Smart Home Systems for Tiny Living That You Must Know
The world’s not getting any bigger. In fact, when you consider global population growth, it’s actually getting smaller. More people means that more houses, apartment complexes, and shared living spaces need to be built. Cities are spilling out into rural areas, encroaching on green spaces and public parks. Many are actively trying to reduce their footprint, living as sustainably as they can.
Tiny living is one way of doing this. This post will explore smart home systems and solutions for tiny living that you need to know if you’re interested in downsizing.
Image: Clever Tiny Homes
Tiny Home Companies
The easiest way to reduce your footprint and live more sustainably is to invest in a tiny home. According to the people from Clever Tiny Homes, these small, affordable properties are a great way to live comfortably and not frivolously.
The average person’s home is far too big for them. Most people have loads of spare room and free space in their houses. A tiny home company will assemble and deliver your new home straight to your plot for you. And by plot, we mean land that you own.
You will need a small plot of land to have your new home erected. Buying land can be a difficult task, though it doesn’t have to be an expensive one. The United States is a vast country. While it’s true that land in certain states and places is expensive, you can still buy several acres for next to nothing if you know where you want to live.
Another thing to note is that you don’t have to compromise on safety to buy land cheaply. You can still pick up land somewhere that’s free from crime, safe, and has towns in the nearby vicinity for a low price.
To find such land, conduct an extensive online search and consider enlisting a professional’s support. A realtor will be able to find land that suits your needs. Because tiny homes are already built, you do not have to apply for a planning permit to get one set up on your property. Make sure that you tell the realtor you plan on working with exactly what it is that you are looking for.
Wondering about the security aspect of a tiny home? Read our top tips
Image: Clever Tiny Homes
Using Renewable Energy
If you are going to move into a tiny home or want to live off the grid, invest in renewable energy. To live truly off the grid, you obviously need to be generating your own energy and mustn’t be connected to the main electrical grid that powers towns and cities across the nation.
The best way to get off the grid is to invest in solar energy. Solar energy is widely available and while it is expensive to get started with, will save you lots of money in the future.
Another type of energy that you can invest in is hydro. Hydroenergy is powered by water. You can also harness the wind and use that to power your home. Hydro and wind setups can be quite expensive and are therefore not suitable for everybody.
If you’re interested in investing in either, make sure you conduct online research and find a reliable company to work with. A company’s reviews will help you to decide whether they are worth working with or if they should be avoided. Read their on-site testimonials also.
Read more: Design Ideas for Tiny Living with Cabin Retreats
Growing Your Own Produce
If you want to build your own tiny house and plan on buying a plot of land to put it on, why not grow your own fresh produce and raise your animals too? Growing your own produce and raising animals can be an effective way to ensure that you always have food in the fridge.
There are lots of different types of vegetables and fruits that you can go to, ranging from cabbages to lettuces and even citrus fruits, assuming you live in a warm part of the United States. There is no limit to what you can grow as long as you have the right setup.
Learning to grow produce can be immensely difficult. You may want to take an online course in it if it's something that interests you. Alternatively, you could get in touch with a farmer or someone you know who grows their own produce and ask them for advice.
When you are asking people for advice about growing vegetables, make sure that you are very clear about what it is that you want to grow. If you are not, they could end up giving you advice that doesn’t apply.
Some final thoughts
Tiny living is something that more and more people are turning to and when you consider the planet’s current condition and how much damage we have done to it, it’s not hard to see why this is.
The solutions listed here are all great ways for you to ensure that your shift to tiny living is comfortable.
Jenny Kakoudakis likes to blog about gardening. She launched the award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2014. When she is not chasing criminals out of the financial system (her day job), she loves pottering around her own garden.
Read about her garden tips here.
