Author Topic: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?  (Read 16529 times)

Parizade

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Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« on: February 27, 2012, 05:02:37 AM »
Right now I live in a lovely large townhome with a capsized mortgage. I had plenty of equity when I bought the place but the market value has dropped by $100,000 since the recession hit.

I plan to downsize as soon as it is feasible, and I've been inspired by the tiny homes movement. First I was fascinated by Tiny Tumbleweed Homes www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ but now even they seem pricey to me. I look at videos like this http://youtu.be/UB-MhZkYVo8 and wonder if I would be comfortable with that lifestyle. I enjoy camping but have never done it for extended periods.

Does anyone here have experience with a tiny home?

kolorado

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2012, 07:41:03 AM »
Yes, we're in a tiny house here in South Jersey. 800 square feet and we have a family of 5. No garage, basement or usable attic. We did add a storage shed to the property. Considering that most tiny homes have loft sleeping areas, if I subtract the bedroom square footage, the living areas are just 600 square feet. I could easily go smaller if we weren't home so much. I don't work outside the home and I homeschool the kids. So it isn't so much the stuff we have that sometimes makes the space seem small, but more how much we do here and for what duration.
I would love to stay tiny but we're moving to CO in a couple months and I can't seem to find anything small enough.  I'll keep looking though since we plan to rent while looking to buy. I know I don't ever want over 1600 sq ft no matter how large our family becomes.
Check out www.tinyhouseblog.com . It's my favorite resource for all types of small dwellings. There are many cheaper options out there!
When we bought this small house(for it was "small" to us then being only a newly married couple)we were primarily thinking of how much house we could afford to mortgage and upkeep while buying into the best neighborhood possible. As the years went by and the kids came the house began to shrink. It's fairly easy to be a minimalist as an adult but kids have so much stuff! We kept looking at other houses trying to move but we could not afford what people were asking in the mid 2000's. So I shifted my way of thinking and decided that we would just do the best we could do here. And that's when I found all the Tiny House stuff.
It was so nice to find people who not only shared my beliefs about stuff and space but were joyfully living them out and talking about it too. I stopped fearing people's comments if we chose to stay small and have less. And we've gotten comments over the years. People are confused when you don't do the "normal" thing. I became more empowered to act on my thoughts about space and stuff. My attitude just complete changed and that was the coolest thing. Support from like-minded people is so much more important than I ever knew it was.

velocistar237

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2012, 08:34:51 AM »
My only experience with tiny houses is reading a lot about them for the past 5 years. We live in 1000 square feet, with kids, and this is pretty normal for our area. It would get even more cramped with another child, but the tiny house movement has re-framed the problem as a quality rather than quantity question, so we have some fairly easy improvements in mind to make our space better.

Someday, I would love to build my own house using energy and cost efficient techniques. For a while, I thought a tiny house on a trailer would be best, but now I'd aim for something a little bigger. I haven't heard of many examples of people living in tiny homes long-term, and that gives me a little pause.

If you're in the neighborhood of one of Jay Shafer's workshops, they sometimes have an open-house on one of the nights.
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/workshops

arebelspy

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2012, 09:15:43 AM »
I do like the idea of tiny houses.  The wife and I live in a 400 sq. ft. condo right now (before we lived in a tiny house that was maybe 300-350 sq. ft.), and we could definitely go smaller.

We'll want maybe 800-1000 sq. ft. once we have kids though.
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AJ

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2012, 10:46:36 AM »
Our house is <800 sf (no basement or garage). We have 2 dogs and 3 cats, and we had 2 foster kids as well and it didn't feel cramped.

I will say that there was a adjustment period, though. As much as I want to be minimalist, I have hoarder tendencies, so we really had to pare down our belongings when we moved in. We have had to be especially diligent about keeping tools organized, since we went from having a 2-car garage to a small shed for outdoor storage. But cleaning is a breeze, and utility bills are low. I think we could even go smaller, but I don't think DH would want to go as far as a tiny house.

