Tiny home movement

[Indylady]

Has anyone been interested in this? Its basically a movement towards downsizing, and moving into small houses ranging from 120-500 sqft, give or take, in an effort to free tiny home owners of huge mortgages and debt from a large house/lots of furniture/etc. http://tinyhousetalk.com/ I'd love to hear from people that are interested in this idea

 

[GliderPoss]

I'm interested in this! It's part of a larger effort on my part to simplify my life. I started by reading this blog http://www.theminimalists.com/ and that got me more interested in thinking about my work/life balance ratio and where we wanted to be in 5, 10 years.

As a military couple we have to move a lot so it makes sense to declutter and scale down our belongings (packing millions of boxes is NOT fun! ) and we went through a period of our life where we struggled financially. Although we are fine now it certainly gave me a better understanding of 'Needs vs Wants". We both like the idea of living in a small sustainable home with a focus on quality handmade goods, homegrown food and enjoying travel rather than the constant battle of a large mortgage, excessive consumerism etc. I'm totally aware of the irony of this goal whilst posting on this site - jewels are not exactly a "need" but we all have our faults...

I probably wouldn't go too small for a home, after all I enjoy having family visits so we would prefer something like this http://www.prebuilt.com.au/index.php or http://modscape.com.au/prefab-homes-commercial-buildings-australia/ which is still less than the average $300K+ house price here. Problem is finding availabile, reasonably-priced land to actually build on! I loath building estates and refuse to live like a sardine in a tin, so we are looking for small acreage that doesn't cost a fortune but is still within easy travel links to the city for work. Not easy...

 

[amc80]

DH and I have talked about this sort of thing. We want to move out of state in a year or so, but just found out the house we rent is up for sale...so we have to move now, and again in a year. We are going to get rid of as much crap as we can for this move. Just yesterday we went to an RV show and were talking about how much money we could save by buying one and living in it. I suggested we get rid of ALL of our stuff and put that money toward the RV. His response? "But I like stuff!"

 

[Indylady]

Awesome! I'm really excited to hear from you both. I'm struggling between student debt and wanting a place to call 'my own'. I've moved a lot in the past few years, sometimes more than once a year. But, where I live, renting is incredibly expensive and buying is even more expensive. I really just want a small space to call my own--to nail something down, to paint a wall--things that you really can't do while renting, or isn't worth it because its a rental and I'll move soon anyway. Its definitely hard to find a lot; county regulations where I live have a lot of requirements that slate the table towards really wealthy people that will build large houses, so finding a lot, and then fitting into county regulations, are both hurdles towards finding an affordable, livable space.

 

[iLander]

In the late 1990's there was a book, called The Not So Big House, and it was a big contrast to the McMansions that were everywhere.

http://www.notsobighouse.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/Not-Big-House-The-Blueprint/dp/1561583766

I got the book and loved a lot of it. We ended up building a house a few years later, and though it's not very small, it does have some of the ideas in the book. For example, we have the washer and dryer in a closet in the hall, and when we open the closet doors -Bingo!- the hall is a laundry room for those few minutes we actually use it. Our previous house wasted almost 200 square feet on a laundry room. We learned a lot about space efficiency. Your local library may have the book, which is fascinating.

I've seen a lot of these new micro houses and I think some of it is derived from the not-so-big movement. I don't think I can live in a micro house, having spent a lot of time thinking about space and how we use it as a family. I'm kind of an architecture fan and have a pile of books on the psychology of architecture: how spaces make you feel, how they force you to interact or drive families apart, how a space can be flexible and what is the bare minimum for us, personally. Our minimal size is 1000 square feet, no question about it, though we currently live in a much larger space.

I like the Swiss army knife aspect of some of these tiny spaces (youtube NYC apartment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwQHd0BYcc) , but they would never suit me. I LOVE the energy efficiency of smaller spaces, though. I think that will become more important as energy costs rise.

 

[packrat]

I love the idea. I've seen some things on pinterest and it is fascinating. Living out in the boonies as we do, we'd have no problem finding land. Or we could buy land in town, that wouldn't be a problem either. We've talked about doing something like this when the kids are older/out of the house. Tho...I love our house/yard and I don't want to start all over again! (we have a small house but not itty bitty)

 

[ksinger]

I'm interested in this! It's part of a larger effort on my part to simplify my life. I started by reading this blog http://www.theminimalists.com/ and that got me more interested in thinking about my work/life balance ratio and where we wanted to be in 5, 10 years.

