The first-ever Tiny House Jamboree took place in Colorado Springs, Colo., in early August, and drew more than 40,000 people. The event, held at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, brought together people from all 50 states and more than 10 countries to learn about tiny homes and share ideas on reducing their physical, economic and environmental footprint.The tiny house movement is an ecological and economic reaction to large energy inefficient homes. The tiny homes are a cross between travel trailer recreational vehicles and small cabins. They are built on a trailer chassis to allow the homeowner to move the tiny house to other sites more quickly than mobile homes and make use of often more lenient RV building codes.Being mobile allows tiny home residents to become digital nomads, said Andrew Odom, founder of Tiny r(E)volution. ìA digital nomad is someone in this new kind of corporate world where you can work ñ- get this ñ- anywhere you want to,î Odom said. ìThey can perform their work duties and generally their lifestyle in a nomadic manner.îOwning a tiny house means that people who are location independent can move on whims or new opportunities much faster that someone living in a traditional home.ìDigital nomads can travel with their tiny house built on trailers with wheels, and can take it with them places,î Odom said. ìYou don’t have to move constantly. Location independent simply means being able to move any time you want. You can roam until you find home.îTiny houses can be purchased as complete turn-key structures or they can be built by their owners. Builders Eco Cabins, Tumbleweed and Tiny House Chattanooga brought model homes, each of which had lines of more than 30 people awaiting the chance to see inside the home. The homes range from 100 to 400 square feet, and are built to street-legal dimensions like RVs. However, they have creative living and storage designs because of the expectation they are full-time residences. Lofts, pass-through closets doubling as room dividers and dual-purpose living and dining areas are common features.Organizers pre-registered about 10,000 people online before the event, and were surprised by the massive attendance, which quadrupled their best expectations. Despite the large crowds and massive interest in the event and movement, speakers and vendors took time to answer as many questions as possible. ìThe entire tiny house community is like one big family, even as it has grown quite large,î said Derek Diedricksen, host of Tiny House Builders on HGTV. ìOverall, it’s so open and loving ñ- it sounds kind of hippy, but everywhere I go; everyone is so friendly.îThe vendors at the Tiny House Jamboree reflected the eclectic and specialized needs of living in small and mobile spaces. Unlike typical home and garden shows, there were no pool and spa companies or large entertainment system installation booths. Composting toilets, organizational systems and solar power companies lined the paths in between the model tiny homes.An informal poll at one of the seminars showed most people were in the dreaming / planning stage, with only a small minority already living in tiny homes. Many said they were fascinated by the idea and wanted to incorporate some of the concepts of reducing clutter and lowering their environmental footprint into their existing larger homes. Groups, including Pikes Peak Permaculture and mainstream companies such as Ikea, were on hand to talk about how stationary structures could incorporate some of the ideals of the tiny house concept.Vendors and speakers were careful to make sure attendees knew the tiny lifestyle was not for everyone. ìJust because you’re here this weekend does not mean you have to leave and start your tiny house build on Monday,î Odom said. ìIn fact, I hope that some people leave and say, ëThat tiny house mess is not for me,’ I don’t want you to be a year down the road and be miserable.îOrganizers have hinted on social media that there could be another jamboree next year, but no plans have been announced.
