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.
Candid Tiny House
Season 3! Real DIY Tiny House Build Stories
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What’s it really like to build and live in a tiny house in Australia?
In Season 3 of the Candid Tiny House Podcast, host Shannon from Fred’s Tiny Houses sits down with past clients who have taken the leap — buying a trailer, attending the How to Build a Tiny House in Australia Weekend Workshop, or completing the Online Course — and then going on to build their own tiny houses on wheels.
These are honest, warts-and-all conversations with real people who have designed, built, and lived in their tiny homes. They share the challenges, the unexpected obstacles, the problem-solving, and the lessons they learned along the way.
In this season you’ll hear stories from:
• A first-time builder who had only made a coffee table before building his entire tiny house
• A family who lived with two children in their tiny house and even experienced a home birth during lock-down
• An architect student who built a tiny house to gain hands-on building experience
• Couples who designed and built their tiny house as their lives evolved
• Tiny house dwellers who dramatically reduced their housing costs and achieved financial freedom
Each episode dives into the real process of designing, building, and living in a tiny house on wheels in Australia — including the hard parts as well as the rewards.
If you're thinking about building your own tiny house, planning a DIY tiny house build, or simply curious about tiny house living, these candid interviews will give you the insights you won’t find in polished social media posts.
Candid Tiny House – Real people. Real builds. Real stories.
Hosted by Shannon from Fred’s Tiny Houses, supporting people across Australia to build their own tiny houses through trailers, workshops, and online education.
Music by Scott Buckley.