Everywhere on social media there seem to be beautiful pictures of people living out of their vans and tiny homes — creating an appeal for a new minimalist style of living. For many millennials, purchasing a tiny home or trailer is the only feasible financial option for purchasing their first home. If you are willing to step out of your comfort zone and move into a smaller space, the tiny home adventure might just be your calling.
Green Living
Converting to tiny house living is a profound commitment. For those who wish to reduce their carbon footprint, downsize their lives, and have the desire to be transient, jumping on the tiny home trend is a potential overall win. Less square footage of your home means less energy to heat and cool it, as well as lower overall energy use in terms of lighting.
Based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average home releases 28,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, whereas a tiny home only releases 2,000 pounds. A tiny house, when established on a trailer, can be moved to wherever it best suits you to reduce the amount of driving you may need to get to work or for recreational needs. There simply isn’t enough room to accumulate more material items, and you will naturally curb your use of plastics and reduce the amount of waste that you produce.
Autonomy
Part of the appeal of living in a tiny home is the ability to pick it up and move it — not forcing you to stay rooted in any one place for longer than desired. Planning ahead and finding plots of land or RV parks that fit your needs and lifestyle can be one of the challenges of continuously moving your tiny house.
Make sure you know the towing capacity of your vehicle so you aren’t putting unnecessary strain on your car or truck. Overworking your engine or axles will quickly take away the autonomy of being able to move from place to place on a whim. To truly make your tiny house as green as can be, consider getting an electric or hybrid SUV to pull your tiny home or travel trailer. Be sure to do your research though, you don’t want to be left stranded on the side of the highway because your electric vehicle struggles to have the power to get you and your home over mountain passes.
Creative Freedom
If you have ever had an interest in building your own home, a tiny house is a great place to start. If you have an engineering background or have the goal of taking that career path, designing and building your own home can test out your skills. There are many different designs to experiment with that have been created to maximize living space. It has become an art form to figure out ways to best utilize small spaces, and the designs just keep improving. Even if you purchase a prefabricated tiny home, there are many modifications that you can make, both indoors and out, that will allow you to personalize it and make it your own. You can play with installing staircases that fold away and disappear, or hidden shelves and cabinets.
Additional Income
If you have been feeling the pull of purchasing a tiny home but you already own an average-sized home, consider putting one in your backyard. Many people across the country are using their own property to establish a long-term site for a tiny house. With the trend sweeping the country, travelers are taking the opportunity to try them out and are renting them as their preferred accommodations. Due to the low amount of building costs, you could possibly purchase a tiny home as a rental property with the equity from your current home. If you discover that you enjoy the tiny house more than your larger space, simply switch which place you offer for as a rental.
Something to keep in mind, even though this trend might seem appealing now, is it does have its drawbacks. If you like to entertain, you will have to make sure that it is during the warmer months so that you can gather everyone outside. If you have children or dogs, that small space can seem pretty crowded most days. Lastly, 250-400 square feet is smaller than you think. It would be wise to mentally prepare for drastically m
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