When we first moved out when we were 18, we moved into a very tiny house. Technically, it was not a “tiny home,” but to us it was.
It was extremely small home at around 400 square feet (less than that if you don't count the basement), but it was cheap, had a backyard and was located very close to the college I was about to start attending.
Also, as a reminder, last year Jordann also posted about how she used to live in a 400 square foot house. I also recently published the interview I Live in a 175 Square Foot Tiny Home – Sailboat Living. I highly recommend you read these two posts!
I recently became interested in tiny homes again when I was watching a documentary on Netflix (we're starting to find cable less and less worthwhile) called Tiny: A Story About Living Small. This documentary followed a man building his very own tiny home, and the documentary also showed others who lived in their own tiny homes.
I find tiny homes very interesting. They make great use of their space, they are usually very cute, and they are very affordable. Even with the positives below though, I don't think it's something I could do.
For me, the negatives greatly outweigh the positives. I think we could do something smaller than what we currently have, but a 200 square feet tiny home is just too extreme for me.
Below are the positives and negatives of living in a tiny house:
Pro: Your housing expenses will be cheaper with a tiny home.
The average tiny home costs less than $30,000 to build. You can also buy a tiny home for very cheap. That price before includes the exterior and interior of the home. That is very cheap! That is much cheaper than the average home.
However, I do think you have to remember about where you are going to place this tiny home. Yes, you can buy land for cheap, but land can also be very expensive in other areas.
Your home will also be cheaper in that your utility bills will be cheaper. It's much cheaper to heat or cool down a 200 square foot house than a 2,000 square foot house.
Repairs, maintenance and replacements will also most likely be much cheaper in a tiny home.
Con: I think it would be difficult with children and pets.
We don't have children yet, but we would like to have them in the future. With all of the people I've seen and read about who live in tiny homes, I don't think there's been a single one who had children or pets.
I think it would just be very difficult with a family. People need their space… Or, maybe that's just me?
However, I think if it were just one or two people living in a tiny home, then it would probably be much more doable. When we lived in our 400 square foot house (let's keep in mind that we haven't lived there in a very long time), it wasn't completely bad. The size didn't really bother us at all at the time. I think it really helped that there were multiple small rooms to escape too, and there was also a front and backyard and porch.
Pro: You'll spend less money on material items.
I am a bit of a hoarder. Just ask Wes and he will probably want to cry just thinking about how much stuff I have.
My closet is jam packed to the ceiling with stuff, and then I also have things in the guest bedroom and in our basement.
Moving into a tiny home would probably be a lifesaver in that I would be forced to think about each purchase I make. Since there's only so much room in a tiny home, you will buy fewer items.
Con: Having guests over won't be comfortable.
I remember watching in the documentary when the main person being filmed had guests over.
He invited his family over to see the home he just built and it was extremely cramped. It was almost like everyone had to bend over in order for their to be room for everyone.
Now, I'll be honest, I don't throw raging parties or anything, but I would like the option of having people over when I can. This is especially true since we plan on moving to a new state and we would like people to visit us occasionally.
Pro: You may be able to bring the tiny house when traveling.
Okay, this doesn't apply to every single tiny house, but there are some that are small enough where you can actually travel with it.
You can bring your tiny home to where you want it to be, and you may even be able to do some road trips in it as well.
This makes the list of possible places to live pretty much endless.
Con: Not a lot of personal space.
This is no surprise. They are called tiny homes for a reason. According to the documentary, tiny homes are homes that are 200 square feet or less. That is extremely small.
That's smaller than my bedroom, and my bedroom is not huge by any means.
Since I work from home 24/7 now, I would like to have more space since I'm at home more. I think I would get a little crazy if I was in the same exact room hour after hour, day after day.
Would you ever live in a tiny home? Why or why not? How small could you go? How big is your home currently?
Also, if you live in a tiny home (less than 250 square feet preferably), I'd love to hear from you and possibly conduct an interview for this blog. Please send me an email if you are interested.
