Investing in a tiny home is as much about adopting a new lifestyle as buying a smaller property. There are some incredible advantages to downsizing, including reducing the complexities of modern living and minimizing your expenses. Indeed, if you’ve bought from a reliable seller, you’re likely to have a property that can support you for the rest of your life.
Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that the building is not the be-all and end-all of your tiny home. Indeed, spending all your time just within your four small walls may have negative impacts on your mental and physical well-being. You need to place some focus on creating a space outside of your home to unwind, exercise, or support your efforts for self-sufficiency.
Let’s review a few ways you can effectively create an oasis outside your tiny home.
Budget Effectively
Even when you’re living in a tiny home, the costs of upgrades and alterations can get out of hand. This certainly applies to creating an outdoor oasis if you’re not cautious. It is vital to set a strict budget for yourself from the outset of your landscaping project.
Start by reviewing what funds you have available for the project after moving to your new property. Having invested in a tiny home rather than a larger property, you are likely to have downsized to some extent. As such, you may save money on the typical cost of moving home as you have fewer items to transport. Not to mention that you might not need to use more pricey full-service movers. It’s worth utilizing a moving cost calculator to give yourself a good idea of what finances you’re likely to have left over.
You can then start to price the types of resources you need to upgrade your outdoor area. what you want to achieve in your outdoor area. In some cases, you may be able to source cheaper or used items. However, it’s always worth erring on the side of caution and assuming you have to buy new unless you’re absolutely certain. From here, you can create a cost plan to see what you can achieve with the funds available. It can even be wise to budget in stages. This means you can complete priority parts of the project with your current funds and build on other elements later as your finances improve.
Act Minimally
Naturally, with a tiny home, you’re unlikely to have a lot of outdoor space to work with. One of the mistakes too many people make is in trying to cram as many resources into their yard as possible. Unfortunately, rather than creating an oasis, this tends to result in a chaotic and claustrophobic area. As with so many aspects of your tiny home, it’s generally better to go for minimalism here.
Make a list of your needs for your outdoor space. What is it you want your tiny home yard to represent? Is it a relaxing area for you to meditate in after a long day? Is it an external activity space shared by your children or animals? Do you want to utilize it as a growth area for practical self-sufficiency? Review what resources are absolutely necessary to achieve these elements.
From here you can start to devise a layout plan for your outdoor oasis. Insert the essential elements in ways that aren’t cluttered and still leave you with sufficient space to move around and relax. If you find there is still plenty of room available after this, you can then consider a few purely luxury items that can accentuate but not overwhelm the oasis you’re creating.
Prioritize Sustainability
It may be the case that you’ve moved to a tiny home for a simpler and more eco-friendly way of life. After all, studies show that tiny homes utilize less energy, produce lower waste, and generally put less pressure on the environment. It’s one of the reasons the tiny home movement is so important. As such, it’s worth considering how your approach to your outdoor oasis can enhance this aspect of your new way of life.
Performing eco-friendly backyard upgrades can reduce your overall carbon footprint and make for a more pleasant space. You can start by only utilizing organic materials for any fencing or furniture you invest in. Allocating space for a small rain barrel can enable you to collect water you can use to clean your car or water your plants. If you’re installing lighting, opt for solar-powered units wherever possible.
Alongside these elements, it’s important to consider how your choice of plants can positively impact local life. Install flowers and other flora that are native to the area. This can help ensure you attract local pollinators, provide them with vital nutrition, and positively contribute to the ecosystem.
Conclusion
Creating the right oasis outside your tiny home is a challenge, but perfectly achievable. Make sure you commit to creating a strict budget so your expenses don’t get out of hand. Taking a minimal approach ensures you’re serving your needs while reducing the potential for chaos. By prioritizing sustainability in your design, you can enhance the positive impact your tiny home already has on the environment. Remember that no matter how tiny your home is, making some simple changes to the outside space can improve your experience of living in it.
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