Who lives in a "tiny house"?

There's a closer picture

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Adisiwaya,
That's so cute!

Had knotty pine kitchen cabinets. Tell ya what teaches people to down size big time. Twin size bed and dresser is what fit in the living room/dining room. I did like that house alot. Would be perfect for a parent (was landlords moms house before we rented it) a very very very tiny heater was in bathroom heated whole house. Cheapest place I ever lived. 30$ electric bill and 15$ water/sewer plus the 10$ month for heating.



Sitting there talking to Kirstie about it. We called it the doll house. Forgot about it. Was good tho

I just had to post a couple pictures of my little house in Winter. We got another 17 inches yesterday.

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I fully understand what you are saying! I was this way. Gosh did I complain and grumble. Boy how many times did I warn dh I was getting the gas can! And he knew I would too.
Our house is just under 1200 sqft for 11 people and the inside animals. After seeing how toxic I was threw the mouths of my babes I finally shut up. I had no clue my husband seen it as an insult against him. I have sense learned to Be grateful.
Our small house has allowed my dh to take a job that he can be home everyday to see us. Our house is easy to heat and cool. Very important in this day. I have learned to give up what I feel a house needs to be. I'm not saying everyday is easy. Oh boy do I have to bite my tongue. But we have a house. We're warm and dry. I know many family's that can't say that.
One thing great about small houses, you really priorities stuff! No hoarding going on here.

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I'm so done here.

Myheaven, I understand what you're saying, and believe it or not, I am the cheery one here at home - but for those thinking of getting a tiny house, it is not all sunshine and roses.

Tiny does not automatically = easy to heat or cool. Mine is not, and it is too small to safely put a woodstove in, especially with a very wobbly special needs 4yo. My living room would need to turn into a fenced path past the woodstove. And in a tiny house, a draft goes through the whole house. If my kids leave their bedroom door open (their bedroom gets the most sun) it changes the temperature of the whole house

No hoarding is all well and good, but storing the blankets all summer long that were on the beds all winter and still having them be usable next winter (read - don't put them in a shed) is no easy trick.
And, I homestead. Where does my canner go? It won't fit in my mini-cabinets. No, if I want it I can't just pull it out and use it, I have to go unbury it from a shed, and since my shed isn't huge either, everything you want in there is always buried.
Seed starting, winter crafts, cheese or soap making, any of that homesteady stuff ... when every inch of space is being used and designed to be used in a certain way, those projects overwhelm the whole house. If you can't move it outside, you have to either deal with the take-over or do without. That standard black seed-starting tray takes up 1/4 of my counterspace or half my table - there's no way around that here.

Pantry? Forget about it! No room. Store it in a shed? Not here!! Unless I wanted to run AC to it. It gets hot here in the summer, and last year, I measured it at 120 inside the shed. Your canned foods WILL go bad.
My chest freezer IS in the shed and the cost of keeping that running well in the temp extremes in the shed more than offsets any possible savings of heating or cooling my hugely inefficient little house.

Before anyone asks why I don't do a remodel to increase energy efficiency - it's because that money will go a good long way to the cost of building a bigger house, which will increase the resale value of my property.
Fixing this does NOTHING for the resale value of my property, sadly, it actually makes it worth LESS, because if anyone wanted anything other than a teeny tiny home, they have to bulldoze this one. Tiny houses have limited markets.

You mentioned inside pets - I have them too. My cats all share one litterbox, and I clean it umpteen times a day. There's no room to have one for each. My dog only gets to do tricks if the weather's nice - unless I invite her up on my bed, there's not enough room for her to Roll Over indoors.

Company? Forget company. It's not happening. Not unless we can all hang outside. Six adults in my tiny living room defeat the air conditioning. Not that I have room to seat 6 adults, unless 3 of them are happy to pull up some floor, or snuggle in a lap.

See the time on this post? I work from home, and I'm taking a break right now. I have to do all my work at night when everyone's sleeping, because that's the only time I can spread out, and not be in the way and have everyone else in my way. It's not like I can work in the bedroom - it is big enough for a bed and a built in, we squeeze in a hamper (and there's only one place I can put the bed, and still open the built-in, so if you like to move furniture around once in a while, you're out of luck!) so unless I want sit cross-legged in the middle of the mattress with my desktop computer and spread my paperwork around me, night shift for me!

