Update (July 6, 2020): Please keep checking back back as we continue updating this page with the complete lineup of the incredibly talented and exciting Speakers & Workshops scheduled for the 5th Annual Georgia Tiny House Festival, which is being held July 11-12, 2020, in Conyers, GA.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
John Kernohan
(Saturday @ 11:15AM
& Sunday @ 12PM)
John Kernohan is the Founder and Chairman of the United Tiny House Association. He and his beautiful wife, Fin, have been living the past 8.5+ years in their DIY, 304sqft tiny home known as Beloved Cabin and together they have created their 16-acre tiny house homestead community in the woods of Georgia. John and Fin are the creators and owners of the World-famous 148sqft towable Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9 and founded the Tiny House Rescuers. John is a leading advocate & expert on zoning and coding in how it relates to tiny house; a DIY & off-grid expert; an outdoorsman; and successful businessman (John retired at the age of 49 after selling his medical research laboratory). John and Fin can be seen on HGTV’s “Tiny House Big Living”, the DIY Network, TODAY, The Rachael Ray Show, AOL’s “Dream Big-Live Small“; and on many news outlets around the World. John and Fin are also the authors of “Tiny Talks: Communicating BIG with Love & Laughter”. Additionally, John and Fin own a 14’ yurt, a second towable 125sqft tiny house on wheels, a skoolie-in-progress conversion, and are building a tree house on their Georgia homestead.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Marc Frederick
(Saturday @ 1PM)
Marc Frederick is the Chief Design Engineer for BIGHEART Tiny House, a brand produced by B.I. Manufacturing, LLC. in Madison, GA. B.I. Mfg. has designed and built over 50 micro housing projects since 2017 along with 50 plus industrial transportation equipment. Since the first skoolie he renovated in 2010, Marc has seen firsthand the need for affordable/sustainable housing in America. Marc has 40+ years dreaming and building creations from wood and steel. His keen skills in framing, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, solar, low-voltage, 3D CAD design, rigging and fabrication… Marc puts these skills together as master builder and problem solver. BIGHEART Tiny House Company was born out of a mission to bring hope to hurting people across this country. B.I. Manufacturing expands on that housing mission to create world-class mobile equipment for the Atlanta film market. Custom design and development of film production trailers, tiny homes on wheels, container homes, 53’ semi-trailer honey-wagons, mobile studios, camera trucks and 5th wheel cast trailers are just the beginning of what B.I. Mfg. hopes to create in the housing and transportation industries.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Brenda Mason
(Saturday @ 12PM)
Brenda Mason founder/owner of SmallerLivingHugeLife.com (+having more with less-) and Downsizing31.com de-cluttered her life from a stuffed 3100sqft home to a 310sqft converted motor-coach in 31 days almost 5 years ago. Speaking around the nation, internationally on podcasts, a successful proprietary DIWY online course/membership, and best selling author, Brenda’s heart is to serve the people who desire to rid their home of clutter, yet are stuck in the overwhelm of the de-clutter process to Create their Home Oasis. Don’t wait for one day, let’s get started now!
2020 Georgia Speakers
and Emcees:
The Messicks
(Sunday @ 11:15AM)
Meet Daniel & Rachel Messick! Over the past 2 years, Daniel and Rachel have converted their van TheMessiJourney (aka – Banana Van Adventures) four times in cost effective ways. It has been known across the community as “the swiss army knife” of vans. Their mission on the road was to empower people to regain the confidence they had as youths and simplify their lives to focus on what really matters. They have traveled 38 states and 4 countries in the van! Last year they lived in Guatemala for 5 weeks in the van to obtain a certificate to teach English across the globe. That plan has been put on hold due to COVID-19, so they are now taking their passion for DIY Empowerment and setting up shop in Oregon. They will be doing everything from full builds to consultation in efforts to help others bring their tiny house dreams to life!
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Scott Boyd
(Saturday @ 3PM)
Bio to be posted.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Kurtis & Dayana Cagle
(Sunday @ 3PM)
Bio to be posted.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Robin Butler
(Saturday @ 10:30AM)
Robin Butler is the President and CEO of NOAH, a third- party inspection & certification company for tiny homes. He is co-chair of an ICC (International Code Council) subgroup working to recognize Best Practices and Innovation in Code Administration. He has presented to hundreds of Tiny Housers and has always proven to be informative and enlightening.