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sandra says
August 21, 2014 at 1:25 pmi actually think i’d be too claustrophobic to live in such a small house
Michelle S. says
August 21, 2014 at 4:59 pmI agree.
Lisa E. @ Lisa vs. the Loans says
August 21, 2014 at 3:49 pmI love the idea of the Tiny House movement! I think it would be perfect as a starter home option. The biggest concern, for me at least, would be entertaining people. I love having people over, and having a tiny home just wouldn’t cut it.
Michelle S. says
August 21, 2014 at 5:01 pmYes, I think it would be near impossible to have people over!
Amanda says
August 21, 2014 at 4:03 pmNope… I couldn’t live in a space that small. I love the minimalism idea, but it’s too extreme for me! This would work great though for a cabin or cottage assuming there is a lot of outdoor space instead.
Michelle S. says
August 21, 2014 at 5:01 pmYeah, if there was outdoor space it would be a little better 🙂
Marina says
August 21, 2014 at 4:51 pmMy cottage is 340sqft, stylish and comfortable. While restoring the cottage I lived in a very small trailer, so moving into the cottage felt great to have so much space. Designing the cottage was quite difficult, as it’s long and narrow. I managed to fit in, bedroom, wet room, kitchen,living area and a mezzanine with a guest bed. Small,but everything I need to live a happy life.
Michelle S. says
September 4, 2014 at 12:42 pmWow that’s awesome!
DC @ Young Adult Money says
August 21, 2014 at 5:35 pmI think tiny houses sometimes take downsizing too far. I saw a video of a guy showing his tiny home, and it seemed painfully minimalist. Even his bath tub/shower could barely fit him. I think there are some things to be said about having a smaller home, but it’s not what I’m looking for.
Michelle S. says
September 4, 2014 at 12:43 pmI agree. Most of the time they are just too small.
Randi C. says
August 21, 2014 at 8:22 pmMoving is a big deal, so I suggest you get a home that would work even if your family grows. A small house seems great, until you realize you need a step up and it is now possibly out of your reach.
Michelle S. says
September 4, 2014 at 12:43 pmYes, I agree. They are best for people who know that their families won’t be getting any bigger.
Grayson @ Debt Roundup says
August 22, 2014 at 10:20 amWouldn’t do it! I don’t like being cramped and having a kid, it is nice to get away to another room and decompress. I don’t knock anyone else for doing it, but it wouldn’t happen here!
Judy Thomas says
August 24, 2014 at 4:41 amI think it would depend on if I was alone or had my whole family with me 🙂 Alone I could probably do it but it could get crowded with a family .
Paula Ball says
August 24, 2014 at 9:27 amI live on the Mississippi Gulf coast & lost my home in Katrina. Fema provided everyone with travel trailers & after two years they brought in the Katrina cottage that many people still live in today. I lived for over two years in the trailer & about the same in the cottage before my house was built. The travel trailer was fine but the cottage was poorly designed with no storage. Now that I am in a normal (1100 sq ft) house I miss the cozy feel & easy upkeep of the smaller places & if given the chance would definatly downsize. More time to be outside gardening, birdwatching, watching trees grow……
Paula Weintraut says
August 24, 2014 at 10:58 amhttps://www.makingsenseofcents.com/ i voted Love your Blog
Diatta @ Femme Fitale Fit Club says
August 24, 2014 at 5:13 pmMy home is 3,700 sq. ft. above ground and seriously ….I would have a hard time living in a smaller home.
Jolene @ Homespun Heritage says
August 24, 2014 at 6:54 pmWe have seven children so going that small is not an option for us! We have a 1500 sq foot split level currently and the square footage works well but the layout stinks! I despise split level houses and we are hoping for an open floorplan with about the same square footage in our next abode. We prefer smaller bedrooms, one central play space, large living/dining/kitchen space….and more than one bathroom would be superb! I cannot imagine having more than one bathroom but I do dream about that! Somehow 9 people in this house works and we hardly ever have fights over the bathroom. Our children are learning the amazing lesson of patience!
