Tiny House Movement Is Really Moving
I’m sure you are familiar with the tiny house movement. Taking “downsizing” to its logical conclusion, some people have chosen to build and live in houses that are extremely small.
The average American home has about 2,600 square feet, but the typical “tiny house” has between 100 and 400 square feet. Personally, I’d feel claustrophobic living in a tiny house, but I’d love to have one about 30 to 60 minutes from my home where I could store stuff and bug out to if I needed a temporary place to live.
Some folks buy these tiny houses outright so that they never have a mortgage again. Some tiny houses sell for under $30,000.
Others purchase tiny houses for environmental reasons. Obviously a small house uses far less energy than a medium-sized or large house. Still other people are looking for more time and freedom, and a tiny house provides them with less cleaning and maintenance responsibilities.
And some individuals build tiny houses on their property and use them as art studios or to house aging relatives. Others utilize them as home offices or temporary guest houses for adult children who return needing a place to stay until they get their feet on the ground. Still others plan to retire in these very small abodes.
If I were to purchase a tiny house, I’d be interested in one similar to something I saw in the news recently.
It’s a very small house built on a manually-operated rotating base so that the occupant can turn the house to either face toward or away from the sun. One minute you’d be looking out your window and see your neighbor mowing his lawn across the street, and the next minute you’d look out the same window and see your kids or grandkids playing in the backyard.
Tiny houses represent an interesting trend and we’ll see how much they catch on. You might not be able to host a big Super Bowl party there, but you could definitely save some money by living in one for a while.
Like what you read? There’s more where that came from. See how your stockpile stacks up… Click here!
I live in 3,300 square feet and I’m crowded, I’m also claustrophobic. I love the concept of the tiny homes and I love the pictures of how they make a blank wall into a desk or table or turn a chair and move a cushion and voila you have a bed. But it wouldn’t work for me.
How much do the tiny houses start at and are they just the shell of the house. Do they have a bathroom? Tell me about the plumbing and how much money do the cost. Thanks,
Melina
To me it seems obvious that a tiny house is usually on wheels – called a trailer or motorhome. Why go to all the trouble and expense of building one when you can buy one already built and it is already set up with every convenience!
That said – living in that small a space for a long time gets annoying unless you are a minimalist and have no food or other survival storage. You can only store a few day’s supplies at most. If you have a job, you can’t fit enough clothes to be able to dress well for the office or for a labor job. Cold weather gear takes up more space than is available in a small RV. Keeping an animal with you is nearly impossible. Large RVs work for all those – but they are much more expensive and difficult to find a place to park, as well as haul.
We recently moved from a 3 bed home of our own to a rental 2 bed duplex. We can’t find enough places to store everything and we got rid of lots of stuff when we moved. Medical equipment doesn’t fit. I can’t imagine living in the equivalent of my bedroom only. Too claustrophobic and I love elbow room. I also like having guests. In a large RV you can entertain small groups, but in a small one – NOT.
You are absolutely correct. Thank you. I believe this is a fad. You see these TV programs where a couple spends $60,000 on a ridiculously small thing that looks like a gussied up shed. I can visualize them in a year or so, after banging their heads on the ceiling in the loft for the thousandth time. Or climbing up the ladder since there’s no room for stairs. Yeah, right. Years ago, I owned a ‘park model’ with about 400 sq ft. It was good. As you said, it was already built and well laid out. But so many millennials don’t like the connotation of ‘trailer’ so they spend twice as much on half as much living space.
I hear what you’re saying, Linda. I think I’d get claustrophobic before too long. But it wouldn’t be bad to have as a temporary back-up home if you ever needed one.
“To each his own.” Whether you live in a large house or a tiny one; home is where you hang your hat. I use to drive truck after getting out of the Army for 20 years. I wanted to see the country that most people never have gotten to see, first hand. It was really an adventure. Driving a truck and going across country while sleeping on the truck in what is called a sleeper berth is really an adventure in itself. It was like living in a tiny house on it had wheels.
My opinion about living in a tiny space is this; it isn’t for everyone. It is like living in a box where everything is only an arms distance away. I fixed my living space up and it really looked comfortable. It had to be since I was living in it. But would I like to live in a small space for the rest of my life? Ah, not really. I like the idea of being able to move around and be surrounded with my memories, belongs, and my family. Grand kids need room to romp and a small space isn’t ideal.
Furthermore, I for one needs his personal space at times. I love my wife; but, 24/7 is a bit too much togetherness for my tastes, “Sorry hun.” But like I said in the beginning, “To each, his own.”
After watching HGTV’s Tiny Houses, I found that you can purchase a full size home for about the same price as these tiny ones….they are extremely expensive….would be better to have a motor home…saw a show where they built this woman a house of around 400 or so square feet and the price as over $250,000.00.
Even tiny houses need proper fresh water and waste water systems. “Green” septic systems are not for everyone, and you soon miss the luxury of fresh water if you decide to go with a cistern or other “green” water source. So, if you are going to put in a well and septic system, you might as well build a house of at least 900 sqft. It’s just right for two people.
