What No One Tells You About Living Small

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 72

What No One Tells You About Living Small

In my last episode I spoke about the pros and cons of living small. I talked about how it is more affordable, how you can live without a mortgage, how you can simplify your life, how it is possible to be debt free. While all of that may sound attractive, you also have to realize that living small is a lifestyle choice that comes with a unique set of challenges.  

In this episode, I am going to discuss all the things about living small that no one tells you. This episode is going to be packed with useful information that will help keep you out of trouble. If living small is something you are interested in doing, then stick around and listen to All The Things No One Tells You About Living Small. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E72, which is part two of a series of podcasts on The Art of Living Small.  In my last episode I covered a lot of the pros and cons of living small including how such a lifestyle is easier to maintain and is much more sustainable. But in this episode, I am going to cover all the things no one tells you about living small.  

For many years now there has been a trend toward urbanization. Over the last 50 years in the United States, the percentage of people living in urban areas has increased to 83%. While urban living often makes lots of things more convenient, it is also a lot more expensive. Living in a small home may be a solution to that problem.  In fact, this is what some of my friends chose to do. They are close enough to the city to be able to commute for work yet they are living a lot less expensively than most people do.  

If living in a tiny home, or living small as I like to call it, is something you are thinking of doing, then this episode is going to be packed with information to help you stay out of trouble. 

But I think the first step for anyone is to decide why you are choosing to do so and if this is going to be a long term or semi-long term arrangement. If so, then you truly need to focus on making sure you establish a good standard of living. Otherwise you will be burned out on this lifestyle of regret your choice.  My reasons for choosing to do so were because of affordability, maximum efficiency, sustainability, and very low level responsibility.  Additionally, most people that I’ve spoken with about this very same thing, all have say pretty the same thing. They sold their big house and downsized simply for the sake of simplicity and affordability.  

Living in a small home can be accomplished in several ways. A tiny home can be on wheels so that it is mobile, or it can be on a foundation, whether that is permanent or semi permanent. Regardless of what you do, all tiny homes have two factors to consider: building codes and zoning regulations.  

The reason that tiny homes are illegal in some states is that it is difficult to regulate them when it comes to zoning and safety. Regardless of how you do this, ventilation, lighting, and certain life safety requirements have to be met regardless of the size of the dwelling. Without proper permitting and meeting certain safety regulations states are simply unable to deem this type of housing as an acceptable residence. 

That said, most states have adopted building and zoning codes from the International Residential Code or the IRC. The IRC requires that all homes must be built on a minimum on 320 square feet. The minimum size of the residence must be 120 square feet and at least one room must be habitable. This means there must be a closet and at least one window. Other rooms not meant for sleeping must be at least 70 square feet. All rooms must have ceiling heights of 7 to 8 feet. Now this is going to vary from between states, counties and municipalities so it is important to perform your due diligence. Although some places have no minimum space requirement, you also have to get back to the reason you are doing this in the first place. If this is going to be a long term arrangement, you have to put some thought into developing a reasonable lifestyle. This is because there are some unique challenges.  

Small spaces quickly get cluttered 

The first thing you will find is that small spaces get cluttered and dirty very quickly. For me at least, on my days off I usually end up washing dishes every day, sweeping the floor several times a day and it seems I am constantly putting things away.

Cost

I mentioned affordability in my last episode as being a positive side to living small. However, you truly have to be careful because sometimes living small comes with hidden costs. If you are truly going custom and not doing the work yourself, contractors can dramatically up the price if you’re not careful.

If you tiny home is on wheels, then you will have to maintain tires, there is additional licensing and registration fees, as well as insurance. There is almost always more maintenance due to increased wear and tear when it comes to moving a structure.  And I have learned all about these things after purchasing an RV. My insurance policy alone is $300 per year. When I owned a second home, which was 2,600 square feet, my yearly home owners insurance was only $1,200 per year. So, on a square foot to square foot basis, you are going to pay more. I have even experienced this when getting insurance on the cabin. But, I have also set up a monthly budget to cover these costs. 

Difficult to finance

If you are unable to pay cash for your tiny home, then financing is going to be a challenge. Conventional mortgages are simply not available for tiny homes. If your home is on wheels, then an RV loan may be an option provided your home is certified by the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. If your home is stationary, then an unsecured personal loan may be an option. 

I got around this challenge by building my larger cabin in stages. I first paid for excavation for the water cistern and installed that. Then I did the foundation work. Then I paid cash for a contractor to dry in the cabin and do electrical. Then over two years I finished the interior, built a deck and installed solar. 

Building and Zone Codes

By far one of the most difficult things to deal with can be building and zoning laws. Despite growing popularity, tiny homes can be difficult to construct and reside in permanently due to local zoning and building laws. There are basically two types of tiny homes: ones on wheels or ones on a foundation. Tiny homes on wheels that are designated as an RV do not have to comply with zoning and building regulations. You only need a place to legally park them. Tiny homes on foundations are often considering accessory dwelling units or ADUs. 

