Less is more is an adage I believe when thinking about home life and our five-year-old T’s future adult life.
I found this story of father and son co-living through a tiny home and this story of a father and his 15-year-old creating a shipping container home to be so charming.
For anyone not familiar with the tiny home movement, it’s exactly as the name suggests, creating tiny but livable spaces and sometimes through repurposing shipping containers.
A quick search on Google reveals countless examples of incredible and creative possibilities.
The hubby and I are working towards giving T the skills to be able to live on his own one day. That is every parent’s desire and expectation.
But we are also mindful that there may be a future where T would need to be supported by us in his adult life.
The hubby and I live in a suburban area near a big city. This is the home we plan to grow old in and to watch T grow up into the wonderful young man we know he’ll become.
We talk a lot about retiring in the East Coast, where the hubby grew up. Away from the hustle and pace of city life and more out in nature.
Out East, homes and land are cheaper and you get more acreage for your investment.
It is during our moments of dreaming that we often imagine the idea of building a tiny home within our lot for T, should he live with us.
The idea of a tiny home or a shipping container home is certainly charming.
More so the idea of the hubby, T and I turning it into a family project. This certainly taps into my hubby’s home renovation flights of fancy.
I realize I’m making a generalization, but I often perceive Western culture to expect kids and their parents to live apart when the kid ages.
Whereas in Asian culture, it’s more common for multi-generations of families to live together.
So this is certainly a possibility for us one day.
Whatever happens in the future, we are taking it one day at a time and look forward with optimism.
But it certainly is nice to get lost in a dream as we think about all the wonderful possibilities ahead of us.
Top Image: From Wikipedia Commons and used under the Creative Commons license.
Tiny homes just open up so many possibilities both financially and location wise! Great article! As the tiny home movement is picking up in pace we can see so many versions of tiny homes from mobile ones to converted sea ship containers and tiny houses on foundations. The best thing of all – these tiny homes are often so low cost that a mortgage can be paid off within a few years. As you say – land price pays a big role as the main cost is actually not the tiny house but the land. We actively invest in tiny homes and if you’re remote than a great option may be to shortlet them on platforms such as AirBNB > a great way to pay off your tiny house even faster 😉
Thanks for this information! Lots of think about!!!
Hi, Ab:
I’ve been following the Tiny House movement for a few years, wishing to buy one, but CA seems to have serious zoning issues around Tiny Homes (as did NM when I was there a few years ago), so buying or building one didn’t seem like a great idea until I could be assured of a safe place to put it (especially since I really hate driving).
I’ve been a minimalist for many years, and being petite increases the appeal of a me-sized house! 🙂
Have a good weekend,
Shira
Thank you, Shira. I haven’t looked too much into the logistics side of things other than dreaming about it, but yes, I can imagine there being issues to research and plan like zoning etc. Maybe a retirement project then when I have a bit more time. 🤣 Hope you have a nice weekend as well!
Thank you, Ab!
Best regards,
Shira
We’re based in Australia so regulations are a bit different. Small dwellings here fall under the “Ancillary dwelling” policies aka “Granny Flats”. Wouldn’t your state have similar policies? Very often when it comes to planning approval it’s more about the wording. Shires are often put off by the word “tiny” as it doesn’t appear to give them a lot of value.
We share some common dreams. Tiny houses are great from many points of view, one being a family project, like you’ve mentioned.
I wish you to put some dreams in reality some day 🙂 but if not, it’s a nice dream though.
Thank you, Maja! The idea is so appealing to us and hopefully we can make it happen one day if T needs to live with us as adults.
This is so interesting. I hear you on the culture thing, as a Puerto Rican, I grew up surrounded by homes of aunts and uncles and their families and the grandparents too. And, like you, we have our concerns for what the future looks like for our special needs son. We have our eyes on this organization, https://www.larche.org/welcome. They are springing up homes all over the world.
Thank you for sharing this. I’m familiar with Larche’s work. They have several chapters in Ontario, Canada and a good friend worked for them. I agree with you, a wonderful option for children/adults! 😊
I have a niece who works at the Atlanta, GA one 😍
An amazing idea! And I hope a downsize at the correct time is something you might still be imagining at that point! It certainly makes sense! Great that you are thinking of the future and the ‘always being there’ for T… a great future looking post Ab 😃
Thanks Andi. 😊 It’s always nice to dream while also thinking about the future. Now I just did an empty shipping container to appear out of thin air. 🤣
Be careful with what you wish for! 😉 though always keep dreaming… things will find their way!
I am fascinated too with Tiny homes. I think living small is one secret to living more and to have more room for what matters like time with family and doing more what we love. Thanks for this post. All the best to you & your family. Stay safe.
Yes, I am definitely all about less is more and focusing on the things that matter… with that said, I am drowning in a T’s toys right now. Haha. Take care!
I miss those days when the house is one big playground. Children truly are God’s wonderful, miraculous gift from heaven.
I love the tiny homes too and what they stand for. There is so much waste in large homes. Heck you could get the shell of the tiny house and let T use it as a clubhouse then convert it to the tiny house when he’s ready What a great idea you have!
It’s certainly a fun idea to dream about! I just need an empty shipping container now. Haha. And a bigger backyard! 🤣
I love the tiny house idea! There was a time I was watching the tiny house show on hgtv – I love the concept of minimalism. I’d like for the rest of the family to feel the same way, though. 🙂 We too, don’t know what the future holds for us.I’d like to see all three grow up and live fulfilling lives. We may be a stopping point for the older two at some point in their journey. But for Declan, that picture has never been clear. A tiny house would be great for some independence with a little dependence. I will have this idea tucked away now just in case – thanks!
You might need a tiny home just for yourself. 🤣 I really do love the idea of tiny homes and watched way too much of those HGTV shows too. It’s amazing what they can come up with. I bet Declan would enjoy it too with a pool parked right outside!