Tiny house living is a relatively new phenomenon that has swept the country. Many people, especially survivalists and preppers, have opted to move into these minimalistic and cinderbox dwellings. While there are some challenges involved in living in a tiny house, there are also many benefits to doing so.
A tiny house does not have to cost a lot, or take as long, to build.
Because the quantity of materials needed for a tiny house is less, the cost is likely to be less as well. One can splurge and get higher quality materials and still spend less than a larger house. By definition, a tiny house is 400 square feet or less. Smaller quantities of materials will necessarily come at a lower price. Additionally, building something like an 8×16 tiny house on wheels means that a foundation is not needed, which further reduces the expense.
A tiny house owner is less likely to be in debt.
Because of the lower cost, most tiny homeowners do not have a mortgage (68% of them), and about 65% of all those who live in these types of small homes have no credit card debt, either. As home ownership has always been one of the biggest parts of the American Dream, this option has made this part of it more possible for even more Americans.
Redecorating a tiny house is less expensive.
With a smaller area to decorate, fewer decorations are needed. The same goes for an interior overhaul of furniture, window treatments, and other similar items. With fewer windows and fewer pieces of furniture, redecorating can be a seasonal – or even monthly – pursuit, if it suits the tiny house’s occupants.
Utilities – if used – cost less.
Many tiny houses do not connect to public utilities, but those that do will necessarily use smaller amounts. It takes much less to heat or cool 400 square feet than it takes for a 1600 square foot house. Those that choose to stay in one place and use the water, electricity, sewer, and gas provided by a town or city will find their bills much smaller than an average home. It is often unnecessary to even hook up to the sewer, since most tiny houses are fitted with composting toilets, which only need to be emptied every couple months, and gray water can usually be allowed to soak into the ground. Solar power is another common amenity in a tiny house, and that can save a lot even if one hooks into the grid, as it is likely that power would be pushed into the grid rather than pulled from it.
It is easy to be “green” in a tiny house.
The composting toilet and solar power that save money on utilities are also well known to reduce one’s carbon footprint. These and other environmental advantages are much easier to include in a tiny house than in an average sized home. Catching rainwater or wind power are two other environmentally friendly options.
Cleaning does not take as long.
Less space to clean will result in less time to clean. That is just logic. A smaller home will necessarily have fewer knick-knacks, fewer pieces of furniture, smaller surfaces for dusting or sanitizing. It would take about as much time to clean an entire tiny house as it takes to clean one room of a traditional house.
Decluttering and minimalism become a way of life.
Part of the reason cleaning is so much faster is because there are fewer items to clean. Living a minimalistic lifestyle becomes crucial when there is no space to add a lot of extra stuff. Moving into a tiny home requires decluttering and choosing only the items that are necessary for happiness and comfort and leaving behind the dead weight that has been holding one back for a long time.
Entertainment tends to become action.
With less storage space, it is hard to store up a lot of board games, electronic devices, and even books. This means that people who live in tiny houses are more likely to go outside to do things for fun. People will enjoy outdoor activities like hiking or walking, biking, and outdoor games. Instead of spending a lot of time indoors, the smaller size of a tiny house encourages more outdoor fresh air and sunshine.
Family conversation is more likely to happen.
Close quarters encourage conversation. Whether the family is a couple or a family with children, spending more time together will help foster closer relationships through talking, working together, and playing together.
Moving a tiny house is easy.
Most tiny houses, but especially those built on wheels, are easy to hook up to a truck to move from one location to another. This means that if a new, better job comes up in a new location, it is not necessary to sell a house and buy a new house – it is only necessary to find a lot to rent or buy to move the tiny house to! This is generally much easier than finding a suitable home in a short time.
“Vacation at home” has a whole new meaning with a tiny house.
In the same way, visiting another area of the country is much simpler. This is even more true if a pet is involved. Since most hotels either refuse pets or charge a large surcharge for including a pet, the cost-effectiveness of taking home along when traveling is apparent. Additionally, there is no need to spend the night in a bed not one’s own when home is traveling along, too. Even without leaving home, vacation can include travel this way!
Where can I get a tiny house?
If the advantages of a tiny house have piqued interest, one option is to peruse the my tiny house directory. It gives information about where to buy premade buildings, how to build your own, plans such as the 8×16 tiny house on wheels plans, tips and tricks, and a lot of other information and links.