I'm sick, and stuck at home watching HGTV. This "tiny house" thing is intriguing.

[Joanne]

Do you think you could or would enjoy living in one?

 

My kids are now nearly 20, 18, and nearly 16. I have lived in a 3400 sq foot home, and several other homes ranging in size from 1100 to 2400.

 

If my kids were up and out, I would consider a tiny home. A tiny home on property that would allow me to buy and have 2 tiny homes would be great. One for me, and one for a private practice/guest house. :)

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

If I was single and didn't have two dogs and a cat.  

[Seasider]

Yes, if it were me, alone, I could definitely do it. I would like a nice piece of property and a dog for security. I could get minimalist enough if it were just me. I don't think I could do with a husband and definitely not with husband and kid(s)! I love the creative solutions for multi-purpose space and storage. I'm also intrigued by the notion of living off the grid.

 

I have often thought a tiny house would be a great option for a young single or newlyweds. It would be so smart to live small while saving for a larger family home to be built on the same property, if they want to eventually raise a family.

 

A tiny house would also make a great vacation property, I think, much like a cabin.

[Arcadia]

I won't mind a studio apartment for retirement. I'll probably be at the library from opening hours to closing time. My home is 865sqft anyway and we stayed at a 675sqft rental apt. before buying.

[LucyStoner]

My husband and I brought our older son home to a studio so small we had to loft the bed to have room for a love seat, a table and pack in play. It was fine. Everything in that apartment had a spot and a minimum of 2 uses, lol. We were very happy there. We moved to a 1 bedroom house after that. Right now we live in a small 3 bedroom under 1000 sf.

 

My ideal house right now would have a largish dining and living room for entertaining, a small bedroom in back and a sleeping loft upstairs for the kids. A small kitchen is fine. I think that could be pretty small. Not tiny but small.

 

My husband and I have talked about retiring to tiny cabin or yurt.

[Catwoman]

No.

 

Just NO.

 

But I love watching the TV shows about tiny houses, though! :)

[Audrey]

I would. I've lived in very small apartments before while single with a cat.  I don't need (or particularly want) large living spaces.  I'm fascinated by that show as you are.  Even though I don't have an officially tiny house, I find the ways in which they organize space and make everything multi-functional to be very helpful and thought-provoking.  It's inspired me to make my own space more multi-purposeful.

[TravelingChris]

I could have a tiny place as a second home.   My dh, dd, and I went on a cruise this month.  It was for a week.  But there were apparently several people on board who had been on the ship for weeks (passengars, not crew).  We actually had a bigger cabin on this ship than on the others I have been on and could definitely see myself on the ship for weeks or months.   I would prefer to be going to different places though and not just over and over again to the same places.  However, I could do that for a while too.  My dd thought she would be bored with many days at sea like on a cruise across the Pacific.  I wouldn't however. 

 

On land I wouldn't like to do that, at least not permanently.  I like my house and my city and want to stay in this house. 

[fraidycat]

I think I could. Alone, with my kitties. My kids and husband would not enjoy it.

[elegantlion]

I could do small, maybe 400 sf, and I don't necessarily want land.maybe a studio in an old building.

[DawnM]

I really don't think I could do it.

 

I once rented a place that was a single car garage size that had been converted into a studio apt.  I didn't even like that and felt it was far too small.

 

 

[Pawz4me]

We could do it.

 

We have an RV.  When the slides are out I think we have around 350-400 square feet of space.  The boys, DH and I have traveled/lived in it for as much as three weeks at a time.  So, yes, we could do it.  If it were just me, DH and the dogs (and our cats) it would be even easier.

 

But would I want to live in such a small space long term?  No.  Definitely not.

[Joyofsixreboot]

Dh and I lived in a studio apartment so we can. I enjoy it much more than he does. I feel cozy, he feels cramped soooo, I guess if he leaves, LOL. Oh, and he takes the 7 kids ;). Until this summer all of us lived in 2000 ish sq ft so essentially per person I guess our house is tiny.

[PrincessMommy]

My husband and I brought our older son home to a studio so small we had to loft the bed to have room for a love seat, a table and pack in play. It was fine. Everything in that apartment had a spot and a minimum of 2 uses, lol. We were very happy there. We moved to a 1 bedroom house after that. Right now we live in a small 3 bedroom under 1000 sf.

 

My ideal house right now would have a largish dining and living room for entertaining, a small bedroom in back and a sleeping loft upstairs for the kids. A small kitchen is fine. I think that could be pretty small. Not tiny but small.

 

My husband and I have talked about retiring to tiny cabin or yurt.

 

This is me too.  I would like to keep a large dining area too, for when I see all my kids, spouses, and grandkids (9.5 and counting).   We currently have a large master beddroom and it is SUCH a waste of space.  I'm thinking about putting one of my looms in there because it does get a good amount of sun.  Our previous house had just the right size master bdrm... big enough for a queen and a dresser and some walking room. 

