Why the obsession with "tiny houses"?

**Shrek** · #1 01/31/13, 11:00 PM

I have seen it here and on the news about tiny or micro houses with 200 to 300 sq feet of space. If someone wants a house as this why not just buy a 4 seasons grade extended stay RV or bachelor bungalow style mobile home built on a 32 foot construction office trailer frame?

The tiny houses are being marketed in the $28k to $45k range to build and extended stay RVs and one bedroom mobile homes fall into the same range and offer the advantage of portability.

I just don't see the appeal of "tiny houses" considering they are already available as 4 season grade RVs and bungalow style mobile homes.

Narshalla · #2 01/31/13, 11:53 PM

I don't know, myself, but I've mostly chalked it up to everyone wanting their own thing. I figure that as long as they let me do my thing and I let them do their thing and neither of us judges, we're both fine.

What I don't get is when people who like to spin say they want a tiny house. I've yet to see one that really has room for a spinning wheel.

Or those who like to can. None of the kitchens I've seen are conducive to canning, and certainly none of the tiny houses I've seen are set up for canning -- there's simply not enough prep space. Ditto for making your own cheese, or storing any real quantity of food or other supplies.

But if it makes them happy to dream, well, what's wrong with that?

Though I think that at least some of them love the idea of only have 200-300 square feet to clean!

AngieM2 · #3 02/01/13, 12:05 AM

I'm one that loves the tiny houses, but actually would probably have to go small house.
And the better known named tiny houses are way expensive. BUT, in most cases they are built with craftmanship that is not currently the norm.

And for me, I want a house, and not a mobile home as I have now. I want something that has character. I want something that I can live in small, but I would have a storage shed for the stuff that I want to keep , but not need every moment of everyday. This would allow the living area to be kept with less electricity or even solar to stay comfortably warm, and much less to have to keep clean.

Less bills, so less need to go out and work. Less need for up coming retirement funds to still be able to enjoy life.

And I am looking at storage sheds that have or can be converted and still be less cost than a usual mass built house.

And the tiny houses are somewhat the idea of the "Little House on the Prarie" or a Cabin in the woods effect. The anti-MacMansion.
An answer to being able to find a small plot of land with a home to call our own.

And tiny houses are not so much smaller than some of the mass housing in large cities (such as closet sized apt in Manhatten or Japan).

So, I love them.
My absolute favorite takes apart old houses and reuses so much of them into the most outstanding small houses.
TinyTexasHouse tinytexashouses.com

Now when I talk about storage sheds.
this is 12 x 30 or so, and could be turned into a cute cabin.

janetn · #4 02/01/13, 12:11 AM

I believe its yet another fad. Kind of a revolt to the McMansion As far as I am concerned they are way overpriced. I could build one for a fraction of what they are asking for those kits.

I can see the benefits to smaller is cheaper to heat and maintain, but 200 to 300 feet is a little extreme. My houses main floor is 678 sq feet and that is darn small Ive had to be creative with storage and workspace in the kitchen. I also have a full basement that I have for storage.

Most townships have restrictions on how small a dwelling can be. Ive not seen those restrictions anywhere near the 200 to 300 sq ft range.

Harry Chickpea · #5 02/01/13, 12:12 AM

The "obsession" is likely part promotion by builders who can build them for cheap and charge a premium. The slick magazines are happy to accept "donations" of articles that are intended to promote them.

AngieM2 · #6 02/01/13, 12:14 AM

And this is a favorite idea...

a 20 x 20 home depot shed that has living room and kitchen in the bottom and a bedroom upstairs. I asked the owner about it, I have not seen inside.

Marshloft · #7 02/01/13, 12:16 AM

I agree about the rv's. I've been checking into them for over a month now that my truck is paid for. With the capability of hauling either 5th wheel, gooseneck or bumperpull. I can be choosy.
I like what they call "toyhaulers". Who doesn't need storage space? For the same price per month that I'd be paying in rent per month.
Some of these rv's are nicer than anything I've ever lived in. And then I can find some land to put it on later.

Marshloft · #8 02/01/13, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngieM2

And this is a favorite idea...

a 20 x 20 home depot shed that has living room and kitchen in the bottom and a bedroom upstairs. I asked the owner about it, I have not seen inside.

The other side of the coin on what I just wrote about rv;s.
That barn has my name written all over it.

willow_girl · #9 02/01/13, 12:35 AM

200 sq. ft. is a bit small for my taste, but right now we live in 5 rooms (could manage with 4 if there was a bathtub in the bathroom). Ironically, I spend my days cleaning 3,000 sq. ft. McMansions, though ...

