Some people are just drawn to the idea of being on a never-ending road trip. They love the adventure of seeing new places and meeting beautiful strangers along the way. For them, being mobile is important, and this is where tiny homes come in. Imagine being able to hit the road without sacrificing comfort and convenience. Having a house that you can bring anywhere you go is the perfect choice for people that love being on a road adventure.
When Did Tiny Homes Begin?
Tiny homes have been around for a long time though they were not as popular as today. Some of the most common examples of tiny houses that have been part of history are grass hats, igloos, wigwams, and wooden huts. They are being used mostly by Inuits, Samoans and Sioux, and other tribes across the world.
In modern culture, these dwellings were first popularized by Jay Safer, who built the first-ever recognized tiny house in Iowa in 1999. For five years, Jay Safer lived in a house with 110 square feet, including a porch and a gabled roof. He pioneered tiny houses on wheels, known as mobile homes, and founded Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in 2012.
What Is the Size of a Tiny House?
The ‘small house movement,’ also known across the world as the ‘tiny house movement,’ began to downsize living spaces. It is both a social and architectural advocacy that supports the idea of minimizing the way we live while promoting the idea of living less.
A typical house in the United States has a size of at least 2,500 square feet. You can call a house a tiny home if it’s less than 1,000 square feet. Another distinction is that if your dwelling is between 400-1,000 square feet, you have a small home. It will be called a tiny home if the size is less than 400 square feet or as little as 80 square feet.
The Benefits of a Tiny House
The small house movement first became popular during the recession that hit the World economy between 2008 and 2009. Generally speaking, tiny houses are both ecologically friendly and economical. They are also considered environmentally friendly because you would need far fewer materials to build this property than a typical house.
80% of tiny house dwellers are proven to leave only 47% of ecological footprints than those living in typical homes. Another benefit of living in a tiny house is that it uses less energy. A family living in an average home consumes energy in electricity, gas, heating, and cooling. Living in a tiny house means you need less energy, resulting in less carbon emission and burnt fossil fuel.
Since it has a small space, people that live in tiny homes also have less waste. They are more conscious of what they are buying because they have limited storage than those who live in average homes. According to the godfather of the tiny homes movement Jay Safer, “ But what first attracted me to them was how much more beautiful a well-utilized space is. Waste is ugly; efficiency is beautiful.” Other benefits of having a tiny house are:
- Can be attached to cars for mobility
- Utilizes wind and solar energy
- Easier to maintain than an average home
- Eco-friendly and can be built from recycled materials
- Creates more outdoors space
- Easier and faster to own than applying for a normal mortgage
Tiny House on Wheels
The beauty of having a tiny house is that you can customize it based on your needs and lifestyle. If you are the type of person whose always on the road, the tiny house on wheels is the perfect type of dwelling for you. The size depends on your needs, but on average, a tiny house on wheels has the size of less than 600 square feet.
You can build a tiny house on a trailer, and the two best aspects of it are mobility and being able to get around minimum structure size requirements. Since it is not built on a wooden or concrete foundation, it is not governed or subject to local building codes. If you do not want to apply for a special permit, the allowed size is 8 feet wide by 13 feet tall by 40 feet long. That is the maximum size requirement cause if you go longer than 40 feet, the tiny house will be hard to transport.
Cars for Towing Tiny Homes
When towing a tiny house, the first most important aspect is the equipment that you will use because if you have the wrong one, you will be having a hard time with mobility. The size of your vehicle will play a significant role. Your car shouldn’t be undersized nor oversized.
If you are not planning on moving the house constantly, buying a tow vehicle might be unnecessary. Large tow vehicles are expensive, hard to maintain, and consume more gas than regular SUVs.
Some of the most popular cars used for towing tiny homes are Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and Subaru Crosstek. The latter’s hybrid model can tow up to 1,000 lbs and is equipped with a Subaru gasket that ensures optimum performance even if there is an attached weight.
Deciding to live minimally and in a tiny house is a decision you must carefully consider. Joining the famous tiny house movement will affect your choice of home and your overall way of life. This home innovation will continue to take the world by storm because it’s both environmentally and financially friendly.
