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At First, I Felt Sorry For Them, But After Taking a Closer Look – I’m Jealous!

In recent years, the square footage in newly constructed American homes has doubled. But some people don’t think that size is the most important thing about where one lives. Meet Christopher Smith and Merete Mueller – they are part of what is called the “small house movement.” Let’s see what they are up to…

Christopher and Merete decided to build their own house – with zero experience. To start, they knew what their foundation would be…

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Image Source: viralnova

And it was upon this tiny platform that they decided to build their dream home.

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Image Source: viralnova

It didn’t have to be huge to be mighty.

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Image Source: viralnova

It took a lot of trial and error – but the couple was determined.

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Image Source: viralnova

The tiny house was going to be truly mobile.

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Image Source: viralnova

They could literally take it anywhere.

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Image Source: viralnova

But they decided the best place to settle down was near Boulder, Colorado.

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Image Source: viralnova

The couple pondered what should go inside the home – they knew they would have to be selective.

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Image Source: viralnova

It turned out that all they needed were the bare necessities.

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Image Source: viralnova

As part of the “small house movement,” they demonstrated how they can reduce their footprint.

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Image Source: viralnova

Though constructing their home on a flatbed trailer was a challenge…

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Image Source: viralnova

…they grew together and learned a ton of new skills.

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Image Source: viralnova

They often received helpful hints from the employees at stores like Lowes and Home Depot.

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Image Source: viralnova

After a while, they got pretty good at it.

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Image Source: viralnova

Check out how awesome this bathroom looks!

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Image Source: viralnova

The house feels even smaller sitting on a 5 acre lot in Colorado.

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Image Source: viralnova

Before getting started, Christopher spent a ton of time learning from YouTube videos.

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Image Source: viralnova

The home is an excellent space saver and is energy efficient.

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Image Source: viralnova

A queen-sized bed fits in the upper loft.

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Image Source: viralnova

It runs on solar power.

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Image Source: viralnova

Remember the toilet we saw earlier? It’s a composting toilet.

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Image Source: viralnova

The space is cozy and definitely more than enough room for 2 people.

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Image Source: viralnova

They had little trouble deciding what to bring in and what to leave behind.

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Image Source: viralnova

It also helped that they are both in their 20s, so they don’t own a lot to begin with.

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Image Source: viralnova

Thankfully, it’s been easy to live together in such a small space.

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Image Source: viralnova

They have proven that bigger isn’t necessarily better.

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The happy couple remarks, “The world gets a lot bigger when you’re living small because I can afford to do a lot more things now in terms of cash and time. The whole world is my living room.”

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Image Source: viralnova

Their message: “We don’t all have to give up our material possessions and live in 89 square feet but let’s think about giving up our McMansions and building a little smarter.”

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Image Source: viralnova

To learn more, check out the movie featuring the couple’s feat: http://tiny-themovie.com/

By Hannah Jones

Hannah is a Manchester based writer who has spent many years studying and working in the field of journalism and psychology. Hannah enjoys swimming, meditation and dog walking. Her favourite quote is, 'If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.'