How can you begin on your journey to tiny living?
1. Research, research, research. Find out if you think the tiny life could be right for you. Being on this website is a great start!
2. Find out your area's laws regarding tiny houses. These legal elements will inform your decisions about how you design your tiny house and bring to light any road blocks you might face.
3. Based on these laws, figure out where you will park or build your home.
4. Decide whether you are going to build or buy your tiny home.
5. Make a checklist for your house. Do you want it to be on wheels? Does it need to have a first floor bedroom or is a loft okay? Like any house hunt, you will need a list of 'needs' and 'wants' to get you through the process.
6. Figure out how you will finance your purchase. Unfortunately, due to the new nature of tiny houses, it can be hard to get a loan to pay for your home. So, crunch some numbers to make an informed financial decision about when to buy and how much to spend.
7. Plumbing and electricity. Most people gotta have 'em, so how are you gonna get 'em? Some tiny homes have RV style plumbing, whereas others have more upscale composting toilets. Also, figure out how you will get electricity in your home. Most tiny houses need to be hooked up to some sort of power source.
8. Buy/build that house and make it a home!
2. Find out your area's laws regarding tiny houses. These legal elements will inform your decisions about how you design your tiny house and bring to light any road blocks you might face.
3. Based on these laws, figure out where you will park or build your home.
4. Decide whether you are going to build or buy your tiny home.
5. Make a checklist for your house. Do you want it to be on wheels? Does it need to have a first floor bedroom or is a loft okay? Like any house hunt, you will need a list of 'needs' and 'wants' to get you through the process.
6. Figure out how you will finance your purchase. Unfortunately, due to the new nature of tiny houses, it can be hard to get a loan to pay for your home. So, crunch some numbers to make an informed financial decision about when to buy and how much to spend.
7. Plumbing and electricity. Most people gotta have 'em, so how are you gonna get 'em? Some tiny homes have RV style plumbing, whereas others have more upscale composting toilets. Also, figure out how you will get electricity in your home. Most tiny houses need to be hooked up to some sort of power source.
8. Buy/build that house and make it a home!
Who is Jay Schafer?Many people would consider Jay Schafer to be the inventor of the modern tiny home. He published his first article about simple living in 1999, and is often credited for jumpstarting the Tiny House Movement.
Schafer never had his sights set of designing tiny homes, as he does now as the founder of Four Lights Tiny House Company. All he wanted to do was build himself an efficient house to live in. To do that, he took the concept of a normal home, and removed all of the unnecessary parts. What he wound up with was a very small house. He was excited about the prospect of building his own tiny house because he wanted a home he could control, and wanted to avoid living in a small house that was perceived as a trailer. When designing, Schafer always asks himself, "What would nature do?". At the core of his designs is one main principle: efficiency. Schafer said that he "wanted to design something that didn’t adhere to tradition for tradition’s sake or innovation for innovation’s sake but addresse(d) the most universal human needs as efficiently as possible". His expertise is now available to all through his company, where you can purchase tiny house plans online. |
Nervous about moving into a tiny house?There are many places that you can find tips and tricks to maximize space in a tiny house and make it feel more like home. A few of these tips are listed below, and more can be found on the 'Links' page.
1. Embrace the loft. Many tiny homes have loft bedrooms to maximize ground floor space. 2. Splurge on your outside space. Build a large porch for outside dining and having guests over. 3. Add storage under the stairs. 4. Use glass walls, mirrors, and windows to make the space feel larger. Tips for Tiny Living with a Family1. Make sure everything has a place. This will keep your limited space organized.
2. Even in a tiny home, everyone needs their own space. Make a "Kids Cave" under the stairs to give them their space. 3. Make it a larger tiny house. There's no reason that you tiny house has to be 100 square feet. Increase the size to meet your needs. |