How to Build your Own Tiny Home
3-Day Workshop June 12-14, 2026
How to build your own tiny home, on wheels or on a foundation
This workshop covers basic information related to building your own Tiny House. It will cover both Tiny Homes on Wheels (ThoWs) and Tiny Homes on foundations. The workshop is hands-on and assumes participants have basic carpentry knowledge and skills. The many uses of a Tiny Home: Permanent home, temporary home, guest house, she-shed, man-cave, independent housing for family member or friend, office, workshop, art space, writing cottage, rental, short term housing (e.g. Airbnb), income source, investment, student housing, aging parent housing, independent space for adult children, transition space, emergency housing, and so much more.
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8:30am Site Open
9am-noon Morning information session. Start hand-on project for the day.
noon-1pm Break for lunch. Bring a packed lunch.
1-4pm Afternoon hands-on project
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Topics:
What is a Tiny Home?
The many and varied uses of a Tiny Home
Tiny Home on Wheels (ThoWs) and Tiny Home on a Foundation
Legal Issues (Zoning, Building Codes, Insurance, Financing, etc.)
Exemptions
Safety and Construction
Essential Tools (and How to Use Them)
Footings, Foundations, Floor Systems
Field Trip:
Look at examples of Tiny Homes and also of different Building Systems
Hands-on Activity:
Building a Floor System
Installing Subflooring
Layout
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Topics:
All about framing (bottom plate, studs, top plate, openings for windows and doors, etc.
NC Residential Building Code
Renovating an Older Camper/RV
Converting an existing outbuilding into a Tiny Home
Guest Speaker:
Renovating on older camper/RV
Hands-on Activity:
Wall Framing
Window and Door Installation
Energy Efficiency
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Topics:
Cost Estimating and Financing a Tiny House
Insurance for a Tiny House
All about Roof Framing
Getting additional skills and information
Alternative Building Systems (Natural building, SIPs, Post and Beam, etc.)
Adding Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC
Insulation
Furniture for small spaces/Storage/Creative options for utilizing space efficiently
Living in Small Spaces
Hands-on Activity:
Framing
Basics of Roof Framing
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Safety Glasses
Hammer (Ideally a “Framing” Hammer: 20 oz.)
Tape Measure (at least 20’ tape measure)
Speed Square
Carpenter pencil
Utility Knife
Chisel (¾” or 1” wide) (Optional)
Small pry bar (Optional)
6 in 1 screwdriver (Optional)
Dust Mask (Optional)
Tool Belt (Optional)
Construction Gloves (Optional)
Ear Protection (Optional)
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Requires basic carpentry skills or having taken the Carpentry for Newbies workshop.
Workshop happens regardless of weather. If it is raining, we will do inside work or activities. If weather is very warm, we will do the more physical parts of the workshop in the mornings when it is cooler, so the schedule each day will remain flexible to adjust to weather conditions.
Overnight Camping available at $10/night
The workshops cover knowledge and hands-on experience.
Number of Participants capped at 12.
This workshop is not eligible for use with a season pass.
Youth, under 18, may not attend free with an adult. Instead, they should be registered independently.
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Deep River Folk School Carpentry and Woodworking Workshops
Other Folk Schools or Education Programming: Greenwood Wrights’Fest, Piedmont Earthskills Gathering, Holistic Survival School, Wild Abundance
Books (See book table during workshop)
YouTube Videos (quality is quite variable)
Construction Shows (e.g. “This Old House”)
Community College Classes (Quality varies)
Carpentry Groups or Clubs
Mentors or Skilled Friends and Acquaintances
Volunteering (e.g. Habitat for Humanity)
Doing Projects and Learning by Doing
Doing Construction or Carpentry work for pay (work experience)
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If you need to make incremental payments, we can coordinate that with you. Please email Morgan at deepriverfolkschool@gmail.com to request a partial payment schedule.
We are limited in our ability to offer work-trade and scholarship for this program, but please email Harvey if you would like to pursue that possibility. harvey.harman@gmail.com
Lead Instructor: Harvey Harman
Harvey is a green builder, licensed General Contractor, licensed plumber, conservation-oriented land developer, organic farmer, teacher, and writer. Harvey is influenced by his experiences of living in various community settings, including a remote retreat center in the cascade mountains in Washington state, and five years in a traditional, rural village in Southern Africa. Harvey initiated and helped develop the Sustainable Farming Program at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in Pittsboro, NC, and has taught many classes at CCCC in the past 25 years in Sustainable Agriculture, Permaculture, Green Building, and Construction/Plumbing. Harvey was the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Farmer of the Year in 1998. Harvey has been a Building Contractor for the past 25 years and was the Construction Director for Chatham Habitat for Humanity for 13 years.
Harvey is also a cofounder of Living Well Ecovillage and is passionate about building resilient and sustainable networks of people and communities. In his spare time Harvey loves to design and build small and tiny houses and share information and practical skills with others.