As a military couple we have to move a lot so it makes sense to declutter and scale down our belongings (packing millions of boxes is NOT fun! ) and we went through a period of our life where we struggled financially. Although we are fine now it certainly gave me a better understanding of 'Needs vs Wants". We both like the idea of living in a small sustainable home with a focus on quality handmade goods, homegrown food and enjoying travel rather than the constant battle of a large mortgage, excessive consumerism etc. I'm totally aware of the irony of this goal whilst posting on this site - jewels are not exactly a "need" but we all have our faults...

I probably wouldn't go too small for a home, after all I enjoy having family visits so we would prefer something like this http://www.prebuilt.com.au/index.php or http://modscape.com.au/prefab-homes-commercial-buildings-australia/ which is still less than the average $300K+ house price here. Problem is finding availabile, reasonably-priced land to actually build on! I loath building estates and refuse to live like a sardine in a tin, so we are looking for small acreage that doesn't cost a fortune but is still within easy travel links to the city for work. Not easy...

Hey! I just saw those guys when they came through OKC! It was a good presentation, and a friend gifted me with their book, which is also good. I've been working on getting rid of STUFF, because I'm at the age when I need to pare down a lot, and I DO have a "not so big" house, at 1100 sq feet. It's easy to fill that up!

 

[rosetta]

We live in a 480 square foot home! I know all about living in a small space (and with a man too). It can be challenging if you like shoes

 

[wakingdreams53]

Surprised to see this on PS, but then again, smaller homes, bigger diamonds

FI loves the movement and finds it super inspirational. I, on the other hand, don't. We currently live in a 395 sqft studio. It could be much more functional than we have it, but there's only so much we can do without owning it. Will definitely be getting a Murphy bed soon though!

 

[missy]

Don't think I could do it with 4 kitties and a dh with many many hobbies. And don't want to do it either. Been there done that in undergrad and graduate school and I like my space too much! But good for those who can make it work and enjoy it as well.

 

[Sky56]

Something you will find interesting:

http://hobbitatspaces.com/

 

[Indylady]

In the late 1990's there was a book, called The Not So Big House, and it was a big contrast to the McMansions that were everywhere.

http://www.notsobighouse.com/ and http://www.amazon.com/Not-Big-House-The-Blueprint/dp/1561583766

I got the book and loved a lot of it. We ended up building a house a few years later, and though it's not very small, it does have some of the ideas in the book. For example, we have the washer and dryer in a closet in the hall, and when we open the closet doors -Bingo!- the hall is a laundry room for those few minutes we actually use it. Our previous house wasted almost 200 square feet on a laundry room. We learned a lot about space efficiency. Your local library may have the book, which is fascinating.

I've seen a lot of these new micro houses and I think some of it is derived from the not-so-big movement. I don't think I can live in a micro house, having spent a lot of time thinking about space and how we use it as a family. I'm kind of an architecture fan and have a pile of books on the psychology of architecture: how spaces make you feel, how they force you to interact or drive families apart, how a space can be flexible and what is the bare minimum for us, personally. Our minimal size is 1000 square feet, no question about it, though we currently live in a much larger space.

I like the Swiss army knife aspect of some of these tiny spaces (youtube NYC apartment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLwQHd0BYcc) , but they would never suit me. I LOVE the energy efficiency of smaller spaces, though. I think that will become more important as energy costs rise.

Very cool ILander!! I will definitely check that book out. It sounds awesome.

My ideal would be small, but larger than micro too, let's say around 850-1000 sq ft, but--where I live there are a ton of zoning regulations that won't allow a small house; county requirements like a 400 sq ft garage kind of take away from the tiny living idea; lots are also so expensive that buying land automatically means that I would have debt and a mortgage. The only way to afford it is to go 'micro' because really small structures don't require permits, and are 'affordable' for me too.

 

[Indylady]

We live in a 480 square foot home! I know all about living in a small space (and with a man too). It can be challenging if you like shoes

That sounds awesome and like a great size for two. Do you enjoy it altogether? Is it something you could see yourself in for the long term? I've lived in spaces as small as single dorm rooms, so I've felt small, but I haven't ever been in a space with the idea of 'forever' in mind.

