joshua tree workshop 2018

Friday, January 3, 2014

TINY HOUSE BUILDING and DESIGN WORKSHOP- 3 Days, w/Camping, in MEMPHIS, TN

THIS WORKSHOP IS COMPLETELY SOLD OUT NOW….
SORRY…. we'll announce another soonish… so keep checking back! Thanks! -Deek

APRIL 11th-13th (Fri-Sunday), 2014 will be our NEXT RELAXSHACKS.COM Hands-On Tiny House Building and Design Workshop. Each one we've done gets better and better, and we've had so many people re-sign up for workshops after having attended previous ones, that we're obviously doing something very right. So, Memphis, TN (25 min outside) is our next three day extravaganza, and I couldn't be more excited. I think this will be OUR BEST ONE YET! 
"Mendy's Shoe Box"- You'll be seeing one of Joe Everson's Shoebox models on site! 

WHY IS THIS ONE OUR BEST YET? Well, aside from it all taking place on the 7 acre spread of Joe Everson's Tennessee Tiny Homes building facility (which is pretty amazing!)….

HERE'S WHAT'S GOING ON! 
-----------------------
-We'll be building and designing TWO, if not THREE group-build cabins this time- Yes, you'll be swinging hammers, cutting boards, getting exhausted, and CREATING! We'll have more details on the projects soon. But we're taking on multiple projects to ensure that each attendee gets A LOT of focus time and experience by the end of the weekend.

-We'll TOUR FIVE TINY HOUSES- wheeled ones, ground-bound ones, a transforming A-frame I recently designed, a Martha's Vineyard-like cottage with a loft, and again, building two more.

Yes, you'll get a complete tour of THIS, full-time, lived-in, tiny house- one with a full kitchen, gorgeous bathroom, full couch, and sleep loft. Get ideas by SEEING and DOING! There's no better way….

-We'll have a Bonfire discussion and speakers at night, a BIG BONFIRE. Its a great, fun, and relaxed-atmosphere way to hear from our guest speakers, have a cold beverage or two, and get to know the people in your class. The networking of these events is more important that you realize, and you'll learn so much off one another as well.

-A meet n' greet pizza party, with ice-breaking build demos night #1- with an emphasis on budget construction and utilizing salvaged materials.

-Some GREAT guest speakers and teachers! See down below….

Also on the workshop site, you'll see this "Transforming A-Frame", one designed by Deek (with plan sets for it available in the not-too-distant future). 

-You'll learn how to frame a house, set foundation posts, build and attach a tiny home to a trailer, various approaches on ground-bound dwellings, how to build with recycled materials, what materials to select, various methods and tricks-of-the-trade in construction, where you're allowed to live tiny, and HOW, and so much more!

-You'll get to help build a mini rocket stove! And we just might cook up some grub on it.

Upon Recycled Material Construction: Here's an example of an art studio (("The Periscope") one with a sleeping loft above)) that Deek built out of 70% free and found materials. He'll tell you how and where to find materials, what to keep in mind, how to clean them, and what to pass up on.

-Pick the brains of many carpenters, designers, authors, bloggers, and beyond- many of which have built several tiny homes in the past.

-Take a group trip to Beale Street night two for some discussions, followed by fun- and GREAT live music in a city that's home to the blues!

You WILL tour the inside of this tiny house near Memphis, and by doing so, you'll grab many, many ideas on furniture placement, space-efficiency, decor, and more. SEEING the tiny houses and cabins of others, first hand, is such a great way to harvest new ideas, and to get an actual feel of what its like, layout-wise, in these small homes. 

-See a demo on Deek's MANY methods for saving LOTS of money when designing a home. If you later utilize one of his methods, the savings alone, will more than cover/justify the cost of the workshop- and that's just one small facet of this weekend!

-See a Mongolian Ger (Yurt) being set up right before your eyes- and possibly even get to stay in it! You'll have an option to stay in some tiny homes as well.

Yep, here's ANOTHER tiny house you'll get to check out

-Camp out with us and spend days AND nights talking and learning about tiny homes and small space
living.

-Learn the "DOs and DON'Ts" of tiny house building and design- the Don'ts and mistake stories are just as important!

ABOVE: THIS IS OUR NIGHTTIME CLASSROOM- This shot is from our last workshop in MA, but you get the idea. After a day of building and design, this is where we'll convene for discussions, guest speakers, slide shows, live demos, and perhaps a few cocktails if you want to b.y.o.b. These bonfires are a great opportunity to really get to know people and learn from one another!

-Get tips on small kitchen and bathroom designs, and how to overcome the challenge of limited space.

-Learn what to look for when selecting a building site- there's more to it than you think!

Shot from the Memphis, TN work locale we'll be at…. yes, its a lil' tiny house haven! 

-Build and learn the basics, tools, and safety, with another one of our ice-breaking projects- constructing pallet furniture- adirondack chairs, saw horses, tables, and more- which you'll be welcome to keep. Bring a favorite paint color if you'd like too…. We made some WILD chairs at our last workshop, which attendees then used around the fire, and later took home.

