Regardless of which way you want to be convinced, there is plenty of content out there for you regarding the merits of tiny houses. A quick google search will show hundreds of articles explaining why tiny houses are the best thing you can possibly do. A different google search will reveal a handful of articles meant to scare you away from tiny house life.
My goal is to present you with the facts and let you decide for yourself whether a tiny house is right for you.
Let’s break this down by first looking at the reasons people choose to live in tiny houses, and then looking at the reasons why people don’t live in tiny houses, and thinking about what steps you should take.
Why Do People Live in Tiny Houses?
To understand whether or not you should live tiny, it is worth considering why they exist in the first place.
The concepts of minimalism and living in a small space have been around for centuries. In fact, it is only recently (within the last hundred or so years) that people started living in larger spaces. This trend continues to grow. The average living space in the United States today is 211% larger than it was in the year 1910.
Nevertheless, the tiny house movement blossomed from the general consensus—or at least, trend—that bigger is better. There are a few main reasons that people have been choosing to go tiny since the 1990s.
1. Financial Independence
The main reason that people choose to live in a tiny house is financial freedom. Don’t get me wrong, there are many other reasons--as well as other ways--to find financial independence, but the type of freedom provided by a tiny house is quite appealing.
How does a smaller house provide financial freedom though?
The main way that tiny houses provide financial freedom is by eliminating the need for a mortgage. A tiny house is often an upfront cost, anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000. So the idea is: you save up money, build a tiny house or have one built, and then live in it without a rent or mortgage payment. (Bonus article: How Much Do Tiny Houses Actually Cost to Build?)
Now tiny houses are no doubt getting more expensive on the more luxurious side, especially since the pandemic made the cost of materials skyrocket. However, financial freedom is still a massive appeal, even to those that choose to finance their tiny house.
About 40% of tiny house owners are over the age of 50, largely due to the fact that tiny houses give people a way to retire.
Likewise, tiny houses are quite popular among Millenials, one of the most debt-ridden generations of all time.
Altogether, whether it is being able to retire, escaping debt, or simply being able to build savings before purchasing a traditional house, a tiny house is first and foremost a financial tool.
2. Minimalism
Most would argue that today’s world is extremely--ooh look a notification--where was I...distracting.
We are all bombarded with notifications, ads, news, chores, work, and texts. Life is busy! And while our general standard of living is higher than it has ever been for the human race, the speed with which we live can be quite overwhelming.
For many, a tiny house offers a way to slow down. The general mindset of minimalism is not only that we don’t need as much, but in fact that we need less. In other words: a simple life is a happy life.
Tiny house life very much goes hand in hand with minimalism. For those that are not minimalists, that is ok too. You don’t need to be minimalist to enjoy tiny house life. But for those that are minimalists or at least can relate to it, know that this is a significant driving factor for many, be they full-time tiny house residents or people looking to own a weekend retreat. (More: Is a Tiny House Right for Me?)
In the words of Leonardo Da Vinci: “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
3. Adventure & Mobility
The idea of freedom is tightly tied to the tiny house movement. While financial freedom is the driving force, the idea that people should be free to live their lives now rather than in the future is another one of liberation.
Many are familiar with the tiny house on wheels, or THOW: a home built onto a trailer that can be pulled by a pickup truck and parked like an RV. In my interactions with many conversations with aspiring and current THOW owners, many see the tiny house on wheels as a method for them to live on the road while also living comfortably in their own bed. It enables the nomadic lifestyle, stopping in national parks, exploring their country or continent, and picking up and moving on when they see fit.
However, the adventurousness is not just isolated to those living the nomadic tiny house life. Because a tiny house reduces the cost of living, it also enables people to travel more. Many in the tiny house movement see the tiny house as a way for them to spend less time at home, since the house doesn’t hold them captive due to hefty payments. Even if your tiny house never moves, your extra disposable income means you can put it to use for a more adventurous life. (Bonus article: Where to Put a Tiny House)
4. Connection to Nature
Many tiny house dwellers, especially those that live in rural areas, love that tiny houses connect them to nature more intimately.
Tiny houses are often designed to be interwoven with their surroundings. Think of a garage door wall that opens to a deck, or a tiny house placed in the woods with a fire pit and a garden outside. (Bonus article: Choosing the Right Type of Tiny House)
For many, the beauty of a tiny house is that it enables people to stop sitting inside and start living outside. For those that feel at home in the woods, at the beach, or by a lake, a tiny house can make those places more accessible.
Not only that, a tiny house promotes living outside, because the inside of the house is designed for comfort but not for spending every waking minute. Many tiny house owners like the fact that their tiny house gets them out of the house, instead of gluing them to their television.
Again, if this doesn’t sound like you, that is ok. If you’re not a nature lover then you can still find a tiny house that is right for you in a location that suits your needs.
5. Environmental Consciousness & Off-grid Life
Many tiny house dwellers go off-grid or nearly off-grid for a variety of reasons, the main one being environmental consciousness. Its associated cost benefit of not having to pay for utilities is another large driver.
