With the Tiny House project in full steam and thanks to social media growth, we are constantly questioned about tiny house living from friends and family to radio and newspaper interviews. A common question we are regularly faced with is ‘what are the downsides and concerns with tiny houses?’. Practical obstacles such as legal issues of placing Tiny houses in certain cities, getting the interior design spot on, or the ability to live minimally (more of an issue for Marije and her 20 pairs of shoes than for myself after relocating countries with nothing but a suitcase) are mentioned far less than the concerns people have over space.
Space! It appears everyone is concerned with space. It seems society is very concerned about the idea of living in a small space with the people they chose to live with. “What if you two have an argument?” and “What if you want your own space?” are two of the most common concerns we are questioned about. Our answer to this is: what should other people that have arguments do? Solve them then and there. Instead of shutting off emotionally and hiding in separate rooms. To me it feels as though to live in a tiny house with your significant other, a solid foundation to the relationship is definitely needed first. Maybe Tiny Houses are exactly what all couples need. Besides, it is not as if anyone spends every minute of the day inside their house. With our busy lives, time apart is bound to happen. But this is not necessary, we have clearly noticed how we do not use half of the house we live in currently, and certain parts of the house we use intensively. One of Marije’s favorite phrases “come more closer” leads to even only half of our couch getting sat on. More space does not necessarily mean better quality of life, it is about making use of the space you have to the fullest.
When we stumbled upon the idea of Tiny houses we came across countless stories of couples that are not only living tiny successfully, but actually thriving in them. When you look closer it is easier to understand why this is so. As contradictory as it feels, the truth of the matter is the bigger the space you own, the less freedom you have, and vice versa. They say you get trapped in the walls you build around you and I could not agree more. A Tiny House means no mortgage or rent. If executed properly Tiny Houses can be made completely self sufficient resulting in less bills. The ability to take your house wherever you chose to live is the icing on the cake. It may not be the Tiny House itself that makes life better, but certainly the lifestyle it brings. That is the biggest pro. We are fully convinced the benefits out-ways the negative misconception of having a smaller living space. Yes! We are not only confident in tiny living, but are actually looking forward to it. Thinking back to the early days of our relationship, I remember the first movie we
admired together was ‘Up’. The story about old Mr. Fredrickson and his fly-able house tied to thousands of balloons, flying away from unnecessary stresses of life to explore the wilds. One year later we are well underway with designing our very own portable house which will give us wings to live life to the fullest. Coincidence? I think not.
