The tiny house dream seems perfect and romantic. Do you think you are up to the task of living in a tiny house? If you are nodding your head, you might want to think about this a little more. You might be able to get the best advice from those who have lived in tiny homes for at least three years. If possible, you should stay there for longer. It sounds easy and offers many benefits, but tiny house living may not be as simple as you think. Are you being unrealistic? To make your tiny house dreams come true, you need to ask yourself some critical questions.
To be sure, tiny house living has a lot of pros to it – becoming more spatially responsible, lessening one’s impact on the environment, not to mention living more affordably. You need to be realistic before you decide to sell all your possessions in order to downsize. Take the tiny home potentiality quiz. Is it possible to live in a small space for long periods of time? Are you mentally, physically, and emotionally ready? Is your spouse? Are your children there? Your chances of surviving this lifestyle are greater if there is only one of you. But for two or three, or more, the potential for cramping each other out grows exponentially – especially if you happen to have teenagers. Another key question is: Can you really live without a composting toilet. Can you survive without a full-sized kitchen. Without a dishwasher Without a washer/dryer? Without a bathtub and ample storage space? Maybe you can for a few weeks, months, or years – but how about a decade or more?
Next, do you really believe that you can just build your tiny house in any given space and go about your daily life? In a perfect world, this could well be – and maybe one day it will be the case – however, at present, a lot of zoning laws actually forbid it. You will need to apply for a permit even if your land is owned. This may be more difficult than you think depending on the area you live in. You might think that a tiny house RV would be the solution you are looking for. You will need to park your RV in places that have all the necessary hookups. RV parks are often designed for people who want to live in them all year. This is fine if they are your permanent residence, but many people who dream of owning a tiny house RV prefer to be mobile. There is often a two-week limit on the length of your stay in national and state parks. Make sure to do your research and make a plan for your family before you invest all your savings in a tiny home or tiny RV.
If you’ve answered all the pertinent questions and done all of your research and still believe that a tiny home is for you, the next step would be to live in a small space for a long time. Go ahead with the downsizing, free yourself from all of the excess baggage – or at least put it in storage, and actually try living in a small space for a year or so. Rent a tiny apartment, live in a tiny home, or rent an RV from a friend. Pretend you already live in your own tiny home and save your money. After a few months, you may decide that this lifestyle is not for you. You can move into a larger space or reclaim your belongings from storage. You’ll be able to make your tiny house dreams come true if you pass this final test. We wish you all of the best!
