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
Two Kids in a Tiny House? Jesse & Esther Reflect on Building, Parenting, and Moving On
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In the first episode of Season 3 of Candid Tiny House, host Shannon Schultz sits down with Jesse and Esther to reflect on their experience building and living in a tiny house on wheels in Australia — with two children.
This candid conversation explores what it’s really like to raise a young family in a tiny house, including the practical realities, the unexpected challenges, and the meaningful rewards that come with choosing a smaller lifestyle.
When this interview was recorded in June 2022, Jesse and Esther were preparing to sell their tiny house after living in it for two years in Esther’s parents’ backyard. By this point, the house was almost empty — making it the perfect moment for honest reflection about what worked, what didn’t, and what they would do differently.
They originally moved into their tiny house when their first child was still a toddler. During their time living there they welcomed their 2nd child with a home birth in the tiny house during COVID lockdowns, adding another layer to their experience of family life in a very small space.
In this episode, Jesse and Esther generously share their warts-and-all reflections about building and living in a tiny house with children. This conversation is not about selling the tiny house dream — it’s about helping future builders learn from real experiences.
If you’ve ever wondered:
- Can you live in a tiny house with kids?
- How much does a tiny house really cost?
- Should I DIY my tiny house or hire a builder?
- How do families manage storage in a tiny house?
…this episode is full of valuable insights.
Host Shannon Schultz also shares some reflections from her own experience raising a young child while living in a tiny house, adding another perspective on parenting in small spaces.
Stay tuned until the end of the episode for a heart-warming update on Jesse and Esther’s next project.
Topics discussed in this episode
- Why Jesse and Esther decided to build a tiny house on wheels
- Working with a professional builder vs DIY tiny house construction
- How long their tiny house build actually took
- The real cost and budget of building their tiny house
- Renovating and modifying a tiny house after moving in
- The realities of raising kids in a tiny house
- Having a home birth in a tiny house
- Living through COVID lockdowns in a tiny house
- Storage and layout ideas for tiny house design
- How to interview a tiny house builder
- Weight management and trailer considerations for tiny houses on wheels
- Building homemade Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
- The challenges of finding land for a tiny house in Australia
- Ethics and motivations behind choosing tiny house living
About the Podcast
Candid Tiny House is a podcast and video series hosted by Shannon Schultz of Fred’s Tiny Houses.
Each episode features real conversations with people who have built their own tiny house on wheels in Australia after purchasing a trailer or attending one of Fred’s Tiny Houses workshops.
Instead of polished success stories, these interviews focus on honest reflections after the build is finished — exploring the lessons, mistakes, surprises, and wisdom that come from actually living in a tiny house.
The goal is to help future tiny house builders make better decisions, avoid common pitfalls, and understand the realities of tiny house livin
