Minimalism is a growing trend. The idea behind this movement is to reduce stress and find peace by only buying and keeping necessities and cutting the clutter out. One of the biggest — but quite literally the smallest — effects of the minimalism movement is the tiny home. These homes are normally about 500 square feet or smaller, are often mobile and can be pulled on trailers. Different than RVs, these homes are designed to look like normal, fully functional homes both inside and out.
Modern Tiny Living, a tiny home company based in Columbus, is one of the most followed tiny home builders in the industry. It has a number of standard models for prospective buyers to tour and has designed homes for major clients such as Cracker Barrel and Walmart’s Allswell.
Founder Trent Haery says he and his friends got into this work thanks to their focus on minimalism.
“A couple of my best friends and I started the company because we’ve always been passionate about freedom; freedom from time, finances, clutter, you name it, and the tiny home industry lends to that,” says Haery. “I think I was a minimalist before it was a cool thing to be. I’ve never even purchased a TV and I enjoy not having a lot of stuff.”
Just like Haery, many of his clients who are looking to transition into tiny home living are also looking to break free.
“I think there’s been a shift in values,” says Haery. “In general, a shift away from material goods and towards memorable life experiences, and this is the driving force behind the tiny home and minimalism movements.”
Although the minimalist movement and tiny home living is a recent trend and therefore is sometimes assumed to be popular only among the millennial generation and Generation Z, the majority of Modern Tiny Living clients are actually retirees.
“The majority of our clients who reside in their tiny homes on wheels (THOWs) do it so they can simplify their lives and reduce expenses in retirement,” says Haery. “Besides no mortgage or property taxes, these folks love the flexibility with having a unit on wheels; whether they plan to move in a couple of years or head south every winter, they can take their THOW with them.”
That said, Haery predicts that tiny home living might become more popular among younger generations as tiny home financing options become more available.
Even though living in a tiny home may lead to a lifestyle free from the stresses of finances and clutter, there are a few significant hurdles that come with moving into and living long-term in a tiny home. One of these obstacles is zoning.“There has been huge progress on the zoning front,” Haery says. “For example, L.A. just approved THOW units to go in the back yards of traditional homes. We see this happening a lot out west and I trust that Columbus is progressive enough that it won’t be long until we can do that here too.”
Despite these hurdles, Haery says that the tiny home industry is growing, and he delivers Modern Tiny Living homes to customers across the country.“I’ve personally delivered tiny houses to all four corners of the country and it’s my favorite part of the business,” says Haery. “When I get to finally meet clients face-to-face, walk with them through their dream tiny house and share a beer.”
Emily Real is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
