Today’s profile piece comes to us from kinesiology student, Iulia Soneriu. She documents how tiny houses can lead to a less financially stressed life, thus leading to increased happiness in residents.
Tiny houses come in all shapes and sizes, (even on wheels!) but the best part is that owning one can permit the resident to live the life they’ve always dreamed about. I mean, haven’t you been dreaming of traveling or having more time for your friends and family?
76% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck (CNBC) and are consistently stressed about money. Because of this financial anxiety, many people are looking for a change and some are leaping into tiny houses as their solution. A major benefit to tiny houses is that they can be extremely affordable compared to standard rentals, or average American home ownership.
By looking at this table below (WSJ), you will see that when you buy an average American 2,300 square foot house, you are really setting yourself up for a long-term relationship with your bank. This data is also 11 years old now, so we can at least imagine that it hasn’t gotten any cheaper.
After seeing these numbers you might start thinking that you don’t own the mortgage but that the mortgage owns you! That is why tiny houses can be so great. They offer affordability to a wider amount of people further creating housing access to those in need. For example, our team is designing ZeNETH to be paid off in 10 years using the same amount someone would pay for rent in Bellingham. Seeing as Bellingham renters, on average, are spending $9000 a year in the city, you can quickly see how this adds up – especially once the house if paid for!
Clearly housing can be a strong financial asset and not just a bundle of stress for the resident. We hope that we can help alleviate long-term stress and anxiety from residents just trying live on a budget. So from a recent university grad that wants to avoid a lifetime of expensive apartments to an elderly couple that just wants an inexpensive home to retire into, I think there are plenty of reasons to consider tiny house living. And while there is always a lot to consider, I believe that your house should at least bring you happiness.
Environmental concerns are another popular reason for people to lean towards tiny house life. Because these structures can be designed with energy efficiency in mind (like ZeNETH) it requires much less energy inputs to operate the house. One third of this country’s energy consumption stems from residential energy usage. By eliminating, or at least reducing this personal energy consumption, tiny house dwellers are able to get a grip on their environmental footprint. Another environmental benefit found in tiny houses (though not exclusively) is the use of recycled building materials.
Research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health has found that those who have more access to the outside world, such as parks and other outdoor locations, enjoy greater overall health than those who do not. Of course, accessibility is primary factor of getting into the woods/sea/mountains and we recognize that there is not equal access to this natural world. Even still, tiny houses, due to their tiny nature encourage residents to get out and about and thus expose them to the world outside of their house. This can lead to quality time spent within their community of family and friends, and thereby creating a stronger bond to others. This promotes better health in residents (through human to human connection) and can lead to a more dynamic family and community.
All in all, I believe the biggest benefit of owning a tiny house is the boost to your mental health by allowing you to have more time and freedom to live your life.
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