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Tiny houses entice budget-conscious Americans
ELIZABETHTOWN, United States, June 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – In a country that
nearly always believes bigger is better — think supersize fries, giant cars
and 10-gallon hats — more and more Americans are downsizing their living
quarters.
Welcome to the world of tiny homes, most of them less than 400 square feet
(less than 40 square meters), which savvy buyers are snapping up for their
minimalist appeal and much smaller carbon footprints.
The tiny homes revolution, which includes those on foundations and those
on wheels, began a few decades ago, but the financial crisis of 2008 and the
coming-of-age of millennials gave it a new impetus.
The proliferation of home improvement shows on networks like HGTV fueled
the trend, inspiring customers ready to personalize their own small living
spaces.
Cost is one of the driving factors — a tiny home of just over 200 square
feet with a customized interior can go for about $50,000 — a massive savings
over a McMansion in the suburbs.
“We have a housing crisis and we have crumbling buildings around us. It’s
just hard to find good quality living at an affordable price,” says Brandy
Jones, who took the plunge with her husband and two sons.
Eight months ago, they moved into a tiny house in Reading, Pennsylvania,
about 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia.
Jones says that for a new house in the area, the family would have had to
budget for about $300,000. The tiny home option “is a huge difference. It
makes living affordable.”
In most cases, the savings is not enough of a motivating factor: the
average newly-built family home in the United States measures about 2,600
square feet, according to the Census Bureau.
Marcus Stoltzfus, the director of sales and marketing for Liberation Tiny
Homes in nearby Leola, says that over the last 40 years, Americans “went into
this McMansion phase, where they built those massive homes.”
Now, in some parts of the country, “people are realizing that living with
less is very advantageous to your lifestyle.”
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– No ‘wasted space’ –
Scott Berrier, who moved into a 370-square-foot home about four months ago
with his wife Melissa, says he’s happy not to have as many possessions as
before.
“We really like the whole minimalist approach — kind of paring down and
not having clutter everywhere and everything,” Berrier explained, adding that
his home is simply more functional.
“The biggest difference I notice is that we use every single space. There
is not any wasted space,” he said.
Roland Figueredo, who plans to leave his New York apartment in July for a
tiny house in Oregon, says he’s ready for a change.
“We truly are trying to simplify our life and getting rid of our crap,” he
said.
Even if public opinion is changing, it’s not always easy to go against
societal norms and materialistic expectations.
When Berrier told friends of his plans, several of them warned him that
his new home would make him feel claustrophobic.
Stoltzfus admits the trend can seem “very hipster-ish” and suffers from a
bit of a negative image, but he believes that will change over time.
“The more that folks travel, work from home, this trend will definitely be
up there,” he said.
– ‘Preconceived notions –
Berrier says wanting to live a more minimalist life extends to the
environmental impact of home ownership.
“You’re not leaving as much of a carbon footprint. You’re not using as
much electricity, as much water” as in a traditional home or apartment, he
notes.
Despite the advantages, the tiny homes movement is far from widespread.
Rough estimates put the number of tiny homes in the United States at a little
more than 10,000.
The first sticking point is financing — would-be homeowners are finding
it impossible to get traditional loans for non-traditional houses.
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Banks are instead offering medium-term loans of up to seven years — at
significantly higher interest rates than regular loans.
But the main obstacle is a legal one: most municipalities and towns ban
residents from living year-round in anything on wheels, and often have
statutes requiring homes to be at least 900 square feet.
Several US states such as Colorado, Nevada and North Carolina are seen as
more progressive on the issue, but the country’s most populated areas have
for the most part ignored the movement.
Historically in American culture, bungalows, caravans and mobile homes
have a bad reputation — they are seen as badly made and decidedly lower-
class.
But the Berriers’ home is impeccably decorated with a bathtub, a sunroom
and a movie screen — no “trailer trash” here.
“There are preconceived notions. They haven’t seen it enough. It’s just
something new. I think that’s the problem,” Berrier said.
– ‘Night and day’ –
Homes made by Liberation Tiny Homes like the Berriers’ place are “built
like a normal house” with the same materials, explained Stoltzfus.
So far, the company has completed more than 65 projects since launching in
2015.
For Jones, who lived in a motor home for several months before moving into
her new place, “a travel trailer compared to a tiny house is night and day.”
And while some non-profit organizations are building tiny homes for the
homeless, the movement is primarily targeted at young couples with the means
to spend more than they would on a mobile home.
To vault over the many legal hurdles, many tiny home buyers are setting up
their places without permits from local urban planning officials.
But others are opting for tiny house communities, which are on solid legal
footing and are sprouting up all over.
Tiny Estates in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania took over a former campground
and obtained the necessary permits to accommodate tiny homes on wheels.
“It’s important to go to your town meetings, your borough meetings and
just say, ‘Hey, here’s what they are’,” says Berrier.
“It’s not some clandestine little sketchy thing. These are beautiful tiny
houses, well designed. If anything, they add property value to things.”
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