What do tiny houses have to do with a “Household”?

The old adage claiming that “change is the only constant” seems to apply to the make up of the family unit according to a new study put out by the US Census Bureau. This graphic representation shows how the makeup of the family unit has changed since 1970.

US Household Types

When you take a look at why people choose tiny houses such as:

• wanting to live debt free,
• wanting some mobility with their housing,
• desiring less maintenance
• living a sustainable lifestyle
• living in an eco village

…you will start to understand why the demographics of the millennial and baby boomer generation drive a different lifestyle and a different style of housing.

What I find interesting is the number of men and women living alone has gone up from about 17% of total households to over 25%. Where do people live when they are alone? What do people want when they live alone? When you think about these questions you start to understand why people want to live in a tiny house but more important, why they want to live in a community. When you factor in community, lifestyle, economic constraints, and other circumstances, you begin to see the drivers behind a growth in the tiny house movement as well as in eco-villages.

Eco-villages are sprouting up as places where people not only belong but a place where they can contribute…to feel a sense of self worth. As you get older, things seem to mean less and less and people more and more.

Let me know what you think about living in an eco-village and making a difference.