 

[JustEm]

I could if it was just dh, the dogs, and me.  With kids I could do a pretty small house as long as it had an open layout and ample storage space.  I'm amazed at how much storage some tiny houses have and the creativity of the designs.

[Carrie12345]

Yes and no.

I have additional requirements - a large pavillion with outdoor kitchen for entertaining, and a large storage building for homesteading equipment and food storage.  If I can have that, I'll happily reside in a tiny house.  :tongue_smilie:

[Chris in VA]

The romantic in me would enjoy it. At least the idea of it. I love the video of the homeschooling mom who lives in a tiny house--her son has a loft, and they have a business right next door (gift basket makers). I can't find it, but it's peaceful and inspiring.

 

My friend is building a tiny house on wheels (trailer under the house) and giving it to her dd as a graduation gift (high school--homesch). 

[Guest]

No. I do want to downsize for our next house, and I want more self-sufficient lifestyle features, such as a wood burning cookstove and solar energy. But I love to have space around me. If I could not get away from things like guitar practicing and people watching Walking Dead, I would go straight-up insane. Also, I don't want a tiny kitchen, like, AT ALL. I'm pretty serious about making food and don't want clutter or lack of prep/cooking space to interfere.

[craftymama]

I would love to see what those designers could do with a modest family home.  I would love a normal sized house that had no wasted space.  To me, the tiny house thing is fine for the young and single or newly married, but three kids later we need more space.

[Amira]

I can't wait to get back to smaller homes. We don't get to choose where we live right now, but when we did, I preferred 200 sq ft per person. I do need separate rooms so I don't like studio apartments, but dh and I hope to build our own tiny house when he retires. I'd much rather focus on the perfect location or having a lot of space outside than living in a larger home.

[Cinder]

I think I could live in a tiny house; dd probably could too. But dh could not. He gets claustrophobic if there isn't enough scenery change around him. And we still have ds2 here who likes to get away from people so I don't think it would work for him either.

 

Still, I'm fascinated with the concept and have enjoyed the few episodes I've seen.

[SparklyUnicorn]

No I could not live like that.  I have too many hobbies.  Where would we put our books and computers?  I'm not willing to give up those things.  And cooking, I need some space to cook.  That said, our house is not huge.  I thought I'd be excited about 3 bathrooms (coming from a home with only 1), but sometimes I wish I only had one because cleaning three is a pain.

 

 

 

[Lady Marmalade]

I could do it if I lived in a nice enough climate that I could entertain in a nice outdoors space.   So I wonder if a large outside footprint kind of negates the point of the tiny house.

 

But, that would be me alone.  I could never do it with DH.  There are days 1200 square feet is not enough space for our family of four. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I could do it if I lived in a nice enough climate that I could entertain in a nice outdoors space.   So I wonder if a large outside footprint kind of negates the point of the tiny house.

 

But, that would be me alone.  I could never do it with DH.  There are days 1200 square feet is not enough space for our family of four. 

 

Yes I'd say weather would be a big factor.  For at least half the year the outdoors are oppressive.  So I want to have a pleasant space indoors.  Being cramped and on top of each other does not strike me as pleasant.

[GailV]

My sister has a very small 2 bedroom house in a suburb.  She's single and has a cat.

 

We were just there for a family Christmas get together -- 9 of us pretty much packed the place.  My younger dd was practically swooning with how much she adores my sister's house -- everything so tiny and perfect.  So many things within walking distance -- groceries, other stores, a library branch.  A bit of a yard with little to no grass, but DOES have raspberry bushes (she served the frozen raspberries as part of dessert) and some vegetables, plus other interesting plants.  She has a tiny detached garage that could be used as a studio.

 

I told dd that she needs to go to college in that town, and just live with Aunt E. 

 

 

[Runningmom80]

While not exactly a "tiny house"  I LOVE this, ever since I saw it in Marth Stewart Living. http://www.aestheticoutburst.blogspot.ca/2012/03/tiny-house.html

[Carrie12345]

I would love to see what those designers could do with a modest family home.  I would love a normal sized house that had no wasted space.  To me, the tiny house thing is fine for the young and single or newly married, but three kids later we need more space.

 

That's a big one for me.  I want *some* more space than I have, but what I really want is more efficient space.  How fantastic would it be to have 5-6 bedrooms that AREN'T 15x20 each?!?  Or separate formal and family living rooms that AREN'T 20x30 each?!  I want lots of rooms, not lots of empty space, and it's *really hard to find plans that fit that bill.