-HEAR from MANY other experts, and pick the brains of our guest speakers….their time is YOURS

-Get a private video tutorial from Deek, and one from Steven Harrell, on tiny house related building and subject matter.

Scene from our last workshop- a second side-project we worked on….a micro musician's studio/office

-Be part of a video shoot for the youtube show "Tiny Yellow House".

-Win a prize on our first night's "UGLY ROCK BAND SHIRT" contest…. bring a bad heavy metal wig for extra points! Runner up will get prizes as well- tiny house books, tools, a foot rub from Dustin (kidding)….

OUR SPEAKERS/TEACHERS (and more to come!)

DEREK "DEEK" DIEDRICKSEN- www.Relaxshacks.com- HGTV Host/Designer, Author of "Humble Homes, Simple Shacks", Blogger. Deek's cabins and designs have been cover-featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Seattle Times, The China Times, Yahoo.com's homepage, The UK Daily News, and in countless other magazines, papers, and blogs. He also has done design work for The History Channel, CBS, The DIY Network, The WB, Make Magazine, and ABC Television. Aside from his own book, his cabins have been featured in the books "Micro Green"- by Mimi Zeiger, "Tiny Homes, Simple Shelter" by Lloyd Kahn, and will be in the upcoming book "Water and Wheels".

JOE EVERSON- www.TennesseeTinyHomes.com and www.TinyHappyHomes.com, Joe's work has appeared in many blogs, newspapers, and on tv. He's EASILY one of the busier guys in the scene, having built an impressive amount of tiny houses, both on foundations, and on wheels. His work will be appearing in the upcoming book "Micro Structures", and on the show "Tiny Yellow House". If you're lucky, Joe just might bust out his Batman suit during construction!

STEVE HARRELL- Steven's the man behind www.TinyHouseListings.com, and www.TinyHouseSwoon.com, runs his blogs and youtube show from an off-grid tiny studio (one we built and designed at another workshop of ours!), and is in the process of developing a cabin home in the woods of North Carolina- off grid. Want to talk about finding land, or space, for a tiny home? He's your guy. He'll be talking solar at the workshop, with a demo, and helping you build a rocket stove, among other things.

DUSTIN "DR. DEMOLTION" DIEDRICKSEN- Dustin, a co-host, and co-carpenter, for ALL of Deek's past FIVE workshops (since 2010), is an Environmental Engineer/Toxicologist, a builder/designer of space efficient furniture, and lives in a small home with his family, one he renovated himself. His co-work with Deek has appeared in a variety of magazines, books, and tv shows. Want to know which salvage materials are safe to use, and which to avoid? He's the guy who has the answers.

KARI COOPER- Kari's about as spunky as the come, and was at our last workshop in Massachusetts, where she demonstrated how a traditional Mongolian Ger Round House (a Yurt) is designed and set-up. You'll get to see, and even help, her set one up, and possibly even stay in it. She's very knowledgeable on the subject, and dang enthusiastic.

WILL YOUNT- Will's Tiny House designs, from his company www.HummingbirdTinySpaces.com (based out of Nashville, TN), have graced many blogs, tour videos on youtube, and beyond. Another one of the harder working guys on the scene, Will's a wealth of knowledge when it comes to designing, and building homes on a budget. I hear he plays a mean guitar too….

AND YES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE!!!

Here's a video overview from a 2012 workshop we did- a video piece that MAKE MAGAZINE shot for us, which also aired on Vermont Public Radio/NPR… It gives the general/idea, or vibe, or these workshops…. (thanks to Jon Kalish for the interviews!)


SIGNING UP
- Again, these sell out fast, and space is limited, so don't wait too long….
The THREE DAY COURSE- one with almost 35 contact hours, one dinner, and weekend-long snacks, drinks, coffee, and course materials, packets, and more is $399.
Oh, we just may have some door prizes too!


Joe Everson, and Steven Harrell, two of our hosts, in front of a mini-tailgating cabin, or weekend retreat cabin on wheels- one you'll also get to check out! 

CAMPING ON SITE is an option too…. details soon….
AS is staying IN one of Joe Everson's Tiny Houses…. Joe will provide info on this soon.
There are area hotels nearby too, and the build site is about 25 minutes from the Memphis airport. There are also several restaurants and stores a very short drive away.

Once we get people signed up and closer to the date, we can talk amongst the group to share rides to and from the airport too. It has always worked well in the past.

Workshop begins Friday at noon until 5-6 pm on Sunday. Friday and Saturday, the workshop, building, discussions, bonfire, and speakers will be all day and night…. This is not a 9-5 workshop, we often hang until midnight, talking shop, picking each others brains for ideas, answering questions, and just having great conversations around the fire.

Refunds- 
Within 3 months notice, you'll get a full refund
Withing 2 months of the date- 75% refund
Withing one month- You'll get a credit to ANY of the other workshops we host….
This is because many supplies, orders, reservations, rentals, and more- are based on our head count. Its also a time consumer to have to re-seek replacements for seats- time we'd rather spend on preparing for the event- which takes a MASSIVE amount of time and energy. So please plan accordingly, mark your calendars, and such, and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. Plus, its an event YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS!

Any questions- email Deek…

'Hope to see some of you there!!!!