Tiny home movement

[Sky56]

We live in two places - a small 1 bedroom place with 2 bathrooms that is 650 sq ft. It is a condo in the downtown of a small city, but because of park land and it faces a river, it seems very peaceful and serene though it is only a 6 minute walk to the heart of downtown. The other place is a 3000 sq ft country home on the other side of the state.

I like both places equally and there are pros and cons to both. The top floor condo has two flights of stairs to get to it, but once you're there, living is on one level. It is uncluttered and everything has a place and it's organized, minimalist living. I don't need to drive to go places, I just walk out the door. The view is beautiful.

The country home is large, and fairly remote, and it is full of clutter and stuff. Lots of furniture, knick knacks, hobby supplies, stuff I need and stuff I don't need. I'm always climbing stairs. The view is beautiful as it is situated on a mountain. It has the best fresh air and great well water. Unless I want to walk in the forest next to it, there is nowhere to go unless you get in the car. It has a feeling of living on thousands of acres as the forest is right next to me...and I don't own that forest. The owners of the forest will never sell it. It is a dreamy place.

When I live in one, I miss the other. We divide our time between the two. Some years we live in one more than the other. We plan to rent out the country home for a while and live in the tiny place. Then move back to the country home.

Eventually, the stairs at both may end up being a problem. We may need to go to one-level living eventually.

 

[Circe]

....

As for the second bolded comment--I would get the advantage of living in an expensive area without the cost of buying a real home there. Home prices start near $800,000. The area is not urban, but still really expensive. A tiny house would save me $$ if I actually stay in it for more than a few years and allow me to have a short commute since I could 'park' it in a back yard; there are lots of residential properties, they're all just really expensive; otherwise I'll either be paying $1500-2k a month in rent, or commuting from far and paying at least $1100 in rent, commuting 30-60 mins by car, and paying for tolls and gas too.

Oof, I know your pain: our lease is up this summer, and we're going to have to apartment hunt again. I'm starting to think about buying (doubt it'll be this cycle - maybe the next, since I want to have a realistic sense of what our family situation will be before I dip my toes into those shark-infested waters), and checking NYC real estate is INSANE. A tiny house sounds ideal for someone in the circumstances you describe. The only thing I wonder is ... when you say "'park' it in a back yard," would you be paying someone to rent theirs, or would you have to move it periodically? I know there are weird little patches of land* in most cities that slip between the cracks - odd shaped lots, pieces thought of as byways - and that are sometimes auctioned off. Maybe see if one of those might be an option?

*I first read about these in an article about "Spite Houses," many of which probably also technically fit the definition of tiny houses. Maybe not full of practical advice, but definitely amusing! http://thehairpin.com/2013/12/spite-houses-ranked-by-spite-ness

 

[artdecogirl]

I love the idea of this but I also love my stuff The ikea here in minneapolis has something like this, I think it is about 400 square feet and it is awesome, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, kitchen / dining and living area with all the storage options ikea could muster, lots of floor to ceiling shelving, pretty cool I think but would only work for a single or a couple, I could see myself retiring to this space easily.

 

[iLander]

I thought you might find this slideshow enjoyable, many unique ideas.

Some of these houses can be built on "unbuildable" lots, just a thought.

http://www.dwell.com/house-tours/slideshow/price-wise-design-10-affordable-houses-around-globe

 

[Indylady]

I thought you might find this slideshow enjoyable, many unique ideas.

Some of these houses can be built on "unbuildable" lots, just a thought.

http://www.dwell.com/house-tours/slideshow/price-wise-design-10-affordable-houses-around-globe

Now that is gold. Those are the only affordable lots around here, and are still in the $100-300k range.

 

[Indylady]

*I first read about these in an article about "Spite Houses," many of which probably also technically fit the definition of tiny houses. Maybe not full of practical advice, but definitely amusing! http://thehairpin.com/2013/12/spite-houses-ranked-by-spite-ness

Thank you--I am getting a serious kick out checking out these Spite Houses! In some way, that is how I feel about housing costs where I am--and it makes me feel a little determined to find a way to get something that I can afford that will still be "mine" rather than a ridiculously overpriced rental.

 

[iLander]

Came across this article today

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-couple-built-their-own-tiny-home-for-less-than--10-000-162920658.html

Not my idea of fun.

