Why not to live in tiny house?

A tiny home cannot accommodate an ever-expanding family and the supplies that come with having one. Even if you bring in a pet, the home will become overcrowded and will not fit you and your pet. Also, just know that you will not be able to host guests because you have very little space.

conserve-energy-future.com - 15+ Strong Reasons Why People Move Out of Tiny Houses

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15+ Strong Reasons Why People Move Out of Tiny Houses

Over the last few years, a movement, known as the Tiny House Movement has emerged, advocating for people to move into or live in tiny houses. Of course, they have their advantages. As a matter of fact, tiny houses have been considered by many because they generate their electricity through solar energy, they promote financial prudence, are economically safe and are a shift in consumerism-driven mindsets, among many other benefits. Some also embrace it as a part of adopting a minimalist lifestyle or living. Despite all the benefits that come with tiny homes, there is a myriad of reasons for moving out of such tiny houses. Here are some of them:

15+ Strong Reasons For Moving Out of Tiny Homes

Small-size homes are not cheap to build, despite what you might think. The cost per square foot of an average 2,000-square-foot home costs approximately $150. Surprisingly, the cost per foot of a tiny home costs averagely $300. This is because there are a lot of design considerations in a tiny space that just doesn’t exist in a large home. For instance, you will need to install built-in couches that double as beds, dual-purpose stairs, fold-away tables and many other custom-designed and milled items that have to make up for lack of space

2. You Will Eventually Expand

Tiny homes are a perfect fit for individuals, but not couples or families. In life, everything expands and with time, the individual will like to get married and have a family. A tiny home cannot accommodate an ever-expanding family and the supplies that come with having one. Even if you bring in a pet, the home will become overcrowded and will not fit you and your pet. Also, just know that you will not be able to host guests because you have very little space.

3. Most Homeowners are Not Home Dwellers

Oftentimes, owners of the tiny homes, do not live in them full time. They tend to use such homes as vacation getaways or end up trading them up for larger homes. Were you to live there for only a few nights per year, the tiny home will be a good fit for you. However, if you will be living there full time, you will most likely trade it up for a bigger house sooner than you think

4. Regrets

One can regret making such a purchase in the future. About 33% of homeowners, end up wishing they had bought a larger house, with 9% wishing they had bought a smaller one. The risks of regret are even higher in homeowners between the ages of 18 and 34, who in most cases regret not choosing a larger home.

5. Storage Costs are Higher

With a large house, you will be able to store almost everything you own in that home or park it just outside it. However, with a tiny house, you will have to cough up a few extra bucks per month, to have your possessions stored somewhere else. To fix this issue, just move out of the tiny house and look for a bigger house. Another issue with storage is when you do your shopping. A tiny home will mean you either get rid of some stuff to accommodate new ones, or just don’t shop for new ones. You will not be able to buy in bulk ad grab the associated discounts and with regards to food, you will cook more and generate more garbage.

6. Land Costs are Also High

Land costs are always going up. Whether you will install a large house or a tiny one, the land costs will still be high. Even if your tiny house is in an RV, meaning you can easily move around, you will be charged to park the vehicle somewhere.

7. Compliance With the Laws

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Not all states allow the construction of tiny homes. Others, just cannot allow you to live in an RV fulltime. The zoning regulations and laws are therefore going to be against you if you opt for a tiny house.

Even if the laws of the community, town or city allow you to park your tiny house, you will have to figure out some other utilities, including how to dispose of your garbage. Will you dump your garbage on another person’s garbage bins, make a landfill or recycle it?

Also, how will you get your mail, tax forms, car registrations and other documents that require signatures, if your permanent address is always moving? You would have to get a post office box where some packages cannot be allowed, or get yourself a private mailbox, giving you a real address, at a cost.

