By: Evan Hughes
Sustainable Building Associate
Americans like big stuff. We have the biggest companies, the biggest cars, and, it turns out, the biggest houses. According to a study of 18 countries conducted by Shrink That Footprint, an independent carbon-footprint research group, the United States was second only to Australia in average new home size and average floor space per person. Home ownership, however, has become increasingly difficult in the post-recession economy. This is especially true for recent college graduates, who may be saddled with debt or can’t afford a down payment. For a prospective homeowner, or for anyone who wants to build their own home, small houses (under 1,000 square feet) present a number of advantages.
Small houses are cheaper
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| Images Courtesy of smallhousebliss.com |
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| Images Courtesy of smallhousebliss.com |
Small houses are better for the environment
Many of these cost savings directly benefit the
environment. Building a small house uses
less lumber and energy-intensive materials like concrete and brick. Building small often means that more money can
be spent on energy-efficient doors, windows, and HVAC equipment. These features, combined with a smaller
footprint, mean that small houses consume substantially less electricity than
conventional homes, thereby reducing their contribution to the air and water
pollution created by the coal-fired power plants. Small houses also serve as a good platform
for solar photo-voltaic systems, and can often use solar power and
solar-hot-water systems for most, if not all, of their power requirements.
Small houses are easier to build
A first-time owner-builder or general contractor can get
easily overwhelmed by the complexity of a residential construction
project. While building a house is
rarely an easy, painless process, a small house is a much easier project to
tackle than a conventional 2,000-4,000 ft.² suburban home. Small houses don’t typically feature complicated
mechanical systems, plumbing arrangements, or electrical wiring, and small
house construction does not typically call for large structural beams and
columns that require heavy equipment to put in place.
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| Images Courtesy of smallhousebliss.com |
Houses are a lot like cars.
Both serve basic needs. Both are
often seen as extensions of their owners.
Whether buying a car or a house, many consumers believe bigger is better. However, just as a smaller car can be an
equally fulfilling and eminently more practical choice for most car buyers, a
small house (under 1000 ft.²) uses less energy, requires less material to
build, and, if a bit of creativity is exercised during the design phase, can be
just as practical and beautiful as a house twice its size. In short, by reducing the size of their
house, an owner-builder reduces the complexity, the expense, and the
environmental impact of their project.