SoCalSaver

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2012, 01:02:54 PM »
Family of 5 in an 860 sq ft condo with frequent long visits from the in-laws.  The indoor space works out stuff wise but my children are really active. Sometimes they run around in circles in the living room like hamsters! We would love some outdoor space for the kids to run around and a little veggie garden.

shedinator

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2012, 01:41:48 PM »
Some of the larger tinyhome (is that oxymoronic?) designs on tumbleweed appeal to me. I definitely like the motivation to not have so much excess space. But then I look around my 740 sqft 2br apt and wonder where things would fit. As it stands, we have a single living area that serves as dining room, living room, and office, a small kitchen whose cupboards are full to bursting due to the various baking things my pastry chef spouse has accumulated (and profited from), a "master bedroom" that holds our bed and not much more, and a cramped little bathroom. The only place where we could feasibly cut space without feeling incredibly cramped would be reducing my son's room by around 25 sqft, and I'm guessing that will change when he gets older and it needs to hold something other than a bed. I'd love to know if there are design principles that allow people to maximize their space, or if those folks just have fewer material possessions than me.

adam

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2012, 03:07:30 PM »
I've always loved the idea of the tumbleweed homes, but I don't think I could ever sell the wife on it.  Although she is the one who suggested we live in a camper instead of an apartment while we transition from her house back to mine.

Her house is like 1100-1200 sq feet, but feels smaller.  My house is 1398 sq feet but feels huge.  Part of that is I have a 2 car garage that doesn't count to that sq ft #.  We are constantly having storage problems in the 1200 sq ft house because its just not the best design for storage, more open floorspace than necessary and very little, and very cramped, storage areas.

zinnie

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2012, 03:14:29 PM »
I'm in the small (not quite tiny) house group--860 square feet and that's after converting the garage to living space. Although for us it's more out of necessity than intention (gotta love California prices), it keeps our power bills down and forces a minimalist lifestyle. Why have more space for things we don't need? We have plenty of room for two people and two dogs to live.

I love the tiny house blog. I think smaller living spaces is such a neat concept--and so much more energy efficient. Although, it works even better when you live somewhere warm and can spend a lot of time outside all year round.

Parizade

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2012, 08:37:45 PM »
I had to laugh when I read some of these responses. Before "up-sizing" to my town home, I raised my son in an 800 sq ft house with no garage and never thought of it as tiny, just cozy.

So it sounds like I do have experience living in a tiny home, I just didn't realize it at the time. And when I retire it will be just me, so I will need even less room.

The only things I wonder about are sporting goods storage (skis, snowshoes, kayak, bike, backpacking gear, etc.). I'll just have to figure out the best way to store all that before I commit to a tiny home. And I would have to give up the once-a-month cooking, no room for a freezer. Definitely need to think through some things first.

shedinator

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2012, 09:20:47 PM »
I had to laugh when I read some of these responses. Before "up-sizing" to my town home, I raised my son in an 800 sq ft house with no garage and never thought of it as tiny, just cozy.

So it sounds like I do have experience living in a tiny home, I just didn't realize it at the time. And when I retire it will be just me, so I will need even less room.

Humans are like gasses- we expand to fill the space we occupy. So the prospect of moving to a smaller space is generally met with skepticism. Our current home is less than half the size of our previous home, so I'm cognitively aware that size reductions are doable, but I think it's in most people's nature to look around and have no idea how it's possible to beat the tetris game that is moving the stuff that fills one space into a smaller space, and getting it all to fit.

ET

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2012, 10:33:36 PM »
I live with my large dog in <120 sft. Extension cord, no wiring. Bucket/hose, no plumbing. Wood stove only heat source (-12C last night).

I love my house, but then I've always chosen small and simple.
And lest you think only young folks do this, I'm a 50+ year old grandmother.

Skinnyneo

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2012, 11:56:46 PM »
Not sure if this counts but I'm in a <500 sqft apartment with my GF.  I like it a lot as it takes literally 15 minutes to clean it top to bottom.  My only complaint is I would like a bigger kitchen but we make it work.  Rent on this place is really expensive as Yokohama is a very densely populated urban city.  Plus we are about 5 minutes from the train station.  I would love to lower this expense if I could but it really is very convenient, and I can still save quite a bit. 

