'Tiny Houses' Will Only Get Worse.

Staggering rent increases and soaring prices of electricity and gas mean that more have begun staring wistfully at the ‘Tiny House’ movement.

These ‘tiny houses’ are often off-grid, self-sufficient homesteads; some follow a traditional home design, others prioritise mobility and live out of a campervan, boat or RV. Hell, I did the same thing: 6 months ago I flipped off my slimy London landlord and moved onto a narrowboat.

The so-called ‘tiny house movement’ has a bunch of benefits — upfront costs can be lower, and not having to shell out for rent has meant I can pursue my own career choices. The movement’s overarching focus on environmental impact is enviable (if only building developers cared as much about solar!) And the process of shaping your own life — away from claustrophobic brick-and-mortar flats — fosters a lot of self-sufficiency.

However, as grateful as I am for this lifestyle, it’s not easy. Ad it’s not about to get any easier, for those of you toying with the idea. Away from the #vanlife crowd, let’s take a deep look into the trials of the tiny house movement.

The first problem: your ‘home’. Post-2020, interest in off-grid, minimalist living skyrocketed — and this interest has been eagerly gobbled up by market forces. Rampant commodification is evident, from the buying and selling of tiny houses (with no certification or standards), to selling you a “community” (for a $20 subscription). This interest in the movement has also seen huge price increases in materials and vehicles:

Campervan prices hit dizzying peaks after the 2020 lockdown in the UK; Car Dealer Magazine reports -

One campervan dealer told us he had sold a month’s worth of stock in the first week back after the lockdown.

Auto Trader also reported caravan advert views up 18% and motorhome adverts up 17%. Narrowboat prices saw a similar surge, and construction prices for small homesteads suffered the same fate:

Tim Moore, the economics director at IHS Markit, said the rate of construction job creation was the fastest since July 2014 and the use of sub-contractors grew at a survey-record pace.

Given sky-rocketing construction prices, many tiny home enthusiasts have turned to DIY. This way, it’s possible to cut the long contractor waiting lists, and only handle the prices of materials. There are endless youtube videos on DIY camper conversions and log cabins; tiny house kits have also become popular.

However, the rise of DIY home building is not without its own (obvious) risks. Inexperienced amateurs attempting to build and fit out something as complex as a home can often be a recipe for disaster.

From structural abominations such as this, to Gas Safe having to warn millions of Brits not to attempt DIY boiler installations from YouTube videos, the risk of gas leak or electrical shock is simply too high. There are even websites encouraging patrons to build their own at-home generators.

Naturally, the urge to live off-grid fosters a sense of independence — but attempting to fill the role of designer, gas engineer, plumber, electrician and carpenter is simply too much for one person to attempt; especially if, like a lot of young people involved in the movement, you’ve little construction experience.

This DIY mentality led to a tragedy in the boating community recently: a couple in York, having heated their boat with a DIY-installed diesel heater, returned from seeing friends one night. They were discovered dead the next day. Carbon monoxide had built up within the boat and the pair simply never woke up.

The fact is — unless you plan to live in a cave, unga-bunga style — you’ll need to call the experts in.

So, gingerly sidestepping the woes of construction — let’s say you fork out for something pre-built. My own narrowboat, (mostly) fitted out, cost me a hefty £27,000 ($36,000) — and that’s ignoring interest I’ll be paying on the loan!

Now, however, you need somewhere to put your tiny home. This is becoming increasingly difficult across all forms of tiny home living.

First off, the vandwellers are suffering from parking problems. Shelling out for a permanent spot at a campsite would be hideously expensive, so most rely on public parking spots for overnight stays. Unfortunately, the nice, free overnight spots quickly become overrun, and some locals in Dorset complained so much that overnight parking is now being removed from West Bay.

Problematic campers have also meant more and more Walmarts have closed off overnight camping. Farmers have also taken their own stand against vanlifers — in typical farmer fashion:

It’s not much easier for boat-dwellers, either — UK authorities are hurriedly removing canal moorings in crowded East London locations. Most marinas do not allow liveaboards, making the line between houseless and homeless a delicate one to navigate.

For those more interested in the ‘house’ part of tiny houses, these aren’t problems you face. If regularly moving creates spikes of stress, trying to find a spot for the week — attempting to find a location for a permanent tiny home is an absolute mountain of stress to tackle.

So, you might have enough cash to shell out for a plot of land. Looking at Wales, you can nab roughly 8 acres for £150,000. The US and Europe are a little cheaper, at €50,000 for a small plot in the South of France. But, honestly, if you’ve got a pot of change that large — why not put a down payment on something already built and connected to facilities?

Even if you’re already the proud owner of a plot of land, then planning permission can be a lengthy, thoroughly frustrating affair. Here is The Tiny Housing Co’s 28-page whitepaper on planning permission; if people attempt to build outside of planning permission, the Council can and will take the owner to court. Many tiny house kit-builders downplay the importance of planning permission, too. Anna and Pete Grugeon talk about how:

Even though we have been successful on each application in the first instance, the process is hard work, time consuming and extremely stressful. We felt at times that we were living in limbo, running a business and living a lifestyle that could be taken away from us by some bureaucratic nonsense. The whole set up of Bulworthy Project was immensely hard work. The planning process added an almost unbearable level of stress.

So, maybe buying isn’t for you — but renting a spot for your little home is a possibility, right?

Well — legally speaking — sort of? Not really? Farmers are good to ask — and some do occasionally rent to tiny house owners — but many are forbidden to lease their land out commercially. Furthermore, few farmers would be happy with a construction site taking up valuable grassland.

If you’ve friends or family that could rent you a spot of land, then that may well be your best bet!

Finally, the issues of safety and security — so often overlooked by instagram vanlifers.

Security in a van is a major issue for vanlifers — with almost a quarter of vans on the road experiencing a break in 2021. Some youtubers have reported their own break ins, and the experience is highly upsetting. Though locks and alarms have their place, the threat is very similar to those of us moored on the towpaths.

Essentially, if a thief wants to break in — there’s not a huge amount you can do. There’s not really enough space for a pack of Rottweilers in a tiny home, either. Trust me — I’ve thought about it.

The rise in extreme weather events is also a particular risk to tiny home owners. Having lived through Storm Eunice last week, tiny houses are naturally far more susceptible to storm damage than the average house.

Most houses provide some resistance to gale-force winds and heavy rain through their heavy load-bearing walls — sometimes beefed up through structural post and timber frames. Underground rooms such as basements provide further protection in the case of severe hurricanes. Most modern homes are rated to withstand up to 90mph winds: RVs and mobile homes have already been pushed off roads and toppled over at this wind speed.

Extreme temperatures are also worst felt by those of us in tiny homes: even in an insulated campervan, the vehicle’s bodywork is still going to absorb an incredible amount of heat in the height of summer; 3 inches of foam board will always struggle against bare metal.

2020 was one of the three warmest years on record (2016, 2019 and 2020). August 9th saw the sixth IPCC report, completed by 234 scientists. For the first time, a study has been published on the link between climate change and extreme weather events, and these events will only get more common as the planet grows hotter.

When all is said and done, however, there’s always a few of us with the grit to make it work. Also — silver lining — that Ford campervan will absolutely be better for storm chasing than your nan’s bungalow.