What I’ve Learned from Jack Sparrow (No, really)

Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs but what a ship is... what the Black Pearl really is... is freedom. – Jack Sparrow

                               
                                  (Sidenote: Clicking on any of the pictures in this post will bring you to their original source, and some really good reads.)


It’s no secret Zach and I are into alternative ideas when it comes to living. We grow our own veggies in containers, we collect rainwater, we dream of someday living in a house under 800 square feet that we built ourselves, using reclaimed materials and perhaps straw bales. Most recently, and by recently I mean yesterday, Zach really wants to raise chickens. (I reminded him we need to take baby steps.)

Basically we’re hippies, but only in an environmentally friendly, non-consumeristic, “let it be” kind of way.

I’ve been following the tiny house movement for years, since I was in high school. The interesting thing about tiny houses (or small dwellings in general) is how hard it can be to obtain one, and I don’t mean the cost. I’m talking about the red tape.

There are many reasons to build small and I’ll probably explore them in another post someday. There are several companies who build beautiful small structures. There’s an entire philosophy behind the tiny house movement and the reclaimed materials movement (and both complement each other extremely well) so it’s worth exploring for yourself. But what stops many people joining in?

Zoning.

                        

In the 1950s, the average house size was around 900 square feet. Many people would balk at that kind of size for a house but think again. I’ve lived in some very nice 900 square foot houses, very comfortably. Most people live in the same amount of space right now. It’s called an apartment. However, few people dream of building an apartment sized house. Houses are supposed to be big, open, expensive. Houses are supposed to mean that you’ve arrived, you own your home, you can join the ranks of successful Americans who are living the dream.

The average house size today is somewhere between 2,400 and 2,500 square feet. Yes, that’s more than twice what it was in 1950.



Two questions for you:

Do we really need that much space?

What about the people who are less interested in arriving and more interested in becoming?

Think carefully.

Tiny/small houses are not for everyone. But zoning laws in most states force everyone to build huge if they want to own their own house. It’s not constitutional, and the reasons behind it are strictly mercenary. Bigger houses means more money for a lot of people. Not homeowners, other people.

Even if you dream of owning a huge house someday (and you have every right to) wouldn’t you agree that those of us interested in owning a home under 1,000 square feet should have that right as well? That the only say in your house the government should have is to make sure it’s structurally sound, not dictate how large it should be?

Building a tiny house should be a viable option, just like starting your own small business is. It takes work, and you’re not in it for “The Man”, you’re doing it for yourself. You have the freedom to do it, and it gives you freedom in return, to live the life you want. Life on your terms. (That’s where the Jack Sparrow quote comes in. Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a tiny house is, you know. It's not just a roof and a floor and windows and walls , that's what a house needs but what a house is... what a tiny house really is... is freedom.)

                            

Tiny houses and small dwellings are not shacks. Most of them are beautiful, hand crafted, intentional homes built by people who want to live out their ideals.

                          

There is a petition to get the federal government to reform the zoning laws and allow homes under 1000 ft. to be built. In this economy, it could potentially help a lot of people live their dreams.

http://wh.gov/nBE

Please follow through to the petition and sign. Tell your friends, link to this post, get the word out. And while you’re at it, if you’ve never paid attention before, check out the tiny house movement. Google it. You might be surprised, and inspired, by all the things you find.