 

[Indylady]

Came across this article today

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-couple-built-their-own-tiny-home-for-less-than--10-000-162920658.html

Not my idea of fun.

Thanks ILander! Such an awesome project--and less than 10k? The toilet is the only curious part; they just cover waste with wood shavings. I don't know if I'm quite ready to give up a more traditional looking toilet...

 

[amc80]

Came across this article today http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-couple-built-their-own-tiny-home-for-less-than--10-000-162920658.html Not my idea of fun.

Agreed. When DH and I have (very casually) discussed buying an RV to live in, we pretty quickly decide the cost savings would be eaten up by the divorce lawyer.

 

[NTave]

I also read the not so big house..after we had built our house, but encorporated a few elements in storage space. I would love a cottage as a vacation home or retirement space..I don't see the point of keeping up a large house and paying the taxes that we do once the kids are out of school. I watched a documentary of a couple with one child living in a tiny house, and that really looked like not enough space for traditional kid toys, etc..plus living in an area with harsh winters I think it would be too small, but would be great for milder temped areas. But it's a great alternative to traditional mortgage or rent.

 

[zoebartlett]

Came across this article today http://finance.yahoo.com/news/this-couple-built-their-own-tiny-home-for-less-than--10-000-162920658.html Not my idea of fun.

Agreed. When DH and I have (very casually) discussed buying an RV to live in, we pretty quickly decide the cost savings would be eaten up by the divorce lawyer.

Yeah, I agree. I don't need a huge house, but I'd prefer to have room to spread out and not always feel like we're on top of each other. That would get old really fast.

 

[mrs taylor]

I'm a huge fan of the tiny home movement. However,for me it needs to be done with class and style. I am a minimalist at heart, but with 3 kids and two dogs it can be an ongoing challenge. So for now I have more things than I'd like (my precious books! my art! my THINGS!) in an effort to compensate that we chose to settle with durable furniture for now and make it feel like home.

With an endless budget I would so happily live in under 1000 sq. feet if I could decorate it the way *I* need to live. We're moving in two months and I will be claiming on of the rooms for my own and doing JUST THAT.

 

[ming]

I love the idea of being able to do this but I don't think that I could commit to anything less than 1000sqft for a house. I love to cook so need lots of space for pots and pans etc. And I have a bad shoe habit. And coat habit. And makeup, hair products and sock habit. And, heck, anything I can buy at Target in multiples habit like T's and pants.

We have a 1200 sq ft house and it's not well utilized right now so if I looked at just the space we use we'd be around 100.
But with all that said we are moving to London and not moving our things until we move to the suburbs so I'll be downsizing out of necessity. I'm just taking those clothes and shoes I need to be a tourist and just those kitchen items that our rental doesn't have (which isn't much but not pots/pans just things like a strainer, steak knives etc.) I am hoping that after the year I'll be free of too much stuff and be more willing to part with my excess.

 

[mrs taylor]

Ming, I think that is part of what draws me to this movement. I've lived in small spaces before that weren't well utilized. This particular tiny home mentality seems to go into things VERY intentionally, and each nook and cranny is put to good use. If I could do that, or build with that in mind, I think things could be quite different.

When you read books like The Not So Big House, it's amazing how well planned every room is with regards to layout.

That said, my father is currently building a house that has upwards of 10,000 square feet. Although he is paying great attention to detail, it will not be with the same calculated need to make every inch count. I personally feel that is just too much for someone like me to maintain, and would prefer 2,000 sq feet of very purposefully used space.

 

[ming]

MrsTaylor, That is absolutely key. I am always looking up for storage up high. It would need to be really well thought out but I think you'd still need to cull a lot of junk. Heck, we can probably all cull excess from somewhere.

It will be interesting moving to london. Our flat has 2 wardrobes (one in each bedroom) plus some cabinets in the kitchen and a small clothes washer area. I was there this week and spent a day just organizing my husbands junk-to-me/Apple-things-to him and the things he uses when working at home. I'm coercing him into buying at least a piece of furniture we can put all his work stuff and files and then maybe 2 smaller dressers we can use as bedside tables and for storage. I honestly start to feel frozen by all my stuff so I envy those that can live in tiny spaces.

 

[MarionC]

If you can build a house like a boat or an RV, you can live tiny.
I built a tiny house 14 years ago and suffered the whole time in my constantly controlled chaos
This spring I am finally adding on because I simply had to have more room to make the place function.