The average size of a family home keeps on increasing every year: the average size family American home was 165 m2 in 1978, it was 247.3 m2 in 2013.
A bigger-sized home often means higher electricity and heating consumptions. Large homes also often have backywards, meaning higher water usage. The list of examples goes on, making the link between big houses and unsustainable behaviours undeniable.
The average size of a family home keeps on increasing every year. Having a big home also often relates to an extensive list of unsustainable behaviors. For this reason, in the last years, the tiny house movement has exponentially gained in popularity. Living tiny offers people a chance to live a minimalist life, with a low-carbon footprint and low costs!
For this reason, in the last couple of years, the tiny house movement has gained in popularity.
What is a tiny house? Great question!
A tiny house is a dwelling unit (often mobile) with a maximum floor area of 27 m2. Created in the early 1970s from the writings of Henry David Thoreau and Allan Wexler, a tiny house provides an affordable way of living whilst being highly eco-friendly.
The benefits in living tiny are numerous!
It allows one to be able to afford a house for a ridiculously low price. This is a great solution for those who are looking to live mortgage-free and for financial stability. Whilst the average price of a newly built single-family home is $383,900 in the U.S., the average price of a built-to-suit tiny house is $59,884 and $23,000 for a self-made tiny house.
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Living in a tiny home has an incredibly low carbon footprint.
How?
- Off-grid electricity: The electricity in tiny houses is generated solely through solar panels which allows the home to go off-grid.
- Low water-footprint: Most mobile homes include a water tank for running water.
- Toilets are compostable
- Cooking is either done with sun-produced electricity or with propane
- Heating is either generated with propane or with a wood stove.Tiny homes use about 7% of the energy a traditional house does and can lessen a household’s ecological footprint by 45%.
Living tiny offers people a chance to live a minimalist life, with a low-carbon footprint and low costs. It also offers the option of going off-grid and moving around the world, tiny-living could be your opportunity to travel and live a sustainable life.
