What is the Tiny House Movement?

Tiny houses are of increasing popularity every passing day. It has become famous in a lot of countries and a lot of people are switching to it. But what exactly are tiny houses? What is this so-called Tiny House Movement all about? 

There is no official definition of what a tiny house is. But generally speaking, it is known as a house that is no more than 600 square feet. They can be built on foundations but are often on trailers. 

Let’s find out more about what the Tiny House Movement is all about. 

What is the Tiny House Movement?

The Tiny House Movement is an architectural and social movement that encourages living a simpler life in a smaller space. A lot of people, regardless of their work and status, have determined that living in a large house with all the expenses that come with it is not really needed. It is not connected to the happiness of the people who live in it either. 

These people have switched living in a tiny house which has drastically reduced their emotional and financial burden. And, a lot of them of DIY’ers. They are DIY’ers in the sense that they like to build their own homes which empower and gives them a sense of fulfillment. 

Due to that, the Tiny House Movement has become more popular. More companies have capitalized on selling pre-built and customized tiny houses too.

Why People Are Going Tiny

Over the past few years, a lot of people have turned living in a tiny house. Their individual circumstances might be different from one another, but their reasons for switching int tiny house living is due to the following:

1. Financial Benefits 

Living in a tiny house is more cost-effective. The first financial benefit of living in a tiny house is that the initial cost of building one is not expensive. Besides, you can build your own tiny house at a cost that is lower than buying a car. 

Tiny houses are in no way different than conventional homes. This means that they last as long as conventional houses do. They might come cheaper, but tiny houses can provide shelter for decades. 

The savings don’t stop once the tiny home is built. Due to their size, maintaining it is easier and less expensive too. The utility cost is less as well. 

Additional savings can also be accumulated with reduced property taxes or rent. Tiny houses are not considered as an improvement to land since they are not permanent. This means that they don’t add value to the land in as much as they don’t have any expense to the property taxes. 

Lastly, living in a tiny house keeps you away from shopping which ends in buying unnecessary stuff. With your limited space, you will surely think twice before buying something you don’t really need but want.

2. Simplification 

If you aim to simplify your life, then moving into a tiny house is not really necessary. You can make use of different ways to simplify it now. You don’t actually have to wait for weeks or months, or even years. This is true, but there is something with tiny houses that would force you to live a simpler life. 

Living in a tiny house means that you will be owning less. Fewer staff means less mess. You don’t have to upgrade and maintain the space that you have every waking day.

Once you have started with the process, you won’t even notice it. You will just consider it a part of your daily routine. 

When you live in a tiny house, you will be forced to live a simple life. You can’t indulge in too many home luxuries since you need to consider the space that you have. You will learn to say no to things that don’t really matter. 

The financial reason is the primary reason why a lot of people switch to a tiny house. And the simplicity of life when living in a tiny house keeps them in it.

3. Environmental Benefits 

As mentioned above, the amount of electricity and other utilities that you use is lesser when living in a tiny house. Aside from saving money, little did you know, you are saving the environment too. 

You are protecting it from the negative effects of the things that we regularly use in the household. In fact, there are tiny homeowners who went as far as not using any utilities at all. 

In addition, since you are consuming less than living in a full-sized house do, the waste that you have which goes into the landfills is lesser too. So, you are helping preserve the environment where we live in your own little ways. Ways that you are not even noticing you’re doing in the first place. 

Challenges of Going Tiny

Just like anything else, the tiny house movement also comes with challenges. You should overcome these challenges before you decide to join the tiny house movement. 

1. Where to Park your Tiny House

Most probably, the biggest and hardest challenge for people who want to switch to tiny house living is finding a place where they can legally park their home. Codes and laws differ from one place to another. They can’t just simply pull in and declare that they are living the property for their tiny house. 

Most countries will not allow you to live in a vehicle for more than 30 days. This is because they consider tiny houses an RV. 

To find out more about the state by state regulations when it comes to tiny houses, check out our STATE-BY-STATE TINY HOME REGULATIONS EXPLAINED FOR BEGINNERS.

2. Financing and Insurance 

Financing and insurance are another set of challenges that you have to face when transitioning into a tiny house. These companies greatly rely on the exact values of the things that they finance and insure. But with tiny houses, those values are not clear or reliable most of the time. 

For example, you built your own tiny house but unfortunately, you did it the wrong way. So, there is a possibility that your tiny house could be worthless. But thankfully, there are a good number of financing and insurance companies already who are willing to take the risk because of the increasing demand for tiny houses.

Who’s Joining the Tiny House Movement?

Anyone can reap the benefits of living in a star energy tiny home but the primary dwellers of tiny homes are made out of two groups – younger individuals or couples and those who are retiring. 

1. Younger People

Younger people are interested in moving into tiny houses since they are very flexible and can make lifestyle changes faster. They can easily move into tiny houses since they do not have other things to consider aside from themselves. 

They also live a busy lifestyle that they do not have a lot of time to get a lot of things. So, minimalism works easier and faster for them.

2. Retirees 

Due to your desires, bills don’t simply change regardless of your age. To be able to pay all those bills, you could either reduce your cost of living t a level you can sustain or have enough savings to support yourself. Unfortunately, a lot of people do not have enough money saved for them once they get old. 

But with tiny houses, retirees can lessen the bills that they are paying. The biggest reason why this group does not go with tiny houses at times is due to the uncertainty of a permanent living location. Sure enough, you don’t want to be told that you have to find a new place to stay right after retiring.

Conclusion

The Tiny House Movement has been circulating around the globe for years. But, it still has remained a mystery to a lot of people. We hope that this article has helped you figure out what the tiny house movement is all about.

Related Questions

How much does a Tiny House cost?
An average tiny house cost around $20,000 – $30,000. If you are on a tight budget and are willing to recover materials from dumps, Craig’s List, and the like and you already have the tools needed, you can build your own tiny house for as low as $3000. But if you have the budget and you want to use top-shelf materials in building your tiny house, you will spend around $50,000.

Aren’t they dangerous?
Generally speaking, tiny houses are safe. Tiny houses adhere to or even exceeds most of the building codes. Most tiny houses are built on trailers. This means that they can handle more stress and pressure than traditional houses. They are even safer than traditional houses. In times of serious danger, you can simply hitch your house into your car and drive away. Tiny houses are also made out of high-quality materials and are constructed even better.

Are Tiny Houses legal?
It depends. There are states which allow tiny houses in as much as there are states that do not legalize tiny houses. What you can do is to find out if the place where you plan to build your tiny house legally acknowledge tiny houses. This will save you from any legal problem soon.