Small House Living: 7 Benefits to Living in a Small Home

When we set out to design our house, we decided to make it a smaller home than average, and one of the main reasons behind that was because of budget constraints.

To keep the costs down, we decided to build a simpler and smaller footprint.

1. Small mortgage

My first reason why we love living in a smaller home is that our mortgage cost is less, and we have fewer utility bills.

We enjoy having the financial freedom that it brings us. It frees up money to do other things like saving or paying for our children to go to a private Christian school, and it just really opens up a lot of extra possibilities to do with our money.

2. Less storage

Another thing that was done quite intentionally while we were designing is that we didn't have a lot of extra storage space. I know that sounds countercultural, but we actually decided not to add any walk-in closets or any extra storage spaces.

We eliminated the upper cabinets in our kitchen and only have a small bit of cabinetry in our mudroom laundry space. That was done so that we were sure not to hold on to extra things.

I think that sometimes, in larger houses where we have maybe a spare bedroom or a huge attached garage, it's a lot easier to keep those things just in case.

We wanted to make sure that everything that we had was right there at our fingertips and nothing was hidden back in some dark storage space.

That allows us to constantly go through our things and make sure that they are useful and valuable to our lives.

3. Less cleaning

The next reason I love living in our smaller house is something that I think a lot of people really look forward to when they're downsizing or moving into a smaller home, and that is that it takes less time to clean.

I wasn't sure that that would be the truth until we actually moved here, and I saw how much easier it was to keep things tidy. There isn't a lot of extra space that needs to be tidied up.

That means that if we have a company that calls with maybe a five-minute warning, I don't have to really freak out about that. I know that in just a few minutes, I can pull everything together.

4. More light

All right, the following reason is a little bit quirky, but I love the amount of light that we have in our home. I think that has to do with the size of it because I can stand in the kitchen and look all the way across the entire width of the house and have another window on the other side.

I can see from one side of the house to the other, and likewise, if I'm upstairs and I'm in the girl's bedroom, I can see all the way across the length of our house out the boy's bedroom window.

I think that being able to see all the way through the house is just really cool. I don't know that this translates to every single smaller house, but I think that smaller houses, in general, are a bit more bright and light because if you have windows in all the different rooms and your rooms are closer together; you're just going to see a lot more natural light than if you have larger rooms that are spaced apart by hallways.

5. Togetherness

Another benefit to small house living is knowing where everyone is at any given time. This probably would have been even more beneficial if my kids were at the toddler age, and I had to worry about them running off to a quiet corner to cut their hair or scribble on the wall or something like that.

In general, it's just really nice to have an idea of where everyone is in the house. It's easier to call them to a meal or to say it's time to head out the door. You get a good sense of where everybody is, and there's just kind of that sense of togetherness, and that flows into another reason why I think small-house living is great.

I feel like living in a small house brings our family closer together. Without a sprawling layout of our house, we don't have the kids in a game room and parents hanging out in the living room.

We all congregate in the same spaces together, and I think that is really great for our bonding; likewise, our kids share bedrooms. Our girls share a bedroom, and our boys share a bedroom, so the nighttime hours I know are perfect for bonding with them.

They do sometimes whisper to each other late into the night, and I hear them, but we just let it happen because I know it is good for their bonding.

The dynamics of this might change a bit as our kids get older and want more privacy, but the way it is right now, it's just really great that we all kind of are with each other most of the time when we're in our home. It's our little sanctuary away from the world, and we enjoy it that way.

6. Easier decorating

Another benefit that I find with small house living is that it takes less to make the house look put together. What I mean by that is decorating, and I don't need to go overboard.

I like decorating on occasion. I will change out a picture above the fireplace or a table decoration or something like that, but I'm not someone who really loves decor.

Having a smaller home, I know that if I were to try to decorate every single wall, it might end up feeling really cluttered, so these statement pieces I have here are just enough to get a little bit of flair in the house without feeling overdone.

7. Less indoor time

The final reason why we love living in our small home is because we spend more time outdoors. We've lived in houses where we had more square footage inside, and we're just more comfortable hanging out indoors, even on those lovely summer days.

But here at the cottage, I find us really wanting to explore the outdoors, go outside and garden, and spend that time in nature. To get out is really, really great for your mind, your body, and your soul.

Benefits to living in a small home

So there you go. There are seven reasons why we love living in our small homes. If you live in a small house and you have some reasons why you love it, comment down below.

I feel so blessed that we are able to live in this custom-designed home that fits the needs and wants of our specific family, and it's just such a blessing.

Next, check out these 11 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Home.