Most likely the easiest way to get around this is to have a tiny home on wheels that is designated as an RV. Then it can be parked anywhere there is already an existing residence. But treating it as a primary residence may also attract unwanted attention from neighbors.  The other options is of course to purchase land in a rural area where rules and regulations are less strenuous.  But even this can be a challenge depending on the county you are in and you may have to work at keeping a low profile. 

Entertaining guests may be out of the question

Now the other thing to consider when living small, is the possibility of entertaining guests. Depending on the size of your home, a major downside is that it may be entirely out of the question to entertain anyone. This was the case when I lived in the log cabin. It remains to be the case with the new cabin to some degree. But, if the weather is nice, we use the deck.  But, this is another reason for adding on the sun room this year. That is going to give us another 200 square feet of living space. 

Personal privacy and personal space often gets sacrificed 

Often times our privacy and personal space is taken for granted in a traditional living situation. If you are sharing your tiny home with your partner and other family members, privacy and personal space becomes a luxury that often gets sacrificed. It can become overwhelming if you do not have a place of retreat. Also, when living in a small space, if one person is up all night because they are sick, that means everyone else is up as well. 

And this is the reason that Annette and I have several options. We will sometimes go hiking by ourselves or do a solo day trip somewhere. Annette loves spending time working in the greenhouse. I travel some for work so we get time to ourselves. When in Colorado, sometimes one of us will spend a night or two in the travel trailer.  Bottom line, is that we have adjusting our lifestyle to give each other some personal space. 

Tiny home living is often not a permanent thing

Despite the popularity of the tiny home movement, small living is often not a permanent arrangement. A lot of people may purchase land and opt for tiny home living while building a larger home. Decades ago, when zoning laws were much more relaxed, people did this sort of thing all the time. They purchased land, parked an RV on it, or lived in a small shed while building a larger home. 

From a personal perspective, living in a small cabin is a long term commitment. But, I also keep making improvements that consistently elevate our standard of living. Because, barring any significant changes in my life, I plan on living in the cabin long term. This is why I say if you are going to live small you have to be sure to have a decent standard of living if you are going to do this long-term. 

Less space

One of the best parts of living small is there is a lot less to take care of at home.  But truly one of the downsides is that you have very little space. If you want to purchase something additional, you have no place to put it. Let’s say for example, you just want to purchase some exercise equipment, you literally have no place to put it. Let’s say you want to get a cat or another dog, you literally have no additional room. This can be a challenging and frustrating. 

To some degree I solve that by having outdoor storage bins when living in the travel trailer. At the cabin, I have a storage shed where I keep all my tools.  So, you just truly have to be creative.  

Summary 

So just to do a quick summary, of what I covered so far. Living in a tiny home, or what I describe as living small, is in my opinion the perfect solution for someone looking to reduce their ecological footprint. Obviously you are using fewer materials to build that home but you are also using fewer resources to run that home. Consequently, running such a residence off of renewable energy is that much easier. 

Living in a smaller residence can also be affordable and keep you mortgage free.  If not, then you have a mortgage for a much shorter period of time. When I purchased my place in Colorado, I mortgaged only the land. All improvements were paid for in cash and the land mortgage was paid off in 12 years.  

If you are a DIY type person, then building the home yourself can save you a considerable amount of money. This was certainly the case for me and I have been debt free for a number of years nows. 

But while this may sound like the perfect solution to a number of challenges, there are also some limitations. If someone is building the place for you, you have to be mindful of hidden costs. Depending on the type of home you have, there may be additionally registration and licensing fees. In most cases, the cost of insurance is going to be higher. 

If you cannot pay cash, then some sort of unconventional loan may be your only way. Building and zoning codes may be problematic depending on your location. Due diligences is definitely in order.  

There are also a number of personal considerations. Personal space and privacy can be an issue. Entertaining guests may be out of the question. You have a lot less space to deal with so adding things to your life may be difficult. And lastly, you have to decide if this is going to be a long term arrangement. If so, you have to be creative with solving the unique challenges that come with this lifestyle. 

The best part here is that I am very well acquainted with all of these challenges. We have been very creative with solving our issues around living in a small space.  For me the true advantage comes with having very little responsibility, being debt free, living off the grid, and constantly finding news and creative ways to live a more sustainable life. 

So, that is it for this week folks. Hopefully I have not steered you away from such a lifestyle at this point because I truly think there are so many advantages. In next weeks episode I am going to covering numerous tips for making the most of living in a small space.  So stayed tuned for part three of The Art of Living Small.  

This is your host Patrick signing off until next week.  Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.  

Patrick

Patrick