Living in a home with over 1900 square feet and shrinking to under 250 is a little jarring. Recently, I sought to learn more about this topic, like many others.
Before discussing my experience, here’s why downsizing is becoming popular. There is concern about the environmental impact of living in full-sized houses. First, the area you are taking up which does have an impact in the area you live. A simple but real example is how it affects wildlife in your immediate area. Por Examplo, (for example) in the area that I have lived for over twenty years has been experiencing a steady construction boom. Each day, reports emerge of wolves and possibly bobcats roaming the neighborhood. (Become a lifesaver https://www.carterbloodcare.org/)
To clarify, my area is not considered rural. Wildlife is not intruding on us; we are encroaching on it. Every time I see a new apartment complex or housing community, I feel like I need to apologize to nature.
Some people want to remove clutter from their lives to focus on what matters most. It offers various choices in locations to establish your new home. You can buy land by a lake, at an RV park, or in a backyard. You must check with local zoning authorities and get permission from the homeowner.
Another advantage of a tiny home or container home is the ability to relocate easily if desired. The average cost might be $500.00 to 1,000 depending on the distance and size of your home. For sure, you cannot do that with a conventional home.
I am sure that beyond what I have already wrote above there are many more reasons to try it. Another major reason is the cost; a container home typically costs around twenty-five thousand dollars. For a tiny home it is about double that amount, of course if you want to go with a two story the price goes up. Still when compared to home prices in D/FW that average three hundred grand, there is really no comparison.
In addition, the cost of cooling and heating would drastically go down. Along with most maintenance costs for a conventional home. Some individuals generate energy using solar panels. At this point you might be thinking sounds great, sign me up.
Before proceeding with this significant change, it is important to consider some potential drawbacks. Unless you live alone, do not expect much Me Time. If you both work from home, you must avoid scheduling simultaneous Zoom meetings. Moving your meeting to your home office is practical for many. However, in a tiny home, this may not be feasible.
You will have a wall unit for heating and cooling, which should work well for your living area. However, you will feel a difference in the bathroom or shower area for sure. Oh, and if you like long hot baths you will be out of luck. A significant issue is proper leveling when you sit up your home on your lot. This should be done by a professional not by your neighbor, or a friend with Home Depot leveler.
There are more issues, but I will only mention one more which may seem minor. In most Tiny or container homes when sitting for a meal must sit next to each other. You cannot sit facing each other. There is just no room.
Now to my own personal experience which was about a month ago somewhere outside of Waco. As I wrote at the start of the article, I had been curious about how it might feel to live in a tiny or container home. So, I started searching on Airbnb for one that would allow for a one day stay and was not far. I also did not want to pay much more than a hundred and fifty dollars.
After looking several times before I found one that fit my criteria. It was about 15 minutes west of Waco in a rural area. There were some other homes close it sat next to an open pasture with a cow or two and a couple horses rooming the area. Our host lived in the big house and came out to greet us upon our arrival.
I don’t remember her name, but she and her child were dressed in traditional Mennonite attire. Which google defines as Anabaptist Christian communities. Not far from where we stayed, they had another living community complete with stores and eating establishments. It felt unsettling to me, but I understand that this feeling is influenced by horror movies rather than any real-life experience.
The house we stayed in was a container home, which featured a sleeping area immediately upon entry, a small breakfast nook, a microwave, and a small refrigerator. The bathroom had a full shower, it was small but was okay. Next to the bed was a small chair, table and lamp with the TV mounted on the wall. If you wanted to watch TV, we had to alternate sitting on one chair or bed.
If either one of us wanted to walk past the bed we either had to take turns or risk a collision. Our home’s bedroom and bathroom are bigger than this container home. So, it was a little bit of a shock to the system, Pero I felt that was probably normal.
The best part I think for both of us was the rooftop balcony. I really enjoyed sitting up there and having a cold brew while looking out at the scenery. On the downside, to get up there and down you need to climb some steep winding metal stairs. Which if you partake in a few many cocktails may result you getting stuck up there or a possible fall.
The home was under 250 square feet and for both my wife and my wife too small to consider living there. Now some container homes are two story homes or double container homes so that might be more of a possibility. It would work well as a weekend retreat or a getaway by a lake or forest.
Some folks buy them to rent out as income property and use them themselves when the mood strikes. That I believe would be what I would seriously consider doing. I wouldn’t live in a container home, but I’d consider it for weekends or rental income. By A. Govea email me at goveaalberto215@yahoo.com