For those new to the idea of Tiny House living, it can sometimes be difficult to understand why someone might intentionally choose to live this way.
From my own experience, those of our team and our community, here are the top 7 reasons we choose Tiny House life (in no particular order):
ENVIRONMENTAL REASONS
Many of us are intentionally choosing to live in smaller homes, with smaller physical and environmental footprints.
Compared to traditional 4 bedroom 2 bathrooms homes, Tiny Houses require a fraction of the materials for construction. This drastically reduces the energy inputs, carbon emissions and the volume of waste materials that will end up in landfill.
They’re also vastly ore efficient to heat, cool and manage, also reducing the ongoing energy inputs required.
As Tiny Houses are on wheels, you can also pack up and move them and within a week, you would never know there’d been a home on the site. For those conscious of treading lightly on the earth, a Tiny House can be the obvious choice.
BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT THE PROBLEM
Accessible housing is obviously one of the most critical issues affecting many Australians right now.
Each Tiny House resident frees up one more traditional home for someone else. Not everyone is physically capable of thriving in a Tiny House- but for those of us who are, we’d rather make sure there are traditional homes available for those who truly need them.
We’re also saving governments money. By self-funding our own homes, governments need to provide fewer affordable housing options. I’d like to leave you with this- in 2023, the Queensland government allocated an ADDITIONAL $322 million to build 500 new social homes. By permitting the full-time occupation of self-funded Tiny Homes, THEY COULD INSTEAD HAVE EFFECTIVELY PROVIDED THOUSANDS OF HOMES AT ZERO COST. As a taxpayer, wouldn’t you rather see that $322 million spent on improving the crumbling healthcare system? Politicians- want a guaranteed election win? Implement policies that allow full time, long term living in Tiny Houses.
FEWER OVERHEADS
Finance- Even if you take out a loan for your Tiny House, it will be paid off within only 7 years- that’s 28 YEARS SOONER than your friends who have a mortgage and a traditional home!! Imagine how much you could save/invest/travel with all that extra money?! We’re not talking spare change here, this equates to HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars: life-changing money!
Maintenance and upkeep- If you’ve ever had to re-carpet a 4 bedroom house, your brain might explode when I tell you that I replaced ALL flooring in my Tiny House last year for LESS than $200.
Utilities- The average Tiny House resident uses around 10% the amount of power and water compared to a standard 3 bedroom house. That’s a saving of THOUSANDS of dollars every single year. And if you’re off-grid? You’ll never pay a power bill again.
Not having to buy furniture!! WHY is no-one talking about this?! For me, this is probably the best kept secret amongst Tiny House residents. I remember buying my first traditional home, then having to spend over $10,000 on furniture on a “24 months interest free” deal because we just spent all our money on the house itself!! Most furniture in a Tiny House is built-in- you literally unpack your suitcase of clothes and everything else you need is already part of the home!
TIME FREEDOM
Less Cleaning- We can clean our entire house top to bottom (including windows and floors!) in under an hour! No more spending entire weekends as slaves to our home. And when unexpected guests drops by? You can literally give the whole house a clean sweep in the time it takes them to walk up your driveway (yes I know this from experience, haha!)
Reduced Overheads- Means that many of us can afford to not work a 9 to 5 unless we choose to. We can pursue our passions- like art, writing, gardening, or starting that business. I personally would not have had the time and freedom to start THIS business if I were still solely focused on paying the bills, as I was in my last traditional rental.
FLEXIBILITY
They’re moveable. You might be transferred through your work to an interstate office, or want to move closer to elderly relatives, or up north for a climate that suits you better. Whatever the reason, with a Tiny House, you can always take it with you! No having to engage real estate agents to sell your property (and pay them tens of thousands of $$) and find and buy a new one, with the exhausting series of packing, waiting, exit cleans, delayed settlement, bridging finance, and having to renovate the new home to suit your lifestyle. With a Tiny Home, you can design it perfectly to your needs ONCE, and just take it with you when you decide to move. TRUST ME- after doing this myself now, being able to pack everything you own into your car and be all settled in your new place ON THE SAME DAY is a gift I’ll never stop being grateful for.
You can adapt as your lifestyle changes. Unexpected twins might mean a renovation of your traditional home, or even having to sell up and buy something larger. In a Tiny House, you can always add an extra Tiny House. And when your kids eventually leave home, you have an office space/studio/spare room for nanna- all while remaining on the property you’ve loved forever.
STABILITY
Surprised??
Our experience demonstrates that many of us have had longer term housing security in a Tiny House than in traditional homes!! In my own case when renting prior to going Tiny, I moved 5 times in only 18 months (landlords selling up, moving in, or increasing rent). Since going Tiny, I’ve been in the same place FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS!! I only recently moved- by my own choice :) (I wrote a comprehensive blog on this not long ago, which you can read here: https://www.parkmytinyhouse.com.au/post/myth-there-s-no-security-in-tiny-house-living)
BETTER LIFESTYLE
In a world where “hustle culture” is idolised and celebrated, many of us are opting out.
There’s nothing quite like waking naturally, making a cuppa and sitting out on the deck having a leisurely start to your day. Then you go water your veggie garden before it gets too hot, maybe work from your computer for a couple hours, before picking some of those veggies, collecting eggs from your chooks, and making a garden-fresh frittata for dinner.
Tens of thousands of us are embracing a return to the simplicity of days gone by. And by all accounts, we’re exponentially happier and healthier as a result. I’m extremely grateful that my own mental health has done a complete 180 since adopting this lifestyle.
What’s YOUR reason for wanting to go Tiny?
xBry
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