The tiny home movement started more than 25 years ago with people condensing their living space in order to find happiness through simplicity. Beginning with books publicizing the idea of a smaller and more efficient home in the 1980’s, the idea has taken off and has been booming ever since. By popular definition, a “tiny home” is defined as taking up less than 400 sq. ft., but they are usually much smaller. To tiny home fanatics, less space means less clutter, less stress, and an overall healthier life.

With some homes as small as 80 sq. ft., some feel as if tiny living is extreme. The lifestyle is definitely not for everyone, as the houses can be built upon a foundation or on wheels. Some tiny homes aren’t actually built, but instead created by transforming trash or otherwise useless things into a tiny home, such as old ambulances, shipping containers, or garbage cans. Anything completely unnecessary to survival is often cut out of the design, and modern technology has made it a lot easier to do. Most tiny homes include smaller versions of amenities normally used. The majority of these unique houses use hot plates, mini fridges, and collapsible counters in their kitchens to get the most out of the space. Although owners try to decrease their square footage of the house as much as possible, it is very common to see the non-portable tiny homes expanded upwards or with quite a large yard. Due to the theme of skyward add-ons in tiny homes, multiple additions do not have rooms, but rather sections. The bathroom typically will be the only “room”, either featuring a curtain or a real door, but even the less extreme tiny home dwellers tend to cut the space in the bathroom dramatically. Bedrooms are usually built as a loft with a small bed and an extraordinarily short ceiling or just sheets and a blanket used over an expanded kitchen counter or pull out section that acts as a couch, dining booth, or table. The trend of using one thing for various purposes is astoundingly helpful and is used in just about every tiny house.

Not only do tiny houses incorporate space appreciation and minimalism into their main idea, but living green is also popular with owners. The energy footprint of a normal home is significantly larger than a tiny home, which typically has solar panels or little electrical and fuse boxes. Three strategically placed lights could efficiently illuminate an entire tiny home, and just a couple panes can brighten up the whole house during the day. Window panes are double checked to be efficient at keeping out the cold and hot weather so heaters or air conditioners may not be needed, which further reduces the amount of energy needed to run a tiny home.

Less is certainly more with these houses, and it undeniably shows. Although regular sized homes still make up almost the entire home market, tiny homes remain thriving for a reason.