Tiny Houses

[Χά�ων]

This blog post sums up my feelings on tiny houses. http://www.hipdiggs.com/tiny-house-movement/

[LMD]

let's see if this works...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/150953243@N06/albums

[Bluegoat]

I think they are neat.  I don't really want one, though.  I'd do it temporarily, even for a few years, and find it fun.  But, I want my books and piano and such.

 

We have a tent trailer, and I enjoy that.

 

I think I'd be much more inclined in a warmer climate, where you could have things like sleeping porches and outdoor kitchens all year round.

[Carol in Cal.]

So cute, LMD!

What will you do with it once the main house is finished?

 

I had friends who built their garage first, and then camped out in it for two years while building a big house on the lot.

 

This was here in CA so the weather was not a big issue.

 

I knew someone else who did something similar in Vermont.  That didn't go as well, but they did finish in the end.  From what I understand, they built and sealed their basement first, then had trouble getting the financing arranged to be able to continue.  There was a winter where they lived in the basement with no house over it.  The husband was taking 1/2 day per week off from work to go home and chop wood so the wife and kids could stay warm. 

[LMD]

We will keep it as an extra space. Dh works shifts so he'll use it on night shift. I am sure our kids will eye it off as teens.

 

And it could also double as a home office. We'll see!

[KungFuPanda]

I'm fascinated by them, but I think that they're just trailers for hipsters. I have an ongoing debate with a friend. She likes to defend them as being much better built. Yeah, right. Half of those yahoos built there own. It's no more comforting in a storm than an RV.

 

I still want one :-)

[SamanthaCarter]

This blog post sums up my feelings on tiny houses. http://www.hipdiggs.com/tiny-house-movement/

He asks the question in this article about why people who strive to minimize their footprint aren't using existing structures. I suspect that those in the socioeconomic category who are doing this have no idea how many 800-1000 sq ft houses there are out there. My town has a section of them, sitting, dilapidated, in the middle of a highly sought after school district in a very safe small town, convenient location. They mostly belong to elderly and landlords who don't care, I believe. Historically it was the black section of town. Most of them could be super-cute with some work. I'm constantly scratching my head over it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Guest]

This blog post sums up my feelings on tiny houses. http://www.hipdiggs.com/tiny-house-movement/

Yes, I agree with this blogger on all points, especially to stop building on wheels and the last point about buying existing small structures. It's so funny to me; when people (on House Hunters, for example) are looking at potential homes, whether it is a 1920s Bungalow or a tiny studio aartment in Rome, they are always, forever and again saying, "It's so SMALL! It's cramped in here. How will I have guests over? How can I cook for Thanksgiving in that tiny oven? Where will my best friend/mom/aunt sleep when they visit?" But then, people on Tiny House Living are having new homes made on purpose, just as small or smaller than that Rome apartment or old Bungalow. But they seem not to be thinking of those same drawbacks.

 

For myself, there is something intriging about them to me, but realistically, I know I do not want to live in a tiny house. I want all my books and my craft supplies, and my animals, and my piano, and all my pots and pans. I don't want to have to choose whether to keep a coffee pot or an Instapot. And also I want to sit up in bed and not go down a ladder to take a mid-night potty break.

 

Also, one last little thing. The efficiency of design in the Tiny Homes is often intriguing to me, but I also watched a show about a big gathering of Tiny Houses and when they are actually lived in, they can be way less "adorable." One couple had a clever shoe holder, but it is actually just pretty darn ugly when there are actual shoes stuffed all over it, KWIM?

[medawyn]

I love any show involving tiny homes!

 

And I love my stuff 😋 I am not, and never will be a minimalist. Don't make me edit my book collection. Yes, I have more than one set of dishes - and I use them! I'm just never going to pare down enough for a tiny home, and that's ok with me.

 

(Also, I always love the initial wish lists - those poor realtors/builders!)

[importswim]

Timely blog post (language warning).

 

https://hittingthetrifecta.com/2017/07/11/this-shiplap-is-killing-me/

 

 

Oh this made me giggle, especially this:

Okay, we’ve all seen the meme about this one. He’s a 27-year-old dog doula, and she’s a 23-year-old who carves driftwood sculptures, and their starting budget is $1.7 million, but they could go to $1.8 million for the perfect place.

