The Small House Movement

When I heard a spot on the Today show this week about the small house movement my mind started bouncing like a ping pong ball.

They showed an example of a tiny house with an upper sleeping loft…they talked about minimizing one’s footprint on the environment and setting personal priorities…they talked about how much less it costs to both purchase and maintain a small house.

I thought about…

…the small house movement that began about 10 years ago in response to the ‘bigger is better’ trend in housing that had been going on since the 1950’s. Since that time family sizes have steadily decreased but housing sizes have doubled. At the same time, the amount of time we spend in our homes is way down…what’s wrong with this picture? The Small House Society, a voice for the small house movement, is about people making their own choices toward simpler and smaller living however they feel best fits their life. The Twin Cities’ own Sarah Susanka was a pioneer in this concept with her ‘Not So Big House’ and ‘Not So Big Life’ books.

I thought about…

… Kinsey Millhone, the protaganist in Sue Grafton’s "alphabet mysteries" (yes, I’m a mystery reader), who loved living in a tiny space in a converted garage long before it was fashionable…and also has a sleeping loft.

I thought about…

…a small house I currently have for listed sale in the Nokomis area that also has a sleeping loft. It’s under $120K and is about the size of a small 1-bedroom condo but with a huge yard, double garage, basement storage…and no association fees. The current owner has loved the freedom it has given him to pursue what was most important to him. Not only are small homes less expensive to buy, they are also less expensive to heat and easier to maintain.

I thought about…

…how it’s almost 10 years since we downsized from our 5-bedroom, 3-bath home to our 2-bedroom townhouse. Even though there are times we think more space would be nice, like when our kids and grandkids come over for our weekly Wednesday night family dinner or we have overnight guests, there is a closeness that happens when you share smaller spaces…it’s a good thing.

I thought about…

…how with the current financial uncertainty more people may be opting for smaller houses to simply cut costs…and may find other unexpected benefits.

Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – Email – Website – 612.416.0560