The easiest way to use less energy, to have a smaller footprint, is to actually have a smaller footprint. A smaller home uses less resources. There are now companies that make homes about the same size as a New York apartment. But without the roaches, the old chipped appliances and the cat lady living next door.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is one site selling plans for the ultra small homes. The XS-House is so small it can be moved around the country kind of like a mobile home. But at 4000 lbs., it won’t go on the back of your Prius.
There are problems with these homes. The first one is finding a place to live. Many counties have zoning laws limiting the square footage of a new home. So don’t try to build one in suburbia next to 10 McMansions. Governments are not worried about safety with this. They are worried about money. If a super small home is in a neighborhood, the fear is that the property values (and the real estate taxes based on those values) will go down The idea of “Bigger is better ” is throughout our culture.
Think about your grandmother’s house. Both of mine had small houses in a city. One raised five kids in a three bedroom house with one bathroom. My other grandmother raised three in a smaller home. But there was enough space. There was even a garden out back. Every piece of that home was used. These houses were about 1500 square feet. I have lived in 1800 square feet with two kids. Today’s McMansions are about 3000 – 4000 square feet.
I do not think the right answer is the super small house at less than 1000 square feet. The right answer is a comfortable home. But how often do you use your dining room, or your living room? And does each kid really need their own bedroom? There is nothing wrong with learning how to share and live with someone else, even if it is a younger brother who talks in his sleep.
Of course, one great side effect of a smaller home is that you can buy less furniture.
