Tiny houses have boomed in Texomaland. They are in almost every community around Lake Texoma. There is even a tiny house resort. Texomans and investors are buying small lots and putting tiny rental houses on them.
When Did the Tiny House Movement Begin?
Artist Allan Wexler created the crate house to help promote his art in the 1970s. Authors Loyd Kahn and Bob Easton released their book, Shelter, which promoted living in compact spaces. Henry David Thoreau and Lester Walker were also advocates of tiny house living.
Some say the tiny house movement started in the 1970s. Some say the 1990s, but it really started with indigenous people like Mongolian yurts and Native American tipis. Those were efficient mobile homes. Shot gun houses emerged in the American south with Haitian influences.
In 2002, Greg Johnson, Shay Salomon, Nigel Valdez, and Jay Shafer established the Small House Society. Jay Shafer is well known in the tiny house movement. Jay founded the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company in 2012. He moved on to another tiny house company, and then created tiny houses on wheels.
What Makes a Tiny House a Tiny House?
Tiny houses are popular with people who want more free time and less work, and it helps if the people are minimalists. Tiny houses are quite affordable, but it takes a certain personality to live with less.
Tiny houses are generally considered to be under 1,000 square feet. The average U.S. home has fluctuated in size through the years but is over 2,000 square feet. Many tiny houses are 400 square feet or less.
Learning to live with less stuff and less room can be much more than we might think it is. Reduction in cost and utility bills is a huge draw. What stuff you can fit in a tiny house is the stuff that really matters to you.
Tiny houses create cozy environments, and they can have the most modern conveniences. Tiny houses are easier to clean and repairs are much less expensive, and they give their occupants more outdoor room. If you buy one with a loan, you will pay it off much faster than a traditional home loan.
Even the environmentalists are praising the tiny house movement. They are usually eco-friendly and manage solar and wind power better than traditional homes. Scientists estimate that buildings create one-third of the earth’s greenhouse emissions.
According to Tiny Home Builders in 2018, “One of the biggest changes in the movement is the change in builders. Where there once were only a few builders and mostly DIY houses out there, the market is rapidly changing. There are probably more than 75% builders out there to 25% DIYers. These percentages were reversed and if not even more so in the favor of DIYers a couple of years back.”
The Cost of Tiny Houses
The price of a tiny home can range anywhere from $10,000 USD to $100,000 USD depending on the contractor and the house design. The average price of the tiny homes is around $23,000. The size, design, mobility, interior design, and type of materials affect the price of a tiny house. Naturally, if you build your own tiny home, it will cost less.
Factors that affect the price of a tiny house:
- Cost of a real good trailer
- Windows
- Single Entry Door
- French Doors
- Custom Arch top Door
- Appliances
- Roofing
- Lumber, sheathing, etc.
- Insulation
- Shower
- Electrical bits
- Plumbing bits
- Lights/fans
- Composting toilet
- Flooring
- Interior materials
- Finishes
- Cabinets
- 30 boxes of screws, more or less.
- Typical rate for a rough or finish carpenter
- Typical rate for helpers
- Typical rate for a plumber or electrician
- Typical rate for general labor, finish work, trim, etc.
During the pandemic, tiny house sales soared. If you want to experience what it is like to live in a tiny house, there are tons of them for rent on Lake Texoma, and even a tiny house resort near Denison. Tiny houses are not for everyone, but they might be something you want to look into.