ChristieAcres · #10 02/01/13, 01:05 AM

DH built me a Garden Cabin, 200 sq feet, 1.5 story, with a loft. It could be easily converted into a nice little cabin. Would I want to live in it? No, actually, I am going to encourage DH to build a log cabin, 200 sq feet, one he can add onto later (upgrade and modify in time). Since he built a 3 story log home years ago, but still is itching to build a log home? Building a little one, with the plan to build on? Might be just the ticket! Once we are retired, there won't be a need for the home office I work out of (144 sq feet, btw). Right now, we only use our two extra bedrooms for storage. We only really need one bathroom, one dining room/area would be fine, kitchen, and a bedroom. From 2,100 sq ft, we could go to 1,000 sq ft or less, quite easily.

We have a 19' travel trailer, very comfortable to vacation in, but live in? No thanks, a bit cramped for me.

Willow girl, do you still milk cows? Housecleaning is hard work, hope you are well compensated!

JawjaBoy · #11 02/01/13, 01:11 AM

They do look neat, but I just don't see it. Me and the wife live in 672 sq. ft. now and she lets me know every chance she gets that she wants more space. Future plans are to go a bit bigger, not smaller.

jwal10 · #12 02/01/13, 03:48 AM

We are living in 400 sq ft. Not cramped at all. We have a small storage/shop building. Nice and cozy, warm and light. Very economical. We like it a lot, just the 2 of us. We don't have a lot of extras, just the way we like it. We are lucky in that we have 4 other properties with small cabins, 1 at the lake, 1 at the beach, the off grid cabin and the "farm" 4 acres with a tiny barn apartment. They are all well stocked....James

Raven12 · #13 02/01/13, 04:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrek

I have seen it here and on the news about tiny or micro houses with 200 to 300 sq feet of space. If someone wants a house as this why not just buy a 4 seasons grade extended stay RV or bachelor bungalow style mobile home built on a 32 foot construction office trailer frame?

The tiny houses are being marketed in the $28k to $45k range to build and extended stay RVs and one bedroom mobile homes fall into the same range and offer the advantage of portability.

I just don't see the appeal of "tiny houses" considering they are already available as 4 season grade RVs and bungalow style mobile homes.

Because it isn't cool to live in a normal small house. That is the trend. Throw out all common sense in order to live green.

DAVID In Wisconsin · #14 02/01/13, 05:12 AM

I had the unfortunate experience of staying in the john once for an hour. That was all the tiny house experience I'll need the rest of my life.

rockhound · #15 02/01/13, 05:13 AM

I think at least a tiny house should have a tiny price. In pre-colonial days when the U.S. was being "settled" many log cabins were built with expansion in mind. Build a cabin, later build another with a space between. Roof over the two of them together and you have a "dogtrot". Close in the ends later, add porches one at a time all around, close in one or more porches if/when you have that many kids that need space.

MushCreek · #16 02/01/13, 05:40 AM

It's actually tricky to heat and cool a tiny house efficiently. I've learned that our super-insulated 1200 square foot house is too small for any kind of a normal wood stove. It's also too small for a normal central A/C system. If you built a tight, well-insulated 200-300 square foot home, even a window unit would be inefficient.

I could easily live in a tiny house- as long as I had a 2,000 square foot 'storage building' with HVAC next door!

**Shrek** · #17 02/01/13, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zong

I had the unfortunate experience of staying in the john once for an hour. That was all the tiny house experience I'll need the rest of my life.

I saw a guy trying to live in a 20 by 30 "unabomber special" and he lasted about 3 months until he realized he had been locked up in bigger drunk tanks and decided to buy a single wide mobile home and use his unabomber cabin as a storage shed until he could put a roof over and a sun room on his mobile home for greenhouse use and passive solar heating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockhound

I think at least a tiny house should have a tiny price. In pre-colonial days when the U.S. was being "settled" many log cabins were built with expansion in mind. Build a cabin, later build another with a space between. Roof over the two of them together and you have a "dogtrot". Close in the ends later, add porches one at a time all around, close in one or more porches if/when you have that many kids that need space.

A wealthy childhood friend of my father had a 3 story , 18 room home that is now a country club main house since the death of his widow.

While staying with them when my parents were away on work, he and his wife took me into the pantry of their 30 by 30 foot kitchen and showed me the chinked oak log walls of the one room cabin his great or great great grandfather had built and was the only original log room as he explained how the rest of the house had expanded with each generation until he had the whole structure rewired and covered in brick in the 1960s.

Going through their plain folks country mansion farmhouse was a century or so worth of history.

Wozzy · #18 02/01/13, 06:23 AM

Conditioning the masses to be happy with less after the currency crashes.

Explorer · #19 02/01/13, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I could easily live in a tiny house- as long as I had a 2,000 square foot 'storage building' with HVAC next door!

I agree, but I would want my shop to be 2400 sf with the living area in one corner.

farmrbrown · #20 02/01/13, 07:20 AM

I think it shows that some of us realize what we can and cannot afford. People have also been "conditioned" to keeping up with the Jones' so long, that we as a country have piled on too much debt to sustain.
Does anyone remember the housing bubble and what average sized homes were selling for? 3 times what they were actually worth.
If someone can build or buy a 4OO sq. ft. home and live within their means comfortably, I say "go for it."