Recently I bought Tiny House Decisions by Ethan Waldman. At $29, it seemed a bit steep but the reviews were good and the author proclaimed to have done much of the tedious research that stressed me out. So I bought it (and proceeded to print it out because I hate reading on screens if I can help it). Tiny House Decisions is a very well organized and reader friendly book, but it lacked the in depth research I was expecting.Waldman divided the book into three sections: Big Decisions, System Decisions and Construction Decisions. Each section has a similar layout; a subject is presented (appliances, building materials, going off grid, etc.) with lists of pros, cons, and the author's experience during his build. Anyone who is looking at tiny homes and willing to shell out $30 for a book about them has likely thought about the majority of the content in the "Big Decisions" section. The biggest take away I got from the book was Waldman's research in appliances. He gives a great break down on the basics of gas vs electric items and how looking for items with different keywords (ie: searching in marine or RV stores). Again, a lot of this information is available for free online on other tiny house builder's blogs. Waldman even has valuable information free on his own blog.
In contrast, Dee Williams Go House Go has specific construction information about trailer construction, ventilation control, electrical systems, etc. There are also books by Ryan Mitchell; Cracking the Code and Simply Shocking. Both books go into specifics of the subjects (zoning laws and electrics), not common information found as easily online. (Note: I have not read Mitchell's books yet, but they have good reviews and are promoted by many tiny builders including Waldman).
Conclusion: Tiny House Decisions is not a must have book for tiny builders, but it does have useful tips in a reader friendly layout. I don't think you can ever have too many resources, but if you are pinching pennies (like me!) I would skip this purchase.
