What makes a Tiny Home, 'Tiny'?
Tiny House, Mini House, Micro Home, Small Home, Little Houses, Eco Home. What’s the difference?
Ever wondered when you hear the word "tiny house'" any of the terms above - what they all really mean?
Well, we've wondered that too. You can have a 'small home' which is brick-built, or a 'little house' could well be classed as a cottage.
You should then think, do all 'small homes' instantly become a 'Tiny House'?
No. They don't.
So, when you're searching for a tiny house or a mini house, even an eco-home, we'll discuss the differences to ensure you know what you're looking for.
Tiny House vs Mini House
A tiny house, is a relatively new phenomenon. If you take the literal meaning, it’s a tiny home - small in size, but no different than other homes which are available in the UK or beyond. The significant difference to a tiny house, is that it is moveable.
Moveable? Like a caravan?
You betcha! But, we hate to link caravans with tiny houses because let’s face it, caravans are really, really bad for the most part. They’re dire, draughty, poorly designed, cold, poorly insulated, and quite honestly, the list goes on. Compare this to a tiny house, they are designed to be better insulated than a standard brick house with high spec finish and a low carbon footprint putting them in a entire new category of their own.
What is a tiny house?
A tiny house is:
Typically small in total floor space, less than 50m2, but we like to think no more than 35m2.
Promotes the idea of living simply, without sacrificing anything.
Well-designed to incorporate multifunctional furniture to maximise on space.
A way to reduce the debt burden, from a typical large mortgage for a house in the U.K. (now on average £230,322).
A personification of living free, being mobile, and being able to choose where and how you live (within reason).
Suitable for 1-3 people, but there are smart designs which can comfortably accommodate 4 people.
Built on wheels, also known as a trailer - allowing the home to be towed to another plot if needed.
Significantly cheaper than a typical home - with the average tiny house costing £50,000 - £65,000
Usually has a loft, used for a bedroom, but in some designs it's all built on one floor.
What is a mini house/small home/micro home?
A mini-house could be anything small. It just denotes the size, rather than design ideals or practices. The word could be interchangeable with 'tiny house', but a mini house could be a tiny 80ft2 home in London that someone has rented out at £800 for what is essentially a box.
A quick google for 'mini house for sale' showed Zoopla, selling a small cottage and a former 'Wash House' as well as a simple stone and brick built house. These are mini in size, but they certainly aren't tiny homes.
Would you want to live in a small house, which doesn’t suit your needs, isn’t well-designed? Mini houses out - tiny houses in!
Source: www.huf-haus.com
What is an eco home?
An eco-home could be a lot of things. A large, pre-fab built home called a 'Huf-Haus' is an exceptional example of an eco-home. We love the use of 'passive' design-framework and the vast array of windows which creates a light, airy house which almost blends into its surroundings.
This example of an eco-home, along with many eco-homes, cannot always be compared to tiny homes. Tiny homes are 'eco' in many different ways, for example:
They use on average 70% less energy than an average U.K. home.
Their total carbon footprint can be as little as 9% of an average U.K. home.
Due to a higher level of insulation used in most tiny homes, and the small size of a tiny, they take much less energy to heat.
Many tiny houses have solar panels and other eco-friendly add-ons, such as water recycling systems - reducing demand for energy and water resources.
Some tiny homes, placed in colder climates, like the U.K., have highly-efficient wood-burning stoves, which can heat the house and water tank for a shower, and in some cases, even be used for cooking.
So as you can see, many homes can be 'eco homes', 'mini homes', 'small homes', 'little homes' but they're not tiny homes.
For more information about what makes our tiny homes unique, check out our tiny homes now to discover which homes might suit you perfectly.