 

 

I just watched a show today because it was househunters in our area. The young couple just got married (they looked VERY young) and were moving down from Chicago and their budget was $750,000. We bought our house for $188,000. I must admit I was thinking snarky thoughts of them throughout the episode.

[EmilyGF]

I think we like tiny houses because we like acquiring new stuff.

 

A tiny house is a way to tell yourself you are a minimalist while acquiring more new stuff. Buying a used house wouldn't do that.

 

Also tiny houses are hip right now. A small used house looks "poor."

 

I lived in 900 square feet with four kids. I am thankful for my 2100 square foot house now.

 

Emily

[Frances]

So cute, LMD!

What will you do with it once the main house is finished?

 

I had friends who built their garage first, and then camped out in it for two years while building a big house on the lot.

 

This was here in CA so the weather was not a big issue.

 

I knew someone else who did something similar in Vermont. That didn't go as well, but they did finish in the end. From what I understand, they built and sealed their basement first, then had trouble getting the financing arranged to be able to continue. There was a winter where they lived in the basement with no house over it. The husband was taking 1/2 day per week off from work to go home and chop wood so the wife and kids could stay warm.

I have friends who did this in Montana. They even felled the trees to build everything. It's still amazing to me because she was a total city girl who married a suburban guy from the east who always dreamed of living out west in the mountains. I think financing was easier for them because he worked at a small town bank. I think the toughest part was a family of five, including two teens, living with almost no privacy in the garage for a couple of years while the house was being built.

[Frances]

I think we like tiny houses because we like acquiring new stuff.

 

A tiny house is a way to tell yourself you are a minimalist while acquiring more new stuff. Buying a used house wouldn't do that.

 

Also tiny houses are hip right now. A small used house looks "poor."

 

I lived in 900 square feet with four kids. I am thankful for my 2100 square foot house now.

 

Emily

Not me. I truly am a minimalist with not just no interest in stuff, new or used, but a pretty active dislike of both shopping and stuff. And my husband and I are always talking about how we have more room than we need, even though our house is not very big. His parents house is even smaller, but very cute and artsy.

 

I'm very intrigued by the concept, but love my current location, and there aren't any tiny houses in our neighborhood.

[SKL]

I think it's a cute idea, but I think there's more bang for the buck in an ordinary house.  And I can't imagine it working well in cold climates.

 

Alone, I'd do fine in a small space.  With kids, probably not.  With MY kids, whom others spoil with material things, definitely not.

[Lady Marmalade]

Would the rules allow for her to buy an acre and set it on the land?  Was their issue with the mobility or the size?

 

I have no idea how many ideas they presented to the township for her to have a separate but not totally separate living space on her own property.  I mean, she has a normal sized 3 bedroom, two bath home on seven acres, but every idea they presented was shot down for one reason or another.  And this was in a country township!   It was crazy.  In the end, they added an apartment on to the house, but they're not calling it an apartment, they're calling it a craft studio.  It was the only thing they could get approved.  

[mellifera33]

He asks the question in this article about why people who strive to minimize their footprint aren't using existing structures. I suspect that those in the socioeconomic category who are doing this have no idea how many 800-1000 sq ft houses there are out there. My town has a section of them, sitting, dilapidated, in the middle of a highly sought after school district in a very safe small town, convenient location. They mostly belong to elderly and landlords who don't care, I believe. Historically it was the black section of town. Most of them could be super-cute with some work. I'm constantly scratching my head over it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

A few recent episodes featured buyers who chose stick built houses on actual foundations. Okay, so one of them was a burned-out shell of a house, but there was a foundation.  :lol: I actually loved that episode--they got a pretty good deal on land in southern California. 

[Scarlett]

This blog post sums up my feelings on tiny houses. http://www.hipdiggs.com/tiny-house-movement/

Yes. Very well sums up my thoughts too.

[HS Mom in NC]

I could see myself living in a cottage or small house someday.  I don't know that my husband could see himself in one.

I can see how tiny houses could work well in moderate climates for outdoorsy types and those in urban areas with lots of things to do all day. I suppose for people who spend all day on their computers then they do something at home like watch tv and/or read it could work out.

