The tiny house revolution.
A movement that came out of nowhere and took the world by storm. Don’t get me wrong there have always been small living spaces. If you have ever lived in downtown Los Angeles and weren’t increasingly wealthy, you already know this.
Pros and Cons of tiny house living differ greatly mainly due to choice.
What Choice?
Overseas tiny spaces are far more well known, with whole buildings being dedicated to micro apartments. This isn’t really a choice. These are places where the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom are all adjoined in a 40-100 sq ft area. This obviously isn’t the majestic lifestyle you see on Pinterest and Instagram with these complexes typically housing the poor and destitute in slum like conditions.
I’ve traveled extensively and have seen this first hand, in many parts of Asia and a few parts of Europe. So the question is, why would you subject yourself to this particular living arrangement on purpose? But as with anything else, of course there are benefits to certain living situations. So what are the Pros and Cons of Tiny House Living?
Pro 1: Cheaper
Tiny houses take far less of everything to build. Less lumber, less pipe for plumbing less concrete for foundations, or maybe no concrete if the house is build on some other form of foundation (rail road ties, trailer etc).
Less materials mean a very large price reduction in the entirety of the build. Lets just think of the lumber for the frame and sheathing. A tiny house of 240 sq feet may take about 60 2x4s (8 feet) for the walls and 30 2x8s (12 feet for the subfloor and ceiling). With a 12×20 ft structure that would amount to 32 (19/32″) sheets of plywood sheathing for the floor and ceiling and 16 (15/32″) sheets for the walls. There will be left over because odds are you will have windows and doors. This would amount to:
- 15/32″ CDX Plywood 4’x8′ Sheet $23.50 ($376.00)
- 19/32″ CDX Plywood 4’x8′ Sheet $30.57 ($978.24)
- 2x4x8 Dimensional Lumber $3.25 ($195.00)
- 2x8x12 Dimensional Lumber $11.72 ($351.56)
This brings your total for framing to $1900.08. Not bad for a house. Now on the other hand lets look at that same price for a 1500 sq foot house. We won’t take into account the overwhelming expensive for the foundation or any deck, balcony higher ceilings, gable roofs etc, just bare bones. This house will be single story 60’x25′. This means 220 2x4s (8 feet) 75 3.5×14 (26 feet) 100 (19/32″) sheets of plywood sheathing for the subfloor and ceiling and 42 (15/32″) sheets of plywood sheathing for the walls.
- 15/32″ CDX Plywood 4’x8′ Sheet $23.50 ($987.00)
- 19/32″ CDX Plywood 4’x8′ Sheet $30.57 ($3,057)
- 2x4x8 Dimensional Lumber $3.25 ($715.00)
- 3.5x14x26 Dimensional Lumber $101.37 ($7602.75)
This brings your total to $12,361.75 for framing the larger house in the exact same way. Over 6 times the cost in frame alone (the house is 6 times bigger than your tiny house). With more windows, doors, siding, plumbing, nails, screws, caulk, tiles etc this gap grows exponentially wider.
Con 1: Expensive
Although the cost of framing a tiny house is little in comparison to a standard home, outfitting one with all of the creature comforts of a regular home comes at a cost. You can’t just go to Walmart and get an appliance that will work for you size and energy wise, research needs to be done. Just because an appliance is smaller that doesn’t make it cheaper. Especially when taking into account how important design and layout is to a tiny house. This all comes at a cost, layouts and blue prints aren’t free.
On top of that tiny house builders charge the same if not more to build a tiny house. If you want your house to be mobile that means special shower tiles and caulking that won’t flex and break when you hit a bump or appliances that are affixed to locations etc. A smaller build takes more foresight and highly skilled trades. This is something that must be accounted for.
Pro 2 Consumption
With a tiny house there is far less consumption of everything. You have less space in your fridge which lowers the possibility for wasting food. The appliances are small and you have fewer, no space for a rice cooker, coffee maker, air fryer, microwave, stove and oven, electric can opener, toaster oven etc. Less appliances mean less energy being used. This number will grow more and more as you live with less.
