What advice would you give a newcomer interested in living tiny? - #AskTheDreamTeam

Cover image via @thatgrackle.

Question: What advice would you give a newcomer interested in living tiny?

Answers:

Lauren & Christian | adventureabode.blogspot.com

If you can afford it, go with a main floor bedroom. Although our loft is cozy in small doses, I could not imagine sleeping up there every night. It is much warmer up there and having to go up and down a ladder all the time would get old.

Also having an over-range microwave is really nice. You will need the built-in fan for cooking and it is much more energy efficient in reheating food than a stovetop or oven. Hooded vents look awesome, but take up a lot of precious space with minimal function.

Sam & Tim | tiffanythetinyhome.com

I would go rent a tiny house. It can be a bit pricey but it really helped us think if we could live tiny or not. We got to see the difference of a rental tiny house and one that is made to live in, for example, more storage! It made us realize right away what we wanted in our tiny home and how we choose to live. We ended up staying a week in one and even one day stayed in the home for 24 hours to see what it would be like cooped up on a rainy day.

Annie | pocketmanor.com

My best advice is two-fold:

1. Keep your expectations in check, and BE REALISTIC. Going tiny is not an immediate solution to anything. You will not immediately have a ton of extra money, even if you have decreased your living expenses—the houses may be tiny, but there will ALWAYS be significant costs associated with moving. And living tiny is not like living on the set of an HGTV show! Sometimes, your house is going to be messy. Or smelly. You are going to break things, ignore unfinished projects, and will probably develop, at some point, a 'corner of shame': an unorganized pile of miscellany that you KNOW you have to deal with but just can't find the time. It's your house, not an Instagram photo shoot dream-land.
2. Don't rush into it. Make sure it's what you really want! Stay in a tiny house for a vacation, downsize your possessions bit by bit, talk to your friends, family, and plenty of tiny-housers (most of us love to preach the gospel of living tiny), and read whatever you can get your hands on.

Hannah & Brandon | instagram.com/thehaventinyhome

Sounds simple but… stay in one first—for a bunch of days! Change the bedding, do the dishes, do normal life things and make sure it’s what you really want.

Melissa & Scott | instagram.com/thatgrackle

We stayed in a total of four different tiny houses while working on designing our home. This was a HUGE help and I can’t recommend it enough! It’s one thing to design your tiny in SketchUp, or on paper, but actually being in the space while you are planning will go a long way. Something may seem like a great idea in your mind, but might not pan out well in reality.

There are more options than ever for finding a tiny house to rent, so the good news is you most likely have an option available semi-close to you.

PS don’t forget to pack a tape measure!

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