The tiny house trend is on the rise now more than ever, and thousands of individuals, couples, and families around the world are paring down possessions, selling houses, and embarking upon the search for a simpler and more sustainable life; what began as a something of a ‘hippy’ concept has now blossomed into a global phenomenon, with communities popping up in Canada, Japan, Britain, and many others. The decision to ‘go small’ has become a conscious and increasingly personal lifestyle choice that resonates with those wanting to cultivate a simpler, more efficient, and what they hope to be a happier life.
What is the Tiny House Movement?
The idea, essentially, is to downsize everything - from your material possessions down to your square footage. Most tiny homes range from 85 sq ft to 400 sq ft and can either be mobile (on wheels) or stationary. There is a distinction between these and small homes, which are generally defined as anything between 400 and 1000 square feet. In order to fully understand a concept that matured over a period of more than fifty years, however, we must take a look back - Americans have been searching for an escape from the burdens of an excessively materialistic life for a long time.
How the Tiny House Movement Started
The beginning of the tiny house movement is a difficult one to pinpoint and still remains a point of contention within the community. The concept of a minimalistic home has been around for decades, though as with all trends, the idea appears throughout history in waves, receiving renewed attention only after periods of a shift back towards larger houses. Beginning in the early 1900s, what some call the “Bungalow Movement” began. For a period of about 30 years or so, architects and designers constructed thousands of small homes (bungalows) based on the ideal that more people owning their own homes would make American society stronger and healthier. The only way to accomplish that was to build small houses - property that regular people could actually afford.
the joys of living simply
Traditionalists might say that the movement began with Henry David Thoreau and his passionate endeavor to “simplify the problem of life” and “distinguish the necessary.” (Thoreau to H.G.O. Blake, 27 March 1848] Indeed, the tiny cabin in the woods he built in 1840 was a mere 10ft x 15ft with 8-foot ceilings. He often wrote about the joy of living simply, of reducing one’s material possessions, removing the clutter from everyday life, and spending time outside. His time alone in the woods resulted in Walden, piercing commentary on materialist culture and an appeal for us to live more simply, and therefore, more freely.
There isn’t a universally-recognized ‘first’ tiny home, but a few have been found that date as far back as the early 1800s, pre-Thoreau. A tiny “shotgun” house in Virginia, sitting at 7 feet wide and 36 feet long, was photographed in 1830; a few years later, that same style of house began popping up throughout New Orleans, most of them colorful and quaint. Whether these were built with the intention of living minimally on purpose or not, they still represent the earliest days of the tiny house in its most basic form.
Others claim that Sarah Susanka’s Not So Big House book series helped to kickstart the movement in 1997 by putting it down in print. Although Susanka’s work wasn’t about the tiny house in and of itself, it strove to reverse the longstanding ‘obesity’ trend in residential architecture by arguing that smaller homes are more environmentally sustainable and inherently beneficial to our mental wellbeing. Her concepts represent more of an ideology than a blueprint, however. Around the same time (1999), Jay Schafer wrote about the merits of simple living and is known for popularizing the tiny house on wheels. He later founded the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, followed by the Four Lights Tiny House Company in 2012, and continues to be active in the tiny house movement.
By 2002, average home size in the US had reached a staggering 2200 square feet. The subsequent housing crisis in 2007/2008 devastated an overly saturated market and led to thousands of foreclosures all across the country; people were desperate for an alternative and searching for answers to an increasingly untenable livelihood. They wanted something affordable, eco-friendly, and absolutely theirs - no mortgage, no loans, and no debt. Since then, the trend toward smaller living has witnessed a gradual but steady increase.
In 2005, one of the worst natural disasters hit Louisiana - Hurricane Katrina. For months, the city of New Orleans had to deal with finding housing for displaced people. FEMA trailers were problematic and there simply weren’t enough. As a response to this, architects were hired to design small cottages that reflected the region’s character while still maintaining their functionality. Most of Cusato's homes were larger than the tiny house standard, the smallest being around 310 square feet and the largest being 1800 square feet, but these cottages essentially solved the housing problem and gained national notoriety. Blueprints for the homes are actually still being circulated today as models for building a tiny house.
The Mass Exodus Towards ‘Going Small’
Today, the concept has become so intriguing that TV shows and movies like Tiny House Hunters and Tiny House Nation are being mass produced. They have also become important in a more social aspect, much like they were during the Katrina crisis - as a solution to an increasingly desperate homelessness problem in the US. Communities are popping up in major metropolitan cities like Portland, providing safety, stability, and privacy that many shelters do not. Villages like these are part of a national movement that serves as an alternative (and more affordable) approach to housing the homeless, and it has the potential to become one of the most effective ways to combat the problem.
But what are the benefits of tiny house living? What can someone really do in such a small space? The pros of going small do vary from person to person, but generally speaking, there are several universally acknowledged advantages: you’ll spend less time cleaning and maintaining the house, monthly bills are much cheaper, it’s better for the environment, and you are truly taking control of your impact on the world.
LIVING OFF THE GRID
Tiny house living allows you more time (and energy) to focus on what’s most important to you; whether that be family, friends, or simply enjoying the outdoors. Being completely mobile and able to travel on a whim is enormously appealing to many tiny house owners; the freedom and flexibility it provides creates the perfect medium for moving to a new city or simply taking off on a 6-month road trip. Living the way you want, unencumbered by the tasks that come with living ‘on the grid,’ creates a more meaningful existence for many. For some, it’s really just about simplifying.
All that simplicity does come at a cost, and there is no doubt that effectively utilizing small spaces is crucial to creating a livable tiny home. Fitting all of life’s necessities - and hobbies - into a small square the size of most people’s bedrooms can seem incredibly daunting, even impossible. This is where incorporating things like lofts and multifunctional furniture comes into play. Beds that fold into the wall, desks that double as a dining table, and utilizing every last bit of vertical space are all common ways that tiny house dwellers save space.
Using light colors on the walls make a room seem larger and more relaxing, and design quirks like exposed wood grains create a natural feel. An abundance of natural light is practically standard in tiny houses these days, which has been proven to improve mood and energy levels. Being able to completely customize the space in such a way that’s both eco-friendly and good for mental health is precisely what people like most about the tiny house concept.
living more with less
Critics of the movement have often voiced wonder at what fuels - and continues to fuel - the desire to live so minimally. After all, aren’t we inherently wired to go after the seemingly limitless “more”? In reality, it’s the opposite of this concept that lies at the root of the tiny house movement, and in general the trend from larger houses to smaller blueprints.
At its core, it represents a need to simplify life and, in the process, live sustainably. Considering that humans used to build teepees, straw huts, and dwell in dark caves, to some it seems like a regression to our most base instincts. But for those who are searching for ways to cut through the clutter and eliminate the need for ‘more,’ this movement is not a regression, but a crucial and progressive step forward.