Why Tiny Makes Sense
ISSN 2631-326X
AUGUST 2021
TINY LIVING PRINT ISSN 2631-3251
SUMMER 2021
on Sale Now at Newsstand!!
Just Get Out! - Let's Have Some Fun!
Our 32-page issue is available across the UK, mainland Europe and North America at:
www.newsstand.co.uk 01
AUGUST 2021
Contents Send Us Your Photos!! Are you living in a tiny house, a narrowboat, a studio or other small space? Your story can help inspire others to follow their dreams!
Email us at: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk
Would We Be Happier to Just Keep Renting? … Page
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A Tiny Holiday Home – The Home That Can Earn You Money (A Tiny Living Promotion) … Page
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An American Tiny House, An Italian Design & A Canadian/ South African Billionaire … Page
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On the cover:
photograph by Elizabeth Edie
Published by: Tiny Living Productions Ltd Editor: Pamela Palongue Design by: Gilmour Graphics Email: info@tinylivingmagazine.co.uk
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WOULD WE BE HAPPIER TO JUST KEEP RENTING? Why tiny houses make more sense now than ever
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Ease Studio’s South Side Park, by Syced.
Photograph by Fineas Anton. We’ve recently been told by the consensus of the World Economic Forum that by 2030, we’ll own nothing and we’ll be happy about it. But is that really the case? On a practical level, many people are afraid of long term financial commitments. If you struggle with this, you may be tortured by the worry that if you can’t pay your monthly home mortgage, you will be legally removed from your house with no alternative place to live. At first glance, this may seem like a logical fear. But if you’re unable to pay the rent on your apartment,
you will quickly be removed from the premises in a similar fashion as well - right? If your home is too expensive, certainly this could add to stress, and you might dread making your mortgage payment each month, and even come to resent your home. But what if you choose a home that is well below your income level? -A home with a low monthly payment that could be met even if you were made redundant? Would it make you happier and perhaps even healthier?
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Here’s what some doctors and studies from countries around the world had to say about how owning a home could affect your mental health and happiness. According to the 2019 Fall Homebuyer Insights Report from Bank America, 93% of the respondents in their survey felt they were happier after buying a home, and 83% said they would never go back to renting. In fact, 88% of the surveyed homebuyers felt that buying a home was the best decision they had ever made! The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) compiled a list of studies from the U.S., Canada and
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countries across Europe showing the benefits of home ownership for individuals, families and the community. According to this report, Dutch housing researchers studied data from eight European countries and found higher levels of satisfaction with living conditions among homeowners, than non-homeowners in seven of the eight countries studied. Also in the list of studies is a 2012 report from a German researcher at the University of Muenster’s Institute of Spatial and Housing Economics who found a positive correlation between increased happiness with home ownership.
Photograph by Lapponia House.
“ 88% of the surveyed homebuyers felt that buying a home was the best decision they had ever made!”
Photograph by Andrea Davis.
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Photograph by Meghan Markham Bucknall.
Photograph by Andrea Davis. Researchers at the British Centre for Research into Socially Inclusive Services in Edinburgh found significant positive effects from home ownership for children at the primary and secondary levels in England and Scotland. In a recent 2020 study from England, researchers looked at data from 2000-2008 for the effects of home ownership on health for individuals and the community. They found an increase in individual health among homeowners and increased health in the community. For a complete listing of all the studies included
in this report, visit www.crea.ca/wp-content/ uploads/2021/04/Homeownership-WhitePaper_2021_ENG_Mar-30-1.pdf Some important benefits with home ownership are the ability to control your environment. If you rent an apartment that is painted a depressing shade of grey, you may not be allowed to change the colour. But if it’s your home, you can paint those four walls any shade that you fancy, including one that improves your mood and your outlook. Permanent changes can be made to the home that makes it more convenient for you. Your home can work for you on a personal level.
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Photograph by Kyle Taylor. You can also decide what type of paint you would like to use, and avoid the ones with harmful chemicals. You can control the ventilation system and work out if you want to use pesticides or a more natural method for controlling unwanted visitors. All of these decisions may directly impact health. Another great option for homeowners is the ability to use solar and wind power, which is a great savings that is unavailable to most renters. If you’re interested in owning your own home, it’s important to take the first step by checking the
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prices of tiny houses and other alternatives such as narrowboats, studio flats and crofter cottages. Not all tiny houses are mobile. Not all tiny houses are new. You may find a charming tiny house that was built decades ago before planning permission was required, that is a diamond in the rough. Be creative in your search and in your thinking. At the end of the day, home ownership may not be right for you. But you will never know if you don’t at least look, remaining open to the possibilities. -And your monthly mortgage may actually be less than the rent that you’re paying now.
“ At the end of the day, home ownership may not be right for you. But you will never know if you don’t at least look, remaining open to the possibilities.” Photograph by Tiny Eco Homes UK.
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A Tiny Living Promotion
A Tiny Holiday Home –T he Home That Pays For Itself A tiny home is a great way to get away for a holiday. You can live with nature, and spend time with those people who are most important in your life. Far less expensive than a conventional holiday home, it leaves a smaller footprint on the environment. -And, it’s completely portable! Another important aspect of a tiny holiday home is that it can earn money for you. A well-placed home in an inviting setting can be let when you’re not using it. The house featured here was built by Master Tiny House Builder, Chris March of Tiny Eco Homes UK. They build homes based on your needs and your specific location and climate. Click here for more: www.tinyecohomesuk.com
– according to the Canal & River Trust, 26% of the
UK’s 33,000 boats are used as primary residences? – thousands of people in the UK are already embracing small-space living in studio flats, student accommodations, and small terraced houses? – there are over 80 shepherd hut building companies in the UK? – prices for a well-designed tiny house fitted with kitchen and bath starts at £26,000? – according to Popular Science, human beings are hard-wired to like tiny things?
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www.popsci.com/why-do-we-think-tiny-things-are-cute
An American Tiny House, An Italian Design & A Canadian/South African Billionaire -Why this may be big news for the world of tiny houses In 2020, a company called Boxabl launched a pre-fab home called Casita. The home is extraordinary in its own right, with a price tag of just $49,500 (£35,845 or 42,183 Euros). It can be shipped flat and assembled on site in just two hours! The Casita is even hurricane, fire and flood-resistant, and its sleek design is the brainchild of builder Paolo Tiramani, with the factory located in Las Vegas.
more affordable homes seems a natural connection. Could this be the break that the tiny house industry has been waiting for? News of Musk choosing to live small has caused millions of people to flock to Boxabl’s website and the waiting list for the homes is reported to be at least 100,000!
Though all of this is quite remarkable, the biggest news may be that it’s being reported by several news outlets and social media sources that billionaire Elon Musk is apparently living in one of the 375 square foot (34.83sqm) Casitas in Texas.
The fact that a formidable businessman with far-reaching influence takes the viability of tiny homes seriously, is a huge step forward for the entire industry, and may lead to more serious investors willing to push for the inclusion of micro-homes and planned neighbourhoods lined with diminutive, affordable homes.
The ultra-successful, serial entrepreneur is well known for his love of the environment, so smaller,
To see the Casita and how it is assembled, visit www.boxabl.com
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We’re not naming names... but a celebrity dog was recently spotted reading our magazine. -Tiny Living is fun and inspirational!
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