What's the Big Deal with Tiny Houses?

By Natali Andrés on March 12, 2016

By now most people have at least heard of the trend of tiny houses. What exactly are tiny houses? Most often they are teeny little abodes big enough to be hauled around on a trailer or put up on blocks usually not bigger than 400 sq ft and can be as small as 80 sq ft. The appeal of a tiny house comes from its tiny everything. Small things, small environmental footprint, and most importantly small costs.

The allure of living in a home without a thirty year mortgage hanging over your head is a pretty appealing idea, especially to this generation of millennials who have been brutally forced into a life of practicality by inflation, high rent prices, and uber competitive job market, but still maintain that “American Dream” of home ownership. Tiny houses are touted as a real estate revolution, and has been not only hyped but romanticised by shows and blogs that show families living idyllic minimalist lives in their tiny homes. It’s all just so tiny and cute! Like living in a doll house.

The thing is, it’s not as simple as spending forty grand and going to live in your nice little eco friendly home. It’s an entire lifestyle change and a huge commitment. A commitment not everyone is ready for. You can’t just go from living the material filled american lifestyle in a three bedroom two bath suburban home to living in what is comparably a broom closet.

The other drawback of tiny houses most people don’t consider are zoning and permit laws put in place to keep corrupt landlord from running illegal efficiencies also make tiny homes effectively illegal in a lot of urban and suburban areas. There are cities that have actually taken down tiny houses donated by artists like Elvis Summers to try an alleviate the homelessness issue.

As a result most most tiny housers have to live outside of the city and suburbia on isolated plots of country land. For a lot of people this is a huge hassle; having no neighbors and being a twenty minute drive from the closest store as well as their friends and family. Then there is also the matter of getting your water, sewage, and electricity while living “off the grid”.

For some people this works. Others have gotten around these issues with “tiny house villages” which have started popping up in some more forward thinking cities or getting a tiny house on wheels and jumping from RV park to RV park.

Tiny houses aren’t just a trend you can jump into like rompers or the paleo diet, it is entire change in lifestyle and mindset. For some it is the opportunity to build and own your own home mortgage free in an economy where saving for a home is nearly impossible, but it is a huge commitment and some just aren’t up to it. I hope you have come away from this article with a better understanding of the Tiny House Revolution.

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