About this episode

James shares his experience of building a $39,000 off-grid passive solar home with his wife Doreen in Colorado.

Chris steps in to host this episode of Let's Talk Tiny and sits down with James, who built a $39,000 off-grid passive solar home with his wife Doreen in just 9 months, doing about 90% of the labor themselves. Their handcrafted home sits on 35 acres in rural Colorado, and it's a masterclass in building affordably, intentionally, and to last. James walks through how they pulled it off after years living in a converted bus: the real cost breakdown, the mistakes that cost them (including a $3,000...

People in this episode

Host: Chris

Guest: James

Topics covered

• off-grid living
• passive solar home
• affordable housing
• DIY construction
• sustainable living

Keywords

• off-grid
• passive solar
• tiny home
• DIY
• sustainable
• affordable housing
• construction
• Colorado

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Colorado

More episodes of Tiny Home Tours

• The Backyard Housing Revolution · July 9, 2026 · 45 min
• Living Tiny and Loving Community · July 4, 2026 · 40 min
• No Script, Just Answers · July 2, 2026 · 45 min
• Modular Homes: Another Option for Simpler Living · July 2, 2026 · 46 min
• Why Can't I Put My Home There? · June 29, 2026 · 46 min
• What to Know Before You Buy · June 18, 2026 · 41 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tiny Home Tours podcast page.