Things That Will Happen To You Once You Move Into A Tiny House

It’s a funny thing. You work for a long time to make it to living in a tiny house and then, one day, you do. The big question that I had and many of you will have is…now what? While that will be different for each of you, there will be some things that will most definitely happen to you.

Things That Will Happen

1. You will forever be introduced as the guy/girl who “lives in a tiny house” in every social situation

2. Half of people will tell you that they could never live in such a small space

3. The other half will tell you that they totally could live in a tiny house, but you can tell they never really would

4. You’ll begin to ask bigger questions of yourself, your life and its meaning

5. You’ll become way more laid back and find yourself just enjoying the here and now

6. You’ll own a nail gun and aren’t afraid to use it

7. Everyone will compare your house to their bathroom or closet and all you can think is, “I get it, it’s small”

8. You’ll go to the grocery store or farmers market a lot. Tiny fridges only hold so much

9. People will email you telling you what’s wrong with your house and how you should fix it, without you asking

10. You’ll find dinner parties seem way more intimate and interesting in such a small space

11. You’ll notice that conversations with other tiny house people seem deeper, richer and more valuable

12. People will point blank ask you about how you poop or other intimate details

13. Your bank account will grow and it feels good!

14. After taking on building a tiny house, other things just seem easier

15. Trying new things won’t be as scary

16. You’ll still feel like you have too much stuff

17. You might just end up leaving your job to start your own thing

18. Living in a tiny house will feel normal and you might start to feel like your house seems big

19. There will be days you don’t like living tiny and that’s okay

20. Many days you’ll be grateful

 

Your Turn!

  • Which do you look forward to most?
  • What else would you add to the list?
35 Comments
  1. For my hubby and I it means a lot less work and expense plus extra income. We are me, 66 him, 71 and live in a 16 X 90 ft. mobile home on our ten acres, all paid for.
    We will rent out our mh after we move into the 720 sq. foot little home. We already rent out our autobody shop to our son and his business partner. WE also purchased a portable building recently and rent that out to a busy car upholsterer We are fortunate to have bought our land on a state highway back in 95 before business started moving out this way. It as a wise move and we are able to live out our retirement with no money worries. I seriously urge younger folks to think of the future before it’s too late. It sneaks up on you before you know it!

    • Glad you enjoy being landlords, since you “rent out” everything.
      =J

  2. Haha I love this list! I’m part of the group that says I would totally live in a tiny house. :/ We have 2 kids so it definitely seems way less possible now. But I love reading these posts and trying to figuring out how we can make it work someday!! 🙂
    www.sweetlytattered.com

    • My family is just starting the uphill battle for our tiny house. First step: sell all our stuff and research/plan! We have two kids too! I’m finding we are going to have to be more creative with our space than most of what I am seeing out there, but I think we are headed in the right direction. There are so many amazing blogs that are very detailed. I am learning things I never thought I would… like how much power it will take to run a poc hot water heater, amd how much the heater will raise the water temperature if I go with an electric model… A healthy dose of obsession seems to be helping. 🙂 Good luck! Maybe our tiny houses will cross paths someday!

      • Hi! I was wondering if you’ve built your tiny house and how it is working out for you. My husband and I are planning to build a tiny house with our two kids. Would you still recommend tiny house living with two children ages 6 and 3?

  3. I recently moved into my small barn home…while it is not a thow it is 560 sq ft on each floor but due to my limited mobility I dont do the stairs. So I am using my bedroom open kitchen/living and bathroom. I got rid of tons of stuff but have quickly found I have to get rid of more lol. And its ok. I am sooo over all the stuff! I am loving my new home! Still lots of little projects that need finishing but I plan to have them done by early sept.

  4. The sound of rain on the roof.
    Opening the front door after being away on a journey.

    • What a wonderful distillation of the pleasures of being truly at home. True for any good home, but especially appropriate for a tiny home where life has been distilled to only that which truly matters.

