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03/12/10, 11:27 AM
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Banned
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: Ouachitas, AR
Posts: 6,049
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Lots of inspiring ideas here!  Rose I really like the siding on your place.
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03/12/10, 11:36 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: N.W. PA
Posts: 2,835
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GrammasCabin
Small homes and cabins are common in Alaska. It takes too much to heat a bigger place and building materials are dear to come by. We have the greatest, biggest backyard on the planet and most don't worry much about the indoors as long as its cosy, warm, and filled with those you love. I live in a 24x24 cabin now but for 15 years my home was a 12x22 floathouse. Fresh water came from the roof, my firewood and a lot of my food from the beach & woods. As long as there was firewood on deck, lamp oil and a good book I was rich. I still have the floathouse. She's tied on the beach in front of my cabin waiting for friends or family to keep her company.
As you can see, there's the master bedroom, guest bunk along the wall, formal dining room with incredible view. I had a small bathtub by the wood stove and a big stainless pot full of water on top of it all the time. My potty was in a small wood/tool shed on the deck.
Turn around and you can see the kitchen has plenty of storage space and a full size propane cookstove. I cooked mostly on top of the woodstove tho, still do. Somehow it just makes the food taste better and why waste the propane?
Here's where she sits in that greatest biggest back yard. I can't believe I don't spend more time down there than I do.
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Thank you for posting these.
How wonderful.
And you live in another structure nearby?
stef
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03/12/10, 11:37 AM
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Brenda Groth
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Michigan
Posts: 7,817
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our previous home was much smaller than where we live now..it was hit by lightening and burned..we have a larger home now and i like it much better..but admittedly we use more firewood.
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03/12/10, 11:39 AM
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Cactus Farmer/Cat Rancher
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Central Wisconsin
Posts: 1,974
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GrammasCabin
Small homes and cabins are common in Alaska. It takes too much to heat a bigger place and building materials are dear to come by. We have the greatest, biggest backyard on the planet and most don't worry much about the indoors as long as its cosy, warm, and filled with those you love.
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Nice, I love the outdoor pictures
Currently I am living in a 560 square foot mobile home while I am fixing the farm house. The farm house is 1200 square foot, plenty of room for a single guy such as myself.
When I was 21 I bought 4 and a half acres of mostly lowlands and put up a small shack. It was absolutely awful but was built for nothing other than a few cans of great stuff. The nails were used too. It was 15x7 feet and looked like something straight out of a third world shanty town. The walls were mostly pallets and scrap wood. I had help from a friend of mine who also was not a carpenter. After putting it up I learned the importance of squares, levels, and a measuring tape 
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03/12/10, 02:53 PM
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Rose , When you built the cabin did you use green lumber or did you let it dry & cure before building ? If you used it green did you have problems with shrinkage or any other problems by using green lumber ? Are those poplar logs in the picture ?
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03/12/10, 03:08 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SE MICH
Posts: 647
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I live in a 1000 sq ft house and I think it's to small.
I need more space 
I have nowhere to store things, I store all my canning at my mom's, plus all my canning equipment is over there. Same with all hunting stuff. Same with all my Christmas decorations. I have no decorations for other seasons since I don't have room to store them.
I've pretty much stopped sewing because there is not room to set up my sewing machine and it not be in the way. Most of my fabric is stored at my Dad's.
I hate clutter and it seems that my house is always so very cluttered.
I love my actual house, I have a beautiful big kitchen, a beautiful bathroom, a nice sized living room, but I need storage. I think if I had a basement or garage or SOMETHING it would be better.
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03/12/10, 03:21 PM
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God Smacked Jesus Freak
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Turtle Island/Yelm, WA "Land of the Dancing Spirits"--Salish
Posts: 7,456
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I used to have a neighbor here that lived in a garden shed, all that was in it was a futon, a bookshelf(with a couple books and a few cans of soup) and a small propane stove/oven which he probably used for heating too(open the oven door). For a bathroom he just went in the woods. He had a rain barrel, and that was it for living convieniences.
One of the happiest people I ever knew!
GranmasCabin I love your little house, thanks so much for posting the pix! I love little houses. At a museum near here they have an old giant tree stump that was burned/carved out to be a little house and a mountain man lived in it, way cool!
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THE BEGINNING IS NEAR
5-star double-rated astronavagatrix earth girl
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03/12/10, 03:25 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: SE MICH
Posts: 647
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Rose
We have a small shed, it holds our lawn mower and my DH's ice fishing equipment, along with various other things (tools, outdoor shovels, ect). We have a city lot, so no room to build a garage or other outbuilding. We make due, but yes, I dream of having a bigger house someday. I said a basement and garage our non-negotiable in our next house, and Dh more than agrees.
Like I said, I do love my house, and actual living is fine (we have enough space to exist) it's just the storage/clutter that drives me insane.
