Opinion: Are tiny houses the way of the future?

A tiny house being built in Te Puna. Photo/Supplied

In this crazy property market tiny houses may be the way to go for many people struggling to buy their first home.

A Tauranga couple have almost finished building their dream home - all for about $40,000.

It's part of the world-wide tiny house movement - and tiny it is.

For $40,000 and the price of some land, it's a realistic goal for young people trying to break into the market.

Or, like Tara and Leo Murray, you can get permission to put it on someone else's land.

It's environmentally friendly, affordable, and would solve the issue of urban sprawl and the lack of available land.

I applaud them for looking outside of the box for a solution to housing issues and for wanting to avoid getting into huge debt by taking out a mortgage on a house worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In saying that, it's not for everyone.

I couldn't handle living in such a small space. It would send me up the wall.

I like to be able to open our home up to others and entertain a crowd. I also like everything to be in its place and be tidy - I think I'd struggle to keep everything stored away neatly in such a small space.

In saying that, it's a roof over your head and everything you need to live a healthy life.

It's going to take a massive shift in thinking for many people but perhaps it is an answer.

Perhaps it is a good option for a first home - a way to break into the market. Perhaps it's a better way of housing the homeless than putting them up in motels.

For families, it's probably not the most practical place to live for years on end but it will do as a stop gap.

I wouldn't be surprised to see more and more tiny houses popping up.

Perhaps they are the way of the future.