My husband and I have been house-hunting for a few years with zero success. New construction homes as well as existing structures tend to be enormous brick boxes on concrete slabs (entirely the wrong type of foundation for the shifting blackland prairie soil in North Central Texas.) All the homes, even those deemed “custom,” look very much the same. They are too large for our taste, or the lot is too small, or they would be too costly to retrofit with energy-efficient technologies. Therefore, we continue to rent and to be disappointed with our area’s housing options.
Fortunately, we have found hope in a new housing trend: the tiny house movement.
The number one tenet of living sustainably is to reduce. Drive less and you’ll consume less oil and gas, and release smaller amounts of pollutants. Purchase recyclable and recycled products instead of disposable or single-use ones and you’ll generate less trash. Use energy produced from renewable resources and you’ll minimize the burden on land mined for coal. By relying on cleaner energy sources -- solar, wind and water, for example -- you reduce contamination of all the planet’s natural resources.
Imagine reducing your footprint, literally and philosophically, by thinking small. Tiny houses -- some as small as 75 square feet (sf) -- are becoming popular in North America. Tiny house dwellers significantly reduce building costs and energy expenses. There is less space for “stuff,” so people attracted to this lifestyle accumulate less clutter and fewer unnecessary consumer items. Instead of shopping and something I call ”chronic redecorating,” people who buy tiny houses have more time to pursue hobbies, spend time with family and friends, or travel. Often these folks construct their tiny homes in natural settings on an acreage. With less space and junk to manage in their houses, homeowners may reconnect with Nature and recognize the effect their consumption behaviors have on their environment. Humans must understand this cause-and-effect relationship at the most local level if we are to make large-scale, global changes.
So how small could you go? Five years ago, David and I lived in a 50sf pop-up camper for three months, and a 150sf motor home for another nine. Space was never an issue, much to our surprise. Household chores -- cleaning, sweeping, taking out the trash -- took about 30 minutes every day. Our “homes” were not necessarily energy-efficient, but at least were more sustainable than our current rental home. Certainly they were exponentially more sustainable than the brick behemoths peppering our region.
These days, we have a dog, a baby on the way, and a home-based business; our housing needs have outgrown that 150sf trailer. The Small House Society website offers people like us some answers by listing designers and builders whose expertise is living small. It is quick to point out that there are no set guidelines for defining a small house; their members live in quarters from 140sf to over 4000sf. Their website notes that the Society is “about inclusion and respectful dialog… not about separatism, marginalizing, or judging anyone for the home they live in."
Some of the businesses listed sell conceptual plans as well as building plans; some design and build onsite; and others offer plans and building materials to do-it-yourselfers. Jay Shafer, one of the founding members of the Society, has garnered attention from media moguls like Oprah Winfrey for his small-house designs and plans. He lives in a 100sf home on a trailer foundation he designed, and the smallest home he offers plans for is the Vardo, a 40sf dwelling on trailer foundation. Interested customers may contract with his company, Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, to build the Vardo for $21,997, or build it on their own for about $5,000 plus labor. The Enesti model at 770sf suits our lifestyle best, because its design may accommodate about four people. Tumbleweed recommends you construct this home on a stationary foundation. Therefore, prospective customers should purchase the plans for about $1,000 and find a local contractor to build it. Construction costs generally range $100-200 per square foot.
The Tiny Homes Company (link best viewed in Internet Explorer) distinguishes “Tiny Tiny Homes” (0-500sf) from “Tiny Homes” (500-1,000sf). Two other categories -- Small Homes (1,001-2,000sf) and Garage Apartment plans -- offer additional options. My favorite is their Beach Side option. At 1,080square feet, this tiny house provides plenty of garage space and a half-bath on the lower level. On the upper level are kitchen/dining space, living space, two bedrooms and a full bath. A screened porch even allows you to enjoy the sea breeze without the mosquitoes! For a contemporary twist on the tiny house concept, check out m-house, weeHouses by Alchemy Architects, and Yeh + Jerrard. And Tiny Texas Houses, located in Gonzales, Texas, takes sustainability a step further; they are the only tiny-house makers “who use exclusively vintage lumber and focus on the handmade quality and details of the old days.” Not only do they create livable, small spaces, they build them using reclaimed materials, and will customize further with solar panels and water harvesting systems.
We estimate that 1,000sf would sufficiently meet our current needs as well as allow for our expanding family and business. Although I’m partial to the Beach Side design created by the Tiny Homes Company, I still have much research to do. Our next step: find the right land to build our tiny house.
Links:
The Small House Society
Frugal For Life
Why Tiny Homes?
The 400-square-foot dream home
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Christy Ilfrey |
| About the author: |
| Christy Tinsley-Ilfrey is an entrepreneur, gardener, eco-goddess; a wife, mother-to-be, daughter, sister; but mostly she sees herself as a writer. Someday, she hopes to become a really good one. Read more about her and by her at http://greenqueendom.blogspot.com or contact her at
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