MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'm so intrigued by the idea of homeschooling and living in an RV. I know a family that lived in a camper while their house was being built. I am just now, (I'm usually late hearing about anything in the outside world ;) ) learning about these "Tiny houses." Some quick searching on Pinterest is showing a lot of DIY homes, small and simple, but affordable and charming. Dh has been telling me for years he could build a home on his own.. except for the plumbing and electric, but it makes me nervous. :mellow: I don't know if its because I want to move so bad that every option looks amazing, or if its just interesting to see how others live, BUT either way... are there any other "alternative" type homes that you know of? Or if you live in any of the above, I'm :bigear: ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I don't know. I used to be intrigued by the idea of RV/tiny house living, but the more I think about it, the more I think it would suck unless you're in a tropical climate and can utilize your outdoor space year-round. My brother is converting an RV into a year-round tiny home, and he posts pictures of his progress. I couldn't do it. There's too much I want to do that I wouldn't be able to if I lived in something like that. We just put in our first garden, and I want to can and dry food this summer. No way could I do that and then store it in a ten sq ft kitchen. And we do a lot of fishing, too. I can't imagine dh trying to clean a bunch of fish in such a tiny space. Ew. I could see maybe traveling around for a year in an RV, but long term? Nuh-uh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Well, it's not that unusual, but I would file boat living in that category. Yes, this too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Yeah, the tiny house and RV living may be romanticized by me.. just a tad ;) The actual practicality of it though... my dh is 6'5 & 300 lbs. So that wouldn't work for us ;) I just like hearing other options than the standard home. I'd really like to be able to customize and make it our own. Boat living/Boat houses sound like a dream for me. And Mergath, I totally agree about the climate. I have always wanted to live near the beach in southern FL, so maybe that's why it sounds so good to me. Here in Ohio, though? No way. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'd love to live in a yurt. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 If I were loaded. Not really alternative, but oh so purty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Kinsa actually did the homeschooling-out-of-an-RV thing for a year - see her blog! We also spent a year wandering, one month of which was on a boat. Schooling on the boat actually worked quite well -- we got work done while the boat was moving, and were largely done most days by the time we anchored. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Yeah, the tiny house and RV living may be romanticized by me.. just a tad ;) The actual practicality of it though... my dh is 6'5 & 300 lbs. So that wouldn't work for us ;) I just like hearing other options than the standard home. I'd really like to be able to customize and make it our own. Boat living/Boat houses sound like a dream for me. And Mergath, I totally agree about the climate. I have always wanted to live near the beach in southern FL, so maybe that's why it sounds so good to me. Here in Ohio, though? No way. Lol, yeah, we live in central MN. I think I'd be divorced by spring if we lived in a tiny house or an RV over the winter. And I don't mind small houses. Our last home was 700 sq ft, our current one is around 1000, so it's not as if we're living in a mansion or something. As far as alternative housing goes, I've always been fascinated by intentional communities, but I'm probably romanticizing that, too. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Schooling on the boat actually worked quite well -- we got work done while the boat was moving, and were largely done most days by the time we anchored. :drool: Ohhhh man. That sounds wonderful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 ladybugs Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I designed one with my dad in mind so it would turn into a tiny houseboat. Which may be an oxymoron. He didn't build it but I love the thought of it. I think I could do it. My grandparents lived in a motor home for a couple years, my father lived on a boat for about a year so it is sort of in my blood. My MIL thinks I currently live in a tiny house! LOL This is a mansion in the Tiny house world (700 sq ft main floor, full basement - unfinished, cape style house so upstairs is maybe 2/3 the main floor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I can't find the link now or remember the name of the company, but a while back I read about a new type of housing system in which each room was a separate module that locked together with other modules. You could rearrange the different room blocks into different configurations depending on your needs or move all of them to a different location. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 RVs tend to have good arrangements. We currently live in about 1000 sq ft above the restaurant, and the space is very poorly laid out from have too many uses and being remodeled too many times over the years and it not ideal, lets put it that way. I have seen people more happy in an RV a fraction of the size of our living quarters than we are now. Also, we had a 750 sq ft apartment when ds was born and oldest dd was 7 and it was very well laid out and we were content. If it hadn't gone HUD housing we might have stayed there years because it was a great location and very private for an apartment. Privacy is an issue for me. We have very little with our current arrangement. Our bedroom is a thoroughfare. DD must walk through it to watch TV or get anything from the living room, so our romantic life suffers a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 How about Shipping Container Homes? Maybe not as alternative, but DH and I have always wanted to purchase either an old barn or an old warehouse and turn it into a home. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2011/Prout-50-2767099/Gold-Coast/Australia#.VW8W92Aebyo Here is my idea of alternative living. The price tag is too high though. Even 20 year old ones are still out of our reach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Grain Bin Houses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Tiny house people are not trying to maintain marital relations while raising teenagers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We're doing a shipping container home at the moment. We absolutely love it. We're on 20 acres. It is interim housing while we build, but our build will be a renovated shed/barn, honestly we really love the container but need to build to tick council boxes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I can't find the link now or remember the name of the company, but a while back I read about a new type of housing system in which each room was a separate module that locked together with other modules. You could rearrange the different room blocks into different configurations depending on your needs or move all of them to a different location. This is genius. WHY don't we have this everywhere yet? Need accessibility? Just unstack your house and enjoy one story living. That would be awesome. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Someday dh and I will live in an earthbag home. But there's no way our teenagers would agree to build and live in one so we shall wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We have family that designed and built their own berm home. It was wacky looking from the outside, but wonderfully light and cozy indoors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 Oooo I have lots to google :) I'm sure anything looks good to me now since we've been living with my mom for the last few years... ...but I HAVE always wanted to live in a hobbit hole. :laugh: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 We are living in a house that DH completely gutted and redid. It has been wonderful. The light switches are all precisely where they should be. All the little things that often get skipped are done, and everything is done well. The only problem has been that one toilet is too close to the wall. That was because of a last minute expansion of the tub that we didn't think through. DH is grumpy about it but that bathroom has to be expanded anyway, so the toilet will be shifted over. . Plumbing was surprisingly easy. He used these tubes. They aren't the tubes of the 70's that were horrible. They are sturdy and have been common in Europe for decades. There are no joints, the tube goes direct from the central starting point to the outlet. You put a cold water line and a hot water line into this big thing that has lots of places to hook on the tubing. Then you have one tube going to each water outlet. You buy a special tool to attach the tubing at both ends. For electrical, the part that gets expensive is the part that your DH could do. It is snaking the wire from the junction box to the final location. We did hire a few things. A guy came to spray insulation on the walls. Furnace/ AC guys. Window installers. I think that was it. If you decide to do this, look for a Habitat for Humanity store near you and make it a regular stop. You never know what you are going to find. We got these thick foam attic insulation panels retail at $36 each for less than $2 each. Solid mahogany 6-panel doors 15" and 18" wide for $5 each. These are quality doors thicker than interior doors. HEPA furnace filters for $1 each. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 I know someone who lives in a Tiny Home but they don't have kids and it would be hard to add kids to their set up. I could happily live in one if I didn't have kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 My in laws live with us. Fifty thousand square feet would not be enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MommaOfalotta Posted June 3, 2015 Author Share Posted June 3, 2015 My in laws live with us. Fifty thousand square feet would not be enough. :iagree: I think that's why its so easy for me to romanticize. A 400ft living space with JUST US vs. 1700sqft house with my mom?? No question lol. Excuse me while I start packing :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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