Big Trend
CRANBERRY TWP — The biggest little trend in housing will be on display this weekend at the Cranberry Home Show.
Two tiny houses can be toured at the event, which will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh — Cranberry on Sheraton Drive.
Tiny houses generate a lot of interest, appearing on Facebook walls and even a reality television show on HGTV.
Those on display at the home show include a 380-square-foot rustic cabin that will be furnished and decorated, and a smaller model that is 140 square feet in size.
The rustic cabin is being displayed as “perfect for the Pennsylvania deer hunters.”
Both can be toured by those visiting the home show.
“We have presented these tiny houses at other home shows and the turnout to see them has been incredible,” said Dominic Baragona, whose company, Mid America Events, produces the Cranberry Home Show.
According to the tiny house website tinylife.com, the most popular reasons for joining the movement are financial or environmental concerns, and more time and freedom.
The site said 68 percent of tiny house owners have no mortgage, as opposed to 29 percent of traditional homeowners.
The average cost of a tiny house is $23,000 compared to the average of $272,000 to build a standard-sized house, the site said.
The site said the average size of a tiny house is 186 square feet, while the average traditional house is 2,100 square feet. That means about 11 tiny houses could fit inside a traditional home.The website smallhousesociety.com explains that those who are able to downsize to a smaller living space often find themselves with more time for other facets of life, such as family, career, education, fitness and marriage.The site's motto is “better living through simplicity,” and offers myriad information on tiny houses.More information on the tiny house movement is available at several websites online.
