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Tiny house: advice, tips, living

Green tiny house

Tiny houses are becoming more and more popular. In this article we explain what a tiny house is and why it is worth living in it. You can also read in this article what you should definitely pay attention to when it comes to the small houses and what alternatives there are.

What is a tiny house?

By ‘a tiny house’ we generally mean a one-storey house with an area of less than 50m2. Officially, there is no maximum size to which a house can be defined as a tiny house. However, the focus is on keeping the house as small as possible.

The Tiny House movement has its origins in the US and has spread more widely since the 1970s. This trend is becoming more and more established in the United States, as more and more people long for a life with less consumption.

Tiny house in the garden

  • What are the benefits of a tiny house?

It is not for nothing that the housing form from the US is now increasingly settling in the Netherlands. These are some of the main advantages of this type of home over regular real estate:

  • Minimalist thinking and the connection with nature

This is one of the main reasons why people (want to) live in a tiny house. The smaller living space means that there is much less space for objects, which changes consumer behavior. Most small houses can be found outside the big cities. Due to its location in the countryside, the minimalist design and an environmentally conscious lifestyle, a certain connection with nature is often felt.

  • Good for nature

Due to their size, small houses use less material than normal houses. Especially durable building materials such as wood are used for the houses. The goal of most tiny house residents is to run a self-sufficient household. This is also good for nature, as the emphasis is on renewable energy sources for power and rainwater recycling.

  • Easy on the wallet

Buying or building a tiny house is usually much cheaper than buying a regular house. In addition, less financial resources are required to design the interior. The maintenance of a tiny house is also relatively cheap.

  • Extra flexibility

With a tiny house you create extra flexibility in contrast to a large house. Such a mini-house is faster to build and furnish and can therefore be ideally used as a temporary apartment. Partly due to the lower costs and the smaller purchase costs, it is ideally suited as a holiday apartment, student apartment or second home in the countryside.

The small homes are also ideal for start-ups and small companies that invest little money in office space. Depending on the size and security measures, so-called mobile Tiny Houses can also be transported on a truck in traffic and thus moved to a new desired location. This way you stay spatially flexible!

  • Environmentally friendly move to the tiny house

Sustainability does not just start with living in a new mini-house. Commercially available moving boxes are often not particularly durable, take up important space in the new home after the move and are therefore unfortunately disposed of without regard to the environment. To make the move sustainable, it is best to use sustainable moving boxes. These are reusable and can be rented so that they do not take up space in the mini home after the move.

  • Construction and purchase of a tiny house

Building a tiny house is usually easier and cheaper than building a regular house. Nevertheless, there are a number of things to keep in mind when planning, so that the new mini house is a great success!

  • Gathering information

How a tiny house can be built is described in various manuals. Videos, quotes for workshops and construction plans can often be downloaded from the Internet. However, it should be noted that there are many references to tiny houses on the internet. In the United States, different rules apply to the nature, size and building rights of small homes. This should definitely be clarified in advance.

  • Cost calculation

The cost of the mini house can vary widely. Depending on the size and equipment, costs of around 40,000 euros can be expected. It also depends on whether you build the tiny house yourself, buy a finished house or have one made by experts according to your own specifications.

  • Protection against the cold

Especially in winter it quickly gets cold in a tiny house. Sufficiently insulated walls are the key to a warm living environment, even in the cold months. Either natural insulation materials, such as sheep wool, or industrially manufactured materials, such as insulation wool from the hardware store, can be used here. However, whatever you choose, you must adhere to the requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEv).

  • Self-sufficient facilities

One of the goals of a tiny house is to be able to live self-sufficient. For this, a photovoltaic installation can be installed and a rainwater collection system can be integrated.

Tiny house in het groen

Important regulations

Owning a tiny house in the United States may sound easy at first, but there are a few aspects to consider. To be able to transport a tiny house from A to B by road, the safety requirements must be met. This requires an assessment and approval from bodies such as the Technical Control Board.

A building permit is also often required for the establishment. This should definitely be clarified in advance so that nothing stands in the way of building or buying the tiny house.

Alternatives to the tiny house

If you don’t want to buy or build a mini house right away, there are excellent alternatives that also serve as a temporary solution.

To test whether the tiny house lifestyle can be combined with the way of life you want in the long term, there is the possibility to live in a tiny house on a trial basis. This has the advantage that you save costs and that you do not have to give up your household effects too quickly. A stay in a mini house can also be perfectly combined with a holiday trip to another region. If you have left your old apartment before going to the tiny house and have not yet found a solution for all the things you no longer need – or at least don’t need for the time being – you can store them in a self-storage in the meantime.

Often you long for a life with fewer consumer goods, but you don’t want to give up your home to move into a tiny house. To find a middle ground, one can free oneself from objects that have no direct benefit. A minimalist interior helps to lead a more conscious life. You can also implement the sustainability concept in your own home by switching to renewable energy sources, conserving resources and using rainwater to flush toilets or water flowers, for example.

Another alternative to the mini houses are the so-called small houses, these are slightly larger and therefore offer a good compromise if you cannot or do not want to adapt your living standard to the tiny houses, but also large houses are excluded.

Tiny house with white interiour

Our tip

If you want to move into a tiny house or furnish your own home in a minimalist way, you usually have to leave a lot of stuff behind. Unfortunately, there are often objects that you do not want to part with, but that stand in the way of minimalism. These could be childhood memories, heirlooms or files that are not needed for now.

So that these items do not negatively affect life in the tiny house, they can ideally be kept in a storage room at Boxie24! We are happy to advise you on tel:844-337-7739.

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