2024 house trends: tiny houses
15th Feb '24 • By Service.com.au
Have you heard of the tiny house movement? Over recent years, a significant number of people from the U.S, Australia, and other parts of the world have profoundly supported the idea of living in tiny houses, and this interest continues to grow.
Here's everything you need to know about tiny homes, and how you can take advantage of the trend towards downsized living.
1. Most Desired Tiny House Amenities
As tiny houses gain a lot of popularity, people are considering specific amenities in them. They include the following:
- Kitchen space – somewhere one can prepare a meal is needed. It doesn’t necessarily need to be expensive, but just have enough space to place your cooking burner and other essential kitchen appliances.
- Designated bedroom — considering the small size of a tiny house, a designated bedroom may seem to take up a lot of space. But, on the other hand, tiny house lovers argue that it makes such houses more functional.
- Air conditioning — an air conditioning system is one of the ideal features a tiny house ought to have. It’s no longer a luxury but a necessity to enhance comfort.
- Laundry — a tiny house should have a laundry regardless of the size for maximum function. Therefore, builders are minimising sitting and kitchen areas to create space for good laundry. Additionally, washer manufacturers have also adjusted according to the market and now offer a washer-dryer combo suitable for small spaces in tiny houses.
2. Eco-friendly Tiny House Designs
Due to increased awareness about carbon footprints, people are turning to a more sustainable lifestyle. Tiny houses have been one of the approaches being utilised whereby it aims to minimise the size of homes for better environmental impact.
Therefore, the tiny house movement and builders are turning to specific eco-friendly trends. They include the following:
Tiny Houses from Recycled Materials
There is an endless list of materials people are using to build tiny homes. Examples of such houses include a ‘lifehaus’, which is a prototype homemade from recycled tyres and other materials. Another example is a tiny firehouse — a tiny house made from old fire trucks. Lastly, there are incredible tiny houses made from shipping containers.
They feature a simple design and are cheap to build. Check with a reputable tiny home builder about how much it might cost. Gather several builder quotes.
Designs That Enhance Natural Lighting
Modern tiny houses are designed to use sunlight as a source of lighting during the day. Therefore, they are built with large windows and skylights. It’s environmentally friendly, saves energy, and cuts down electricity bills.
Use of Solar Systems
The use of solar systems for lighting and heating water in tiny houses is becoming prominent. It’s a way of minimising your carbon footprint. It also makes life in a tiny house cheaper by cutting down on utility costs.
Composting Toilets
People have greatly appreciated that composting toilets are the alternative toilet systems for tiny houses. Most importantly, they’re eco-friendly and cheap to run. Additionally, their compact nature makes them suitable for installation in a tiny house.
The fact that tiny houses are eco-friendly is an appealing factor to most people.
3. Tiny Houses as Investment Properties
The strong demand for opportunities to travel has brought about increased demand for Airbnb services. As a result, most tiny house buyers consider it as an investment property. Airbnb guests enjoy the novelty experience of such houses compared to conventional family homes or apartments. Investors have embraced it as a profitable venture within the real estate market. Find out how much it costs to hire a builder to carry out that project for you.
4. Millennials are Driving Sales
Most of the people opting to live in tiny houses are millennials. There are several reasons why this population worldwide is most prominent among the tiny house movement. Below are the reasons:
Reduced Expenses
Most millennials are on the road to financial freedom. Therefore, they opt to minimise expenses such as mortgages to save more. In many cases, they opt to purchase or build tiny houses. In fact, the highest number of buyers of tiny houses are first-time home buyers.
Millennials Value Experiences
Tiny houses offer a more unique experience compared to conventional homes, thus making them appealing to many millennials. It brings about a new form of luxury.
Significant Student Loans
Most millennials are still dealing with their student loans. Therefore, saving enough money to buy a conventional house might be a long journey as they keep paying such loans for many years. As a result, tiny houses remain the alternative they can afford when they want to be property owners.
Freedom to be Mobile
Most millennials appreciate the ease of mobility in their lives. Additionally, many of them work online. They want to explore new opportunities anytime they arise. Renting or owning an apartment or house creates limitations on travelling. On the other hand, you’re more flexible in a tiny house.
Above are some of the notable tiny house trends in 2024. The tiny house movement is gradually growing as more people chase a minimal living lifestyle. In addition, more millennials are buying tiny homes and embracing eco-friendly designs.
There is increased demand for tiny houses by Airbnb guests. Therefore, home buyers are investing in tiny homes to supplement their income by renting them out.
Lastly, tiny houses are alternatives for those in need of affordable homes and who are motivated by the minimalist lifestyle.
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