Parizade

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2012, 06:30:31 AM »
ET, how long have you been living the simple life? I enjoy that kind of living short term, but wonder what it would be like day after day. What if you get sick for a week and can't haul water or empty the loo? What if you break a leg/foot or arm? In short, what are the challenges that make you wish you had a more traditional home?

ET

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2012, 08:49:42 AM »
I've lived here since last summer. But I've lived like this for years before.
I have friends/close neighbors who will help if I need, just as I will help them. So I'm not that worried about the sickness/injury part (plus I'm rarely sick). Sure this could change in an instant but I'm not interested in living my life in constriction/fear mode.

The only "problem" is lack of space for overnight guests.




MsLogica

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2012, 09:01:32 AM »
I don't live in a tiny house, although I do live in a tiny bedroom (it's 2.5 *2.6m, which if I've done my maths properly, is 16ft maybe!), so I do have a little bit of experience of living in small spaces.  I've been following the blog http://rowdykittens.com/ for a while, and the writer has recently moved A 150ft house. It's adorable and the blog is well worth a read.  There are loads of photos of the little house!

I will definitely be buying a small house when I eventually move out.  UK houses are smaller than US houses anyway, but I'm going to aim small on the UK scale too!

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2012, 11:41:47 PM »
My goal is to live in an RV, which is just a mobile tiny house.  My wife, my son  (11 at the time), the dog and I lived in an RV for 8 months.  My son hated it, so we agreed to not do that while he was still at home, but I liked it.  My goal is to eventually spend most of the year traveling the world and when we come back to the US for a few months at a time to live in the RV and travel some, also stay near family some.
Heidi

adam

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #17 on: March 13, 2012, 10:28:31 AM »
I'd like to live on a boat.

Bakari

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #18 on: March 13, 2012, 10:37:24 AM »
I have lived in an RV my entire adult life.  Current one is about 250sq ft, and I live with my girlfriend and Fushi the cat.

In fact, living in an RV is (indirectly) how I ended up on this site in the first place!

A website called Faircompanies.com based in Spain did an interview with me about my RV home and green hauling business:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJc8973GURk (almost a quarter million views!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkFXgg2XnI8 (I like this one better, but it was never popular)

One of the fans of that video looked me up on Facebook, and sent me a message (actually, quite a few people did that)
and he asked if I had ever heard of Jacob of ERE, said I would like him.  Turns out Jacob lived in an RV not far from me, and he was having a meetup in a nearby city in a couple weeks, so I met him in real life.
A few months after that, MMM guest post on ERE, and here I am!

I got so many questions about living in an RV that I wrote a blog post to answer them all at once:
http://biodieselhauling.blogspot.com/2012/03/minor-celebrity.html

Last year the same person who shot the original videos came back out to do a follow up interview.
It is supposed to come out this week!

MountainMan

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #19 on: March 13, 2012, 11:37:21 AM »
Cool interviews!  Thanks for sharing.

HeidiO

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #20 on: March 14, 2012, 01:27:29 PM »
Bakari - how cool!  You have a neat space.
Heidi

tannybrown

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #21 on: March 31, 2012, 11:02:56 PM »
I stumbled across this petition with the White House that would bring about changes to zoning laws re: tiny houses:

http://tinyhouseblog.com/announcement/white-house-petition-requring-states-to-reform-zoning-laws-to-allow-tiny-home-structures/

If that's your thing, please consider signing.  They need 25,000 signatures by the end of this month.

James

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #22 on: April 03, 2012, 08:20:43 AM »
We lived in a house with 1100 sq ft for 8 years and that was just about right for us.  Back then we didn't know what was good for us though, so when we moved we up-sized, and then we up-sized again...  now I've got a 750 sq ft living room that we rarely use, a master bath as larger as our first bedroom, and rooms completely empty because we don't have enough stuff - yay!  (something like 4400 sq ft total, realtor is measuring today so I'll have an exact count this afternoon)  We are selling in order to down size, hoping to end up around 1500 sq ft until our three kids move out, after which we could probably get down to under 1000 and really enjoy have less space.

nondualie

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2012, 09:50:34 AM »
Anyone have experience with "Park Model" tiny-houses?  I believe the general rule is they have to be <400sqft; plus have all the ANSI-RV standards met.

