The Secret Tiny House Owners Aren't Telling You

Tiny houses are a gold standard in the trend of minimalistic, less wasteful living. But living in a tiny home is not always the green utopia it is billed to be. Crystal Ponti, who lives in a tiny home with four other people and pets, shares her experience with the stress and unexpected waste of sharing such a small space.  

MANCHESTER, Maine —Tiny houses have cropped up everywhere across the United States — proving their popularity and solidifying their permanence in the nation’s housing market.

These small “utopian” dwellings can help people escape debt and reduce their carbon footprint. Tiny houses also offer an attractive alternative to the affordable housing crisis and provide one solution to the nation’s homelessness epidemic.

Yet while the benefits are obvious, living the downsized life is not without its challenges.

In 2016, I wrote about my family’s experiences living in a tiny home — not by choice, but out of financial necessity. We still live in this 900-square-foot, ranch-style home on a slab, and I stand by my original complaints and grievances. Five people and a handful of pets living in minimal square footage is complicated.

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