To say I have a tiny house obsession would be the understatement of the year. Honestly, I don’t even remember when or how these amazing things came into my life but so glad they did. I am at a point where I want less in my life, I literally crave simplicity. I am purging like crazy (check out my 1-hour decluttering challenge), every clean surface makes me smile. The less clutter I have around me the calmer I feel, which is key for me as I have anxiety. So a lifestyle based around having the bare necessities definitely struck a chord with me.
This has led to a lot of binge-watching tiny house shows on YouTube lately. It always impresses me how different the houses can be when most of them use such a similar footprint and height constraints! I know personally I would not want a sleeping loft. There is nothing I would want less than having to crawl down a ladder in the middle of the night to pee. That said, I also don’t want to crawl into my bedroom!
For me, having a tiny house is not about its portability, rather it is about the minimalistic lifestyle it demands. It is so true that if you want less mess then have less stuff! This is where the tiny house itself helps you towards this. Now I’m sure that somewhere out there you could find a hoarder living in a tiny house. But those who really embrace the concept of the lifestyle usually do it with a minimalistic approach and a love of simplicity. Tiny houses also enable you to become more sustainable. They have much lower water and electricity needs. So with a water catchment system, solar panels and an adorable wood burning stove you can easily make these homes off-grid. Which also ties in with the homestead mentality.
In my current life, I have a suburban four-bedroom house (that makes it sounds bigger than it is), and we don’t need this much space. The Boy is almost 21 and has taken over the basement. So out of the four bedrooms upstairs, only one is actually being used as a bedroom.
The other three bedrooms have acquired new purposes. The first one is now a man room for The Hubby (seeing as he lost his previous one when The Boy took over the basement). The second has become my sewing room (where I make all my purses for The Honey Bagger). The third one is a jungle gym for our two Sphynx cats (if you’re curious about them you can check out my post on 13 Things you need to know about Sphynx cats).
Getting back to the tiny houses in question I wanted to share a few of my favourites that I have come across. They are below in no particular order and there are aspects of each one that I love. The first one has the bedroom I crave, though I would have opted to put in a smaller bed so that I could have had some standing room in the bedroom. I’m obsessed with the black metal and glass roll up garage door! The kitchen is well laid out but a bit dark for me.
This next one ticks almost all my wish list, it’s just missing a bit of height in the bedroom. I love how bright and airy the house feels and I just adore the little woodturning stove. Love that they have incorporated solar panels to increase their sustainability.
The third one is the first one that has a bedroom you can actually stand up in! The kitchen is so spacious, the only two negatives for me is the video itself (this one is from the company that makes it rather than a homeowner) and the window placement in the living room is a bit random for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love having windows for natural light but does there have to be 25 (yes I am exaggerating) of them of random shapes and sizes?
This last one is the most eclectic (at least from the outside). It has the back metal and glass garage door that I love and it is quite bright inside. I also love the full-sized “normal” couch that she has. The kitchen is a fabulous size which would be a must for me as I love to cook. The bathroom is gorgeous (though I don’t love the shower tiles) and I love that she has a real toilet.
The idea to have the separate music studio really spoke to me as it just screamed sewing room!!! Which obviously I would have to have, as it’s all about priorities.
A big part of tiny house living is spending lots of time outside. This suits me just fine as in reality, I plan to spend most of my time outside in my gardens and tending to my animals. Even now during spring-fall, the first thing I do when I get home from work is to switch in my welly boots and go right out into the back yard. So outside living is huge for me!
Another aspect of tiny living that appeals to me is being able to use more of your “house” budget on land if you are spending less on the house itself. I have a dream to have 2 acres of land and be able to transition from a suburban homestead to a true homestead. So while I adore looking at tiny houses I don’t see myself having one on a trailer. My ultimate goal would be to build a small freestanding farmhouse on my two acres. I want to be more conscious of the things I bring into my home and only have purposeful space.
I found the plans for my dream farmhouse online, but it is still too big for my liking. So I will need to find ways to downsize its footprint. Taking the idea from the last tiny house I would love to get one of these she-sheds and set it up as my sewing room/office away from the main house. Then all that is left is getting a greenhouse/potting shed so I can bask in my plants! I was smitten with this one that Chip and Joanna Gaines built on Fixer Upper.
So what are your thoughts on tiny living? Are you just curious about it? Do you already live in a tiny house? Are you building your own?
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