Tiny homes but big hearts! Image Credit: Lennox Brinks
Keli and Ryan Brinks have created a tiny house village in Kentucky, USA and their son and daughter get to have their very own tiny homes.
Keli and Ryan’s children, Lennox Brinks, 16 and her brother, Brodey Brinks, 18, are two of the newest members of the tiny house community. Their goal? To make the world tiny…no, to make the world sustainable.
Lennox spoke about the tiny lifestyle:
‘It’s absolutely amazing. I love living in a tiny house and am so glad my parents decided to move us into this arrangement.
‘I lived in a regular house for the first 14 years of my life, but now that I have a taste of a tiny house, I love it.’
During the pandemic, many people revisited their priorities and opted for healthier lifestyles and a less materialistic lifestyle. The result: a tiny house trend!
A survey done in November 2020 found that 56% of the 2,006 Americans would consider living in a tiny home.
A staggering 86% said they would contemplate purchasing a tiny home as their first home and another 84% said they would consider a tiny home for retirement.
Saving money is important but, for some people, health and sustainability are equally important – go figure. For Lennox, the biggest advantage of her tiny home is that:
‘We live more sustainably now in this system. We use much less energy because when a house is not being used, there doesn’t need to be any heating or air conditioning used.
‘Our electricity bill since moving has gone down drastically.
‘We have a garden and produce a lot of the food we eat from our own hands, and we also compost almost all of our food, recycle, and produce much less waste.
‘This was the most important aspect of this arrangement to my mom and was one of the reasons we decided to live with less.’
The Tiny House Community Centre in America offers advice for those considering greener living accommodations. Its Content Manager, Stephanie McQueen said:
“Tiny houses are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, intentionally live, improve health, and increase income.
‘While it is a very eco-friendly way to live compared to a standard house, it also offers huge benefits in other aspects as well.
‘Many houses use a fraction of energy compared to average homes, plus many are set up for solar power.’
And, according to Stephanie, these cute little homes are also good for us:
‘The pros of living tiny are the benefits of your environment, which is to say that most people that live in tiny houses spend more time outdoors.
‘This naturally increases overall health and happiness when you’re in nature and absorbing vitamin D on a regular basis.’
However, if you are keen on the eco-benefits of a tiny house lifestyle, don’t just take down your current home after you finish this article. You better do a slow transition in order to prevent a shock to the system:
‘Taking the plunge into tiny living isn’t for everyone. If you’re considering it, start by working on your current home.
‘A tiny lifestyle can be achieved by anyone, no matter the size of your house.
‘Get rid of excess things, reduce the amount of space you use in your house, learn to be intentional when shopping, and start the mindset shift.
‘It may sound complicated, but it’s really not. If tiny living is for you, these transitions will be smooth and logical.