[Night Elf]

I think the houses look cool, but I couldn't live in one. I need space. I'd need room for my kids. I need room for them to come over with their families. My MIL lives in a very small home and we're awfully crowded when we visit. She grew up in that house with 2 sisters and even she laughs at the idea of a family that size coping. She said it was hard not having any privacy.

[Luckymama]

Not for regular life! I need space around me. Plus cooking and baking are major hobbies for me.

 

I could see a tiny house as a vacation home. My mother's family owns a small but perfect cabin in the mountains outside of Tahoe. We'd love to have something similar in proper mountains, but unfortunately we're on the east coast.

[Garga]

I was just thinking the other day about how I would live if I was single. I would need so little. I would want so little.

 

If I lived alone, I would love to live in a one bedroom apartment. I would like it to be in an old house that was converted into apartments. (More character.) I don't want the hassle of a yard or the hassle of replacing things like roofs.

[laughing lioness]

We lived in a 900 sq/ foot backhouse in CA during grad school with 2 little kids. 

We now live in a 2700 sq ft home with 3 older kids. 

 

 

I'd go small again with this caveat. I would have to be able to design the flow of the house. Our last tiny house was a "circle" - with a front and back door, which was perfect, but the middle room was awkward and part of the room acted as a hallway. Also, if it was just dh and I, I would get rid of the smaller bedroom and create a spa bathroom/ sauna.

 

Ours was a craftsman style backhouse and open-the living room, dining room had built in's, closets- but I'd make the kitchen open to it all- and we did entertain, because of the huge front porch, yard. and open living area. Also, adding a writing loft- and dh has to have an office. 

So, yeah, I'd do it again.

[SeaConquest]

I could do it, but wouldn't want to. I've lived on our sailboat off and on the past 7 years. It's about 41 x 13 feet, so less than 400 sq. feet of living space for a family of 4. My husband loves it, but I much prefer a larger space. I'm noise averse and need some space to which I can retreat.

[unsinkable]

Five of us plus the Head of Homeland Security (see avatar) already live in a less than 1000 square foot house.

 

I'd love a tiny house in my yard for ME ME ME ME ME!!!! And all my books and crafts and music and cozy blankets that the Others make fun of. :-)

 

I want to have more and bigger dogs. I want to have 2 labs/lab mixes and this house is too small for that with 5 people.

[Mango]

Yes, we've put quite a bit of thought into it. 

 

We will do it, eventually. 

 

Too small of a tiny house would be having to move something to get to something else--like the ones where you have a couch/bed or a cabinet/table. That would be ultra frustrating to me.

 

For now we did succeed in cutting our house foot print 3 years back. We went from 3500 aq ft to a  2500 sq ft house. We're a family of 7, living here 24/7. DH works out of his home office. The winter months is when we al start to fee the pinch of a small space.

 

The plan is to move out of this house and rent it out while we put a tiny house up behind the hay pasture for us to live in. :) 

 

Interesting, we have my great great grandparents "tiny" retirement house that they built back in the 1920's here. It's a small 2-room house. Nothing fancy. Just a wood burning stove. No bathroom, no running water, bare-bulb light hanging from the ceiling. It needs repairs. We use it as a guest house in the summer. 

[LucyStoner]

I'd love a tiny house in my yard for ME ME ME ME ME!!!! And all my books and crafts and music and cozy blankets that the Others make fun of. :-)

 

 

My friends live in a small house and joke about erecting a yurt in their yard for them to move into and leave the girls in the house during their teen years. I joke that this plan will save them the cost of demolishing their house when they want to rebuild. When the girls go to college, the house will be a pile of rock.

[maize]

My husband wants to live in a yurt, he is very much a minimalist by nature.

 

He also needs order and a quiet space, though, and that will not happen with five young children underfoot. I think we could use a bigger house at this point so the kids could have room to run but there would still be a space to retreat to.

[elegantlion]

I was just thinking the other day about how I would live if I was single. I would need so little. I would want so little.

 

If I lived alone, I would love to live in a one bedroom apartment. I would like it to be in an old house that was converted into apartments. (More character.) I don't want the hassle of a yard or the hassle of replacing things like roofs.

 

Cool, you could be my neighbor. 

[Lady Florida.]

I'm sorry you're sick,  and hope you feel better soon.  :grouphug:

 

No, I couldn't do it. I've lived in tiny apartments as a single woman, and would not live in something tiny again. I don't need a big house, but I need room for my hobbies and for the grandkids to come and visit (and have room to play when they do). Also, we just downsized from a king size bed to queen size (expected delivery Tues, but I won't go any smaller than queen.

[Joanne]

I should have made it clear in my OP that I was thinking of when it was just me, and all kids were on their own.

 

It is not my style to be the welcoming, hosting at my home grandma. I will not be in grandma mode, anyway, since I will be mid-career.

