to see what was going on.  I didn't quite know what to think of it, so I just waived and gave a smile. 

For a few weeks I toiled on the floor framing and insulation, and then the magic happened.  Within one hour of the first wall going up I had three neighbors walk straight up to me and started asking questions. 

 

At first I was a little nervous on how they would react. Would they think I was crazy? Would they call code enforcement? Well as it turns out they thought it was really interesting. All of them. I had made sure to keep a few photos of what the house would look like handy to show people who wanted to know more and they were instantly on board. 

What is more, a few days later I stopped to talk to my newly acquainted neighbor and he asked if I’d be interested in moving the house to his lot when I was done building.This was a very welcomed surprise and signaled a very positive acceptance of my little house. 

So when you build your tiny house, realize you aren't just a builder, you are also a PR person; building connections and being a good neighbor is an important part of building your home!