When you get a small house, there are plenty of places to work. To make the most of the space, you need to be very intentional among the devices that find their way inside. Fortunately, there are plenty of smart home sections that can provide the most utility with minimal footprint. Let’s explore some of the best smart technology for your small home.
Simon Sage / Digital Trends
Instant Pot Pro Plus
-1 out of 10 kitchens
Professional
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Incredible versatility
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Major usability improvements
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The remote control function is fun and useful
Cons
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Community recipes can be hit and miss
When it comes to cooking, you won’t have much space for multiple large appliances in a small home. Products like Instant Pot are able to handle multiple functions at once and can replace an oven if you have one pinch. In addition to pressure-cooking, the latest models are capable of making sauces, making yogurt, cooking rice, steaming, making sauce vids and much more. You can even use it to save canning. The Pro Plus model is paired with a mobile app so you can beam recipes directly into the cooker, or you can control it remotely. Of course, Instant Pot has a healthier range of products, so you can find smaller or air fryers in their ranks if it’s your jam.
Instant Pot Pro Plus
-1 out of 10 kitchens
Phillips Hugh Light Strip
Low-profile lighting
Professional
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16 million colors with adjustable output in 900 lumens
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Weather resistant operation in all situations
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Option of freestanding or screw-clip mounting
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Easy installation with extension kits available for long runs
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Support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Cons
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The strips cannot be cut to size
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Drab silicone cladding
In a small house, there won’t be a whole lot of space for your lamps. LED light strips are a great way to go because they have so few profiles and can be stuck in isolated areas. You’ll probably want outdoor lighting if you’re counting on going to another site and don’t want to attach too much to the property. Running this Philips Hugh light strip on the outside of your little house can easily take care of it. Philips Hugh Lights offer a wide range of fun color options, but they are also very energy efficient. Other models are available for indoor lighting, too. You can find some more great smart lights here.
Phillips Hugh Light Strip
Low-profile lighting
MRCOOL
MRCOOL Mini Split Ductless Heat Pump
Smart climate control
Professional
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Heats and cools
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Works with mobile app assistant
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Efficient energy
Cons
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Involved, long installation
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Inconsistent support
Smart heat pumps are the most energy efficient heating and cooling you can find, especially if you try to avoid the use of fossil fuels in a low carbon lifestyle. MRCOOL builds a ductless mini split system that accommodates rooms between 500 and 1,500 square feet, with a heat rating of 12K to 36K BTUs. Wi-Fi connection provides remote control and access via Google Assistant and Siri. You can set up schedules, enable geofencing so that the system can be turned on or off depending on how close you are, and save the most energy.
MRCOOL Mini Split Ductless Heat Pump
Smart climate control
Renoji
Renoji 100W Solar Starter Kit
Sun-powered
Professional
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Rough construction
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Easy to install
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Reliable performance
Cons
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Occasional problems with the included controller
To go further off-grid, you will need some solar panels. Renogy’s 100W starter kit has everything you need to lay the groundwork for renewable energy. This includes mounting hardware, a charge controller and cables. You will probably need one more solar panel and a deep cell battery to power all that. By plugging a separate Bluetooth module into the charge controller, you can pair your phone and get rich data on the power consumption and generation of your small home.
Be sure to read more in our picks for the best solar panels.
Renoji 100W Solar Starter Kit
Sun-powered
LG
LG WM3600HWA Washing Machine
Efficient and compact
Professional
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Special steam mode for allergies
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Excellent smart features
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Great choice for cold and speed cycles
Cons
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Additional features can be difficult to navigate
Finally, you will need a washing machine that does not take up much space, does not use a lot of water and saves energy. If it has a smartphone connection, it will just be the cherry on top. Fortunately, the LG WM3600HWA ticks all those boxes.
Even without the smartphone app, this thing is pretty smart. It is able to load the fabric to remove allergens or find out the type of steam cycle. In a large house, you may lack power in this type of washer, but it is suitable for a small house that wants to save space.
If you are looking for more options, be sure to read our top picks for washing machines.
LG WM3600HWA Washing Machine
Efficient and compact
Frequently Asked Questions
In which state small house is legal?
You will want to check with a lawyer before you can confirm whether it is legal to build a small home where you want to. It will probably depend more on municipal law than anything else. For example, unorganized rural areas are more flexible in terms of zoning than cities.
People at TinySociety has put together a great map, Each U.S. state is ranked by friendship per small home. Texas, New Mexico, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Oregon all have high rates. Meanwhile, Montana, Wisconsin, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama all have poor rates.
What is a good budget for a small home?
It is possible to spend a lot of money in a small house if you want. You can expect to pay between $ 20,000 and $ 60,000 on average, or more if you’re going to splurge. Here’s a look at some incredibly affordable little homes.
Is it cheap to build your own small house?
If you are convenient, it is possible to save a lot of money by building a small house on your own. In general, housing construction costs about half the labor.
How big can a small house be?
To have a towel, small houses should be a maximum of 8.5 feet wide, 13.5 feet long, and 40 feet long.
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