[HS Mom in NC]

I don't see it as a movement, it's just an idea that inspired some people, like most ideas out there-they're not all movements.  I see it as a lifestyle that works for some people.  Homeschoolers are what, 2% of the school aged population.  Does that mean it's a movement doomed to fail because it's unlikely it will ever be mainstream?  No.  It's a lifestyle that works for some people.  Who cares what percentage?  Just keep it one of many options. I agree that people need to abide by authorities and face up to realities.  But I don't think there's any real reason building codes and mortgage lenders can't be updated include the possibility of some tiny houses.  Again, just one option out of many.
 

[Guest]

I don't see it as a movement, it's just an idea that inspired some people, like most ideas out there-they're not all movements. I see it as a lifestyle that works for some people. Homeschoolers are what, 2% of the school aged population. Does that mean it's a movement doomed to fail because it's unlikely it will ever be mainstream? No. It's a lifestyle that works for some people. Who cares what percentage? Just keep it one of many options. I agree that people need to abide by authorities and face up to realities. But I don't think there's any real reason building codes and mortgage lenders can't be updated include the possibility of some tiny houses. Again, just one option out of many.

 

I agree.

 

And even so, he said pushback movements never get assimilated into the larger society... Is that why no one ever listen to hip hop, smokes marijuana, and women can't vote? I was wondering....

 

The "as a blogger" comment gave him away. Oh, as a blogger, you have special insight? As a blogger?

[Zinnia]

I love the tiny house shows, too.

 

This year, for vacation, we stayed in a "kamping kabin" at a KOA.  It was two smallish rooms, a double bed and 4 bunks.  Dorm fridge and 2 tiny tables.  Not much room for anything else.  It was perfect for us, and it scratched the tiny house itch for a while.

[Scarlett]

I guess I must be a bit slow, but I didn't realize they are making tiny houses on wheels to avoid taxes.  Hmm......

 

I just don't like the idea of my house being on wheels. Too many years living in tornado ally I guess.  

 

I have seen a few Tiny House communities similar to mobile home parks.  Well, I've seen them on the shows....not IRL.

[Corraleno]

Timely blog post (language warning).

 

https://hittingthetrifecta.com/2017/07/11/this-shiplap-is-killing-me/

 

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Guest]

I guess I must be a bit slow, but I didn't realize they are making tiny houses on wheels to avoid taxes. Hmm......

 

I just don't like the idea of my house being on wheels. Too many years living in tornado ally I guess.

 

I have seen a few Tiny House communities similar to mobile home parks. Well, I've seen them on the shows....not IRL.

Not to avoid taxes.

 

To get around building codes that dictate that permanent domiciles must be at least xyz square feet big.

 

Iow it's illegal to build a small house on a foundation in some places.

Edited July 12, 2017 by OKBud

[Scarlett]

Not to avoid taxes.

 

To get around building codes that dictate that permanent domiciles must be at least xyz square feet big.

 

Iow it's illegal to build a small house on a foundation in some places.

 

 

Oh.  I see.  

[Guest]

No. No tiny house. No house on wheels. That said, I could manage with a LOT LESS square footage if I lived in Hawaii. I'd have a big covered deck though.

 

And I still love watching the tiny house shows.

[Ottakee]

If we could find one that was rated for Michigan winters we look into getting one of those Park Model homes for our kids to put on our property. These are those smaller mobile homes that you often see at fancier camp grounds to rent. Bigger than a tiny house but not huge.

 

Zoning and building codes though make it difficult. We are rural and I think that new construction must have 800sq ft or more. The idea of a small dawdi (grandparents) house on your property is not allowed in most places now.

[Baseball mom]

Timely blog post (language warning).

 

https://hittingthetrifecta.com/2017/07/11/this-shiplap-is-killing-me/

That is hilarious!!

[Ravin]

I guess I must be a bit slow, but I didn't realize they are making tiny houses on wheels to avoid taxes.  Hmm......

 

I just don't like the idea of my house being on wheels. Too many years living in tornado ally I guess.  

 

I have seen a few Tiny House communities similar to mobile home parks.  Well, I've seen them on the shows....not IRL.

