Living in a big house with children underfoot can already be an extreme challenge, let alone living in a tiny home. Yet the tiny house movement’s appeal is undeniable. It also a movement that runs through generations. From young couples and families to retirees, many people are embracing this new way of living for various reasons.
Advantages of Living in a Tiny Home
While the majority of tiny-home living is popular in the United States, many other countries are also enamored with this micro-trend.
- The houses are adorable. A tiny home can be classified as such if it’s no more than 500 square feet. According to the United States Census Bureau, the average size of a single-family house is around 2,000 square feet. That’s quite the shrinkage, but if you’ve ever been crazy about dollhouses, this is the perfect choice for you.
- You can take your house anywhere. Well, at least anywhere drivable. If you’ve been dreaming of a life off-grid and on the open road, opting for a mobile home gives you a perfect chance to go cross-country without the hassle of continually finding a new place to live.
- They’re customizable. Do you enjoy looking at land for sale and envisioning the house of your dreams, but have had to compromise because the perfect place doesn’t exist? With tiny homes, they do. You can design and put everything together based on your family’s needs.
- They’re economical and eco-friendly. Who doesn’t want to save some money and save the environment at the same time? Living in a tiny home means you need fewer materials to work with, you become more aware of your material possessions, and, since it means you have to find alternative sources of power, you save money on electricity and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time.
Living in a Tiny Home with Young Children
Admittedly, having young children – infants to elementary-aged children – could cause you to have some misgivings about living in a tiny home. But if many families are making it work, so could you.
- It can be a temporary arrangement. If the idea appeals to both you and your spouse, and you’re both determined to make it work, you can try it. We suggest going the mobile home route if you want to get your feet wet. How about going on a summer outing across the US by renting an RV and committing to living in the RV as if it were your home? That should give you a better idea of how you’ll do living in tiny spaces.
- Keep expansions in mind when you design your space. Your kids would certainly enjoy the idea of living in a tiny space while they’re young. It’s like living in a dollhouse, after all! However, as they grow older, they’re going to want to have some privacy away from you and from their siblings. Keep this in mind when you start designing and building your tiny homes.
- Consider renting a small storage unit. Making the transition from living in a 2,000-square-foot house to a 500-square-foot one could be quite daunting. How are you supposed to fit all your possessions? The one thing many tiny-home dwellers learned is not to ask what you can take with you, but what you can do without. Many of the items we possess in our homes make our lives run smoothly, but do we need them? Granted, there are some possessions you can’t let go of for different reasons. Rent a small storage space for items that hold sentimental value.
