Want a tiny house? Businesses offer a tryout first
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CROYDON, N.H. (AP) – Hilary and Shane Lentz were hooked on the idea of a tiny house, but they weren’t sure the reality would be so appealing.
Their curiosity led them to the hills of New Hampshire, where a business that started at Harvard University rents out tiny houses for $99 a night. The company, Getaway, has drawn visitors from afar who come to sample life in a 160-square-foot house before they dive headlong into the lifestyle.
“It’s a way to test-drive tiny house living,” said Jon Staff, the founder and CEO of Getaway. “We operate them a little bit like hotel rooms in the woods.”
Across the country, more businesses are letting the curious try out tiny living. Caravan, a hotel in Portland, Oregon, offers six tiny houses ranging from 84 to 170 square feet, for $145 a night. Dozens of tiny houses are available through vacation rental websites, posted by their owners.
Definitions vary, but some say a tiny house is anything smaller than 400 square feet. Advocates tout the environmental and financial perks of tiny living.
The Lentz couple, from Pittsburgh, had been considering a major downsize for years. It could free them from the mortgage on their three-bedroom home. They could build the house on wheels and take it anywhere. By shedding some belongings, there would be fewer distractions.
“Having a smaller living space allows you to be more open to experiences, and to really enjoy your day to day life,” said Hilary, 27.
But the couple had a few lingering questions. Shane, 29, wondered whether waterless toilets, a common feature in tiny houses, were odorless, too. They both worried about cooking in a tiny kitchen. Hilary wanted to know whether the coziness would fade to isolation.
Getaway is the first project at Harvard’s Millennial Housing Lab, a group of business, law and design students exploring new housing ideas. Staff, a graduate student in business, said his stints living on a boat and in an Airstream trailer inspired him to help spread the tiny house movement.
“Small spaces force you out into the world, and I think that’s a good thing,” he said.
Backers of tiny living say the movement is growing, and certain areas have become hotspots. Villages of little homes have popped up in cities like Portland and Seattle.