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03/12/10, 03:29 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Adirondacks
Posts: 6,775
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When DH and I first got married, the only place we could find to rent (with 4 cats, a dog, and a parakeet) was a very small house that used to be a vacation cabin. It was so small that when you sat on the toilet, you could put your feet in the tub!! I don't think I could ever live in anything that small again.
__________________
"Never stop questioning - curiosity has its own reason for existence." Albert Einstein
"I used to be a terror, now I am a tired man" Jim Croce
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03/12/10, 03:59 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: KY
Posts: 12,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cindy in NY
When DH and I first got married, the only place we could find to rent (with 4 cats, a dog, and a parakeet) was a very small house that used to be a vacation cabin. It was so small that when you sat on the toilet, you could put your feet in the tub!! I don't think I could ever live in anything that small again.
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LOL!! There's no way to put our feet on the tub when sitting on the toilet unless we want our knees in our chin. We've lived in a small to us home for 30 years. I grew up in a sprawling two story farmhouse and that's the last time I've had the luxury of living in a big house. All my adult life has been spent in small living spaces. But a huge home is outside of our budget and more than we need, so small it will continue to be. For two people we live ok in about a 1000 sq feet. We don't have a basement but we did carve out an attic storage space and installed the disappearing stairs to that. It's where the unknown stuff resides. I haven't been up there in years due to my health not allowing me to climb the stairs but DH says that everything looks same as it did 6 years ago when I last got up there.  I can't take care of what little space we have now and I sure don't need more.
I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's photos and reading about how others live in small spaces. DH and I both tend to be packrats, and need all the help we can find for locating storage space.
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03/12/10, 04:24 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: KY
Posts: 12,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rose2005
Ok...the first thing to do is de-clutter your lives. Become a minamalist, and have a couple of uses for each item you own.
Rose |
It's very difficult for me to become a minamalist when I'm also a prepper. I have one small closet for prep items and a few shelves for food items. I've cleared out everything except for DH's "treasures" and that attic to make additional room for preps. I'm out of places to use for prep storage that I can access. I've been pleased with the wooden wall pegs and tote bags to hold prep items though. That's helped a great deal with the storage here.
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03/12/10, 05:11 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Sequim WA
Posts: 6,352
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I have seen a variety of ways space can be utilized to its fullest and have been amazed at what one can do using a bit of ingenuity... Under beds- bins, large drawers, home-built storage on rollers... Closet space turned into a sewing spot- with flip down table to work on. I've seen entire walls done in a way that is finished with cupboards, shelving, and tons of storage. Furniture can be put up against these walls and then moved when less needed items are accessed. Corners are often wasted space. Corner shelving with doors... Interior walls are often used. The inset spaces are used for fold-down tables, beds, and lots more storage. It isn't hard to find cupboard doors. Many people remodel their kitchens and given the doors away, sell inexpensively, and also barter... We bought a Birch kitchen set. There was a large extra cupboard we were offered & I jumped at that! Eventually, we are replacing our current cabinetry with the Birch. Our current stuff was here when we bought it (pressed worthless stuff...falling apart).
There are books how to set up micro-cabins- if you lack space, I'd go to the library or used book store
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03/12/10, 05:12 PM
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kygreendream
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Western KY
Posts: 340
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rose love your little cabin you built the siding is what we would like to do for our house.
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03/12/10, 06:09 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1,905
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hong kong is one of the more expensive real estate markets in the world (or used to be, not sure how it compares today.)
Quote:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/a...ng-kong-102413
Photographs of Small Flats in Hong Kong
At one time or another, many of us have had to live in a cramped apartment. These photographs of people living in Hong Kong's oldest public housing estate put any idea I had of "small spaces" in perspective. Each flat is a scant 100 square feet. These portraits give us access to a sub-culture in China that would normally go undocumented.
100 x 100 is a project by photographer Michael Wolf. 100 portraits of residents in their 100 sq ft flats. You can see all of them on his web site.
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looking thru the 100 pics, some are very well organized, and some are quite messy. they don't seem to cook there, so i assume being in a city they eat in restaurants. and i didn't see any restrooms, so i assume those are shared facilities down the hall. amazing how some people live, and amazing what people can do with a tiny space.
--sgl
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03/12/10, 06:31 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The Beautiful Ozarks
Posts: 1,394
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We live in a 2600 log home, 1300 up & 1300 finished basement. It's just DH, 1YO DD & myself. Master bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom are upstairs. Laundry in attached garage. 2 other bedrooms, living area, bathroom, & utility room downstairs. We would have liked a smaller house, but the area & land are what sold us on this place.
It's a pain to keep clean, expensive to heat in the winter (even with the wood stove & our own firewood) & it just promotes clutter.
We are constantly saying that we need a smaller home, or need to just close up the basement & live upstairs. The only problem with that is we do have a LOT of stuff. Not just the nick-nacks (although admittedly, we have too much) but tools, canning supplies & other farm equipment.
