A Tiny House or Small House in the UK - why and how? What is a Tiny House or Small House all about? Whilst almost anything tiny is cute (insert kitten, puppy, pig etc.), tiny buildings are no exception - however this is not their raison d’être - their shape and form are the result of several core principles and the cuteness is a bonus side-benefit of these! Also see Wikipedia for info.
Here at Tiny House Scotland our definition of a Tiny House versus a Small House is based on the characteristics of width, internal floor area and mode of moveability:
House Sizes @ Tiny House Scotland - cross sectional area one third more.
a Tiny House is less than 13.9m2 / 150 square feet and under 2.55m (8.36) feet in width (2.55m) - on wheels then it is legally road towable (2.55 meters is the road towable legal width for UK and Europe).
a Small House is over 13.9m2 / 150 square feet but not more than 93m2 / 1000 sq ft and wider than the road towing legal limit - our Nesthouse is 3.4m - and therefore not road towable but is moveable on site on wheels.
The pro’s and con’s of the two sizes revolve around whether you want to travel in your home or would rather stay put and enjoy much more generously proportioned interiors. Of course it’s all down to personal preference, I think if I was 20-30 again then I would love the ultra-compact mobility of a Tiny; but now in middle age I would prefer the extra space of a Small. This is why I designed the Nesthouse - an important part of the brief was to have a minimum of built-in caravan-style furniture thus allowing the use of regular furniture like comfortable sofas etc.
Tiny House vs Small House - Tiny House Scotland
Nesthouse Concept Graphic
SHELTER
Providing the basic necessities of shelter by using architectural design to protect the occupants from the external environmental weather elements such as wind, rain, heat and cold; also to provide facilities to eat, wash, sleep, work, relax etc. Add to this the architectural principles of low energy use and resource conservation and then apply key green design principles to create an optimally functioning living environment. Since in good design, form follows function, then the aim is also to have the by-product of an aesthetically pleasing appearance too!
The Nesthouse by Tiny House Scotland.
Rural agriculture, Crofting, Lowland Crofting, Small-holding Homesteading
Small scale building planning law, Scottish Hutting.
Self sufficiency, Sustainable living, Permaculture, lifestyle philosophy.
Micro living, Affordable housing, Small House Movement.