Words by Smiley Team
The American trend of building tiny homes is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with young people especially opting for this alternative housing option. These sustainable and portable houses offer people a more affordable, greener lifestyle, independent of national energy providers, waste collection and water supplies.
Among those who recognised their potential early on is Chris March, an experienced builder and the founder of Tiny Eco Homes UK. For decades, he’d been planning to construct himself a wood cabin in a tree. But it was only in 2009 that he noticed how tiny homes were taking off in the US and decided to set up his own tiny home construction company.
He’s never looked back since, gaining great satisfaction from seeing his homes benefit people and the planet. “Delivering the buildings to people on site and seeing them move in is the best part of the job because it totally changes their lives,” he says.
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Despite the difficulties of organising planning permission and finding land, there are multiple benefits of downsizing to a tiny home and taking the leap to off-grid living. The top reason to do so, of course, is their positive environmental impact.
“Unlike a lot of stuff you buy these days, tiny homes are not a disposable product," explains Chris. "They're a fully timber construction built for life from natural materials rather than environmentally-harmful concrete, bricks and mortar.”
Each of his homes are carefully insulated with underfloor heating and double-glazed windows. Their reduced size means that, compared to larger homes, they take a lot less energy to heat, significantly lowering owners’ bills.
“But it's not just the construction and design that people appreciate about the homes,” he says. “Downsizing is a lifestyle choice that effectively makes you use a lot less of everything and ensures you don’t buy stuff you don't need. So it's not just the house itself, it's the whole lifestyle that people buy into.”
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With reduced energy bills and less money going to unnecessary purchases, tiny homes can significantly improve people’s wellbeing, too.
“Way of life for those living in tiny homes is just much less stressful. You’re able to escape the hectic modern world and not worry so much about expenses,” explains Chris.
He should know, because he lives in one himself. Tucked away in a hidden beauty spot of Northumberland, his tiny home allows him to breathe clean air and live in a more self-sufficient way.
He adds: “Being in this space is what I love most of all and when I build tiny homes for other people, their most common reaction is ‘I should have done this years ago’.”
