Tiny House Pros and Cons
My house is small, but not one of those tiny houses you see on a trailer. So when we discovered building five hundred square feet or less didn't require subdividing my brother's ten acres, the decision was easy. After living in my "tiny house" for several years, here are what I love (Pros) and things to know before you build small (Cons).
Small House Pros
- Expenses - Almost everything from air conditioning to cleaning is less expensive.
- Maintenance - Maintaining things from gutters to the garage takes less time and money with a smaller house.
- Furniture - When a few pieces fill up your small space fast furniture savings follow.
- Views - Using the Muji Hut (see below) as inpiration big windows stretch across the back wall of my small home. A feeling of bringing the outside in is important.
Small House Cons
- Bad Smells - No escaping bad smells when you live in less than five hundred squre feet. Make sure install great bathroom and kitchen vents.
- Sound - My house has a cathedral ceiling and hardwood floors. There was a noticable echo until I added, thanks to Jon at Audio Advice, Lutron blinds.
- Pets - My brother has four dogs, so I live vicariously through him. Having a pet in such a small space would pose health issues for an asthmatic like me.
Muji Hut
I asked, after reading a Dwell post, if the Japanese Muji Hut kit would be coming to the United States. Sadly Muji didn't plan on shipping Naoto Fukasawa's kit to America. When a local builder said he could build a version of the Japanese hut construction began.