The cool thing is they start around $21K new, vs. $50K for the tumbleweed.

But I think the Tumbleweeds are built more eco-friendly and probably are much more customizable...or maybe not...

Can anyone weigh-in there?

Bakari

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #24 on: April 04, 2012, 10:31:36 AM »
I've never lived in one, but its my plan.

The REALLY cool thing is that apparently, since they are still considered an "RV", not a "house", it still counts as an empty improved lot for property tax purposes - even though it has more living space than most tumbleweeds!  Plus, it can have an interior loft and a covered porch, and those don't count towards the square footage.
Given how many different manufacturers there are, I would expect there are just as many choices, even if any particular model isn't "custumizable" - and, as with anything, buying used beats something new no matter how eco-friendly the new one is built as far as environmental impact.

nondualie

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #25 on: April 04, 2012, 01:49:14 PM »
I was more thinking eco-friendly to one's health living inside of it than to the environment as a whole...  I've heard RVs can be built with some pretty toxic stuff.  Sort of like breathing in that "new car smell" 24/7...(or at least 12/7).

Good thoughts though.  Something to keep in mind for sure; especially the tax bits and the ability to put them on raw land without zoning violations (in some areas).

MacGyverIt

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #26 on: April 04, 2012, 05:56:03 PM »
Just stumbled upon this tiny house blog, pretty interesting - a couple in 125 sq ft:

http://www.facebook.com/tinythemovie

Bakari

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #27 on: April 04, 2012, 08:34:07 PM »
I was more thinking eco-friendly to one's health living inside of it than to the environment as a whole...  I've heard RVs can be built with some pretty toxic stuff.  Sort of like breathing in that "new car smell" 24/7...(or at least 12/7).

Good thoughts though.  Something to keep in mind for sure; especially the tax bits and the ability to put them on raw land without zoning violations (in some areas).

The toxins come from building materials like plywood, particle board, and vinyl.  In other words, stuff that is commonly used in houses too.  The only difference is as RV is smaller, so the off-gassing gets more concentrated if you don't ventilate.

No matter, because the eco for the world solution is also the eco for your health solution - if you buy used instead of new, the trailer has had years and years to off-gas any volatile chemicals.

Parizade

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #28 on: April 05, 2012, 05:57:14 AM »
Bakari, I finally had time to watch all the videos and read the blog - you are amazing! Your electric bill alone was enough to blow me away. If you were in MN I would happily hire you to clean out my garage.

nondualie

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #29 on: April 05, 2012, 10:01:01 AM »
I was more thinking eco-friendly to one's health living inside of it than to the environment as a whole...  I've heard RVs can be built with some pretty toxic stuff.  Sort of like breathing in that "new car smell" 24/7...(or at least 12/7).

Good thoughts though.  Something to keep in mind for sure; especially the tax bits and the ability to put them on raw land without zoning violations (in some areas).

The toxins come from building materials like plywood, particle board, and vinyl.  In other words, stuff that is commonly used in houses too.  The only difference is as RV is smaller, so the off-gassing gets more concentrated if you don't ventilate.

No matter, because the eco for the world solution is also the eco for your health solution - if you buy used instead of new, the trailer has had years and years to off-gas any volatile chemicals.

Good points.  I guess the best solution would be building your own out of recycled and repurposed materials...I've seen quite a few blogs of people who've done this.