 

[Indylady]

I love the idea. I've seen some things on pinterest and it is fascinating. Living out in the boonies as we do, we'd have no problem finding land. Or we could buy land in town, that wouldn't be a problem either. We've talked about doing something like this when the kids are older/out of the house. Tho...I love our house/yard and I don't want to start all over again! (we have a small house but not itty bitty)

I so wish I lived in a city with some open land. Where I live, its so, so expensive. How large is your house now? Could you see yourself going smaller, or do you feel like you have a minimum too?

 

[zoebartlett]

I love reading about and watching shows that feature tiny houses and the reasons people have for living that way. I couldn't do it though. I'm not a fan of having a lot of stuff but I have a lot of professional books and resources that I can't get rid of, so I deal.

 

[rosetta]

We live in a 480 square foot home! I know all about living in a small space (and with a man too). It can be challenging if you like shoes

That sounds awesome and like a great size for two. Do you enjoy it altogether? Is it something you could see yourself in for the long term? I've lived in spaces as small as single dorm rooms, so I've felt small, but I haven't ever been in a space with the idea of 'forever' in mind.

We are looking for a new home. Which will be bigger, but not huge! I like living in a cosy area, the UK is cold and it's just not a great idea to be heating more space than necessary. I need more closet space, I need my own bathroom and office, but I prefer all those spaces to be pretty small. My bugbear is "dead" space: places you never use but just walk through. What's the point? We don't entertain a lot at home (prefer to go out) and and the only people who would stay over are close family, who are very happy to squish in wherever

Real estate is very expensive here, so we figured that we'd prefer a small space with many lovely things, rather than space with fewer lovely things.

I also have the tendency to fill spaces up with stuff. It's just junk, I don't even use 10% of it. So a small space forces me to sort it out, I'd never purge regularly otherwise. 800-1000 sq ft would do very nicely for me. Anymore and I'd start dumping things in closets again.

It's funny because both my husband and I grew up in large houses (my parents are building a 4,000 sq ft house to retire in!) so we've had to think outside what is normal for us. My in laws still live in a 3000 sq ft home, which feels empty whenever we visit. Big houses come to life when they are filled with people, otherwise they feel rather sad IMHO.

I highly recommend small homes. By that I mean homes that fit the family you have. Fortunately, on our small island we tend to have just that!

 

[zoebartlett]

I think being happy in a house, no matter what size, is all about having good storage and having a functional space. I like seeing the creativity people come up with to address those things in tiny spaces.

The townhouse we live in now is the largest place we've lived (just over 1700 square feet), but the layout isn't the greatest. Our first floor is so small/cramped and we hate it. We have a basement that's been good for storage but we don't use the space for anything else since it's so musty down there. It's kind of wasted space. The third floor is fine, but who wants to spend the majority of their time in the bedrooms? The condo we lived in before moving here last summer was maybe 200 square feet smaller but it had an awesome layout and really, really great storage space. Even though it's smaller, I MUCH preferred that condo to the one we're in now.

 

[JewelFreak]

Micro houses or houseboats attract me a lot in the abstract but I could not live that way with DH. He's a packrat, first of all. Clutter drives me crazy. I also need a room that is all mine, where I can be by myself (with cats & dogs) when I want to, which is often. My 1st apartment was a studio in Manhattan, kitchen on the wall. I don't want to do that again, but a little place w/one bedroom would be cozy to me -- depending on architecture, locale, & storage space. I LOVE cottages, would adore to live in one.

--- Laurie

 

[chrono]

500 square feet feels awfully cramped for a family of 4 or larger.

 

[iLander]

I seriously considered this house plan, only 1100 square feet.

http://www.rosschapin.com/Plans/Houses/ThreeGable/ThreeGable.html

It's too cute, and you can explore the floor plans and interiors of many smallish houses on this guys site.

But I have figured something out about house building: getting it going is the expensive part. The first few hundred square feet absorb a lot of cost, so the cost per square foot is very high. After a certain point, the cost per foot drops steeply, so you might as well just go full bore. It works out to be the most cost effective, overall.

If you do decide to build a house someday, on-line plan companies are a fantastic source, much better than local builder, cheaper than an architect.

