Candid Tiny House

Candid Tiny House is an Australian podcast about the real experience of building, living, and advocating for tiny houses on wheels.

Hosted by Shannon Schultz from Fred’s Tiny Houses, the podcast features honest, candid conversations with people who have built their own tiny houses in Australia, taken workshops or online courses with Fred, and navigated the full journey from planning to living tiny.

Instead of glossy social media posts or idealised tiny house tours, Candid Tiny House focuses on the realities of designing, building, and living in a tiny house that is both a safe road vehicle and a comfortable home.

Across the series, guests share lessons learned, challenges overcome, and insights gained — from technical building tips and budgeting, to problem-solving, community support, and the physical and emotional demands of a tiny house project.

You can also watch video interviews, tours, and build footage on the Fred’s Tiny Houses YouTube channel, and see photos and articles about each build on the Fred’s Tiny Houses blog.

Season 1 – Building Tiny Houses on Wheels
Season 1 introduces listeners to clients who took a Fred’s Tiny Houses trailer, workshop, or online course and then built their own homes.

These interviews dig into the reality of the build:

The financial costs and savings
What they wish they knew before starting
Injuries, setbacks, and community support
Creative compromises and innovations

Season 1 focuses on DIY builds in Australia, giving builders practical lessons and inspiration for designing a home that works both on the road and year-round.

Season 2 – Advocacy in Action: Changing the Law for Tiny Houses
Season 2 is a documentary-style series that tracks a small Australian town’s three-year journey and two attempts to change local laws to support tiny house living.

Listeners follow the advocacy process from start to finish, learning how grassroots communities can:

Build awareness and support for tiny house-friendly policies
Navigate local councils and legal frameworks
Organise campaigns and gather community backing
Turn setbacks into victories

This season is a how-to guide for tiny house advocacy, showing that change is possible when communities work together.

Season 3 – Life After the Build
Season 3 revisits past clients who have now lived in their tiny houses and can reflect on the full journey — from early building stages to everyday tiny house life.

Guests share stories of:

Families living with children and even having home births in tiny houses
Builders achieving financial freedom by reducing housing costs
People who used their tiny house build as a stepping stone into hands-on construction skills
Couples and individuals adapting their design as their lives evolved

These candid conversations offer invaluable insights for anyone considering a DIY tiny house build in Australia and show the real rewards — and challenges — of tiny house living.

Candid Tiny House – Real people. Real builds. Real stories.

Hosted by Shannon Schultz from Fred’s Tiny Houses, supporting Australians to build their own tiny houses, advocate for tiny house-friendly policies, and learn from people who’ve walked the path before them.

All Episodes

Candid Tiny House

Bonus: Michael Bartz (Canada)

June 24, 2022 • Shannon Schultz • Season 1 • Episode 7

0:00 | 1:05:38

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Michael Bartz built his tiny house on wheels in Canada. He built the trailer too. It took him four years and now he lives in it with his partner and their three cats.

This is a bonus episode where we compare notes between building a tiny house in Canada and in Australia. The weight limits, regulations and seasons are all so different that it can lead to really different tiny house designs. But there are also lots of things in common… as we find out!

Hear about how:

To assess tiny house projects that you see in Canada or North America and how they might differ from a successful design here in Australia.
Michael felt when designing, building and living in a tiny house on wheels.
Michael approached the stress of living illegally in a tiny house on wheels.
This tiny house project sits within a greater project for Michael of reducing his carbon footprint and how he is now continuing that work through his podcast: In Over My Head.

Helpful links from this episode:

In Over My Head Podcast: https://www.inovermyheadpodcast.com/
Be UNCLUTTERED interview with Michael Bartz - hear about how he found a place to put the tiny house, and myth busting for tiny house living: https://www.beuncluttered.com.au/episodesBU/Tiny-Home-living-with-Michael-Bartz
Fred’s Tiny Houses: https://www.fredstinyhouses.com.au/
Tiny House University - How To Build A Tiny House: The Australian Online Course

Shannon Schultz

Host