So, while there are many people singing the praises of tiny homes - I am really, truly glad that you're happy and that it's working out for you.
But there is another side of the coin.
This Does Not Work for me. I am unhappy in my home every day. I am frustrated every time I want to do something. I go out to the shed a minimum of twice a day, every day, regardless of the weather. I have given up hobbies because painting or even crocheting anything larger than a scarf has gone from a relaxing activity to something that just feels like it's a giant mess that takes up room. Where do I even store the supplies so I can do these things outside when the weather allows?
What is that worth to you?

If it works for you - I am always glad when people are happy.
But if you're trying to make a decision, you should know both sides, so you can have an idea of if this will work for you, or if you'll be as unhappy with it as I am.

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A ship in the harbor may be safe, but that's not what ships are built for

talk about tiny- we lived in a 14x30 barn concerted into a cabin with 2 adults 4 kids 2 mastiffs a saint bernard and a great dane....lol We did this for almost 4 years. 2 years without electric we used a converter and a generator when we wanted to watch a movie etc. Cooked on a woddburner, grill or over a camp fire, heated all water up for baths etc. we did this without running water for almost 4 years. We hauled our water in mostly by 55 gallon drums ( until the back window of our truck got busted out by one slamming into it when we almost hit a deer and slammed on our breaks) then we switched to 5 gallon jugs. we did all this so we could save the money to get the electric and water in. IT was 1800 just to the electric company ( 2500 after putting our pole in buying all the stuff for the pole and hiring help) thenanother 1300 for the water tap. Doesnt sound like much to some people but it was like a million dollars to us.

Living in a small place can be an adventure..... now that the kids are bigger and plder we saved up and bought a 3 bedroom mobile home... We dont know what to do with all the room...lol

Otter. I'm not happy.
I am the "cheery one here too" My house doesn't work for me or my family. Until my dh chooses to move us or build new. we are stuck. I home school 7 of my children. I have a disabled child also. We are together 24x7! Ugh! This winter has been very hard. Very very hard. Many times I have sobbed. I have given up all sewing, knitting, all crafts. Yes they relax me and are a release. But I have no room for them.
My house is never clean. I have had to give away things that I use to make life Easier for me. I have no clothing or blanket storage. We purchased an enclosed trailer in rough shape. As now in my area even just a shed on skis has to have a stupid permit. My canners have to be out in the trailer as do my jars. And anything else.
We don't get to have company over. There is not room to stretch or relax here. It's not sunshine and roses. It's mostly tornados and storms in my house. Here every spaces has to have another purpose.
I'm not coming down on you at all. I sympathies with you. I walk in your shoes. I'm here with you. I have chosen to say praises for the roof over my head. I have chosen to be positive with my situation. I cannot change my situation at this time. So I stay quiet, pray, and be positive. That is the only thing I can do. It's not easy oh boy it's hard to choose to be happy. But I cannot be negative anymore.
One thing that had helped us was take the deck that came with the house and make it an unheated artic entry. We put on a roof, door and walls. Helped keep the drafts out of the house too. That was before we needed to do permits for non living space structures.
Small house living is not all roses and sunshine for all.
Life is 10% what happens and 90% your attitude towards the problem. Captin jack sparrow said it best. "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude towards the problem."
I cannot change my situation. So I chose to change my attitude about the problem.

I pulling for you otter! Your in my prayers!

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I'm so done here.

Well the property I have bought is in the process of closing. We have all signed on the papers minus one that lives in Germany so it will take just a tad bit longer. I have paid cash so no land payments. It is a small lot, only 100 by 100 in a very tiny town. Now the house foot print is going to be 16 by 28 foot two story. It is just me and I plan on it being just me the rest of my life. So it is going to be perfect. Here is the land... Now to start the very slow process of building.

I currently live here



A total of 601 square feet. I find it waaaaay too big. I've gone from the whole house to just the 320 square feet downstairs front room. In a few years I will have a cargo trailer made into a travel trailer and I'll be living and homesteading in that. I look forward to proper storage, less space, and not relying on the grid.

We are making plans for the log home my DH will be building, have discussed our plans for our lifestyle for the rest of our lives. Although we will be scaling down a LOT from our current home, our log home will be larger due to DH wanting a loft in it. If it were up to me, our home would be 1,000 sq feet maximum, and consider that more than enough space (we do host family get togethers). With DH's parents in their 80s, we have decided to include our plans with them and other aging family members in mind. Add to that, our own plans for advancing age. The main level will be around 1,000 sq feet with just one master bedroom & bath, unfinished basement with a root cellar, and a loft which will have a master bedroom & bath, an office/library, and a cat walk. Also, there will be porches on three sides of our log home and two dormers. Since DH is going to be the builder, I am fine with his plans. He had to agree, however, to include that master on the main floor (I don't want to walk up stairs when I get a lot older...). On the bright side, if we need help when we get older, the loft area will come in handy if we have live-in care. We plan for this to be our last home! A little more about the previous...

