Small House Phobia

I am on a mission to cure others of small house phobia. And no, it's not just because I myself live in a tiny dwelling in Alaska, but because I feel that subdivision sprawl is a social and environmental ill.
Some of the obvious reasons large houses suck: tremendous amounts of unsustainable building materials, difficult to heat, a pain to fill with furniture and clean. Who even feels warm and cozy in a sprawling McMansion?? And can you even find your own kids? The huge houses of the past were at least built with quality building materials and beauty in mind. But now you throw together 4,000 square feet of particle wood and slap in a granite counter top and call it luxury.

Here's the reason most would cite for needing a large home: "I need more space."
Here's the real reason they buy a large home: "I want to impress people. Everyone will now know that I am a success and a fantastic person as I have a huge home. They will all want to be my friend and admire me."

The reason I believe #2, not #1 is that unless you have like 5 kids, people usually only think they need more space is to fill it with useless junk and clutter. Again, this isn't the 1800's when people would fill a mansion with art collections and libraries. Oh no. Now it's just to stick huge TV's on flat surfaces, particle board end tables cluttered with DVD collections, and plastic playhouses in the back yard. Some can't even afford to furnish their Mc Mansion with anything at all, so all you see are giant rooms filled with one couch and an echo.

My own tiny house reminds me that I need to constantly bring our unused stuff to the salvation army or other thrift stores. And this is a true blessing. We just can't saddle ourselves with unused clutter because there is no place to put it.

Of course the economy benefits when people pay others to bulldoze trees and build them giant hamburger houses. But wouldn't the amount of $$ going back to the people be the same if we just scaled down the homes and built them with fantastic and natural materials instead? Stone, brick, adobe. Local wood. And built them well so they would stand for generations? Spend more and put in solar, grey water and other eco-friendly systems??? Then furnish them with fine Amish furniture or other local artisan fares?
So let the addiction go--embrace small instead!