The Tiny House Movement

Have you had a chance to catch the hit TV show, Tiny House Nation? And an even better question is, “do you know about the tiny house movement?”

Tiny House Nation is a home/building show on the FYI network which is all about the downsizing movement that is going on across the country.  In each episode of the show, Zack Giffin, the contractor works with a team of builders to construct an amazing tiny home that is no larger than 500 sq. feet, with many of the homes under 300 sq feet.

Contractor Zack Giffin & host John Weisbarth

While many people in New York apartments live in less than 500 sq. feet, can you imagine living in a small space?   You just might consider it after seeing the homes this team builds.

 The tiny house movement is gaining popularity with people of all ages beginning to understand that sometimes less can be more and see the value in downsizing their lives and the ‘stuff’ they surround themselves with. You might think that living with less and in such a small space means a home with no style but let me tell you that is not the case.

The beauty of a tiny house is that it can be built just about anywhere, from the city to the mountains.  The home below was constructed in the Colorado mountains to take advantage of the scenery and the owners desire to live a fully sustainable lifestyle.

After losing their home in hurricane Katrina, these homeowners rebuilt their home in Mississippi but decided to do it on a smaller scale.  Check out that outdoor space under the house.

I think I could enjoy living in nature if it looked like this and came with a pool.

In addition to building homes that are permanent, the tiny house crew also builds home that are portable.

Portable homes allow homeowners to travel and explore but still have the luxury of a home at the end the day.

When building a tiny home, the lifestyle of the homeowners plays a big part in the overall design.  If you love an outdoor space for entertaining or lounging, that can be incorporated into the design.

For those of you that love to cook, it’s amazing the function and style that can be built into the kitchen space of a 300 sq. foot home.

And a full size bathroom is not out of the question either, including a luxury shower or tub.

The attention to detail is amazing in these tiny homes, with every square inch of space put to use.  I love the small wall-mounted fireplace in the living space below.

Vertical design is essential to many of the tiny houses being built with stair allowing for easy access to upper areas.  Kinda gives you the feel of living in a tree house.

As part of the tiny house building process, the homeowners are challenged with purging their belongings and keeping only that which will fit into a couple of plastic storage bins.

I am totally smitten with the idea of a tiny home.  The hubby and I have actually tossed around the idea for when we retire.  We love to travel and the idea of having your home wherever you go sound great.  Now I just have to wrap my head around getting rid of all my rolls of ribbon and wrapping paper!

So, does the Tiny House Movement sound interesting to you?  Do you think you could live in less than 500 sq. feet?

You can catch Tiny House nation on the FYI channel, Mondays at 9:00pm ET!