When we first spoke about designing our future log home, I was prepared to be happy living in a single level home, as that is best for advancing age. In addition, I thought DH would be happy with the idea, as it would be less expensive, less work, and also easier to build. His initial response? He wanted a two story home with a loft, similar size to the one he built years ago. That is way too much home for just the two of us! So, I began talking to DH about scaling it down. We hit an impasse on a one story with a loft, so I caved. Then there was debating about a bedroom on the main floor. I won that one, as I reminded DH, a bedroom on the main floor would be necessary when we advanced in age or if one of us were injured or had surgery... The reasoning behind wrap around porch around three sides? DH wanted a front and side porch, like the ones he built for his first log home. Since he will be siting the home based on the window views, the wind would be an issue on the third side (if no porch on it). Since the goal is to keep the logs drier, he said it wasn't that hard to just add a third porch. When we discussed doors, DH agreed with the logic of pocket doors and also with my request for the entire home be built disability friendly. All doorways will accommodate wheelchairs or walkers, living areas will, and the entire first floor will, as well. The upper floor will be mostly open, with just a few walls to divide room areas.

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Christie Acres
www.SequimForLife.com
http://www.irealtyvirtualbrokers.com...lori-christie/
http://luxurywaterviewhomes.com/
SequimLiving@gmail.com

http://sftimes.co/?id=93&src=share_fb_new_93

Can we sneak peak into the inside? Love the outside, very cute.

Second home here on our homestead was an 8X8 backyard storage shed. Big move up from the Sears & Roebuck tent we started in! We still cooked and showered outdoors. We fashioned a screen door to keep the bugs out and still get some cool air at night and used electric room heater in the winter. Lived in it a couple years till we could find an old house trailer that was in our budget. Worked real well for us because we were seldom indoors anyhow.

It's refreshing to see this kind of analysis done when designing a tiny house or any house for that matter. I've been studying the tiny house subject for several years now as we are approaching the point in our lives of designing our last home.

I have not seen much discussion of planning for advancing age when designing a tiny home and I think this is short sighted. This has been magnified for me in the last year with some relatives who are in an advanced age and have health issues coming up more regularly.

When I inquire as to what peoples plans are for advancing age and living in their home they usually give one of several answers.

- haven't thought about it, will worry about it later

- canes, walkers, wheelchairs, and other assistance devices or methods are, 'not in the plan' Meaning they think they will implement a voluntary early exit plan at the point when living in their home is no longer possible.

- they think they 'may' go live with family (but of course they haven't checked with family about this)

- they will go to a nursing home

Anyway, whether designing a normal home or a tiny home I would suggest giving significant thought to how you will handle aging and the many challenges that come along with it in your new home. Being able to start with a net-new design is the most opportune time to do this.

We are in the process of beginning to build a small home. It will be 24 x 24 with an 8 x 24 loft above the bedroom and bathroom areas. We are building this as we have the money so this year we will have the foundation done and build the subfloor before winter. Next year we will have the shell put up and then we will finish it ourselves as time and money permit.

We lived in a 26 ft travel trailer for almost a year before needing to move to town (DD needed someone to care for pets after her divorce and subsequent college enrollment). It was tight but very cozy with just the two of us. The only thing I really missed was my washer/dryer. The laundromat here did not get our clothes clean at all and it was a lot of hauling things around. Plus expensive.

Anyway, we are in our early 50's and our plan for a small home makes sense to us. First, no mortgage. At our age we just couldn't see doing that. Second, all one level for main living (loft is for storage and when the kids and grandkids visit). Energy efficient construction (we are using Thermocore of Missouri for the shell- SIP panel construction), and last the tax savings of a small home. Taxes aren't real high here but any way we can cut back will make sense.

We had to tear down an old house on the property first and just completed that late last fall.

Looking forward to living in our small house. The one we live in currently is about 1000 square feet but we don't use it all.

