The flowering of the tiny house movement is due in large part to the most recent boom-bust cycle, which left many homeowners wondering if mountain-sized homes are worth equally sized debt or a risky gamble on future housing prices. For some, this meant moving into a house that could be smaller than their previous house’s bathroom.
Although definitions vary for what ‘tiny’ means – from the hardcore enthusiasts to the more inclusive tiny-housers – most agree that any residence smaller than 1,000 square feet fits the bill (but most are less than 500 square feet). And speaking of the bill, such dwellings can range anywhere from $10k to $50k, depending on the size and amenities, and they can enjoy total monthly utilities in the double digits.
Thoreau would be proud, too, as many of the tiny-housers build on their own and/or go ‘off the grid’ (the r/homestead and r/tinyhouses subreddits have notable membership overlap, for example). They eschew public provision of various utilities by collecting rainwater, using solar panels, and installing composting toilets. Another way the tiny-housers thumb their nose at the government is by building on trailers to skirt building codes that dictate minimum square footage or other regulations. Randy England, in an August 2014 Mises Daily article, noted how such laws hurt the poor, who would benefit greatly by accessible cheap housing.
This post was published at Ludwig von Mises Institute on DECEMBER 2, 2014.
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