The Bilderberg Group stated 1bout 8 years age that they were guiding the weak minded people into giving up their larger homes and their land. They always target the very weak minded Sheeple into all of their ways to bring down this once great country,
That is because people are running out of money, just like the government! Do you know what happens then? Stay tuned.
These homes are extremely expensive….some are over $250,000 for a 400 square foot house….you can buy an extremely beautiful motor home for that kind of money and go anywhere you want to go.
Our family has traveled and lived in a “small house” (motorhome) for years. Everything we need is in there, and the limited space makes for a close family, especially when we still had all 8 of our kids with us in our first 32′ Winabago we got used for $9000. We have since upgraded to a 35′ with much more living space- since most of the kids are grown now- and plenty of storage. (It’s not new but has pretty much what the $100K plus ones have, but for a fraction of the cost.)
My wife and I plan to retire in one instead of a big house. It’s self-contained, mobile and paid for, with low taxes and insurance. Besides that. It’s always full of fuel and propane, and is ready to roll in an evacuation scenerio. Small houses are great, except for entertaining groups of guests, but that can be done outside.
We lived with 5 kids in a 32′ motorhome for a time and about drove all of us crazy. Retiring in it would work ok, but not with a job or family. Finding a place to park it became challenging because many of the RV parks are temporary, and the others have a lot of drug-related problems. We lost one of our kids to the drugs because of it. We didn’t live where you could entertain outside, especially since we were in an RV park and the “yard” is more tiny than the RV.
Fuel is getting outrageously expensive and in a grid-down scenario would not be available. Propane won’t be around, either; and it’s the only real way to heat an RV when you can’t plug into the grid.
Never enough storage!
Even RVs are illegal to park on private property for living quarters. Many cities and counties allow it only during house remodel (after fire or flood, etc) with all the proper permits. And yes we see people living in trailers on properties all over most rural countrysides. It takes just one neighbor to complain, to get a visit from a county officer. The result can be a fine, usually from un-permitted and un-inspected utility and sewer/septic connection, not to mention the zoning violation.
And yes, I’ve even been told by a county officer, I cannot use my RV for an office, overnight guests, and it cannot be plugged into power unless its getting it ready for a trip, or returning from a trip for cleaning.
Putting a tiny house on property zoned for single family dwelling is a red flag for property owners, and should be avoided. Unless of course, the property owners goes through the proper permit and approval procedures.
I suggest if one is going to try and get away with illegal secondary dwellings on their property, an RV is much less conspicuous, and easier to try and prove its just a family camping trailer. A tiny house is just too obvious and subject to zoning violations and headaches for the property owner.
So to all those people on Craiglist looking for a farm or backyard to put their tiny house, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb. Get an RV.
So don’t settle in unfriendly counties and cities….go somewhere else with your motor home.
Cut the top out of ford van in late 60;s, leaving metal over the cab. Amazingly, 2×4 fir exactly in channel left around removed top. Simply built box, slanted in front, used sand. paint o coat it.
Easy to make slieout bed about cab, horshoe shaped kitchen table, nothing more than boxes for seats, stoarae underneath,drop table down took self covered 4 in foam for back cushions,dropped table down, slept 3, onan generator under storage seats, window air in back window, propane 3 burner, chem toilet with drap around it. Insulated with regular home insul, floor and sides, actually killer vehicle. Pulled full blown fiberglas bass boat, traveled thru out Mexico, all over the Midwest. Winter time, ubolts, attached to frame in rear, “dogbox, with storage in top mounted on 23/4 in pipe. Simply slide pipe with box on it, into ubolts and there we went. Amazing how good the living in it was for 2 people, when 3, one slept over cab, two in drop down table. Comfort all in how you see it!
We went to motor homes after that but in actuality the van is simpler, easily driven, parked more functional. Been thinking about doing another, material costs probably less than 2 grand, used generator, used van biggest expense.
Enjoy the outdoors here in good ole U.S.A more than enough to see and marvel at right here without all the danger, problems overseas travel. Wonderous sights, western states, southern states, east I mean learn to love America for its beauty, and our freedom.
Be glad to draw rough plan, its easy enough to do!
Enjoy
Answer Man
I think living tiny is a great idea in terms of savings and having a portal life while pursuing the perfect job. How do we know what is out there if we never tour the country to find out. Maybe there is a perfect spot that makes us happy six states away. Growing up and living in one town your whole life is a little like living in stagnate water. How do you know you really lived if you never have life experiences. I applaud the Tiny House community for daring to be different. It is an evolving movement and there are some major changes needed in the interiors of the homes to make them more livable, but it will come with time. They will become more user friendly, more senior friendly, and more practical while still remaining tiny.
Don’t know what the fuss is all about — travel trailers and motor homes have been “downsized” for years. Ours was 272′ motor home, tons of storage, full bathroom, gorgeous full kitchen, and I used to hate having to get out of it and go back in our 900′ house when the weekend was done!!!