Do you think you could build your own though and still get it approved as an RV?

nolajo

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #30 on: April 16, 2012, 09:45:14 PM »
I keep looking at those tiny houses and dreaming. At the moment, I live in a somewhat poorly designed ~ 350 sq. feet. It feels relatively spacious, but due to the position of doors and even more so, outlets (pre-electricity houses ftw!) it's kind of awkward. On the other hand, one of those really inconvenient doors in my living room is a second closet, so for the first time I have adequate storage space. You win some, you lose some. Anyways, I'm firmly of the opinion that this amount of space could be plenty for a single and maybe a couple if a bit more consideration went into the layout/design.

sobezen

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #31 on: July 07, 2014, 07:46:31 PM »
The tinyhomes still look promising.  Has anyone else seen these incredible designs? 
http://www.gizmag.com/big-small-house/27299/
http://www.gizmag.com/gizmag-top-10-tiny-homes/29780/pictures#40

Would consider building one here in the Bay Area but don't want to do it myself.  Has any Mustachians built one by themselves?  Kindly share details.  Thanks.

Ynari

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #32 on: July 09, 2014, 03:24:48 PM »
My boy and I are currently planning to build one.  Actual construction can't start until next year, but we're hoping we can start then.

We've been mostly inspired by hOMe (http://tinyhousebuild.com/).  It's 207 sq ft (317 including lofts).  That seems spacious to us now that we've been designing our own.  Heck, I don't even know what the second loft would ever be used for except guest accomodations.

It's all about the design.  Practically arranged rooms are spacious!  I'm surprised and pleased by all the tiny houses that have WONDERFUL kitchens!  All my kitchens here in apartments are impractically aranged (the only outlet is in the corner above the sink?  What?  I hate corner sinks too!)  Construction is something a lot of people do on their own.  hOMe cost $33k but the only "frugal" thing they did was build it themselves - they splurged on appliances and such, which means cost could vary between the <$10k some people spend to up and beyond that cost as expensive as you want to make it.

There are tons of resources online if you just keep looking.

RetireAbroadAt35

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #33 on: July 11, 2014, 11:09:02 AM »
Last year the same person who shot the original videos came back out to do a follow up interview.
It is supposed to come out this week!

Awesome.  I definitely want to see that. 

I'm intrigued by the tiny house thing, but it seems like land use / zoning is a huge challenge in many places.  Instead, I've been a nomadic small apartment dweller and housemate.  For years I travelled with work and lived out of the accomodations they provided.  Once I had a lease on my own apartment but I only saw it for a few weekends a month and eventually gave up on that.  For the last three years I've been relocating ~ever 1-6 months, renting rooms from new and old friends in interesting places. 

It's been a helluva trip but I'm not sure how long I want to keep this up.  The thing I want more than anything else is a garage/workshop.  It sucks doing projects while parked on the street or having to beg/borrow work space & tools.

GrayGhost

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #34 on: July 11, 2014, 05:55:57 PM »
I am not a tiny house dweller at the moment, and I doubt that I will have a house of my own for several years. Instead I will rent and have roommates, or possibly I'll buy houses with partners and fix them up for slow flips.

With that said, I am extremely intrigued by smaller/greener homes. I've spent a lot of time researching shipping container homes and other innovations like that. The TV show "Living on the Edge", which has two episodes, was right up my alley.

Since then I have been making sketches in my notebook of various home designs, but my absolute lack of architectural skills (not to mention drawing abilities) is a problem. Perhaps someday I'll consult with an architect. Until then I think the most important thing is to focus on what I need in a house.

Perhaps that's a good starting point for the rest of us. Make a list of what you need in a house, and go from there. My list is something like:

Room to work out
A smallish kitchen
A living/dining room to entertain
A bedroom with space for bookshelves, a desk, and guitar stuff
etc

I'm very much intrigued by the idea of having a bunch of windows to overlook an awesome view or something, and I figure I can balance out the poor R values by having a small house and insulating the fuck out of other walls.

If you're interested in badassing it in a shipping container, just google it up and check out images and videos on youtube. I think it's a great idea, and in fact I think it might be possible, if difficult, to literally ship your home to another area if you want to move!

Ynari

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #35 on: July 12, 2014, 10:39:24 PM »
Google Sketchup has been a good (free) program for creating sketches.  It's not *hard* to learn but it can be finicky at times.  There are youtube video tutorials.

