While many people truly enjoy their spacious, beautiful homes, there are some people around the world – and even right here in Denver – who are joining the Tiny House Movement. Believe it or not, there are entire families living in spaces ranging from 100 to 400 square feet. These tiny houses are short on square footage, but some of the design is downright creative. Here are some facts about tiny houses and the people who live in them.
Why Do People Live in Tiny Houses?
Take a look around at your spacious home. Now, imagine a family of four living in a space the size of your walk-in closet. It might sound impossible, but the truth is that more and more people are getting in on what is known as the Tiny House Movement. The vast majority of people who choose the tiny home life are those who have financial or environmental concerns; they believe that a tiny home has a smaller carbon footprint and that there are fewer maintenance costs involved.
How Do They Do It?
Tiny homes are certainly not for everyone. They require a very minimalistic lifestyle since there is very little room to sleep, much less store more than a couple of pairs of shoes. As you may have imagined, it takes some pretty thoughtful design to make these homes work. Everything serves multiple functions. For example, your bed may also act as your sofa, closet, dresser, and bookshelf, and your dining room table may fold into the wall when it is not in use.
Tiny Living with Children
While a tiny home might be a great idea for a couple without children, things can grind to a halt pretty quickly when a family comes into the picture. All too often, couples abandon their tiny houses when they find out they are expecting. There are a number of reasons for this, but it generally comes down to not having enough space for children to play indoors safely, or even to store all of the basic necessities such as clothing, toys, or even a bassinet.
Other Downfalls to Tiny Homes
Most everything you see on TV or read online makes tiny living seem like a simple dream. However, there are plenty of people across the country who can attest that things are not as simple as the media makes them out to be. There are examples of couples who were forced to move their tiny homes – or even completely abandon them – due to zoning law infractions. Others lost their homes to devastating wildfires, and still others quickly discovered that heating or cooling a tiny home presented some major – and very expensive – issues.
Is Tiny Living Right for You?
Many people have toyed with the notion of living in a tiny home at least once or twice, usually after seeing a Facebook post or a snippet on a TV reality show. While it might sound like a great idea in theory (and while it may be the perfect solution for folks who already live a minimalistic lifestyle) the fact is that most people just are not cut out to live or raise a family in a space smaller than 400 square feet.
Tiny homes certainly have a small carbon footprint in most cases, and they truly are less expensive to maintain when they are carefully designed and built. However, for the majority of folks around the world, these homes are simply far too small to allow for much living at all.