ARE TINY HOUSES THE NEXT BIG THING?
The tiny house trend has typically attracted young singles and childless couples because they cost less to buy and run than regular houses. But recently, many active retirees are showing an interest in planning a move into tiny houses when they retire. Some retirees are hoping to cut living costs by going tiny, and others want to move away from the city and settle down in the countryside. Some plan to travel or visit family. And others see retirement as the ideal time to change their lifestyles and achieve a higher quality of life.
Check out these North Carolina tiny home communities:
Mitchell County, NC – High Coves Eco-Village
Flatrock, NC – Highland Lake Cove Eco-Village
Asheville, NC – Earthaven Ecovillage
Candler, NC – Sacred Mountain Sanctuary
Lexington, NC – Coral Sands Point Recreational Village
Flat Rock, NC – Village of Wildflowers
BACKGROUND
The tiny house movement is a description for the architectural and social movement that advocates living simply in small homes. Most tiny houses are less than 1,000. While in the United States the average size of new single family homes grew from 1,780 square feet in 1978 to 2,662 square feet in 2013, despite a decrease in the size of the average family. Reasons for this include increased material wealth and prestige.
Earlier pioneers include Lloyd Kahn, author of Shelter (1973) and Lester Walker, author of ″Tiny Houses″ (1987). Henry David Thoreau, and the publication of his book "Walden" is also quoted as early inspiration.[6]
With the financial crisis of 2007–08, the small house movement attracted more attention as it offers housing that is more affordable and ecologically friendly. Overall, however, it represents a very small part of real estate transactions -- only 1% of home buyers acquire houses of 1,000 square feet or less
Small and tiny houses have received increasing media coverage including a serial television show, Tiny House Nation, in 2014 and Tiny House Hunters. The possibility of building one's own home has fueled the movement, particularly for tiny houses on wheels. Tiny houses on wheels are often compared to RVs. However, tiny houses are built to last as long as traditional homes, they use traditional building techniques and materials, and they are aesthetically similar to larger homes.
Source: Wikipedia