KC TINY HOUSE PROJECT

Exploration of Minimal & Sustainable Living in Kansas City

In a supersize-me culture, the tiny house philosophy believes that less is more. Less overhead means more financial freedom. Less use of resources means more environmental responsibility. Less identification with commodity means more identification with humanity. The mission of this 576 sq ft project, made in part from salvaged and donated materials, can serve as a model for small, affordable, and comfortable living.
People in space-limited cities like New York have been living in tiny spaces for a long time. Here in the Midwest, we have plenty of space and tend to move outward rather than upward. Over time, our outward sprawl has left abandoned pockets within our city core. These inner pockets are not just a part of a geographical core, but the core of our cultural identity, and our creative and cultural communities. They are our neighborhoods. These vacant lots in our communities are an opportunity for affordable home ownership and the freedom of smaller living. Unlike places like New York where apartment buildings are the norm, here in the Midwest, we have the opportunity to live small scale in traditional neighborhoods, where we have yards to grow a landscape that then becomes an extension of our living space, and an opportunity to build community.
As part of our efficient living model, we surrounded the tiny home with edible and native landscaping. We believe that growing food and creating beauty in the neighborhood through the natural world is a contribution to the community as a whole, and allows for greater economy of living. When you have a small and simple material world to maintain in life, you need less of an income, and have more time to pursue your inherent interests and contributions. When you place less of your value on the scale of your material wealth you are gifted with more experiential wealth.
In creating the tiny house, we aim to be a working example of how to live in a simple and fulfilling way that reduces our use of resources and increases our freedom. In a land of plenty—plenty of space, plenty of resources—we often do not realize how happy we can be with little.