This post is by our regular contributor, Kristi.
There is a rising trend in our country of people who have decided to live in tiny houses, or micro-dwellings, spaces that are usually no larger than 150 to 500 square feet.
Our Nation has an ever-growing population who has decided to be swept up by this micro-dwelling movement, usually because to the cost-saving advantages associated with living in a tiny home.
These tiny houses do have endless cost-saving advantages, but tiny house living isn’t always better. There are both pros and cons to living in a tiny house.
If you have ever thought about selling your home and all of your things to live in a tiny house, you will want to weigh the pros and cons and think carefully about how a tiny house will change many aspects of your daily life.
Pros of living in a tiny house
Easily live mortgage free
When the cost of your home is $15,000 to $30,000 from the ground up, you’ll be able to pay off your home debt in just a few years, as opposed to a 15 or 30-year mortgage with a traditional home.
Bigger savings
When you no longer have that huge housing expense eating away at your monthly income, you’ll be able to put more money away for retirement, college savings for current or future children, or even a down payment on an income property. You can use the extra money to travel, invest, or do whatever it is that you want to do.
Low utility bills
Tiny houses don’t use much energy, and since you won’t have a standing account with a power company, you won’t have utility bills taking a big chunk of your money every month. You’ll also have more choice in how you’ll power your home, instead of paying the fixed rates of big power companies.
Less cleaning
You won’t have to waste your weekends catching up on house chores because there isn’t much house to keep clean. Even a deep clean of your tiny home wouldn’t take more than a few hours.
Lower maintenance costs
A Smaller house means a smaller roof, fewer pipes, and less floor space. A bad roof will cost less to replace, and burst pipe won’t cost as much to repair. Big home maintenance costs go down proportionately with the size of your home.
Less property tax
Property taxes on tiny houses are equivalent to taxes imposed on RV or boat owners. The taxes are negligible compared to the property taxes imposed on standard houses.
Easier to practice minimalism
You won’t be tempted to spend money on more things because you have nowhere to put any new items. It’s easy to practice minimalism when every inch of storage space in a tiny house is meticulously planned out and utilized for items necessary for daily living.
No lawn care
Tiny, movable houses don’t have to worry about lawn maintenance. You don’t have to cut grass, rake leaves, or mulch flower beds. You’ll save time, money, and energy by not having to take care of those tasks typical of a standard home.
You aren’t beholden to the real estate market
If a cigarette factory decides to build across the street from you home, you simply pick up and move it to a new location. Your home’s value won’t be affected by neighboring homes or properties. You also don’t have to worry about selling your home in a buyer’s market if you or your spouse gets a new job offer in a new city. Your home just comes with you.
No big expenses
Tiny houses protect your bank account because you won’t have space for a big expensive couch, a new big-screen TV, or expensive recreational toys like 4-wheelers or jet-skis. You won’t be able to buy expensive, non-necessity items because you won’t have anywhere to put them.
Cons of living in a tiny house
No storage space
Tiny homes are notoriously low on storage options. You have to make hard choices about what to keep and what to get rid of if you decide to live in a tiny home. There simply isn’t room for your vintage tea cup collection or a closet full of designer shoes.
No privacy
Most tiny homes don’t have doors separating the living spaces. If anything, curtains usually fall between spaces. Cloth doesn’t offer much privacy for more intimate moments.
Tiny bathrooms
Tiny homes have tiny bathrooms. One sink, one composting toilet, and one very tiny, stand-up shower. Say goodbye to long, luxurious soaks in a tub if you decide to live in a tiny house.
No workout space
It’s nice to have the option to work out at home on days when you’re running late and don’t have time to go to a gym, or if it’s pouring rain or snowing outside. In tiny houses, you don’t have the space to be able to complete a session of yoga or a workout video. If you can’t exercise outside or at a gym, you’ll just have to go without that day.
No laundry room
Tiny houses don’t have space for a standard laundry room. You could invest in a compact washing machine for daily use items like towels, shirts, and under clothes. For the big items, though, like sheets, blankets, and beach towels, you will have to spend your time and money at the laundromat.
No indoor space to entertain
It’s nice to have space to invite out of town guests to stay the night or to have friends over for dinner. If you rely on outdoor space to entertain family and friends, and the weather goes sour, you’ll have to find a quick plan B, because they won’t all fit in your tiny house.
Difficulty in finding a place to park your home.
Zoning issues which were put into place to prevent mobile homes from lowering home values have made it really difficult to find a place to park your tiny home. Construction codes, too, make it illegal even to live in a tiny house full-time in some cities. Unless you have your own land or land of a willing friend or neighbor, simply finding a place to put your home could be a real issue.
No room for kids and pets
Tiny house living could be a great solution for a childless couple, but I can’t imagine trying to squeeze my family of four, along with two dogs and two fish, into 150 square feet of living space. Twenty-five square feet per oxygen breathing individual? No thanks. I’ll stick with my plan to move into a 1,000 square foot home instead.
Nowhere to hide
Maybe this should be on the pro list, but I’m going to leave it firmly on the con list. If you get into a fight with your spouse or kids, you have nowhere to go to cool off.