8. Utility Costs are Also High

Every house, tiny or large, will have to cost you some money in terms of utilities. Electricity, water, heating and sewage are the most common utilities and have to be accounted for regardless of the size of the house. For tiny houses, especially ones on wheels, you have to add some extra cash for fuelling the RV. Due to this, you will most likely end up paying the same utility bills as if you were living in a larger house. Even if you were to go completely off the grid, you will have to buy or lease some water tanks, solar panels, composting toilets, propane heaters and many others, which will affect how you shop for supplies

9. Moving a Tiny Home is Expensive

Tiny homes must be moved. The cost of moving will always be high, depending on the distance you will move the home as well as what actually will be towed. Homeowners who wish to be moving the houses themselves, have to purchase trailers which can be anywhere between $4,000 and $7,000. Even before you buy the trailer, you have to account for other logistics, which will also cost you some money. For instance, in the United States, a tiny home that is to be towed, has to be less than 13’6” in height and 8’6” in width. You will also have to hook up trailer brakes to a truck with a transmission that can handle the wow, do some practice towing and also get a commercial trucker’s license.

10. Insurance Issues

The sad fact is that not all tiny homes are insurable. For an insurance company to cover you, you will have to fully conform to their set codes, which sometimes might be difficult to do. For instance, they may demand you build a foundation at additional costs and live on the tiny home full time. If you get an RV insurance, it might be questionable if anyone other except the RV builder does the construction itself.

Also, insurance companies might not cover all damages like theft. It is at such a point where you will question, is it not just easier to have a large house instead of a tiny one with all these complications?

11. A Tiny House Can be Mentally Challenging

Have you ever tried to clean a tiny space and made it look less messy? Small spaces can get cleaned easily, but they get dirty really easily. That is another challenge with tiny houses. Also, how will you clean your filth, or that of your partner, assuming you are not hooked up to a sewerage system? Furthermore, cleaning and drying your clothes will become more challenging. You have to be very patient to achieve all that without feeling disgusted. In addition to testing your patience, the cramped space can wear on your mental health, as overcrowding has been linked to increased stress and anxiety because of the lacking privacy and disrupted sleep. If there are children, they will have a hard time locating a quiet place to study while at home or complete their homework.

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12. Hostile Neighbors and Neighborhoods

Not all neighborhoods will accept you with your tiny house. No one will allow you to park your tiny home in their backyard unless they allow you. It means you will have to find a place to park it, costing you money. Also, tiny homes fall into a grey area with the law, meaning you will have to interact with other neighbors. If they do not like you or permit you to park your tiny home, they will chase you out of their neighborhood. You could also get fined and be forced into council meetings and courtrooms, and eventually be booted out from the community.

13. How to Sell the Tiny Home? It Can be Quite Difficult

Sometimes, you might have to sell your tiny home, maybe because you expanded or are tired of all the challenges mentioned. First, consider that tiny homes on a trailer are not real estate, even if you own the land on which it is parked. They are considered personal property, just like RVs and cars, meaning they depreciate over time. Secondly, they are customized to specific tastes and requirements, making it tough to sell to other buyers. The land might increase in value but the tiny home will not. As such, expect to make a loss if you decide to sell the tiny home, whether it is on wheels or permanently on land.

14. Financing is Difficult

For you to receive mortgage financing, you have to meet set zoning and building code standards. For this reason, for that tiny home, apart from meeting those standards, it also has to be built on a permanent foundation. If that is not a possibility, you will have to grab alternative financing such as an RV loan, use a credit card or get a personal loan. The problem with such is their higher interest rates and you must have a good credit score to qualify. Financing a house through an RV-certified tiny-house builder will require you to put up between 15% and 20% of the total as a down payment. All these financial difficulties can be eliminated if you move out of a tiny house and look for a bigger option.

15. A compilation of Financial Hustles

Building a tiny home means you will have to go through a lot of financial bumps. All the money you will be paying monthly might actually be higher than paying rent for a big house altogether. It includes the cost of materials, paying for the land or the truck, paying up for the mortgages, and the cost of insurance, among many other expenses. If you were to save any money after all that, it will take up a lot of time, sometimes even years.

16. Sometimes it is Just Not Worth it

After all these challenges of having a tiny home, one conclusion is certain: as much as tiny homes may come with their advantages, sometimes they are just not worth it. Besides, there are better ways to be a minimalist if having a tiny house was the aim. You can sell extra belongings, buy only necessary items or downsize to a smaller, but not tiny, home.