Kayla @ Shoeaholicnomore says
August 28, 2014 at 3:30 pmI couldn’t live in one that small, but I am looking at a “cottage” built by a tiny house company for my next home. It is about 550 sq ft, which I think is a little more reasonable for me.
Elizabeth says
October 18, 2014 at 7:32 pmI’ve been watching the first season of Tiny House Nation and the homes and customized solutions for each family is fascinating. 200 sq/ft is just too small. I think the thing that may intrigue all of us is the idea of living simply, with small bills and being free of the binding of excess material goods. That same thing is what terrifies us – letting go of our stuff and doing without.
My husband says, why not just buy a pull- behind camper? Cheaper.
Staying in the house. 🙂
Just Plain Marie says
April 23, 2015 at 3:11 pmWell, there are 6 of us – two parents and four young children – and our place is 800 square feet. It’s too small, though. Since we’re very rural, we need to be able to stock up and have supplies on hand, and there’s just no room for it. Plus, the children don’t have enough room to play when the weather is bad, and all four children are currently sharing a bedroom.
We have blueprints for a new home – it’ll be 1800 square feet, which I think is reasonable for six people, especially as the children grow.
Heather says
May 16, 2015 at 6:36 pmTiny houses fascinate me! I’m seriously considering it for the future, but right now I have a few too many pets, and like you said…you have to figure out where to put it. I like how efficiently the space is used and love the cozy feeling.
Amie George says
January 15, 2016 at 9:41 pmFor me this is absolutely perfect. I love living simply and really don’t need too much besides the necessities. Once this kids are all grown up and it’s just me and my husband I want to do something like this.
Brittany Leffel says
March 28, 2016 at 8:17 amLove that you decided to repost this! My boyfriend and I have recently looked into the decision to purchase a travel trailer and eventually travel the country by operating a website and finding workamping jobs. We’ve become obsessed with the show, Tiny House Hunters. It’s a great show that demonstrates the people who want to go tiny, and the reality of doing just that.
The crazy thing for us is- we have THREE DOGS, and one child. We’ve seen families of six go tiny, and think it’s achievable. With the right layout. So we’ve been looking into travel trailers that have the extra room with bunks so we can convert it.
Tiny house living is achievable! It’s all about your wants and needs, and the determination to be minimal.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
March 28, 2016 at 12:58 pmYes, it’s possible! We RV full-time and have met a few RVing families.
Leanna says
April 27, 2016 at 9:57 amMy husband and I live in a 35ft 5th wheel currently in an rv Park as we don’t have a truck to tow it yet. We bought it with plans to remodel it into more of a tiny home. When we can get it moved up to our land (5 acres), we’ll begin that process. We have 2 good sized dogs (50+lbs each) and have plenty of room. Before my 2 kids moved out all 4 of us and two dogs lived in our even smaller 24′ mini Winnebago. It was a bit cramped but we made do as it was all we had. We’ve gone from an 1800 Sq. Ft home, through several 2 bedroom apartments to the RVs. We’ve always had some kind of outdoors space. The lot were currently on is big and allows me to garden and the dogs to run. But it’s not fenced. I just have well trained dogs. I look forward to the move to our land and the tiny home remodeling of our 5th wheel. I’ve started writing about our journey on my blog.
Eva says
July 24, 2017 at 10:45 amI currently live in a 225 square ft home.we have an upstairs thats also 225 square ft thats the bedroom for my husband and i with our two kids. My husband buit it from scratch. He has one friend that’s helping him put in the electric and plumbing, other than that he does it all on his own. We have A 15 month old and 3 month old. I love living this way. Less things= less stress for me 🙂
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
July 24, 2017 at 12:46 pmAwesome! We live in an RV and love it 🙂