Small House vs Tiny House – What’s the difference?

People are constantly engaging with small-sized houses nowadays. They no longer wish for 2000 sq. ft large structures with fancy equipment and luxury expenses. Instead, people are now tilting more towards a minimalist, simple, and low-budget lifestyle.

When we say minimalist lifestyle, we generally refer to small and tiny houses. Amongst them, tiny houses have gained more attention ever since the tiny house movement and have immensely grown in number. Although both the houses are similar in character, they are different. But most people often confuse them to be the same whenever one talks about a Tiny house.

So let us get into a detailed discussion and learn the difference between them and their benefits.

Small house

Small houses are like usual houses. They are built with the same framing techniques and set permanently on a piece of land. However, they are not the same because the sizes of small houses do not meet the standard house size. They are around 100-150 sq. meters big which is the reduced version of a big house. It is also the very reason why they are often confused with tiny houses.

Small houses are similar to tiny houses because they are also smaller in size. But they are still larger than tiny houses. Above that, small houses focus more on creative and thoughtful designs in a reduced and compact space instead of just the size. They aim at providing a lifestyle in a reduced space with minimum consumption and equipment. But small houses do not sacrifice the basic and typical amenities that normal houses have, such as water supply, electricity lines, septic systems, etc.

The benefit of living in a small house is that one gets to live in a small and compact space that requires less and minimum maintenance. Above that, they have unique and thoughtful designs that allow owners to exercise the same benefits of a normal house but in a more cost-effective manner.

Tiny houses

Tiny houses, on the other hand, are even smaller than small houses. They both might look similar to someone new to these two names, but there lies a big difference between them. The difference is that tiny houses are usually built on a trailer with wheels to make them portable or movable, unlike small houses, which are only established on land. The main aim of a tiny house is to be able to move around freely. They are no wider than 10 feet and taller than 13’6”. They are not small but tiny, hence the name.

Tiny houses, unlike small houses, focus more on size. They reduce their size so that they become light and easily transportable. They sacrifice the basic amenities of a usual house and opt for different means, especially renewable resources. For instance, a small house, as mentioned earlier, does not sacrifice the typical equipment such as water supply, toilets, sewage lines, etc. But with tiny houses, one opts for solar panels, composting toilets, water tanks, and sewage dumping stations instead.

However, there are benefits to living in a tiny house as well. They are easily transportable that enables owners to explore places. They promote the usage of renewable resources like solar panels that reduces carbon emissions and protects the environment. Hence, tiny houses are also called eco-friendly houses.

So, these are the differences between a small house and a tiny house. While both are small in size, there are some points that are distinct from one another.

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