 

I think is is important to know that there is a difference between an intentional and designed "tiny home" and a small house.

 

It probably won't happen, I'll likely be buying a very modest small home in the next 18 months or so. I'll still have a kid at home and one in college.

[JonesinIndiana]

I could do this, but only as a summer home in Maine with land around it. I am hoping we will get out of Florida's summers when we retire.

[FriedClams]

I couldn't go tiny, but we're definitely downsizing our next house. I want a single story, no more than 2000 square feet, (preferably 1700-1800), tiny bedrooms, well laid out kitchen, open living space, screened porch.

[Anne in CA]

The right layout would be crucial. Our whole family can be very happy in a tiny Worldmark studio that is only 500 square feet for several days,but we have almost 1000 above the restaurant and it only works because we are saving so much money and can be good sports about it. Having someone walk through your room when you are sick and trying to sleep is yucky, and so it trying to read when someone else is watching TV.

[Mergath]

According to some definitions I've seen, we already do.  :lol:   Our home is about 700 sq ft. according to Zillow.  We've lived here for six years.  I don't have any problems with it, and I could easily go smaller if we didn't have three cats.

[regentrude]

No, I would not want a tiny living space, not even if I were by myself.

I want to have the space to entertain - nothing fancy, but simply enough space to I can have 20 people in my house for a drinks-and-nibbles party or 8 for a sit down dinner.

And since I have almost adult kids, I would like to have enough space so they can come home and find a sleeping space whenever they want.

 

ETA: When I say tiny, I am talking 200 or less sq ft.

700 sq ft was the size of the apartment we lived in with two kids before moving here. Before that, we had 400 sq ft for the two of us, not tiny either.

 

[Tammi K]

Our house in Hawaii was 1500 sq ft and housed 8 people. I think that was about as 'tiny' as I would care to go.

[Χά�ων]

I am not against small spaces. I just think they are being taken to the cleaners for what they are spending on it. I laugh every time they talk about a budget of $30,000 to down size to help reduce and pay off debt.

 

Travel trailers have about the same amount of space. Some are smaller, some are larger, can be bought for a couple thousand and a person could spend another thousand updating the heck out of it and put $25,000 towards paying off their debt. They could live in it for 2-3 years to build up a savings and turn around and sell it for about what they paid.

 

It seems to be more of a status thing then an actual move to pay down debt.

 

Yes, I am very very cheap.

[Garga]

I am not against small spaces. I just think they are being taken to the cleaners for what they are spending on it. I laugh every time they talk about a budget of $30,000 to down size to help reduce and pay off debt.

 

Travel trailers have about the same amount of space. Some are smaller, some are larger, can be bought for a couple thousand and a person could spend another thousand updating the heck out of it and put $25,000 towards paying off their debt. They could live in it for 2-3 years to build up a savings and turn around and sell it for about what they paid.

 

It seems to be more of a status thing then an actual move to pay down debt.

 

Yes, I am very very cheap.

What's a travel trailer? Are they really only a couple thousand?

[Guest]

That's a big one for me. I want *some* more space than I have, but what I really want is more efficient space. How fantastic would it be to have 5-6 bedrooms that AREN'T 15x20 each?!? Or separate formal and family living rooms that AREN'T 20x30 each?! I want lots of rooms, not lots of empty space, and it's *really hard to find plans that fit that bill.

This is exactly what I say. We build houses professionally, so I see a lot of home plans, but it annoys me to no end when a house shrinks overall square footage, but still has a huge master suit, or has multiple living room/media room/family room areas, but no individual one is a nice size or layout. Or stair landings that are large and spacious but completely useless.

[Guest]

I should have made it clear in my OP that I was thinking of when it was just me, and all kids were on their own.

 

It is not my style to be the welcoming, hosting at my home grandma. I will not be in grandma mode, anyway, since I will be mid-career.

 

I think is is important to know that there is a difference between an intentional and designed "tiny home" and a small house.

 

It probably won't happen, I'll likely be buying a very modest small home in the next 18 months or so. I'll still have a kid at home and one in college.

It is, and I do enjoy the innovation one sees on the TV show. However, the multi-functionality seems better to me in theory than in practice. I don't want to have a bed OR a dining table; don't want to have a fold-down desktop where I can set up my laptop OR put together a jigsaw puzzle. I would not enjoy the constant trading off between functions.

[Seasider]

The romantic in me would enjoy it. At least the idea of it. I love the video of the homeschooling mom who lives in a tiny house--her son has a loft, and they have a business right next door (gift basket makers). I can't find it, but it's peaceful and inspiring.

 

My friend is building a tiny house on wheels (trailer under the house) and giving it to her dd as a graduation gift (high school--homesch). 

 

That's awesome! Now i think I have to go google some tiny house on wheels plans!