 

[chrono]

Also, as one gets older, having an upstairs/downstairs plan is generally not a good idea as the knees aren't as spritely as they used to be. I would love a cozy 1000 square foot home for just the two of us though. Less cleanup every weekend!

 

[JewelFreak]

Those are just adorable, iLander. The small ones, though, don't seem to have laundries & only one big closet. The closet part might be bearable with enough hidden storage elsewhere, but a laundry is a must. Laundromats -- been there, done that, don't wanna do it again! Loft beds are impossible for me, with bad claustrophobia. I saw some in European tiny apartments & on House Hunters, etc. Feels like climbing into a coffin -- I'd panic; just the thought makes me short of breath.

Otherwise, they are neat & super prices for the plans.

--- Laurie

 

[luv2sparkle]

I like the idea of it and I love looking at the pictures and reading the stories, but I am not sure I could do it in real life. It would depend on how many people are living in the teeny tiny house. We are looking at a new 5th wheel trailer that is pretty awesome and has a back bunk room, and I think I could actually live in it. My biggest problem would be not having room for my sewing machine and quilting stuff. I wouldn't want to give that up. My machine is a monster and needs it's space!

My son is interested in container homes. They are made from shipping containers and have some fantastic designs.

Our first house was 840 sq. feet. I could live in that but it would have to be just hubby and myself. but I think I would have to be forced by economic circumstances to do it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think they would make a great second home, like on a lake or in the mountains! But I'd go crazy in a space that small all the time unless I lived alone. And even then, it would have to have a bed on the main level and a laundry room and adequate storage. We looked at small homes for our daughter when she graduated from college and she ultimately bought an 1100 sq ft house. It was adorable! But after adding a husband, dog, and baby, they moved to a 1900 sq ft house before #2 was scheduled to arrive! I think that is a very nice size and I could downsize to that if we ever had reason to. But moving is sooo much trouble that the thought of it makes me sick!!! Our current house is relatively big, but all the space my husband and I use is downstairs. Once our youngest is at college or has her own place, the upstairs will just be closed up and not heated or anything. The master br and everything we need is on the main level.

 

[zoebartlett]

DS, moving the essentials to the first floor was what my parents did a few years ago. They recently finished renovating their kitchen, and one of the things they did was add a new washer/dryer unit to one wall. They're in a cabinet so you'd never know they're there, but my parents wanted them on the first floor so they wouldn't have to trek to the basement to do laundry. The upstairs is now for guests, so my parents rarely venture upstairs or downstairs.

I looked at a 600 sq. ft. house several years ago, and it was the most adorable house I've seen. They're was surprisingly a lot of storage, and virtually every piece of furniture was multi-purpose. The upstairs was essentially just a loft, and that was used as an office. I remember being so impressed with the house. It was definitely cozy, but it didn't feel to small. It wouldn't have worked for me, but I did love it.

 

[baby monster]

I find the concept of reduced housing costs appealing but not really doable for a family. I grew up in a 600sq ft 2bed/1bath space shared between 2 adults and 2 children. It was very tight. We didn't have a lot of things but it was still very cramped. We now live in 1200sqft space that I find adequate but work very hard at keeping influx of "stuff" at bay. DH likes to bring in things that I consider clutter and kid plastic-y matter just seems to multiply on its own. I try to recycle or give away as many unnecessary things as possible. I would feel suffocated in 120-500sqft.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

DS, moving the essentials to the first floor was what my parents did a few years ago. They recently finished renovating their kitchen, and one of the things they did was add a new washer/dryer unit to one wall. They're in a cabinet so you'd never know they're there, but my parents wanted them on the first floor so they wouldn't have to trek to the basement to do laundry. The upstairs is now for guests, so my parents rarely venture upstairs or downstairs.

I looked at a 600 sq. ft. house several years ago, and it was the most adorable house I've seen. They're was surprisingly a lot of storage, and virtually every piece of furniture was multi-purpose. The upstairs was essentially just a loft, and that was used as an office. I remember being so impressed with the house. It was definitely cozy, but it didn't feel to small. It wouldn't have worked for me, but I did love it.

