Nano-homes – Small Spaces For Big Sensations

by Paul Ciocoiu · June 29, 2015

America seems to be falling in love with tiny houses. There are television shows – “Tiny House Nation” and “Tiny House Hunters”, there are even movies – “Tiny: A Story About Living Small” and “Small Is Beautiful: A Tiny House Documentary.” Pinterest has more than 900 boards devoted to tiny houses, and design website Houzz showcases thousands of tiny- house photos.

Why are Americans, whose homes average about 2,200 square feet, so obsessed with nano-homes, Chicago Tribune asks rhetorically? Perhaps they are responding to the benefits tiny-house owners cite: financial and emotional freedom, a greener lifestyle, the satisfaction of building one’s own refuge, it gives its own answer.

Despite the growing demand, there is still a major drawback: many municipalities haven’t made room literally or legislatively for this type of tiny residences. This is why it is a challenge to find a place to park a tiny house if you don’t own land and they often fall into a legal limbo, the cited source further says.

Dwayne Jones is an American missionary who scoured the world. His life experience inspired him to set up a project entirely dedicated to raising small houses. He started with an 832 square feet house, structured into two bedrooms and a bathroom. “Traveling to Ghana West Africa since 2003, Haiti since 2008, and India for the first time last year in 2014, I’ve dreamed of building small affordable houses world-wide. This house is a start of many projects to encourage sustainable living. I plan to start on a trailer mounted tiny home in a few months”, he told Tinyhouseblog.com

Nano-homes – Dwayne’s first project

And his plans came to reality quickly. He built a tiny home trailer sitting on just 60 square foot, defying even the previous limits in terms of space of the other tiny house builders. This model does not have a restroom but it has an air conditioning system, a fold down custom bed to save space, hardwood flooring, vaulted ceiling, and electrical service with ceiling and exterior lights. His mobile home epitomizes the humans’ growing need for freedom and independence and will probably inspire others.