Hey ya’ll! Come on in and sit a spell.

We’re Amy Dinsmore and John Skeen, the husband/wife duo of Tiny House of the South, and we’re currently building our own tiny home in Atlanta, Georgia. Why? To build a home with our own hands, to live small in a big way, to tread lightly on this mighty Earth, and to one day, be financially-free.

It all began in 2010. Amy stumbled across a blog post online about Jay Shafer and his tiny houses. Stunned by the beauty and simplicity of the tiny living phenomenon, her fascination with the lifestyle soon became a hobby in itself. In time, John also started to consider the practicality of what tiny living could mean for their lives, and in the end, he too became a believer. Then at once in 2013, we began saving and making plans to commence our build the following year.

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Beyond being an amazing husband and best friend to his wife, John is a talented musician, fantasy guru and video game wizard. He’s known to whip out his classical guitar (from his menagerie of instruments) at a moment’s notice and serenade his wife with his magical musical genius, or compose amazing jingles for her video projects. In fact, he studied as a jazz musician at Southern Illinois University, and although he’s a retail General Manager by day, at night he dreams of one day composing music professionally. And it’s true – Amy considers John somewhat of a midwesterner “Yankee” as he grew up in St. Peters, Missouri and later migrated to Georgia after he and Amy met online and fell in love in 2002 (but that’s another story).

 

Amy has spent the last few years reinventing her life, one bit at a time. After working as a movie theatre manager for 13 years, she decided to make a career change and completed a BFA degree in graphic design, a field she is passionate for. As such, she’s creative mastermind and general contractor behind the Tiny House of the South endeavor.

After she and John married, she began questioning the idea of what the “American Dream” meant to her, and how the two of them could shape a happier, fuller life together. Once she stumbled across the tiny house movement, Amy realized that it could be a way to build a better future. Her conviction for a simpler way of life was the infectious catalyst to start living the tiny dream, and now she works to share that dream with anyone who will listen. When she’s not busy trying to hammer nails or fashion graphics, Amy digs shooting photos on epic hikes (dream job: travel photographer for Nat Geo!), planning their next excursion to the mountains, or tossing a ball for her wiggly Golden Retriever, MacKenzie. Check out some of her work here.

Our furry friends, Mackenzie and Kahlan.