Thinking Small (House,Or Tiny House)

I've long been fascinated with small and tiny houses. I don't even know what makes a house a small house and what makes a house a tiny house. What I do know is that I am fascinated by how they are designed and how people live in them. Let me explain.

I recently watched the first episode of Tiny House Nation and I was amazed at how they managed to fit a family of three into the relatively small house. It was inspiring to see how they managed to create a sleeping area for the couple's child and include a loft play area above it. It just showed me what you can do with a small amount of space and a lot of creativity.

I also like how efficient the designs are of small and tiny houses. Everything has a function in the house. One set of cubby holes here could also serve as a stepladder to get to higher cabinets. Or a wall mounted board of wood folds down and transforms into a table. Or the wicker stools you sit on double up as cylindrical storage baskets. There is no wasted space.

And these houses aren't just efficient in design, they are also energy efficient, requiring less amounts of energy for lighting, cooling, and heating purposes. You need less bulbs to fully light up the house, and you won't be taxing the air conditioning unit on a hot summer day since the rooms will cool down faster.

Another reason why I am fascinated with small houses is the lifestyle involved. I've noticed in the house we're living in there are three to four rooms currently being barely used. The living room / main dining room is usually empty. I use our main dining table as my laptop station and my daughter plays in the living room, but that's it. No one really uses the rooms for their purpose, and we rarely entertain guests. My old bedroom has become a temporary storage room until Martina is big enough to move in. So technically there is a huge amount of space we haven't maximized at home.

If you noticed what I wrote in the paragraph above, you'll realize we have tons of unused and unsorted stuff lying around the house, gathering dust. I'll admit I'm a hoarder, and a lot of those things are mine. In comes my theory that the bigger the house you have the more space you have to put junk in. Also, if I could have one week to sort through all my stuff and sell, donate, or throw away things I don't use I'm guessing this house will be a lot more spacious.

On a side note, the closest thing to a small or tiny house in the Philippines would be to purchase a condominium unit. Most middle class condos today average around 30 square meters for a one bedroom unit. That would be your typical tiny house, except more expensive.

Living in a small house is a big lifestyle change, and it won't work out if the person who will move is not open to change and not open to a simpler lifestyle. I honestly cannot say if I can survive in a small house, but I am willing to try if I could afford it. Perhaps that change in lifestyle and mentality will work wonders with my attitude.

Honestly I think a full kitchen, a work space for both Maica and I, a flatscreen TV with a Playstation 3 (or 4) and cable access, and internet access are the basics my family would need to live in a tiny house. I honestly wish Maica, Martina, and I could try this out. Who knows, it might even make us closer both physically and emotionally.

Out.