  5. i plan to move from my medium-sized unit to a much smaller home (500 sq ft) over the next 6 months. even now, i use only half of the space i have and my new home will be about a quarter the size.

    it will save me lots of time and money (cleaning it, furnishing it, heating and cooling it). i will soon be able to afford to go off grid with power and water. also grow most of my own food.

    i can’t understand why most people aren’t doing this, considering the very fragile economic times we are living in. so don’t put your savings into a bank or shares, spend it on tools to make yourself more financially resilient long term.

    there is more safety in numbers and i hope we start seeing more tiny-homesters living in small communities near other tiny-homesters.

    • Hi.
      I am ready for this lifestyle but how do you find land, just an acre or less? I am in Atlanta wanting a place in NOrth Ga, Tn, or N.C. Seems to be my biggest obstacle and I want a ” dry” tiny cabin or shack. Please advise and thank you.

      Regards,
      Stacy

      • Call a local developer who already owns land, check CL, then call every real estate agent you. Can.

      • There are a few tiny home communities in NC. I’ve found that Village of Wildflowers, High Cove, and Coral Sands Point Recreational Village all sell lots for the tiny homes. Good luck!

    • I, too, would love to see this trend grow towards tiny house communities. I know a lot of people do this to be more “off the grid” or away from crowded urban life but there is something nice about knowing you have a neighbor in similar circumstances close by…. As a single woman, I would certainly feel safer!

  6. Many of your blog posts say exactly what I am thinking. This is no exception.

  7. People will just not get that you don’t need more stuff and you become really good at deflecting gifts of useless decorative items.

    • Gifts can be more about experiences now. Gift card to the movies or an afternoon at an apple orchard.

    • Yes!

      Re-gifting? Return gifting? And no, I’m not getting a back yard shed! 🙂

  8. Hey.

    I started the Cville tiny house meetup and im about to dive into this. I could easily call the banker and property agent and close on a comfortable home in 45 days but i cant pick the phone and make that call. The guy who has a warehouse for me to build my tiny house and my client that has property perfect for me are on speed dial. I almost have the $$. Its very very close. Thanks for this article. I have this conversation with myself often and you just helped me come full circle.

  9. What a great write up! I’ve been in my tiny home for 3 years, and I’m in total agreement on more than half the list. I will add — now that I live in a tiny house — I spend much, much less time thinking and reading about them. It’s just normal life now!

    • Great point, Tim! After you are living in a downsized dwelling, do you still feel the need though to stay on at least some sites in order to socialize with other Tiny Housers who can relate ( and socialize!) to discuss ways to solve unique problems when living in tiny houses?

      • Hey there – I check the tiny house blogs from time to time, and I’m part of the local tiny house meet-up group (we just had a meetup at my house yesterday). So, I definitely stay connected.

        But I’m also connecting with (and perhaps focussing more on) groups I wouldn’t have had time for before, like th local vegan groups, etc. You were right on about asking bigger questions. It’s like moving on to a new level of Maslow’s hierarchy. 🙂

        I hope you post more or your thoughts. Very interesting!

  10. I love this! My husband and I are thinking about building a tiny house on a pond that we have. We have gone back and forth on what we want to build. I can’t wait to see what we end up with. I have been gathering pictures on Pinterest and have a lot of ideas on storage. We won’t be wasting a single inch. 🙂
    ~ Melinda

  11. This mostly describes my boat liveaboard. So much synergy. Perhaps I need a tiny home too.

  12. Where is C’ville? Is this in VA? I would love to join your meetup.

  13. I’ve been reading as many of the Tiny sites as I can get my greedy hands on! LoL My daughter will be graduating next year, and since she is the baby it will be time for me to move into a smaller dwelling. I was looking at building a small house 500-700sq ft. But since reading all of your stories, seeing your pictures, etc I’m all about this! The land for me is already a done deal. It’s now time to start saving money and make my Big dream of my Tiny house a reality. Thank you to you and all of the Tiny House community for sharing your stories. You all have helped me make the decision, the transition will hopefully be next! 🙂

