What Is The Tiny House Movement?

The new trend is toward simpler more sustainable living.

The Tiny House movement is a social movement where people are downsizing the space that they live in. The typical home is around 790 square meters, whilst the typical small or tiny house is around 30 - 12 square m . Tiny Houses come in all shapes, sizes and forms but they focus on smaller spaces and simplified living.

People are joining this movement for many reasons, but the most popular reasons are because of environmental concerns, financial concerns and seeking more time and freedom. For most Americans, South Africans and Europeans 1/3 to 1/2 of their income is dedicated to the roof over their heads; This translates to 15 years of working over your life time just to pay for it and because of it 76% of these people are living pay check to pay check.

So what is the alternative? One might be to live smaller. While we don’t think tiny houses are for everyone, there are lessons to be learned and applied to escape the cycle of debt where almost 70% of people are trapped in right now.

Better Living Through Simplicity

Founded in 2002, the Small House Society (in the USA) is a cooperatively managed organization dedicated to the promotion of smaller housing alternatives which can be more affordable and ecological.

Their desire is to support the research, development, and use of smaller living spaces that foster sustainable living for individuals, families, and communities worldwide.

Growing in popularity over the last decade, tiny houses are popping up around the world, as more people decide to downsize their lives. While the structures often measure less than 90 square meters, the tiny house movement isn't necessarily about sacrifice. With thoughtful, innovative designs, some homeowners have discovered a small house actually leads to a simpler yet fuller life, connecting them with family, friends, and nature while freeing them from mortgages, wastefulness, and an urge to keep up with the Joneses. Check out these impressive tiny houses that maximize both function and style to see if the lifestyle could be right for you.

Kirsten Dirksen visits Plymouth, Massachusetts, where the simplest homes in town were built using cratchets natural forks in trees as support for the ridgepole of the roof. The walls are built up with “wattle”, small sticks for the lattice structure, and “daub”, a mortar of clay, earth and grasses. Instead of using the traditional English lime wash to protect the walls, the colonists took advantage of the plentiful wood in the America and created clapboard siding by cleaving wood into thin boards.

An inspiring example - four families who are long-time friends decided they needed a low-budget place to spend time together, they asked an architect for help. The result is a personalized ranch outside of Austin, Texas, that includes four tiny-house cabins built for just $40,000 each. The property includes a bigger main house for cooking and gathering, and the whole setup is utterly magical.

Or if you interested in D.I.Y. tips please visit Living Big in a Tiny House website for how to build a tiny kitchen to how to build a hobbit house, a platform or a yurt.

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