7 Reasons to Live in a Tiny Home

There’s a movement in housing that’s getting a lot of attention that rethinks the American home and the lifestyle of the people who live in it.

It’s called the Small House movement and the name describes it well.

Compared to the average size of an American home at around 2600 square feet, these diminutive dwellings typically have only 100 to 400 square feet of living space.

The Small House tenant is going to have to live a little bit differently than the average person (pun intended!).

Luckily, it turns out that a lot of these lifestyle changes are for the better! Here are seven reasons why these mini-homes make sense.

#1: 78% of Small House residents own their home. Since about 26% of an average household’s budget is spent on housing this means you’ll either have a lot more money in savings or maybe just enjoy working a little less.

#2: Buildings contribute to an estimated 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions, so with a Small House your carbon footprint is drastically reduced.

#3: The average cost of building your own Small House is $23,000 compared to $272,000 for a conventional home (which most people would have no possibility of building themselves). You can probably imagine saving up $23,000 (even if it is a lot of money). On the other hand, saving nearly $300,000 is completely inconceivable to most people. Thus, big mortgages, mortgage insurance payments, interest payments, endless payments for years and years to come.

#4: 28% of U.S. dwellings house only one person. If the average home is 2,600 square feet then that’s a lot of space for one person! Just like all the cars with one person in them that can’t use the carpool lane during rush hour, one person living in a big house all alone just doesn’t make sense – especially when you think of the future of energy use and environmental sustainability in the U.S.

#5: Beyond saving money and helping save the planet, there is one more priceless thing you’ll save with a Small House: TIME. Nearly everyone you ask will say they’re too busy and modern life for many seems like it’s constantly accelerating. A Small House means less time spent cleaning, less time on maintenance, and less time having to earn money to pay for the house. With all the time you’ll have to actually enjoy the world around you, it seems a Small House may be a reduction in square feet, but it leads to a bigger life.

#6: Imagine the amount of space you will have for an organic garden! Tiny homes obviously take up little space, so the extra room outside your front door could be used for a sustainable garden.

#7: Due to certain city building codes, a minimum square footage is required to have a permanent residence in some areas. One way around these codes is to put your home on wheels. Not only does this give you the chance to live in the city you want, but if you decide to move your home can move with you! (Note: having your home on wheels doesn’t necessarily exempt you from building codes in all cities. Make sure to check your local laws and ordinances.)