Tiny Houses – how small is too small?

via tinyhouseblog.com

Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more attention given to the idea of the Tiny House.

It’s rather refreshing, especially in our McMansion era of homes with massive lawns and out-of-control utility bills, accessed through an endless network of asphalt at the edge of yet another suburban town.

Many find it nice, really, owning a home that they can call their own. Other’s take a Durden-esque criticism to it: a big house that you need to fill with things and keep from falling apart – debt upon debt upon debt.

But what if you weren’t living in a big house? Could you fit everything that was truly important to you within a few dozen square feet? Could you live in a Tiny House?

TINY: A Story About Living Small (Teaser Trailer) from TINY on Vimeo.

When I worked as a Ranger at Philmont several years ago, my existence was more or less that. During that summer everything I owned either existed in the back of my Jeep Cherokee or was skillfully packed into by Kelty. When I was on duty I’d hike about with everything from my closet to my bed to my kitchen pantry packed into a few thousand cubit inches. When I wasn’t, I was able to travel everywhere from Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon, always on a whim, still able to camp out or sleep in the back of the Jeep when it was time to retire for the day.

It was a true sense of freedom, which was ideal for a 20 year old. Sure, I’d be reliant on outside sources for things like showers and laundry, fuel and food. Beyond that my time was my own and my job was to guide Scouts through the New Mexican backcountry and prescribe them methods of not being eaten by mountain lions, dying of hypothermia, or getting really lost.

Point being: that summer, I could go anywhere all because I didn’t have the large, permanent things that typically tie people to one spot: beds, sofas, televisions, tax information, etc. However, I know that a lot of people like the idea of having a shower or a bed prescribed to them.

With the Tiny House idea, people are showing they can do so much more with so much less. By living in smaller spaces they are, quite literally, reducing their footprint. Tiny homes, many of which are portable, don’t necessarily have the power and water hookups that a typical home would have. Many of them run on solar power, have small reserve tanks for water, and use propane for heating and cooking.

Storage presents another challenge – meaning every purchase decision has to be considered. Where are you going to put the things you buy?

I’ve seen many Tiny Houses designed to be on wheels, built right on top of trailers. Depending on the skills and resources you have available, a well built Tiny Home could cost you a few thousand dollars. Significantly less, and far more earth friendly than the option of an RV. And, if you wanted you could build the house on a trailer and have it move with you.

I’m not entirely sure I could live in a Tiny House. It might be a part of the American sickness I could never shake: compartmentalization. A room with a reason, everything in it’s place. I’ve been working every day to make do with less. Use fewer resources, being smarter about acquiring things. The Tiny House idea revolves primarily around the idea of living simply through having less – the fewer things you own, the less you have to maintain, the less debt acquired. Still, it would take some getting used to.

And, frankly, I love the garden.While mobile gardening is possible, I’d rather have a plot of soil I can work with and enrich over time.

Could you live within a Tiny House? What are you doing to live with less?