Living in Ottawa: Everything You Need to Know About Tiny Homes

Everything You Need to Know About Tiny Homes

If you just heard about tiny homes, then our bet is you have several questions. Where and how are they made? Why would people voluntarily live in tight spaces? Are they even legal?

The idea of Tiny homes in Ottawa can be quite puzzling to someone who is just hearing about them. But, once you come to learn of the many benefit you stand to gain from having one, you would become a preacher about them.

So, if you would like to know more about tiny homes, then we advise that you keep reading because we are going to answer your questions and then some.

Tiny Homes – What are they?

It is just like the name implies, a tiny home is just a small house. While they may be small, they are often big enough to contain your essentials. The building would have to be 400sq ft and below for it to be placed in this category.

Trailers can be used for this purpose to make the house mobile. Likewise, it might be a structure that either has a foundation or not.

Tiny homes are getting a lot of popularity as more and more people are now adopting the new lifestyle for several reasons. Some of these reasons include affordability, environmental reasons, making people adopt a more minimalist lifestyle as they would have to let go of unnecessary belongings, and so on.

Related: 5 Ways To Reduce Your Stress When Buying A House

Benefits

When it comes to small homes, there are so many benefits you can get from living like this. One of which is affordability. With a much smaller space, your monthly utility payment such as electricity bills and other general upkeep costs will be greatly reduced.

Aside from that, either buying/building or renting the house would be a lot cheaper than getting an average building.

Secondly, adopting this lifestyle is a great way to reduce environmental impact. The materials that would be used for the building will be relatively lesser. The house would not take up much land, electricity used will be lesser, and you would be producing fewer emissions.

Personally, living in a small space also means the area you have to clean will not be back-breaking. If you choose to have it on wheels, then you can move to anywhere you want without having to move your things.

Amenities

Small houses are usually self-contained so they typically come with essential amenities. It is a requirement in most states for these homes to have private bathrooms. The type of plumbing used would be based on the choice of the homeowner.

You can choose to use the general water system. However, some persons opt to live like this so they can be off-grid. If you are one of such persons, then the general water system would negate the whole off-grid idea. Yet, you would still need to have water in the house, you can do this by getting a tank and storing water in it.

Environmentalists opting for this lifestyle due to the environmental benefits it offers can choose to use composting toilets instead. You can click here to learn more about composting toilets. With this toilet choice, water usage can be significantly reduced.

Safety

If your small house is built according to code, then you can rest assured when it comes to safety. Tiny homes built accurately are as strong as normal size homes. This means that they can withstand normal weather conditions and even storms.

However, if there is a storm or any other natural disaster, you would have to take extra care to waterproof and protect your home.

Legality

The laws surrounding tiny homes often differ from one state to the other and even between towns and cities. Safety is a priority, hence several regulations have to be followed. So, you would need to be sure of your building codes and zoning regulations before you proceed.

Conclusion

One question you may still have on your mind is whether or not all this is worth it. Well, the only person that can satisfactorily answer that question is you. We have talked about some important things about living in a tiny home. It is now left to you to consider these things and come to a personal albeit informed conclusion.

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