Guest Post by Molli McGee of Tiny Society

 

In a world full of big cars, bigger houses, and fast lifestyles–tiny houses have quietly entered the scene. But what is a tiny house? A tiny house, either on wheels or built on a foundation, is often a maximum of 500 square feet and focuses on a simple, minimalist way of living without sacrificing on quality.

 

Highly popular among the eco-conscious, these tiny homes boast purposeful designs and stay far from over-consumption. They’ve become so popular in recent years that they’ve formed an entire movement dedicated to living ‘tiny.’ This tiny house movement has inspired people to go forth and focus on the things in life that matter most.

 

Check out these reasons why tiny houses aren’t going anywhere soon:

Photo by Tj Holowaychuk

 

The Tiny House Lifestyle

Who hasn’t dreamed about packing their bags and getting away from it all? I know I have; and tiny houses on wheels allow you to do just that. The tiny house lifestyle really complements the digital nomad lifestyle. It allows the individual to travel almost anywhere a “regular” vehicle can go–and also take their home along for the journey.

 

It aligns with eco-friendliness and leaving a smaller footprint. Tiny houses use far less energy than standard sized homes. Fairly recently, it became on trend to make eco-bricks, buy reusable straw, and ditch the plastic water bottles. This eco-conscious lifestyle is a normal part of living in a small space–it just happens. And guess what? It should – and should always be – cool to care about our planet earth.

Photo by Daria Kopylova

 

Tiny Houses Are Customizable To Your Needs

If you can dream it, you can do it. Whether you’re a digital nomad in need of an office space or a family of four that needs a ‘kids only’ area–tiny houses have you covered. If you enjoy the idea of living in a vintage bus or van, you’re going to love living in a tiny house.

 

The amount of additional space you have to work with is usually bigger than in a vehicle. You can build in a good size kitchen, as well as a small living room and bedroom loft. If you have cool design ideas that maximize on tiny spaces, then tiny houses make the perfect canvas.

Interior Photo of the Narrowboat ‘Recalcitrant’

 

The Tiny Price Tag

Simply put, tiny houses are cheaper than residential homes. With the average price of a house in the United States running around $300,000–it’s no wonder people are turning to tinys. The cost of a tiny house really depends on a variety of factors–from how much labor you can do yourself, to the kinds of materials you want to work with.

 

Another issue at hand is the fact that we are running out of space–and by space, I mean land. The earth has a finite amount of land available for people to live on. Consider the combination of our increasing population with the decreasing amount of available space. Check out this organization that helps transition people out of homelessness, by setting them up in tiny houses. With housing costs on the rise, it makes sense that tiny houses could at least be part of the solution.

Photo by Toa Heftiba

 

Tiny Houses Bring People Together

Tiny houses excel at bringing people together both digitally, and in real life. As previously mentioned, the tiny house movement is an entire social movement dedicated to tiny living. There are blogs and tv shows across the web dedicated to tiny houses, and what they mean to the people that choose to live in them. Tiny houses bring like-minded people together from all over the world who are passionate about this unique lifestyle.

 

Tiny houses also have the ability to bring families and friends closer together. Tiny houses are…well, tiny. If conflict arises in a tiny home, the smaller space encourages loved ones to communicate rather than to hide in separate rooms. The size also lends to a more intimate setting–perfect for sharing a delicious meal with the people you care about!

Photo by Aaron Burden

 

Where Tiny Houses Go From Here

As I mentioned in the beginning; tiny houses aren’t going anywhere. They align so well with the kind of ‘counter-culture’ lifestyle that never really goes away. They make us remember what’s important in life. Our friends, the things we own, the way we interact with our family–the way we interact with our planet. Tiny houses may not be for everyone–but tiny houses are here to stay.

 

 

 

Molli McGee is a U.S. citizen currently living in Cape Town, South Africa. Aside from writing about tiny houses, Molli loves to be at the beach and eat food (often at the same time). Aside from writing about tiny houses, Molli loves traveling and is always on the hunt for unique vacation rentals.

Email: molli@tinysociety.co