Benefits of Living in a Tiny House

Mrs. Vertakking (Mrs. V) and I moved into our Tiny House On Wheels (THOW) in June of 2019. Since then, there have been many ups and downs and a large learning curve. But all in all, the experience has been positive and eye-opening. Tiny living is not for everyone, but for those that it suits, it is a life changing experience for the better. Check out the list below for some benefits of living in a THOW.

• You know where all of your stuff is.
  • I lose a lot of stuff, or shall I say, I MISPLACE a lot of stuff. It still happens now in the tiny house, but the frequency of missing things has dropped from larger abodes where I may completely lose it until I move.
  • We still have a junk drawer where things disappear, but at least we know where to look!
• It’s cheaper to heat and cool.
  • This one is a bit of a no-brainer. Smaller spaces are more efficient, thus your bills for heat in the winter and AC in the summer will be smaller (*this also depends on so many other factors like location/cost of electricity/how cool or hot you like it, but you get the jist). This has been a great thing especially during the in-between months when the outdoor temps are perfect, and you simply crack or close a window at night. Using tiny house living to accelerate savings and cut down debt is a very useful tactic.
  • A ductless mini split can easily cool/heat your entire house. It is probably the second most-used appliance in the house, and my favorite on muggy days (it has a dehumidifier). Our LGRED ductless mini split effectively regulates our 296 square foot house. We do have an electric fireplace as a secondary heat-source.
  • Read more about efficiencies of Tiny Houses here.
• You don’t buy crap to fill it.
  • Less space has meant that Mrs. V and I didn’t need as much furniture and “stuff” to fill the void. Also, the small amount of space we do have forces us to be selective in what we keep and/or acquire. Adapting a more minimalist lifestyle has meant reducing many of our things. At first, it was overwhelming. But with time, we reduced, donated, or found homes for everything in our house’s drawers. Not having as much clutter has been freeing! Less to buy, less to maintain, less to clean!

• It isn’t haunted
  • This one is silly but if you think about it, there are no restless spirits to deal with when living in new house!
  • It’s also easy to find that stray fly that wanders in when your door is open too long, instead of the buggar setting up residence.

• It’s cozy
  • Sitting in our bed, reading and looking outside at the birds on our feeder while snowflakes float by the window is one of my fondest winter memories. A toasty, tiny house on a cold winter night is the epitome of comfy.

• You spend more time outside
  • When winter is over, it’s time to head outdoors! This doesn’t mean you spend ALL of your time outside, it just means that the outside becomes a usable space to you and your daily activities. Host friends and neighbors, have more campfires, sit and listen to the birds sing as the sun sets. Outdoor enjoyments become more of a daily part of your life when there is less house to deal with.

• It’s easy and fast to clean
  • I can sweep the entire house top to bottom in less than 30 minutes. With a smaller space, it may seem like you clean more often (mostly the entryway) but it’s so quick that it doesn’t add up to much time. Spring cleaning can be done in less than an afternoon!

• It’s mobile
  • If you are tenacious enough, you can park this thing anywhere for long periods of time, and if you are all about less work, there are thousands of spots to park in campsites and parks nationwide. For those with their own land, you still have security to move your house, if the government eminent domains your land, or if flooding is coming. Hitch it up! Movement is the ultimate flexibility & freedom of a Tiny House On Wheels.
  • With a gooseneck on your house, it would take approximately 24-hours for our house to be gone, if need be.

• It is very durable
  • Tiny homes on wheels are built with very solid materials to withstand travel, so think 100+ mph winds while being towed at 60 miles an hour. The roof is usually more durable metal, and the size is smaller so the materials can be more quality without breaking the budget. Tiny homes on wheels also lack central ducting and attics, so the whole home is wrapped in an impermeable envelope of insulation, making a cozy nest in the winter.

• You can customize it
  • You want fancy cabinets and pull-out drawers for stairs: done. You want a rustic feel? A more modernist style? Or maybe you want to paint your house a HOA-approved purple with yellow stripes? With a tiny house, each feature, color palette and design is as unique as the people who occupy it.

• It’s yours
  • In many cases, tiny house owners own the house they live in. This is a huge psychological win as well as a great asset. If your life plan doesn’t go as expected, you still have a roof over your head, and like mentioned earlier, you can leave any area if opportunities arise elsewhere. The TH can also become an asset as an Airbnb, a guest house when you outgrow it, and even a grandparent cottage when you or your spouse’s parents grow older (We like to joke that our THOW will become their retirement home so we can pull them along with us–ha).