My wife and I built a tiny home in our 60s. The downsides are worth it to live mortgage-free.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Margareth Bluigmars, 64, and Nico Bluigmars, 68, a Dutch couple who live in a tiny home at Minitopia in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. This piece has been edited for length and clarity. Nico: After our four children left home, we started thinking …