Some may argue that this will enable forced communication and a healthier relationship, but when you have no way of walking away, tensions could escalate quickly and unnecessarily to a heated standoff. When things get out of hand, people say things they don’t mean, and relationships break down. You might want to invest in some sparring gloves if you’re going to live in a tiny house.
No space for holidays
You’ll have to change how you celebrate your holidays if you live in a tiny house. You won’t have a big table to host Thanksgiving dinner inside, and you won’t have space for a traditional Christmas tree to decorate. Would you be willing to give up those things to live in a tiny home?
Weighing the pros and cons
There’s no doubt that tiny homes save money, but cost and convenience go hand in hand. Are you willing to sacrifice entertaining space, storage space, and personal space in order to save more money and live a more nomadic lifestyle?
Before you decide to make the switch, carefully assess your lifestyle needs to see if the pros of tiny home living outweigh the cons. Would the sacrifices be beneficial or just an annoyance?
Would tiny home living work for you? What are you willing to give up to save money?
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Man, I’m so intrigued by these tiny houses. I have a pretty small apartment, but I think these houses are even smaller! By the way, if anyone is looking for some additional perspectives from people who are living the tiny house lifestyle, check out Claudia and Garrett’s awesome blog at http://www.twocuphouse.com. They are negotiating these pros and cons daily! :)
Great rundown of some of the pros and cons. While the wife and I are considering downsizing, and we enjoy learning more about tiny living – we’ve seen a few of the various documentaries and occasionally watch Tiny House Nation on FYI – there is a limit to how small we’re willing to go. We estimate that we could live comfortably, eliminating most of the cons, by going from 2,220 sq. ft. to something about half, 1,000 – 1,100 sq. ft.
I love the tiny home show on HGTV and always think that I could do it until I see the bathrooms. I don’t need a lot of space in general, I just always struggle with the fact that I would feel claustrophobic every time I took a shower and that would stress me out.
Living in NYC, I think I’m used to smaller spaces but 150 square feet is pretty extreme. My wife and I were still living in a 600 square foot apartment with a little one and it was fine. I think it would have been fine staying but once he was mobile we did want more space for him…plus it’s nice to have more privacy/storage. We now live in a place that is about 800 square feet.
blonde_finance I could live with a tiny shower; however, I’m not down with a compost toilet. At the end of the day, I could live in a house smaller than our current home, but I need some plumbing.
RetirementSavvy I’m with you. We would love to live in a house about 1,000 sq. ft.
blonde_finance I have seen a few of the tiny houses that somehow made it work to have a full size bathtub, but they did have to make concessions on space in the kitchen area.
RetirementSavvy blonde_finance Yeah, I’m not so sure about a composting toilet either.
Andrew LivingRichCheaply 150 square feet is definitely to extreme for me as well. We had a 890 square foot home for 4 people and two large dogs and we were comfortable, albeit a bit cramped. 1000 sq. ft. would be perfect for us.
I’ve given a lot of thought to tiny living, weighing the pros and cons. At this time of the year, I am reminded of the fact that holiday space is extremely limited. Land is also expensive in the southeast, making tiny living less affordable that it might be in other parts of the country. For me, I think living small is perhaps the better option.
Thanks for your post!
No way. I love the idea of a tiny house, but I also love my space and privacy. After living in small hotel rooms for almost month this summer, I know I would not want to do that permanently.
I like that your article was fair to both sides of the argument. It’s not for me. I currently live in an apartment with a roommate and it’s fine for right now but it’s not how I want to live for the rest of my life.
Laura Beth @ How To Get Rich Slowly Land is always a serious consideration for long term living in a tiny house. Especially in expensive areas like NYC or LA, a small apartment might be the better option.
Eyesonthedollar I agree! I think I could happily live in a tiny house for a season, but long term would not be for me.
EverydayMoxie It’s great that you know what would work best for you! Tiny house living is definitely not for everybody. I would be miserable in a tiny (i.e. 150 sq. ft) house, but I would also be miserable in a gigantic house too. We all have to find that sweet spot for what works best for our own situation.
Great article! Moving to a tiny house cold turkey is a bit much for most. As one who collects way too much stuff and lives in a 750 sq foot space but only uses 500 sq ft of it, I would really like to try living in one.
Those seriously considering small house living might consider visiting and staying in one on an upcoming vacation. My husband and I did just that last year. The “small house” log cabin was built in the 1800’s; the bedroom was above the one room space (with the exception of the bathroom) like alot of tiny houses. We loved it and wanted to stay longer, but due to it’s popularity it was booked solid except for the one night we were able to rent it.
On our journey to commit to an eventual small house build, our next adventure may be to move to a loft we built as my office a few years ago. The space is open concept with no walls, other than the bathroom and nil storage space compared to where we are now. It would be great preparation and an eye opener. If we like it, living there would help us plan for an eventual smaller space, realizing more of what we could do without and how best to get more space out of less.
Since we don’t cook much, I’d be willing to give up kitchen space. We’ve been using a tiny toaster oven for years, while our stove goes unused.
Tiny houses have been intriguing me more and more lately. I could see doing it with a cat, but not my 2 cats and a dog. And I still haven’t decided how I feel about the laundry situation…and where to put the house…not ruling it out, just not totally sure!