Guess who’s back – with another set of pros and cons to tiny house living!
It’s Didily from my tiny!
If you haven’t already read the first article in this three part series, please do check it out here.
In this post I’ll cover the topics of finding a (legal) place to live, and the joy of small living.
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Con #2: Finding a Place to Put the Tiny House is Anxiety-Inducing
You should certainly know where you’re putting your house before you hitch it to a truck (or UHAUL) and drive off, right?
Get this: laws barring tiny houses do exist.
In many areas, tiny houses and THOWs (tiny house on wheels) are considered RVs or auxiliary living units, and are illegal to reside in full-time.
In many of these places, they may be permitted so long as they are parked in designated tiny home communities, RV parks, or campgrounds.
After settling on buying our home, these uncertainties and legal red tape created lots of anxiety.
Would we be able to live where we wanted in our tiny?
No.
But almost!
In the end, we found a location about 40 minutes away from our originally desired location where we didn’t breach any laws or risk any fines.
So, considering buying land and living there in your tiny house?
Make sure you triple-check that it’s lawful, and if not, that your future neighbors won’t rat you out.
Here’s a Facebook group, Tiny House Hosting, one of the very helpful resources for us in finding a location.
The Pro(fessional)s Made It Possible.
Another anxiety point was getting our home from its original state to its current home several hundreds of miles away.
Our experience looked like this:
The door keys were in my hand.
The deed to our new tiny house was tucked specially in a folder that belonged just to us and in my possession.
And behind it was nestled the title for the trailer on which our tiny house was built.
It. Was. Ours. Hallelujah.
But, dear God, was I supposed to move that thing?
Ha, NOPE.
Thanks to the suggestions of strangers and the ability to research suggested companies made possible by the internet (which feels almost supernatural), we hired a logistics company, One Call Logistics, that insured all its hauls, including our tiny house.
They did a great job of understanding our needs and transporting our tiny house across the country to its new home.
The day of pickup, I anxiously awaited text message updates from the driver bringin’ ‘er in.
I’d missed the early-morning hitching up and pulling off because I’d flown down the night before to be able to receive the house and watch the set-up.
Along the way, one of the tiny’s tires had a blowout.
*gasp*
In another state.
*GASP*
And — because we’d been crunched on time to remove our tiny house from its previous location — we didn’t have a spare yet!
**loses consciousness**
But, as we’d hired professionals to oversee the move, it was no stress, except for a few hundred extra bucks.
And we still received our house and saw it set up and leveled in the company’s promised timeframe.
All this to say, though the (metaphorical) route we took to transporting and securing our home in its new spot was as safe and vetted as could be, I was (I think rightfully) anxious for the fate of our investment before it safely arrived home.
I mean, imagine how you’d feel if your house was in the mail.
But One Call Logistics rock!
Pro #2: Everywhere I Look, I See Something I Love
The house is on its jacks.
The wheels are off the ground.
The water and electricity are hooked up.
And the house – formerly filthy from all the mud and bugs I tracked in from the move – is now tidy and cleaned.
What now? What’s living in a tiny house like?
Claustrophobic? Cluttered?
As someone who was taught to keep spaces like countertops and windowsills as clear as possible, I don’t love to live feeling like I’m competing with my possessions for space.
So, I own (and acquire) as few things as possible.
When we bought our tiny house, We had also been living out of a couple of suitcases for some years which had given us an idea of what our most important possessions were. (Thus making it easier to “go tiny.”)
All this to say, I don’t often get overwhelmed in my tiny with thoughts like, “I should really get rid of some things.”
Or “This is too much shit to keep clean and organized.”
Or even, “Uuuuuuughh. it’s getting time to clean my baseboards (/light fixtures/walls) again.”
This is a mega relief, because nothing takes the fun out of housekeeping and homemaking like the overwhelming obligation to keeping a large space clean and looking nice.
But Guess What, I Still Have “Stuff (That I Love)”
Each of our possessions that is less functional than, say, our skillets, sticks with us for a reason.
Skillets serve at least three functions— tofu weight, self-defense, and cooking.
Items like this stay because they make our lives so much better. They bring us comfort and motivate us to fill our days with intention.
Take for example our collections of books, puzzles and games, and the artwork and gifts we’ve put on display to warm our home.
In our tiny, whenever I’m moving about and my eyes come to rest on one of our blankets or a deck of conversation cards, I feel glad knowing that I can describe the value it adds to my every day.
The time I spend not cleaning and tidying, I spend happily doing other things that usually take me outside of my house, like:
Hiking, traveling, and visiting friends and local attractions.
Y’know, things I think are good for my mental health.
Thankfully, I find immense value in the life I lead thanks to the quirks of living tiny.
The large house setup is great for some folks, but I know that I’d quickly find a lifestyle of constant decorating, furnishing, and cleaning exhausting.
And that’s okay.
Because like my favorite (and one of maybe 3) sweatshirt says: It’s okay to be different. 😊
This is not to say that my space is always spotless.
If you’d been a fly and stuck to my wall to watch for a day or two (which would be your funeral, because there is no way my pets would let you live), you’d surely spot a mug or two I’d failed to immediately put away after using.
Or witness that I’ve left out my Bananagrams after playing.
Or a few balls of yarn, creeping their way into cleared spaces for a few hours or days at a time.
I’m human; sometimes I can’t decide if I’m done with something and should therefore put it away. However, I’m not likely to complain or be upset when I am begrieved to tidy up.
Because limited space affords fewer belongings, and most of what I have is dear to me.
Until the next (and final) article! 😊
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Most Commonly Asked Questions
1. What are the pros of living in a tiny house despite the challenges?
The pros include having a cozy and personalized space, lower living costs, and the satisfaction of living sustainably. Tiny house living also encourages intentional living and minimalism.
2. What are the biggest challenges of finding a place to park a tiny home?
The main challenges include navigating zoning laws, ensuring utilities are accessible, and finding a location that is both legal and suitable for long-term living.
3. How can professionals help in setting up a tiny home?
Professionals can assist with logistics, securing permits, installing utilities, and navigating local regulations. They can also offer valuable advice on optimal locations and setup processes.
4. How do you manage to fit all your belongings in a tiny house?
Prioritize multifunctional items, declutter regularly, and be selective about what you keep. Focus on possessions that bring comfort and purpose to your daily life.
Photo credit:
- Photo by Dewang Gupta on Unsplash ↩︎
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