    God bless,
    Teri 🙂

  14. Here in Sweden there is a new regulation making it legal to build an Attenfallshus with a lot less red tape than regular houses. While I would like to build myself it turns out buying a modular is a lot easier to get past the local governmental inspector. Seems that is what we will go for. It is a bit difficult to get the manufacturers to customize plans (I know what I want) but I have decided to get as close to my plan as possible and then make changes after it passes inspection.
    Attenfallshus is restricted to 25 sq meters and 4 meters high. It can have a loft so that helps.
    Four decades ago my ex and I lived in a travel trailer that was smaller than 25 sq meters and without the benefit of a loft plus a dinosaur of an oil furnace. My ex wasn’t crazy about it but I found it quite comfortable despite the long and narrow design. I’m looking forward to simplifying after the house we just sold with all the upkeep it needed.
    My sister mentioned the little house movement to me when I asked her to check out our plans. It tickles me that other people are thinking like us. Guess this is an idea that is right for the times.

  15. Hey Fred, I moved from Sweden to Italy 10 years ago. Wow, that’s exciting about the new Attenfallshus regulations! Quite forward-thinking of us Swedes 😉 Myself, I’m moving in on 27 sqm with Hubby and 9-year old next week, and I can’t wait!!

  16. This is all very exciting for me. I am an older (73), widowed woman and am ready for my very own tiny home. My plan is to move back to Arizona to be near my children, but I need my own space. I have been downsizing over the last few years, and am getting ready for the ultimate move! Will need to educate myself, for sure, and find a builder (it’s not something I can tackle myself), and be able to find some land.
    Looking forward to my next chapter in life!

  17. I am truck driver and I have had my tiny home for a year. I got it as I spend most of my time on the road and didn’t see the point of lining someone’s pockets for the sake of lots of space that I would have to clean when I am there. My place is only a shell at the moment but it’s home for me. The good thing is I can pretty much move it myself I only need a flatbed to put it on should I want to move it. My is 12×20 with a half wraparound porch and a loft for sleeping space and a metal roof. It came with a 10 yr warranty.

  18. Why not just sleep in your truck and forget the whole thing? If I had one of them big sleeper cab things I’d be using that and forget the tiny house thing – if someone doesn’t like it you can fire up the Peterbilt and run ’em over LOL

  19. I look forward to having something “mine” and finished. I have battled an illness and have been unable to work for 3 years so my living situation has reflected the lack of income. I currently live in a home rent free in exchange for working on it to clean it up and fix up what I can while the owner is in the Navy. It’s been determined the roof needs replaced and the cost is too much so I’ve chosen to do something different – now I’m committed to creating a place just for me and the boys (a lab and a retired MWD shepherd). The owner has said I can park it here while I work on it too!

  20. I just started reading your blog and I couldnt be happier! I am doing research and though it may be a year or two before I start building, I have many things to plan and consider due to your blog.

  21. I’m in the process of getting rid of everything we don’t use. But I’m finding it hard to get rid of things from my late baby daughter and my late grandmother, like things my baby wore and things my grandma made or things my grama bought me, like old cloths that are warn out but I’ve been wearing since I was 14. How do I toss them???? I have a simple home, not to big, not small. But I want much less clutter. I’ve emptied out every bedroom but a dresser in each with cloths, and emptied most rooms. Put all extra things in garage to sort. My kids room only has a couple toys for them each. But I want to downsize even more. Need help. Please and thank you.

  22. Hi! Boy Am I glad I stumble in this blog! We (wife and I, and 3 cats!) have decided to live large, by living tiny, and I am currently researching builders, and space on where I can park our future tiny house. Boy is it hard! But just by reading success stories, it gives me glimpses of hope!
    Thanks!!

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