Who knew any category of houses would have a movement dedicated to them? Tiny houses have achieved just that with the tiny-house movement or the “small-house movement”, an architectural and social movement that advocates living simply in smaller homes.
We all know minimalism is the new trend, but tiny houses take it to a whole new level. Combining small living spaces with the childhood dream of living in your own tiny makeshift fort seems to be the tendency of many architects and builders. One such enthusiast is Diedricksen, whose friends call him “Deek”, a former host of HGTV’s Tiny House Builders.
As mentioned in an article by the Northeastern University, his latest project with his filmmaker friend Eaves is to showcase the main aim of the tiny house trend; to inculcate the three R’s into daily life. They are building a box truck to be a home and a reuse education centre where everything’s recycled. Eaves hopes that the film will serve as a stalwart against global waste. “Finding things that are unusual, that are whimsical, and turning them into something useful? It’s just a lot of fun,” says Diedricksen.
So, what is a tiny house anyway? According to the definition, a tiny house is one that’s less than 400 sq. feet. After the great recession of 2008, tiny houses began to pop up all over the USA as it was affordable and eco-friendly. It also received lots of media coverage, including two TV shows and further sparked another wave of housing, known as the tiny houses on wheels.
Although they look similar to RVs, tiny houses on wheels are made with the intent of a normal, durable home in mind, with traditional building techniques and materials, yet unique, recycled, and sustainable architecture. While the safety of tiny houses has been an issue debated, this area of building opens up the opportunity to many more ideas, such as a tiny house living situation for the homeless.
With their low cost and easy building, tiny houses may be the way to go in the future for the betterment of society and ourselves.
Devika Mulye