My priority is just a 6ftx6ft area in which to stretch and lounge.  We've designed our living area with in-floor storage so as to optimize floor space.  Desk area for my SO is also important.  Expansive kitchen.  I figure anything beyond that (gym, dance studio, hosting area for large groups of people, etc) are things cheaper found elsewhere than paying for in my own house.  (My parents have an extra room for books and musical instruments that they never use/read.  A public library and a guitar hung on the wall serve me just the same.)  It's really about priorities, and thinking about what you really need to have *inside* your home. Which, I think, isn't all that much.

KBecks2

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #36 on: July 13, 2014, 07:05:22 AM »
I have seen some tiny house TV shows.  However, I can't go super tiny.  In all reality, I would like a real washing machine.  However, I like the idea of downsizing to a small home or cabin.  Some of the homes are gorgeous! 

P938LVR

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Re: Any &quot;tiny house&quot; dwellers here?
« Reply #37 on: July 13, 2014, 07:44:26 AM »
My house is not like the tiny houses you see on tv but it is small 700 sq ft for 3 people. No closets or usable attic or basement. We are building a storage building but its not going to be done for another year or so. No garage or anything like that. There us clutter everywhere because ee have always had too much stuff for such a small house.

ShortInSeattle

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #38 on: July 13, 2014, 10:44:33 AM »
We just moved into a sub 450sq ft condo. Once we finish getting decluttered and settled, it's going to be perfect. I love the layout, and the tiny bills (HOA, Electric) are icing on the cake.

We're probably going to get a murphy bed and some stand-alone wardrobes for clothes. How do the rest of you keep things organized?



GrayGhost

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #39 on: July 13, 2014, 05:25:28 PM »
A lofted bed is a good idea, since you can store stuff underneath it.

livingthedream

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #40 on: July 17, 2014, 05:21:22 PM »
Not a tiny house but we lived in a 25 foot RV trailer for 6 months and saw most of the National Parks in the west. http://www.becomingfi.com/mini-retirement-part-ii-going-mobile/
We plan on making our break in three years and spending winters in it down in Baja surfing, hiking, etc.

sobezen

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #41 on: August 06, 2014, 04:24:18 PM »
Cool ideas!  Been researching taking a tinyhome vacation.  :)  Has anyone experienced one?  Care to share?  Thanks!

Blindsquirrel

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #42 on: August 06, 2014, 05:59:33 PM »
   Nope, not a tiny house dweller.  Not to be a total douche canoe but in my part of the country they are called single wide trailers. No need to build one, used ones are dirt cheap most rural areas.  The space efficiency of modern tiny houses totally amazes me though.   

farmstache

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #43 on: October 23, 2014, 09:00:56 AM »
I lost the other Tiny House topic, so here goes a pretty mustachian overview of a tiny house:

http://tinyhouselistings.com/why-my-wife-and-i-are-building-a-tiny-home/

highcountry

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #44 on: October 23, 2014, 09:31:19 AM »
I built one, and live in it. It's lovely.

To the person who mentioned the single wides, it's true that that's basically what they are. The difference is that most tiny homes use much higher quality building materials and are more focused on aesthetics. This also means they cost a lot more.

sobezen

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #45 on: October 23, 2014, 10:02:09 AM »
I find tinyhomes promising. However I am reading in some cities particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, do not allow the construction or habitation in tinyhomes. Has anyone else encountered tinyhome construction and/or habitation restrictions? Kindly share your experiences both positive and challenging. Thanks!

Cheers! :)

arebelspy

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Re: Any "tiny house" dwellers here?
« Reply #46 on: October 23, 2014, 10:14:26 AM »
I find tinyhomes promising. However I am reading in some cities particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area in California, do not allow the construction or habitation in tinyhomes. Has anyone else encountered tinyhome construction and/or habitation restrictions? Kindly share your experiences both positive and challenging. Thanks!

Cheers! :)

That's often why they're built on trailers, rather than on a foundation - to avoid building codes and municipal laws.
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