The Psychology of Tiny House Living
Outsiders Might View the Tiny House Movement as Neat and Interesting…but truth is they could never see themselves living in a space that is 250 square feet in size. And while they may like the Tiny House movement, some might even consider the people who live in Tiny Homes a little coo-coo. So are they right?
Tiny House People- Who Are They?
All kinds of people live in small homes! From millennials who are facing the “gen squeeze” to families who want more from life, retirees who enjoy travel and being able to live close to family, to off-grid warriors who crave the fresh air and disconnecting from the modern world. And with the right design in place, even tall people live in them! Everyone has slightly different reasons and tiny homes are a perfect expression of their unique qualities.
Yeah, But What About the Size?
People who live in Small Homes don’t suddenly jump into the lifestyle- they think it our carefully and they plan well.
They do things like:
- Go to Tiny House Shows
- Visit their Tiny House friends to get a feel for it
- Seek advice about the do’s and dont’s
- Look carefully at best building practices
- Learn about the Builders who sell Tiny Houses
- Rent a Tiny House to test it out
- Find a great place to park and live with the small home
- Learn about local building codes and zoning
- Downsize and get rid of unnecessary possessions
- They make peace with the idea of living in a Tiny House in exchange for a Big Life
Ok… But Where Do They Actually Put the Tiny Home?
Again, choosing a location for your tiny house requires research. And remember, they ARE mobile so unlike traditional homes, these ones can be moved. And despite the red tape, there are literally tens of thousands of people in North America alone living in Tiny Homes, people who have found ways around the restrictions which over time are changing anyways. In today’s world of rapid growth, climate change and globalization, you can only delay a necessary movement for so long. At a certain point that movement will reach a tipping point and the rest of the crowd will catch up. With the power of petitions, social activism and sheer necessity, this movement is guaranteed to get bigger and become a reality.
“Think of this as an obvious backlash to the banking, mortgage, and credit card industry. It’s also a backlash to glutinous consumption, poor job opportunities, and young people feeling betrayed by older generations. Living in a trailer house has a bad connotation. But living in an even smaller tiny home, that has many of the same features as a trailer house, is suddenly all the rage, sheik and cool tied up into one super cute little package.
But the big thing this trend offers is freedom, and that’s not easy to quantify. It’s not just an efficient lifestyle, but a culture, a door-opener, a character-builder, and untethered nobility all rolled into one.
Cities will have to adapt. People without permanent ties to a community are difficult to regulate and factor into city planning, but people with tiny homes will happen anyway.”
– Thomas Frey, Futurist
*images sourced from: http://www.badchix.com/handcrafted-tiny-houses-smaller-than-your-bedroom-25-photos/