Robin will be presenting “Tiny Homes A Vision to Freedom”, which will cover:
1. The evolution of a tiny home.
2. Standards & Codes for tiny homes.
3. How third party inspections impact the tiny home industry.
4. What are the paths to living legally in a movable tiny home?
2020 Georgia Speakers:
Rickey Irvin
(Sunday @ 10:30AM)
Rickey Irvin is 60 years old and has been disabled for over 7 years. He was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disease 5 years ago, had a heart attack and a stroke, and was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory demylinating polynuropathy… and most impressively, Rickey lives full-time in his DIY skoolie.
2020 Georgia Speaker:
Trent Arant
(Saturday @ 3:30PM)
Bio to be posted.
2020 Georgia Off-Grid Workshop
(Sunday @ 2PM)
John Kernohan, Beloved Cabin and the Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9, shares the 8+ years of trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and the lessons learned, of his and his wife Fin’s off-grid lifestyle with Solar Energy, Thermal Heating, Rain Water Collection, Compositing Toilets, DIY Septic Systems, Gardening, and more, in the humorous, personal and entertaining way for which John is known.
Zoning: Legal Tiny Living IS in Your Hands
(Saturday @ 2PM
& Sunday @ 12PM)
John Kernohan will be sharing on zoning, the legalities of living tiny, and how you too can live, and afford, your tiny dream… whatever yours may be! Come listen from someone who actually does live his tiny dream, along with his wife Fin, on their own land… and who have done so LEGALLY for the past 8.5+ years. Learn how you too can become an advocate for legal tiny living, not just for yourself, but for the tiny house community on a whole. Your tiny dream is in your hand!”
2020 Georgia Homeowners Panel: Which Tiny House is for Me?
(Saturday @ 4PM)
Listen and learn from those who actually walk the tiny walk – and not just talk the talk. The owners of skoolies, van conversions, tiny houses, and other modalities of micro homes shares their experiences, expertise, adventures, trials, tribulations, and accomplishments in a humorous, personal, and inspirational sharing of themselves followed by a Q&A session.
Tiny House & Salvage Building Basics Workshop
Registration & Info Available HERE
(Saturday @ 1PM-3PM)
Hands on tiny house workshop with Marc Frederick, tiny house builder and owner of Big Heart Tiny House, will be teaching the “Tiny House & Salvage Building Basics Workshop”!
~ This is a 3-hour hands-on class.
~ Every registered participant will receive a copy of Andrew Morrison’s 4 DVD Set “The Hot To Guide to Building a Tiny House”. ($49.95 Value!)
~ Plus a 2-Day Festival Pass for the Georgia Tiny House Festival (5th Annual) is included! ($25.00 Value!)
Topics will include:
– The basics of tiny house framing- a live, private demo (framing walls, floors, etc)
– Building with salvaged materials (including a live-build pallet project for charity).
– The DO’s and DO NOT’s of tiny house design. Learn the mistakes many people make when designing their tiny house. THIS TALK alone will save you quite a bit of money and hassle and will pay for itself.
– Alternative and conventional tool usage and selection.
– Tiny house trivia (for prizes).
– Building on unconventional land/off-grid.
– Where to start & how to approach it.
– Inside tips on building a tiny house on a trailer/on wheels.
– PLUS anything else Marc squeezes in!
2020 Georgia Tiny House Festival Organizers:
John & Fin Kernohan
Founders of the United Tiny House Association; Organizers of the 16 for-charity tiny house festivals, including the 2020 (5th Annual) Georgia Tiny House Festival; Owners of Tiny House Rescuers; Owners of the Tiny Firehouse – Station No. 9; Featured on HGTV’s “Tiny House Big Living”, the DIY Network, TODAY, The Rachael Ray Show, AOL’s “Dream Big-Live Small“; Living 8+ Years Full-Time in their Off-Grid 304sqft Beloved Cabin; DIY Experts; FREE Off-Grid Consultants; Philanthropists; Full-Time Tiny Lifestyle Advocates; Public Speakers; and authors of “Tiny Talks: Communicating BIG with Love & Laughter”.