 

Usually it's to avoid building code restrictions, not necessarily taxes.

[Ravin]

If we could find one that was rated for Michigan winters we look into getting one of those Park Model homes for our kids to put on our property. These are those smaller mobile homes that you often see at fancier camp grounds to rent. Bigger than a tiny house but not huge.

 

Zoning and building codes though make it difficult. We are rural and I think that new construction must have 800sq ft or more. The idea of a small dawdi (grandparents) house on your property is not allowed in most places now.

 

I would probably go with a stick-built house that is the minimum required size and no larger.

 

They really, really need to change those codes that discourage multigenerational housing. It benefits no one but the big developers who want to sell big houses to everyone, and more houses when people retire.

[Soror]

I think the vast majority of homes in the US are too big but I think tiny houses are too small. I think it is understandable the pendulum is swinging the other direction as a backlash to these huge expensive houses that most people truly can't afford and don't need, once it all settles ideally "regular" houses become smaller and tiny houses become a bit bigger. I also think house styles will be moving away from everything being open, yet again the pendulum has swung too far. 

 

 

[Pam in CT]

My about-to-go-off-to-architecture-school son has been obsessed with tiny houses for several years.  They are super cool.

 

I *think* once the kids are all launched I could live like that *if* I were in a location that enabled outside space to be incorporated into the flow of daily life -- garden-partitioned spaces for outdoor eating, reading, sitting before an outdoor fire pit in the evening, etc.  My need for privacy (even just from my darling husband) and for open-ness would make living in a very constrained space, in *this* climate, tough for me.

 

 

Sadly, the reality is that an awful lot of building codes do not allow for tiny homes to be added to the backyard.  Even in the country there are townships with building codes and rules on the books.

 

SIL's mother wanted to put a tiny home in one corner of her 7 acre piece of property and have SIL and family live in her house.  The township would not approve it for them so they had to come up with a different solution.

 

 

Yes.  My son did his high school capstone project on Sarah Hastings' story in Hadley MA (which is still not fully "done" - my parents live in that area and both it, and some of the issues that emerged out of it, continue to percolate).  

 

It raised a *lot* of issues around public policy, local town governance, town/gown tensions in college town areas, and effecting grass roots change.  It was super interesting watching my son -- who definitely started the year with all sorts of ideas of how things should be done -- evolve in his thinking as he dug in and interviewed different people on different sides.  Good growth experience.

[Baseball mom]

I love watching tiny house shows and love some of the ideas Zack comes up with on tiny house nation. And I love the idea of less stuff.

 

Do I think I could live in one? Nope.

 

I have lots of stuff in my current home that I could and need to get rid of but lots of stuff I won't part with either.

 

And I am to clumsy to go up & down a ladder. I like to sit up in bed to read. I am not a neat person by nature and quiet frankly my rear is to wide to be in a tiny place.

 

I do think that people that can live in them are awesome.

 

On the other end of the spectrum I also like watching the extreme mansion homes. No way would I want to live in one of those either. Yeah the huge closets are awesome but I wouldn't want to clean all that.

[ktgrok]

Oh this made me giggle, especially this:

Okay, we’ve all seen the meme about this one. He’s a 27-year-old dog doula, and she’s a 23-year-old who carves driftwood sculptures, and their starting budget is $1.7 million, but they could go to $1.8 million for the perfect place.

 

 

I just watched a show today because it was househunters in our area. The young couple just got married (they looked VERY young) and were moving down from Chicago and their budget was $750,000. We bought our house for $188,000. I must admit I was thinking snarky thoughts of them throughout the episode.

 

A friend was watching one recently and the guy was an artisanal butter maker. No lie. With an 800,000 budget. Wife was an event planner maybe?

 

I think they must make this crud up. Like, he's actually an engineer but he once made some compound butter for fun on the weekend so they called him an artisanal butter maker. I have to believe that. 

[Scarlett]

A friend was watching one recently and the guy was an artisanal butter maker. No lie. With an 800,000 budget. Wife was an event planner maybe?

 

I think they must make this crud up. Like, he's actually an engineer but he once made some compound butter for fun on the weekend so they called him an artisanal butter maker. I have to believe that.

I always tell myself they have inherited money.