Water will also be used less. You would won’t have room for the bath tub or the space to comfortably take long showers there is also a higher likelihood of you having a composting toilet as well also saving 10s of gallons of water daily.
Con 2 Pets, Guest and Entertainment
When you have a house that is small with just you inside, it grows drastically smaller with visitors, pets and entertainment in effect. How do you have 4 people over in a house built for one? Can you cook for multiple people on a 2 burner electric stove top. Can you even store enough dishes and cups to host a dinner? How will you wash that many dishes in such a small sink? Is your toilet capable of handling multiple guests? Do instructions need to be given on how to use the facilities?
These are questions that aren’t asked until it is too late. I have 3 dogs that are 240-260 lbs a piece, we can’t all fit in a 250 sq foot space. Windows would start fogging up, the temperature would drastically increase it would be terrible. And that is just half of my dogs. If you have pets will they fit in your house with you. Can people sleep over? All of these questions and many more make tiny house living a little more difficult
Pro 3 Mobility
This particular pro encompasses a couple things. If your tiny house is on wheels it means literally your house can pick up and move. You can set yourself up on top of a mountain and enjoy a beautiful winter away from the world or set up on a beautiful beach, spending your mornings, fishing, surfing, tanning etc. This is one of those things that can’t be beat in life.
On the other hand if your house isn’t mobile the limited space inside will force you to spread your legs and be out more. Most people don’t want to stay cramped up in small spaces for extended periods of time. This means you will find yourself out and about more, exploring your town, going out to meet friends, making taking your pet on a nature walk. Mobility is a great thing to practice in your daily life and living in a tiny house makes it easier
Con 3 Claustrophobia
You may not suffer from this but odds are the limited space will get to you. Most people get homes to feel safe and comfortable but what happens when there isn’t enough space to get comfortable or feel safe. Your front door is 3 feet from your bed, if someone breaks in they’re staring you in your eyes on the breach. If your bed is up high to save space that might mean you can’t sit up in bed without hitting your ceiling.
Depending on how small your tiny house is you may not even want to stay in your house for extended periods without feel closed. What happens when a cold winter comes and you can’t leave the house as much, is it large enough for you to stay without feeling that space is limited.
Pro 4 Eco Friendly
The 3 previous pros express it better than anything else how Tiny House living is eco friendly. It takes up far less space meaning less encroachment on nature and more housing for the growing population. It also requires far less resources and energy to build. This means less waste in production, less natural resources dwindling, less trips for materials etc.
On top of that it’s small foot print means it consume less energy and resources. Less space typically means less trash and less items in general. There should be less food waste since less food can be stored at any given time. These elements are all unconscious as well if the owner wants they can also take things up a level with insulation, energy efficient appliances, windows for a cross breeze vs a/c etc. All of these things are far easier to accomplish with the smaller footprint.
Con 4 Space/Storage
If you have a house that was built with a limited footprint you may not of taken into account where everything will go beyond appliances and room layout. Where will you put all of those clothes you acquired over the years. Did you build a closet? Where do you store food? Do you have to go shopping every few days because your fridge only has room for a couple cans of soda and some leftovers? What about shoes.
If you work from home is there a desk and area for your laptop? Do you have extra sheets and duvet stored somewhere if yours get soiled. What about a washer and dryer?
Limited space will plague you if you have more items than your Tiny house can store effectively. You will need to consider every purchase carefully or get a shed or storage until to store the excess. Most people don’t take into account how much they have until they have to find a particular place for everything. When it’s not Christmas time I don’t even think about those decorations, they get stored in my shipping container, but in a tiny house they isn’t a choice.
Give And Take
The key to tiny house living is understanding your lifestyle and attempting to build a house that will allow to thrive. Sacrifices may need to be made but this is something that changes will bring to light. Maybe you don’t need a Keurig, a lot of those clothes have seen less daylight than a vampire.
Planning and preparation will help ease the transition and if possible live in a tiny house temporarily to get a feel for tiny living before taking the plunge. Yes it will cost a bit but it will give you the insight you need, whether tiny house living is for you.
Let me know your thoughts on tiny house living below.
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