Small Is Better: Big Houses Are Out and Downsizing Is In

[marmar]

via AlterNet:



Small Is Better: Big Houses Are Out and Downsizing Is In

By Kristin Bender, E Magazine. Posted May 29, 2009.

With economic and environmental factors colliding, tiny houses are suddenly becoming the biggest rage.



It all traced back to two summers spent living in a 100-square-foot canvas yurt on an ashram in New York. (A yurt is a tent-like dwelling built around a circular frame that was first used by sheep-herding nomads in central Asia; an ashram is a place of religious retreat.) The experience left Chase Rogers convinced that she was ready to join the growing number of people nationwide who are downsizing for the sake of saving money, minimizing energy use and reducing their carbon footprint.

"You could  stretch your arms out and touch the walls,'' says Rogers, 40. "What I realized was that I didn't need that much. What was important to me was nature -- preserving it, and being near it." Rogers grew up in a sprawling 10-room home in the upscale community of Greenwich, Connecticut, and was living in a 2,300-square-foot home in New York when she moved to the ashram.

"I had all the material things and all this space but something was missing," says the writer and graphic designer. "I got rid of all the things and had less space and I realized I didn't need that much to be happy."

She's not alone. A growing number of people in the U.S. are downsizing their homes in response to the collapse of the housing market, rising energy prices and concern for the environment. The trend has long moved in the opposite direction, with the average American home size, about 2,500 square feet, up 140% from the 1950s. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/environment/139839/small_is_better%3A_big_houses_are_out_and_downsizing_is_in/

[Ganja Ninja]

1. 100 Sq Ft is pretty small.

850 to 1000 would be good enough for a 2 bedroom 1 & 1/2 bath. But even at that size most people still need a garage for storage.

There's some nice examples here: http://www.countryplans.com/

[pnwmom]

2. What do you mean? 100 Sq. Ft. is a perfectly good size

for a bathroom.

:shrug:

[XemaSab]

3. But not a kitchen!

x(

[pnwmom]

4. I suppose you could wash the dishes in the shower.

And store them under the bed. But where would the microwave go?

[XemaSab]

5. Not to be rude

but with my fat ass, I'd be sleeping in the shower. :o

[pnwmom]

6. LOL! n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Assholes have been living in yurts and tiny huts for years...

but no one else is getting the hint. It's kind of a neat trick to fit yourself and your limited amount of stuff in a 100 square feet, but even where the zoning laws alllow it, nobody really wants to.

Around here the houses are still getting bigger and bigger and McMansions are becoming the rule instead of the exception. Some prick tore down a perfectly nice house next door to me and is putting up a new one about three times the size of the original-- it's OK, though, according to the town, because it's all on the original floorplan.

[happyslug]

8. This place for sale in Bedford County Pa

Only $199,000 with 39.46 acres:
http://www.unitedcountry.com/search06/SearchViewProperty.asp?SID=71257941&Item=697154&Lcnt=&Page=5&Office=37037&No=37037-22222&AU=N&FT=P