Both millennials and baby boomers are looking for scaled down micro-living units, similar to well-appointed motor homes. But there are no chemical toilets here! Micro-living units are as small as 200 sf/19 sm, and the better ones are designed using space-saving features that often make us exclaim, “Oh, that’s cute!” But don’t call them efficiency apartments, which sounds like bare bones living.

With magazines and fan sites devoted to tiny space living, these units have reached new heights in fun and functional appeal. But what accounts for the sudden explosion of interest in micro-units? The answer is the intersection of two large population groups.

Millennials are attracted to homes that are a significant step-up from college dorm living, without a huge leap in cost. Seniors are interested in downsizing into an affordable lifestyle without having to settle for bare bones. With a quality micro-unit, what they lose in space, they gain in comfort, convenience, and privacy.

The challenges to building more micro-units to meet this two-pronged demand are that zoning laws and parking often restrict the construction of small units. Also, tiny units used to be equated with illegal apartments, and the impression may linger in the minds of some urban planners.

But we can be certain that as our population reaches 10 billion, such living will become more common and even sought after by both renters and homeowners.

Kind Regards, 

Georgie