We do have things stored in sheds at the farm. That's where my canning supplies are, any Christmas decorations, extra bedding, clothing, etc. This has worked well for us for 2 years now. Can't wait to be living in that house full time- probably looking at 2 years minimum before we could move in.

Yes that's a good point. Property taxes are a critically important thing to consider when designing your final home that will be your place of retirement. (and likely on a retirement income)

While we have experienced property taxes go down on occasion, they also go up often times at an alarming rate. I know several retired couples who have had to sell their homestead because increasing property taxes overwhelmed their budget.

Our focus is to redesign our homestead to maximize production from the available acreage And minimize our tax foot print at the same time. Minimizing the tax foot print can be one of the biggest long-term money savers there is.

It's important to know how your county will assess your property, the home, and other structures which might be considered improvements to the land for the assessed value. For example in our county I believe you can build a shed (with no permit) if it's 200sqft or less but they calculate that 200sqft based on the area of the floor. Whereas they assess the primary residence based on the area of the roof.

When I was living in an RV I quickly figured out that one key to living in a tiny house on working homestead is to have a number of small outbuildings and covered structures to support the homesteading activities.

Well, I am inspired and relieved. My plan (if my home isn't started and almost finished) by summer vacation is to get me a 14x30 portable lofted barn building on a rent-to-own plan......and convert it into a tiny cabin for me and two kids to live in until the house is finished. I was starting to believe nay-sayers......but I am supposing it can be done. I have been looking up home layouts. Reinforce the loft for my bed, kids share a bedroom in the back, tiny bathroom and kitchenette in the middle, and living room in front. In fact, I notice there are many people out on properties near mine that seem to have these portable buildings converted into cabins......and even two put together to make what looks like an almost regular small house. They don't seem to be strict on codes out in this rural area as far as building structures on your land. Any tips that you found helpful in maximizing your tiny houses?

Our furniture is built right into the house. Moveable furniture takes up more space. We have a dining table that folds up and out of the way.

Seats have storage inside them.

We have a loft in the front and an attic in the back.

Beds have storage.

Rooms serve multiple functions depending on the time of day.

We spend much of our day outdoors farming, building, gardening.

We keep much of our food on the hoof and eat very seasonally.

We have a separation, mostly, between farm and home. Farm stuff is out in sheds. Cottage is for books, cooking, eating, sleeping, relaxing, quiet things.

We have a full size bathroom folded into a 6'x6' space. Hot showers and a big bathtub with a baby bath well at one end. It's all molded in place so it takes up little space.

We do not have a lot of stuff. Not much that we aren't using.

What we do have is largely books and musical instruments.

Full kitchen but we don't have a lot of fancy cooking machines and such. Very basic. The dishes we need for a meal and a couple of guests at most.

We do have a good sized pantry. It is deep and well organized. FIFO.

Speaking of which, being organized is important.

Grate at the front door to catch dirt off our boots. Change from boots to shoes or barefoot at the front door.

Good sound blocking music headphones for everyone. We also use headphones a lot in our work such as when working with loud tools like the tractor, chainsaw, power tools, etc so we're kind of used to headphones to protect our ears and block sounds.

Speaking of sound, I designed our house to soak up sound both with the shapes of the rooms, surface textures and construction materials. Good acoustic engineering goes a long ways in making a house calm and pleasant without feeling dead. It's only 252 sq-ft but you can come into the house and not realize other people are there.

Cheers,

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in Vermont

Tiny Cottage at: http://SugarMtnFarm.com/cottage

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SugarMtnFarm.com -- Pastured Pigs, Poultry, Sheep, Dogs and Kids

tmillerrn I have been also looking at those sheds to make into a cabin. Did a walk thru of some this week and for a shell to work with I think it is very handy, saves even though can be built cheaper from scratch but you have to have someone talented that way . I have begun drawing out the layout I want in the size I am planning on getting and think it will work very handily for me since I live alone and just have my small dogs. I do think having a plan in mind for outdoor buildings around it to use such as a summer kitchen, outdoor summer shower etc. can help make it not seem so small. I am used to living in a small space as an over the road truck driver and bought a large house on land to compensate that a few years back, however getting close to retirement I can't see how I can afford the house payment as well as all the repairs a large old house has, so this way I can be debt free when I retire and not have huge costs. I also am wanting to have it be off grid if possible to help save expenses. I see these little cabins out and about and they always make me smile. There is another truckdriver couple who are doing this and have a blog with many videos which is very good to watch...think it is smallsolarcabin or something to that effect. Good luck to you