In the United States the average size of new single family homes grew from 1,780 square feet (165 m2) in 1978 to 2,479 square feet (230.3 m2) in 2007, and to 2,662 square feet (247.3 m2) in 2013, despite a decrease in the size of the average family. Reasons for this include increased material wealth and prestige.
The small house movement is a return to houses of less than 1,000 square feet (93 m2). Frequently the distinction is made between
small (between 400 square feet (37 m2) and 1,000 square feet (93 m2)), and
tiny houses (less than 400 square feet (37 m2)), with some as small as 80 square feet (7.4 m2).
Sarah Susanka has been credited with starting the recent countermovement toward smaller houses when she published
The Not So Big House (1997). Earlier pioneers include
Lloyd Kahn, author of
Shelter (1973) and Lester Walker, author of
Tiny Houses (1987).
Henry David Thoreau, and the publication of his book
Walden is also quoted as early inspiration.
Tiny houses on wheels were popularized by Jay Shafer who designed and lived in a 96 sq ft house and later went on to offer the first plans for tiny houses on wheels, initially founding
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, and then Four Lights Tiny House Company (September 6, 2012). In 2002, he co-founded, along with Greg Johnson, Shay Salomon and Nigel Valdez the Small House Society. Salomon and Valdez subsequently published their guide to the modern Small House Movemnent,
Little House on a Small Planet (2006) and Johnson published his memoir,
Put Your Life on a Diet (2008)
In 2005, after
Hurricane Katrina,
Marianne Cusato developed
Katrina Cottages, that start at 308 square feet (28.6 m2) as an alternative to
FEMA trailers. Though these were created to provide a pleasant solution to a disaster zone, Cusato received wider interest in her design from developers of resorts, for example.
With the
financial crisis of 2007–08, the small house movement attracted more attention as it offers housing that is more affordable and ecologically friendly.
[11] Overall, however, it represents a very small part of real estate transactions. Thus only 1% of home buyers acquire houses of 1,000 square feet (93 m2) or less.
[12] Small houses are also used as accessory dwelling units (or ADUs), to serve as additional on-property housing for aging relatives or returning children, as a home office, or as a guest house. Typical costs are about $20,000 to $50,000 as of 2012.
In
Oakland, California,
Gregory Kloehn builds small houses out of found materials, for an estimated cost of $40.
Small and tiny houses have received increasing media coverage including a serial television show,
Tiny House Nation, in 2014 and
Tiny House Hunters. The possibility of building one's own home has fueled the movement, particularly for tiny houses on wheels. Tiny houses on wheels are often compared to
RVs. However, tiny houses are built to last as long as traditional homes, they use traditional building techniques and materials, and they are aesthetically similar to larger homes.
Some companies have put into motion plans to create tiny home developments.
