I don’t have a tiny house yet, but I’m planning for it far in advance. There are many reasons why I want this lifestyle. And since every inch matters, it’s important to plan how they’ll be used.
A 24-hour breakdown of a weekday
Since every square foot of space matters, where will I spend most of my time? This will determine how much money I spend and how much space will be devoted to it. In this scenario, I’ll assume I have a job where I can work from home everyday and spend every moment there.
I’m a simple person with simple needs. I sometimes enjoy the outdoors but I prefer the comfort of the indoors. Even with my sedentary lifestyle and job, I weigh 140 lbs (0.07 tons).
- 10:00 PM – 6:00 AM – Sleeping (8 hours)
- 6:00 AM – 6:30 AM – Get ready (30 minutes)
- 6:30 AM – 7:00 AM – Breakfast / Cooking (30 minutes)
- 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Work on my computer (5 hours)
- 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM – Lunch / Cooking (30 minutes)
- 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM – Work on my computer (3 hours)
- 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM – Exercise (30 minutes)
- 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM – Shower (15 minutes)
- 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM – Dinner / Cooking (30 minutes)
- 4:45 PM – 7:00 PM – Play on computer, surf the web, etc. (2 hours 15 minutes)
- 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Watch TV/movies (2 hours)
- 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM – Read (1 hour)
Counting the hours
Based on the above “average day” breakdown, here’s a summary:
- 10.25 hours on computer in front of a desk with multiple monitors. Need to have a comfortable chair, stable Internet connection, and stable electricity. No glare on screens.
- 8 hours sleeping in bedroom. Need a comfortable bed.
- 2 hours watching movies. Need a good TV and/or a projection screen and short-throw projector. Need a comfortable place to sit, lay back, and relax.
- 1.5 hours cooking in kitchen or outdoors on grill.
- 1 hour reading.
- 0.75 hours in bathroom.
- 0.5 hours exercising.
How they affect the floorplan
Based on the amount of time spent using them, the two most important areas of my tiny house will be the office and bedroom. These are the areas I expect I’ll splurge the most on and dedicate the most space to.
Your specific situation might be completely different, but this is what I’m wanting. A tiny house should fit your needs and lifestyle, which is why I’m so interested in custom-built tiny houses.
Things you might want that I don’t
Based on my particular lifestyle and introversion and being single, I don’t
need things that other people need/want.
- A booth, window bay, and/or porch for sitting in and entertaining
visitors. I don’t entertain. ^_^ - Extra beds for visitors. If I have visitors, sleeping bags and floor camping pads can be used. With such a small amount of space, I don’t want to have space wasted 355 days of the year just so it can “come in handy” 10 days of the year.
- Dinner table. I’m fine with eating at my computer desk while watching TV or surfing the web.
- I’m an indoors cat. I don’t need outdoor toys like bikes or snowboards.
- I’m not all that big on fashion or clothes. My wardrobe is quite small. And I’m willing to do laundry The Old Fashioned Way: by hand in a big tub and then hung out to dry.
What’s next?
Now that I know where most of my time will be spent, the next step is to make a wishlist of what to put in my tiny house.
