Tiny houses are all the rage right now. Typically, a tiny house is between 100 and 400 square feet (9 – 37 square metres). Their popularity increased because of a variety of factors including cost-cutting and concern about the environment and consumption. It also doesn’t hurt that many of them are truly cute. Here are some things no one tells you about tiny house living.
Noises and smells
A tiny house is well, tiny. That means every sound, every smell will carry. When you cook, the smell will permeate every corner of the house and linger long after. One tiny house owner talks about cooking with onions and having the Eau de onions spread to everything and lingered on towels, furniture, and even people. If someone does some explosive things in the bathroom, you’ll want to pass out regardless of where you are in the house. A fan, scented candles, and good old walking out may help.
Sound carries throughout a tiny house. If someone’s playing music, you’ll hear it and if there’s a crying baby, no one will be able to work on anything else until you have that situation taken care of. If an appliance like a washing machine or a fan is running, you may have to yell in order to hear each other speak and you can’t have them run while you’re sleeping.
Off-site storage
It’s safe to assume that everyone has off-site storage. They don’t just discard all the stuff they had before because of the limited cabinets space. Other supplies including books can be stored elsewhere but it’s important to keep in mind that carting stuff back and forth can get tiring real quick.
Difficult to find alone time
Finding alone time as a couple is one of the biggest challenges of living in a tiny house, particularly for those living with children. You can soundproof the master bedroom and other private spaces. Planning sleepovers for the children and scheduling hours of quality time, while the children are away, is another way around it.
Costly appliances
Appliances generally come in certain standard sizes which means you will need custom-sized appliances which means more money. These higher costs can lead to additional frustrations related to the low retail availability of these appliances for a tiny house. Small-sized appliances like a tiny cookstove can create restrictions and difficulties when working and living in a small space.
Messy
Your tiny house will get messy really quickly. The common misconception is that a smaller house is easier to keep clean but that’s not the case. Tiny houses are constantly messy because you no longer have the luxury of just throwing things into a drawer or the closet to get them out of the way. You end up stacking things everywhere and stuffing your possessions into every nook and cranny.
Limits activities
It becomes cumbersome to engage in activities that you previously used to engage in. For example, if you used to play guitar, you could find yourself doing it less because of the hustle of unpacking the guitar where it’s stashed and having to move things around in order to have enough space for a woofer. You also may be unable to do things like host visitors if that was something you enjoyed doing.
Tripping over each other
You may get closer as a family by living in a tiny house. However, there will also be numerous instances of frustration over even the smallest thing because you are always in each other’s way.
Isolating
Living in a tiny house can mean living away from other people which can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Currently, there is a thriving community of ‘tiny housers’ which can help but it can be jarring to move from an ordinary neighbourhood to an isolated tract of land where you pack your tiny house.
The romanticism wears off fast
Living in a tiny house isn’t always consistent with the adorable Instagram photos and the romanticism wears off fast. Especially for people with children, raising kids in a tiny house can just downright suck. Prepare for all that rustic and romantic charm to fade away fast as reality fades in and the walls begin to feel like they’re closing in.
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