Size Matters: Tiny Houses and why living smaller is better.

Over the last few decades we have been bombarded with slogans and messages informing us that ‘Bigger is Better’ and encouraged us to believe that happiness, success and even value are directly associated to size. This thinking is also applied to our homes. We often use the size of our abode as a physical representation of our success, and forget what our actual living requirements are, for example if you live alone and spend most of your time out of your house, do you really need those additional four bedrooms?

Thankfully more and more people are starting to break the mould and a large movement has formed supporting the creation and development of Tiny House Living, which encourages people to  reassess their actual spacial needs. By drastically reducing the amount of house space available, people are being challenged to really consider the design of their environment; leading to some highly creative and very clever solutions being found.

There are also a number of other benefits of swapping your mansion for a small cabin house; 

Easier Maintenance

A smaller house means smaller repairs and less general maintenance and upkeep. What’s more a number of tiny houses are constructed from timber, recycled materials, or natural building products which are much easier and cheaper to repair/replace.

Less Time Cleaning

Even an empty room can get messy and dirty! A smaller space means less time can be spent on keeping it clean.

Saves Money

A smaller house is cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, and cheaper to run! Insurance, utilities, and taxes are all much lower for smaller properties which leaves you with more of your hard earn wages to spend on enjoying yourself.

Less Debt

As mentioned above, a smaller home is much cheaper which also leads to smaller mortgages, or in some cases can be built without a requirement for a mortgage at all!

More Land

Even if you haven’t got acres and acres of land, the smaller the footprint of your house, the more land you’ll have around it. This opens up more opportunities for growing your own produce, keeping chickens or bees, or even just creating a beautiful outdoor space to enjoy.

Closer Family Bonds

Smaller spaces mean more interaction between family members and strengthen family bonds. Of course it’s still important for everyone to have their own space, but with some imagination and a little bit of smart planning, the possibilities for creating a unique area for each family member are endless.

Easier Resell

Affordable houses are always more attractive to the housing market than expensive ones. With so many people struggling to find the funds for homes, being able to offer a quirky, more affordable option makes it highly desirable.

In addition there are also huge environmental benefits as having a smaller footprint also means; less resources spent, smaller carbon footprint, and less impact on the environment. Combining the small house design with an eco build such as straw bale, timber framed, earth bag, or cob is an even more sustainable option.

Tiny Houses can be made from the most unlikely of things too; from shipping containers to pre-fabricated units, metal silos to traditional wooden gypsy caravans. And just because it’s small it doesn’t mean it has to be ugly or low quality, in fact being able to spend less on the building itself means you could have extra to really splash out on the interior.