A Tiny Home Too Far

I love reading and looking at all the Tiny Home posts. It seems more folks are making these wee cottages their main homes – not just trendy vaca cabins. That’s awesome. Beats all Hell out of the McMansion movement.

There are some definite practical, legal challenges to Tiny Homing that've got to be considered before taking the plunge.

Is your new wee crib a glorified RV? If so, you don’t necessarily need to buy land. You can park that sucker almost anywhere – a friend’s yard, a campground or an RV park. Most states don’t allow full time RV living (outside of RV parks) but, if no one complains about you, no one cares. As yet, there are no Tiny Home police squads (that I know of).

If you’re Tiny Curious (or a Travelin' Woman) but unsure if it’ll work for you in the long run, RV – mobile-ISH – living seems like a good start, a fine intro.

Not on wheels and want a fixed locale? Find where you want to live before you build. Buy the land and check out the area's zoning regs FIRST. Wanna live in a city but can’t afford the pricey lots? Why not just buy a condo? You want outdoor space too? Get a condo with a porch. Want a tree? There are plenty who can live in pots, indoors.

Now then, how big can a dwelling be and still be considered a Tiny Home? What’s the max size? One site I looked at says that the range is 60 to 400 square feet. They also note that the range can be extended up to 1,000 square feet. This, to my mind, is small home territory. My cottage is approximately 900 square. It was big enough for me, The Amazing Bob, Coco and Rocco. It’s more than enough space now that it’s just me and my little princess. I’d only consider this joint Tiny if there were six of us stuffed in here (and that ain't NEVAH gonna happen)

The family of six, noted in this vid, lives in a large RV. Frankly, there isn’t an RV in the world big enough to house a family of six for more than a holiday away week at a time.

To my mind, families (especially large ones like this one) should NOT be squeezed into minikin living spaces. Even if your family is wonderfully sane, happy and you all actually like each other, children need privacy from time to time.

I know this all too bloody well. During much of my childhood, our fam of six lived in small apartments and diminutive houses. It was Hell. (yes, this is my idea of Hell – jam-packed living quarters, no alone time) Granted, we were a fractious crew (to say the very least) but still, humans are not meant to live six to a teacup. Rilly!

That video family?

Not only is the RV their home; it’s also where the children are homeschooled.

Homeschooling – that's the big tip-off. They’re JesusJesus missionary types in South Africa (Americans, originally from Florida) bringing JESUS to the godless brown heathens.  It’s unclear how long they’ve lived or will live in their micro home. Frankly, even if they only do this for a year, it could be a good lesson.

At the least, they might learn to live with fewer material goods. Maybe they'll even learn that:

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8)