Ideally, we'd like to build a smaller home, probably well under 1,000 sf (which is not that small). I spend lots of time in the kitchen, so that is probably where most of the s.f. would be dedicated to. Would still have to have a big storage barn for all our equipment.
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I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. - Thomas Jefferson
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03/12/10, 06:42 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 360
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Well, technically, yes, we have a 26x32 house-outside dimensions. Inside, it is about 24x 31. My mothers daddy built it in 1979 to keep my uncle from buying an airplane, so it was laid out for a widower and a bachelor, not for a family of 6. We moved from 2600 to 1848 to right at 800-with 4 daughters and 1 bathroom. Yeah, it is tight. However, what we have done is to take the 1 car garage, and turn it into 2 bedrooms and a utility room, and take the 10x14 playhouse style building that my daddy put out for me as a hideout and convert it to an office, sewing room, and guestroom. We have added a 14x24 shed onto the end of the house for my dh to have a workshop (we are working on closing it in) and the place already had a 10x16 storage building. Now, you would think that I would have plenty of room. Not really, mainly because of the layout. My grandfather didn't lay the house out well, and my dh refused to listen to how the girls and I wanted the garage laid out, or even my office (he built the bed in so I can't move furniture), so it kind of is odd. Add to the fact that I had too much furniture to start with, I've inherited furniture and stuff from my parents, and my dh has inherited more stuff from his late father, then throw in prepper/packrat tendencies and you have a massive ordeal. It is coming along though, and will be fine shortly.
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03/12/10, 06:42 PM
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This is my life
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: SC
Posts: 3,736
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could you imagine the outrage if our public housing recipients were offered 100 sq foot homes?
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Life is uncertain, eat dessert first 
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03/12/10, 08:09 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Piedmont Central Virginia
Posts: 641
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I presently live in a 14x54 foot mobile home. Compared to where I lived before it seems huge but compared to the McMansions my friends live in, it is very small.
My favorite place I have ever lived is an Airstream trailer I have. It was so cunningly designed it gave me a real sense of appreciation and delight. The curved wall/ceilings made me feel safe and secure, cradled in fact, in a way no other dwelling has ever given me comparable comfort. What I loved most was that there was almost nothing between me and the outdoors. This same factor was the biggest negative in bad weather, though. Airstreams have a well-earned reputaion for being the hottest in summer and coldest in winter!!!
To put it another way, mentally and emotionally, I was the happiest when I lived in the Airstream, but not physically owing to temperature extremes.
As to space, I am a packrat. Wherever I live, my "stuff" overflows my space. I really envy good housekeepers!
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03/12/10, 08:32 PM
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Just living Life
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Now in Virginia
Posts: 8,277
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I have lived in 800sq foot places but that was too small for me.
The house we have now is 1700sq ft and would be perfect if we had a real fireplace.
Because the floor lay out is like the older farm houses, we can get away from each other if we need too. No storage, so most of my Art is all over the house. Keep things as neat as possible. We have the master bed/bath, two small bedrooms, one more full bath. One bedroom is my son's and the other is for when family visits and it also has shelves in there to store food.
The little room in the front of the house we use for the computers, my Art desk and the birds.
I honestly won't want to go back to a smaller place.
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Shari
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03/12/10, 08:50 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Sequim WA
Posts: 6,352
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The original OP asked a few questions I pondered on, but initially didn't really answer. There are two of us and our place is 1,796 sq feet (remodeled doublewide mobile), 16 X 16 attached office, and new 10 X 10 enclosed porch open to my office. Storage isn't really a problem since we have a large attic above DH's shop and also a storage room behind the double carport. In addition, we have a 10 X 20 garden cabin, which is utilized for what would normally be put in there + extra furniture... After reading this thread, and doing that pondering? I am itching to reorganize our home a bit. It isn't cluttered in the main rooms, or in my office, but our spare bedroom and my craft room need to be cleaned out. We had quite a few things given to us, by friends who sold their home, and by my son who moved to TX... Some needs to go in our camper or travel trailer (useful kitchen items, bedding, etc...), some should be sold or donated, and some of it just needs put in a proper place.
For DH & I, this is the perfect amount of space. The wood stove he built is very efficient in heating most of the house, then the radiator heats our bedroom at night, and my office is heated by a little wood stove when needed. We have been going through a cold snap, so using the radiator each night, but I have avoided using the little wood stove. I have an idea to eliminate the need for a wood stove in my office. Once DH has time for it, I'll spring that on him.
We have (5) grown children between us. When any of them come to visit, they normally spend the night. So, we have a guest room ready, a camper, and a travel trailer. All are set up for visitors.
At this time in our lives, a micro-cabin wouldn't work. I run multiple businesses from my home office and also meet clients here. With all my interests & hobbies, I'll ALWAYS need a craft room. Otherwise a dedicated travel trailer or outbuilding (studio) or garden cabin for it.
If we are ever in a position where generating income isn't as critical? We could definitely live in 800 sq ft + a loft. A wrap-a-round porch would be a must 
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