Living small in a tiny house? Super awesome! But where do you actually start? What are important things you should know? What all needs to be arranged? After reading this guide you will have a good idea of what is involved if you want to buy a tiny house and you will immediately know whether small living is really something for you!
What is a tiny house ?
Tiny House: It has its origins in America through the ' Tiny House Movement': a philosophy mainly about settling for less. Tiny houses are therefore fully-fledged homes on a small scale, with a maximum surface area of 50 m2 and the smallest possible ecological footprint. With a tiny house lifestyle you live small while using the resources at your disposal as efficiently as possible. Sustainable, cheap and it often makes you happier too! 
Reasons to choose small living
There are several reasons to move from a 'normal' house to small living . The following points are the most frequently mentioned reasons. Does this appeal to you? Then small living might be something for you!
1. Living small is a lot cheaper
A tiny house is a lot cheaper than living in a regular house. You can already have a tiny house for €30,000 to €35,000, depending on the size, materials and specific housing requirements. It is still a lot of money, but many times cheaper than an average owner-occupied home.
Your fixed costs will also be a lot lower, since you often use less energy in a tiny house . However, getting a mortgage for a tiny house is difficult; many banks do not provide a mortgage for construction or purchase. Small living is therefore cheaper, but you will have to pay for it with your own resources.
2. Living small makes happier
If you make the switch to live small , then in this process you will think a lot about what is really important to you. Because you go from having a lot of space to a limited amount of space, you will have to say goodbye to a lot of stuff. This can be very tough emotionally, but did you know that the less stuff you own, the less stress you experience? During this process you will get to know yourself much better, live small and be happy in a tiny house with the things that matter.
3. Living small is sustainable
An important topic for many and a major advantage of a tiny house : you live a lot more environmentally friendly. Because you live on a small surface, you need much less heating and lighting than in a 'normal' house and you will save a lot more on this.
In addition, a tiny house is often built with sustainable materials, and a lot less materials than a normal house will need. And did you know that a tiny house can be self-sufficient? For example, you can choose to have your tiny house run on solar energy and use rainwater. Finally, with small living you will notice that you need much less stuff, which is also super environmentally friendly. Stuff is the number 1 environmental culprit! So if you want to reduce your ecological footprint, small living is a unique option! 
Tiny houses and the regulations
Building Decree 2012
If you want to have a tiny house built legally , you will have to comply with the rules in the Building Decree 2012. The Building Decree is full of regulations that new buildings must adhere to. These rules are sometimes very specific, such as the minimum m2 of surface, the width of the entrance or the steepness of the stairs. These are points that can be difficult for a tiny house ; To save space, for example, a staircase can be steeper than what is allowed under the Building Decree. The Building Decree may therefore seem very strict, but because innovation is encouraged there is the 'equivalence provision'. This means that you may deviate from certain rules, as long as it is still safe for people and the environment.
Environmental permit
In addition, an environmental permit is required, which is also a permit for the construction of a structure that may cause nuisance to people and the environment. You can apply for this online via the construction counter of your municipality. You need suitable construction drawings for this: it may even be the case that the municipality requires that these are made by a qualified structural engineer.
Destination plan
Every plot in the Netherlands needs a zoning plan. It states where, what and for what purpose can be built. To place or build a tiny house , you need a piece of land or plot with the destination 'residential'.
Visit the website www.ruimtelijke Ruimtelijkekalender.nl to see which destination a location has. 
How much does a tiny house cost ?
The costs for a tiny house are different and depend on 3 options: buy ready-made, build yourself with a kit or build completely yourself. We discuss the 3 options with the associated costs!
Buying a tiny house | buy ready made
You can buy a ready -made tiny house from around €40,000. The final costs depend on your own choices; the materials , special expensive installations or interior requirements, the size, etc. When you go for a tiny house on wheels, there are also costs for the trailer.
What does a tiny house cost when you use a kit?
Do you not want to go for a ready -made tiny house , but is building a tiny house completely yourself just a bit too ambitious? Then you could consider a tiny house kit. This is possible from as little as €12,000. There are some costs on top of this to finish the house from the inside and you will of course have to put in a lot of hours to set up the whole house. Still, it is an interesting option if you want to build a tiny house yourself, but do not have enough knowledge or self-confidence to realize this yourself.
What does a tiny house cost if you build it yourself?
If you are going to build a tiny house yourself, you will save a lot of money. The costs will be around €25,000, depending on the choice of material, size, off-grid installations, etc. This way you can limit the costs considerably by using free, second-hand, found or received materials. This option also gives you the opportunity to give your tiny house its own, unique look! Of course, this requires a large dose of knowledge and skill. 
Small living on wheels or without wheels?
If you want to buy or build a tiny house , you have the option to purchase it with or without wheels. This choice mainly depends on how often you want to move and how large you want to live. If you don't want to stay in one location and move regularly, we recommend choosing a tiny house on wheels.
Both options have pros and cons. For a clear overview you can look at the following page: https://tinyhouse-store.nl/tiny-house-met-of-zonder-wielen/ 
The location of your tiny house
Choosing a location for your tiny house can be quite a challenge. As we mentioned earlier, a piece of land must have the right destination (zoning plan). For example, your destination is 'agriculture', but you may not put a house on it unless a building area is indicated on the piece of agricultural land. For the purpose of 'recreation' it is only allowed to rent or let a tiny house , but not to live in it permanently. Finding a location for your tiny house will therefore be difficult and requires a lot of time, but there are options.
Buy land for your tiny house
For example, you can buy a piece of land, but this does not mean that you can build a tiny house on it: make sure that the ground is intended for building. When you have an environmental permit and meet the various requirements, you can build a tiny house there and make it your permanent address.
Building a tiny house on someone else's land
In addition, there is the possibility to build on someone else's land. Again, you must have a permit for this and meet the requirements. The disadvantage is that you are on someone's land and therefore cannot have your own address: you are registered at the address of the larger house on the plot of land.
Tiny house on a leasehold
With ground lease you do not buy a piece of land, but you rent it. In this situation, too, you will need an environmental permit and have to meet the various requirements, but you do have the option of having this as a permanent address.
Your tiny house at a campsite
Can you build a tiny house on a campsite? Especially when you have a tiny house on wheels, there are possibilities. However, this ultimately differs from campsite to campsite. Living would be difficult, but temporary living will be possible on various campsites.
Tiny housing housing projects
Municipalities are showing an increasing interest in tiny houses , but because this movement is still relatively new, there are still many questions. There is therefore a lot of experimentation with various housing projects. On Tiny House Nederland you can find all initiatives in the Netherlands regarding tiny housing: https://www.tinyhousenederland.nl/kaart/ 
Talk to the municipality
Small living in a tiny house requires a lot of arrangement. Therefore, talk to your municipality. This way you have more clarity and you know where your options lie. There may even be plans on the table for a tiny house community!
Tip: try living small !
Are you considering small living , but the idea is still too exciting to really push through? Just try it out! Rent a tiny house and experience for yourself what it's like to live so small for a month. Certainly if you now live in a 'normal' house, it will be a major switch. Try it out and you'll know if that switch will be worth it. And if you have already decided to take the step, good luck and have fun with small living !