Tiny homes are houses that are most commonly less than 400 square feet of living space. Some are on wheels, also known as tiny houses on wheels (THOWs), and some are more like a small cottage or accessory dwelling meant to be stationary. They come in all styles, and with a variety of different price tags, depending on if you buy one from a professional builder, buy a partially assembled home (shell) or decide to build it yourself. Most importantly, tiny homes help people to live more efficiently - with energy. resources, money, and space.
The Tiny House Movement is, therefore, the grassroots movement that encompasses all these ideas. Within it are all of the people around the world who chose to downsize their living spaces. This includes people of all ages, genders, and income levels. It appeals to such a wide variety of people, most likely because of the variety of benefits that going tiny provides...
Working smarter, not harder. The average house today is 2,600 square feet. That's a lot of space to pay for, especially considering that you would need to spend most of your time away from your house in order to work to pay for it.
Having more free time for friends, family, and fun. In most cases, it takes 2 full-time, stable incomes to support a household today, with many workers spending any extra time looking for ways to make more money. Tiny houses lower the cost of living significantly, with less space to buy, heat, cool, and light. With less money needed to stay afloat, there's more time to spend doing what you love most.
Saving resources without feeling like you're doing without. Simply by going tiny, you're conserving. Less space means less energy to heat, cool, and light, and it also means finding the most efficient use of space by deciding what's important for us to have, and what is just a waste of our precious space.
Admittedly, tiny living is not for everyone. It is definitely not the only solution, but it is a solution. And with an open mind and the desire for a better way, thousands of people across the globe have changed their lives for the better by joining the movement.
