The Tiny Home Problem That Literally No One Saw Coming

Tiny homes: They're adorable, energy efficient, and a potential solution to the millennial home ownership crisis. But, in addition to the issue (a Champagne problem, admittedly) of how difficult they are to get ready in, there's another unforeseen issue with these diminutive dwellings. Turns out, they're easy as hell to steal.

According to several local news outlets, a tiny home that went missing in St. Louis over the weekend was recovered today in nearby Jefferson Country, about 30 miles away from where it originated. Many tiny homes, as you may know, are on wheels, which makes them easy to move from place to place. In an ideal world, of course, this would only happen with owner consent. And while you can obviously lock them, as tiny home owner Meghan Panu reportedly did in this situation, there's no guarantee someone can't break or pick said lock.

Panu told local news that she was in the process of building the home piece by piece, an undertaking that had taken two years and about $20,000, when it was taken from the street on which it was parked. Panu was preparing to move the home to a more permanent space as part of a tiny home showcase, and had plans to move into it full-time in the spring.

According to Buzzfeed, as a sustainability student at Webster University, Panu has been documenting her journey on the Facebook page St. Louis Tiny Living as well as on Instagram, where she posted a plea to the people of St. Louis to keep their eyes peeled for her missing home.

"There's such little regard for the effort, and the time, and the love that I've put into this, and I think that's what's the most frustrating to me — that it's not just a material possession. It's not just a car. It's a place where I was going to sort of build roots and grow in my community," Panu told Fox St. Louis.

Unfortunately, tiny home theft seems to be surprisingly common. In the past few years, it's happened in Texas, Oregon (with a house that wasn't even on wheels!), and lest you think it's just an American problem, even in Australia.

There is some good news here, though. As mentioned before, the tiny home has been found, though police currently have no suspects for who took it. What's more, a local towing company, Ives Towing, agreed to tow it back to Panu free of charge, as an "early Christmas present." I'm not crying over the thought of a missing tiny home reunited with its mother, you're crying over the thought of a missing tiny home reunited with its mother. (Seriously, can we get Pixar on this or something?)

Oh, and one more thing before you go: The town the tiny home was found in? It's called House Springs. Yes, really.