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| Jay Shafer in his self-designed tiny home. |
You have probably seen videos on your social media platforms of someone living in a tiny house. These people somehow make it work with having your bedroom, kitchen, living room, and any other room in a very very small space, often without doors. More accurately, a tiny house (also referred to as a small house/home) is is typically around 100 to 400 square feet, designed to allow for simpler living. Although the idea of living in a space that small may seem impossible to some (like me), the concept has really taken off. One of the most influential individuals of the tiny house movement has been Jay Shafer. Shafer was one of the first creators of the tiny house. He was awarded Most Innovative Design” in Natural Home Magazine’s 1999 House of the Year Contest, founded the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, and the co-founder of Small House Society. If that's not enough, he is also the author of The Small House Book.
Shafer says that tiny houses are just more efficient. That is his main purpose behind creating these homes. He likes that fact that you don't have to take care of stuff you don't use, you take up less space on the earth, use less resources, and save money in the process. Shafer's process and inspiration was hanging out in 4x4 bathrooms during his vacations and drawing form their simplicity and trying to improve their design. Because he had to clean his parents' house as a child, he realized that bigger spaces were a waste of energy. The steps to creating such a minimalist home came from his training in art. When he was in art school, his professors taught him about composition which is about keeping what is necessary and eliminating what is not. He applied this technique in his later life to his tiny home creations. Shafer likes the fact that he's in control of what goes into a tiny house. He stripped away everything that was not absolutely necessary from a traditional home and was left with the tiny house.
Shafer continues his efforts to promote his central goal, which is efficiency. As mentioned earlier, he is an influencer of the Tiny House Movement. According to Charlie Kilman, author of Small House, Big Impact: The Effect of Tiny Houses on Community and Environment, "promotes financial prudence, eco-friendly choices, shared community experiences, and a shift in consumerism-driven mindsets". Shafer has recently been working on the Universal House (U-House), which Shafer says is, "a house that can be built and zoned as a modular, a park model RV, manufactured housing or as site built housing". He has also been working on a project to create a tiny house community in Somona County. Although he tries to be conscious about his impact on the earth, he understands that everyone's living styles and what makes them happy can be different from his own perspective. He simply strives to "show people the positives of living well".
Sources:
http://lifeedited.com/jay-shafer-four-lights-future-of-tiny-houses/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln8x0ICzNIk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_house_movement
https://tinyhousedesign.com/get-to-know-jay-shafer/
http://greenaerie.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-feel-like-confessing-that-i-threw.html
I first learned about tiny homes when I watched a documentary on Netflix titled, “Tiny”. After that I shared the documentary with my dad who became extremely interested in the idea of tiny living. The concept of tiny homes, while rather strange to some, is an awesome idea in my opinion. The impact on the environment from these homes is so minimal, and that is so crucial in a time when we have to be very aware of our footprint and the energy we are using. I actually met a couple who have two tiny homes: a 150 sq. Ft. Cottage and a converted bus that they use as their primary residence. They told me that they absolutely love their decision to “go tiny” because it has offered them the opportunity to travel more, and use their money to invest in things they want to do, rather than the things most people need to stay comfortable. Their instagram handle is @the_simple_bus_life
ReplyDeleteYou should totally check them out!
The idea behind going tiny is certainly interesting. It is great that Jay Shafer thought of this creative way to lower humanity's environmental impact by reducing resource consumption and increasing resource efficiency. However, I believe the push for smaller houses like these teaches a lesson in rejecting consumerist culture. People buying these homes as compared to bigger fancier houses are consciously choosing a more humble and simple life. In other words "living well," an lifestye Jay Shafer advocates.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what people are saying about all the positive impacts of tiny houses, and I also want to bring up the idea that it could greatly help the homelessness problem in a lot of urban cities. As urbanization grows, many people have been being priced out of cities and the amount of affordable housing available is limited. As most jobs are in the cities, the rising price of living can often lead to homelessness, along with a ton of other factors in someone's life. If we were able to sell these tiny houses to people at the affordable costs, it could hypothetically give many people the opportunity to sustainably rent or own their own place which will help them feel secure and be able to better contribute to their communities. I love the idea of tiny houses and think it will continue to grow as time goes on!
ReplyDeleteI've seen these tiny houses on social media before, and they've always amazed me. The design of how to place the daily used "rooms" in a house into such a small place requires a lot of creative thought to make it practical. I think the layout of each house is unique and thought out well, and I think his idea and concept for making these is great; however, I can't see these tiny houses growing into the mass consumer product solely because of how materialistic the world is in this era. With how the environment is deteriorating, I think these simplistic houses would be really beneficial; nonetheless, unless the consumer ideals change, a big launch of these tiny houses will never happen. I do hope they at some point do though because I believe it will not only help the environment but also improve the general mood, behavior, and values of the human race.
ReplyDelete