Zoe, we actually lived in a house for 20 years when raising our kids that had all the bedrooms upstairs. So when we moved three years ago, we made sure everything we needed was on one level. I almost never go upstairs, either! That was great that your parents were able to do the same thing!

 

[packrat]

I love the idea. I've seen some things on pinterest and it is fascinating. Living out in the boonies as we do, we'd have no problem finding land. Or we could buy land in town, that wouldn't be a problem either. We've talked about doing something like this when the kids are older/out of the house. Tho...I love our house/yard and I don't want to start all over again! (we have a small house but not itty bitty)

I so wish I lived in a city with some open land. Where I live, its so, so expensive. How large is your house now? Could you see yourself going smaller, or do you feel like you have a minimum too?

Our house now is..I think 1100 and then 800 basement? My parents where I grew up is 1400/1400, thereabouts, so it was a bit of a shock to move into a place where two of our bedrooms are about the size of just my bedroom at their house. I have become a master of getting rid of things. I could go smaller w/the bedrooms easily, just have them big enough for the bed and dressers. We are, funnily enough, repurposing our single car attached garage--just over half of it will become JD's workshop, as he is starting a hobby-business from home, and the other part is being added to the kitchen.

If I had my druthers, I would have a small log home that is just a kitchen/living room/bathroom as the main floor, and then the basement would be offset, so not directly under the house (tornadoes dont'cha know, you can't get much safer than that), and would have the three bedrooms, another bathroom w/laundry, and a small computer/homework/play area, kind of like a landing. I would have drawers/cupboards/shelves IN the walls so no bedroom furniture, just a bed so the rooms can be as small as possible. Add storage under the bed. Space should be saved for kitchens/living rooms...not a lot of space tho haha.

if we could rearrange our house inside magically, and put in proper storage (the thought of which makes me positively giddy-floor to ceiling *inside the walls* omg can you imagine?) we could take a few hundred square feet off the total we have right now easily. The problem is it has a stupid floor plan. I bet we could do 800/800, even w/the little extra we get from the garage.

 

[Circe]

Having grown up in NYC apartments, YES, I can totally imagine living in a space that size. In fact, I just looked up the square footage of my REALLY BIG by NYC standards apartment, and it's ... 1300 square feet. Now, this is with 15ft ceilings, which makes everything nice and airy. But that's with three grown-ups and a toddler, so ....

My last apartment, with two-and-a-halfish (we had a lot of houseguests), was 700 square feet (but way higher ceilings). That felt roomy, too. And I am a person who likes STUFF. I have a dozen overstuffed bookcases. There are three closets for just my clothes. (I realize there are people in big suburban places scoffing right now, but by middle-class NYC standards, this is opulence, baby.) And I compare this to my 2500sqft home in California, and all I can think is, WHY? We didn't need that space! It didn't compensate for the lack of an urban environment!

Which, at the end of the day, would probably be my only objection to the (Aw!) Hobbitat-type housing. I'm guessing you can't just set one of those up in your local community garden or whatever. So ... does it mean you get both the disadvantages of living outside of an urban environment, and without one of the few benefits suburbia offers?

 

[Indylady]

Having grown up in NYC apartments, YES, I can totally imagine living in a space that size. In fact, I just looked up the square footage of my REALLY BIG by NYC standards apartment, and it's ... 1300 square feet. Now, this is with 15ft ceilings, which makes everything nice and airy. But that's with three grown-ups and a toddler, so ....

My last apartment, with two-and-a-halfish (we had a lot of houseguests), was 700 square feet (but way higher ceilings). That felt roomy, too. And I am a person who likes STUFF. I have a dozen overstuffed bookcases. There are three closets for just my clothes. (I realize there are people in big suburban places scoffing right now, but by middle-class NYC standards, this is opulence, baby.) And I compare this to my 2500sqft home in California, and all I can think is, WHY? We didn't need that space! It didn't compensate for the lack of an urban environment!

Which, at the end of the day, would probably be my only objection to the (Aw!) Hobbitat-type housing. I'm guessing you can't just set one of those up in your local community garden or whatever. So ... does it mean you get both the disadvantages of living outside of an urban environment, and without one of the few benefits suburbia offers?

To the first bolded comment--hahahahaha!! I know just what you mean. My apartment now is definitely "big for the city" but SO small compared to my home and the homes in the suburban neighborhood I grew up in.

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.