I’ll save you the alarmist commentary about the environment and instead tell you this: a tiny house reduces your carbon footprint…by a lot. In fact, a study from Virginia Tech shows that the average tiny house dweller has a reduced ecological footprint of nearly 45%.
Many people live in tiny houses as a way to live sustainably. This is where you’ll also find a lot of people homesteading and living solely or mostly off of solar energy.
Living tiny reduces one’s carbon footprint in a number of ways. For one, less space means less energy to heat or cool, and less space to light up at night. Second, tiny houses that are not hooked up to the water system often depend on rainwater or finite amounts of water stored in tanks, which forces people to reduce their water intake. Third, some tiny houses rely on composting toilets which turn waste into soil.
For tiny houses that are fully off-grid, solar energy is often used quite a bit. Solar energy is fully renewable. For gas, most tiny houses use propane, which is a fossil fuel but significantly less impactful than other alternatives.
The degree to which you want to live green is up to you. You are not forced into any of the above boxes should you choose to go tiny. But know that if you are looking for a way to impact the environment positively, a tiny house may be one of the best things you can do.
Many people see tiny houses as a way of the future for this reason, but we’ll save that conversation for another day.
Until then, know that living sustainably is just another reason among several that people love being tiny house owners.
6. Senior Independence
If you’ve ever heard of a granny pod, granny flat, accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, then you’ve probably encountered this specific but prevalent reason people go tiny.
As seniors transition from independent living to needing assistance, it may not be feasible nor desirable nor necessary to live in a senior care facility or nursing home. The ADU provides the ability for seniors to remain independent but have care nearby. This is most often done where the adult child lives in the primary residence on the property, while the senior citizen(s) live in the ADU tiny house on site.
Many municipalities are seeing benefits of the ADU and are adopting zoning that welcomes the ADU. (See the zoning crash course here).
The ADU can be on wheels or a foundation, but it ultimately depends on the jurisdiction and the needs of the resident. For those of you that are aging or have an aging loved one, consider this option!
While there are certainly other more obscure reasons that some people may site, the vast majority of tiny house owners make the transition to tiny life for the five reasons mentioned above. And for most, there is more than one reason.
As yourself which of these resonate with you, then keep reading.
Reasons You May Not Like Living Tiny
Let’s not sugarcoat this: living tiny is not for everyone. I’ve had a few of my readers tell me that they read one of my books, enjoyed it, and found it helpful, but decided that tiny house life wasn’t for them.
I love tiny houses. I believe they solve a lot of problems and provide a lot of benefit. And I don’t want to scare you away. But I also want you to know the reality of it. So let’s open the closet and look at the skeletons.
1. It doesn’t work for your family
First thing’s first, you absolutely can raise a family in a tiny house. You would not be the first nor the last to do so.
However, tiny life with a family, or even just a partner, can be challenging. The issue of privacy needs to be considered in such a small space, both for the adults and the children.
Be sure to consider not only the physical space of a tiny house but also the psychological effect. Will a tiny house life work well for your kids? Will it be conducive to learning? Will it strain relationships in the house?
There is no one answer to each of these questions. But make sure you think through them and talk to everyone involved.
2. It doesn’t provide the lifestyle you want
My sister loves watching tiny house shows, looking at listings of tiny houses, and loves staying in them for weekend getaways, but she has said to me, “I could never live in a tiny house.”
And that is okay!
For her, she knows that the small space would make her go stir-crazy. She doesn’t vibe with the minimalist mindset and isn’t particularly outdoorsy. She also isn’t at a point in her life and career when a tiny house would greatly increase her financial freedom.
This brings up a very important point.
You need to ask yourself: why do I want to live in a tiny house?
Without answering this question, you’re sure to go about this all wrong. Know your purpose and you will know if your lifestyle meshes with it. A tiny house should reflect your lifestyle, not the other way around. Be honest with yourself about whether your lifestyle will work in a tiny house.
3. It doesn’t save you that much
This wasn’t as big of a problem a while ago, but tiny houses are getting more expensive.
Please, please, please make a budget. And not just a general budget that says, “I have $35k,” but a specific and itemized budget and financial plan that matches your home needs.
If a tiny house is primarily a method to grant you financial freedom, quantify that financial freedom in dollars, pounds, or your currency of choice.
This exercise will either rule out tiny houses for you, delay tiny house life for you, or help you prepare for the process of becoming a tiny house owner. Regardless of the outcome, you win every time. (More on what tiny houses actually cost).
The FIRST thing you need to do
So, you might be wondering–now what?
I have all these reasons to go tiny and reasons not to, but what should I actually do?
And the answer is….drumroll…
Stay in a tiny house.
That’s all there is to it. Well not really, that is the first step though. You probably wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes without trying them on first, so don’t commit to tiny house life before you try it.
Save up a couple hundred dollars to stay two nights in a tiny house on Vrbo or Airbnb. Beyond those two listing sites for short term rentals, check out tiny house villages in your area or just do some research to see rental options. The goal is to find a tiny house that seems to fit you, and then actually live in it temporarily to see what it feels like. This is the only way to know what you do and don’t like about tiny houses.
With a couple of nights under your belt, and a well-informed reasoning behind why you want to live tiny, you will know whether this is the right next step for you.
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