Published Date 1/27/2022
You’ve seen them on TV or in online photos. Tiny houses — literally defining the word “minimalism.” They’re not just an in-law unit in someone’s backyard any more. Now there are entire tiny house resorts, neighborhoods, and people who live in them. But how? How do they do it? The ones who opt for permanent tiny home living say the key is LOTS of forethought, planning, and the commitment to let go of their former lives.
Insider.com's Monica Humphries reports that after a 2013 flood destroyed parts of Lyons, Colorado, including the town's mobile-home park, the property owner and a few partners brainstormed how to repurpose the land. Kenyon Waugh, one of the partners, came up with the idea of transforming a patch of the flooded property into a tiny-house resort. And in 2015, the WeeCasa Tiny House Resort opened.
Humphries explains how (unlike the mobile homes) tiny homes are technically RVs on wheels, so they're movable — especially important in flood areas. So far it has been a success, with the tiny resort now containing 22 tiny homes sitting 40 minutes outside the Rocky Mountain National Park.
This tiny home resort, whose owners spent a number of years studying the minuscule dwellings made by a host of builders, have a few things to say about the common mistakes when people decide to live in or have a tiny house built. Some are eager to try it, but once they do (thinking they could live in a tiny house full time someday) Waugh says they often say, “Nope, I'm out now.” Others, however, say they are all in. Bottom line? Try living in one before you buy.
Waugh suggests proper layout on the parts of tiny house builders is also key. "You need to spend three times more time planning every inch of space and every kind of action you're going to have in a tiny house than when you live in a 3,000-square-foot house," Waugh said. Why? Because there are no separate rooms for each purpose. Nearly every surface or structure must play double or triple roles.
On top of all that, you must decide whether you plan to live in one place or move all around with your tiny home. Don’t decide on what fills up the unit until you know it’s a permanent thing for you. For instance, no point in ordering a unit with solar panels if half the time you dream of living in a forest. Built-in couches and foldable tables are big decisions, and it’s not like camping if you plan to live there. Waugh recommends buying inexpensive Ikea furniture or thrifting pieces to see what the flow of your life will look like in a tiny house. That way you can experiment and decide on a layout "before you're stuck with it.”
Of course, the purpose of your tiny house will dictate much of this. Will you use it for a new office or a place for socializing? A replacement for an RV? Outside space is also as important as what’s inside. A covered porch, a movable fire pit with patio chairs, or a sunny picnic table? Waugh also says he has spoken to many tiny-home owners who mistakenly expect their little boxes to appreciate in value. Like trucks and RVs, however, they only depreciate. Humphries reports that The Nest estimates that a $100,000 mobile home has an annual depreciation of $3,454.54.
Real estate is all about location, but with tiny homes locations are hard to find. People planning to live in mobile tiny homes think they'll be able to travel across the country, live on the beach, and have an abundance of options when parking their tiny house, but Waugh says that's often not the case. Failing to plan is indeed planning to fail, because it’s no cakewalk finding a place in which you can legally park. While zoning is slow to change throughout most of the country, it is changing. Waugh added that tiny homes are becoming more common and therefore more parking is becoming available. He suggests researching local codes and ordinances before you go tiny.
People also often underestimate not only how much stuff they have, but also how much stuff they need. Downsizing is not designed for people with lots of shoes, clothes, and toys. Waugh says you’re constantly practicing, adapting, and working on how to live in a tiny space. "It's not like, 'OK, I bought a tiny house, I put my stuff in, and I'm done,'" he said. "It's an ongoing exercise and an ongoing adventure." There is, however, a sense of freedom when you declutter your life and commit to a tiny home, where the world is your RV park, you have no more than 4 coffee cups in your cupboard, and bliss happens as you watch a sunset in a place you only dreamed of living for a while. "It takes work to live tiny," he said. "But have fun with it. It's a journey, not a destination.”
Insider, TBWS
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