Living Small ........ small homes

[RedEarth]

...to contrast, how about this McMansion



Think Small
By BETHANY LYTTLE
WHEN John Friedman and Kristin Shepherd of Berkeley, Calif., purchased 160 acres in the mountains near Telluride, Colo., it was with the intent to build — just not right away. Before designing a small, ecologically sensitive second home they wanted to spend a year or two visiting the land to determine the most suitable building site. But at an elevation of 9,600 feet, living in tents was out.

So, early last summer, Mr. Friedman, 69, an industrial photographer, rented a truck and trailered a pre-built 65-square-foot Tumbleweed Tiny House up mountain roads, into a meadow and parked. To compensate for the lack of interior space, the couple cook, entertain and, for the most part, live outdoors. “We live in our view rather than look at it,” said Ms. Shepherd, 58, a retired youth counselor and an avid hiker. At night the two nestle in a sleeping loft with three feet of clearance, gazing at stars through a skylight. “It’s shelter, pure and simple,” Ms. Shepherd said.

A wave of interest in such small dwellings — some to serve, like the Shepherds’ home, as temporary housing, others to become space-saving dwellings of a more permanent nature — has prompted designers and manufacturers to offer building plans, kits and factory-built houses to the growing number of small-thinking second-home shoppers. Seldom measuring much more than 500 square feet, the buildings offer sharp contrasts to the rambling houses that are commonplace as second homes.

This reduction of scale makes sense for a lot of people. Second homes are often geared toward outdoor activities, so for several months of the year interior space is superfluous. Minimal square footage means reduced maintenance costs, less upkeep and reduced energy consumption. Prefabricated and pre-built models can require little or no site preparation, which means no anxious weekend drives to the country to make sure construction is moving along. Add to this an element of instant gratification (once the planning stage is over, most houses go up in days, even hours, and many are delivered, turn-key, to the site).

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/16/realestate/greathomes/16tiny.html?ei=5090&en=c48bc3dc59322f11&ex=1329282000&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

.......links to more pictures and small living sites......

http://tumbleweedhouses.com/

http://dreamsmall.net/

http://www.littlehouseonasmallplanet.com/index2.html

http://www.moderncabana.com/MC_main.html

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5366823

http://www.resourcesforlife.com/groups/smallhousesociety/

http://www.smallerliving.com/

http://www.discoverys.net/Tiny%20Texas%20Houses.htm

[tblue]

1. Whoah! That is amazing! How clever is that?

As homes are being built bigger and bigger, it's good to know that that doesn't have to be the way of things. There are considerable arguments for consuming less and taking up less space. Thanks for sharing this.

[MADem]

2. In Maine, they call them 'camps'

But the crapper is usually a short walk away....

[glitch]

3. Awesome! Thanks for posting, gotta R it. nt

[Lorien]

4. Oprah recently did a whole show on "Living small"

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200702/tows_past_20070220.jhtml

A Tumbleweed home was featured on the program. Hopefully, this will be a new trend!

[roguevalley]

5. aren't they adorable? I love them.

[Shoelace]

6. I love our "cottage"! (800+ sq ft)

in my lifetime, we've lived in many homes, big and small. Our cottage is just right and very "green." We might downsize someday but for now, I feel like Goldilocks - it's just right!

GORE IN '08:kick:

[femrap]

7. My faith in humankind is renewed....

I love these homes.

[XemaSab]

8. I *so* want one!

I wonder if the dude out in Butte County has a girlfriend. :D

(That's the square jobber with the lovely cinder cone in the background).

[Porcupine]

9. I have a friend who has lots in Butte County......

But they are waay back in the hills. Folks up there are old-style hillbillies and leftover hippies.

[Shoelace]

10. hey, I'm a "leftover hippy"!

lol! I'm pushing 60+ now and boy have I got stories to tell about the Hippies way back when.

We lived in Hawaii without electricity, took showers when it rained (almost everyday on Kona coast) and ate off the trees around us and a few cans of mackeral fish, whole wheat bread cooked in a contrived oven, etc.

We had some great answers to the problems facing us today but many there were that blew their lives away on drugs, etc. We were so consciously aware of our environment, our place in the Universe, and so politically savvy that the PTBS set about the business of figuring out how to undo our various lifestyles by enacting housing codes that prevented communal living, etc.

Speaking of communal living, shouldn't we revive it now? Seems appropriate given the financial status of many families who want for a roof over their heads.

We desperately need to find new ways for survival and communal or semi communal living was a great thing back then on the West coast. Dunno how it would work now but trust that the seed will get planted and grow somewhere in time!!

[Porcupine]

11. I tried "CoHousing"

Which still has private property with communal areas and an averactive HOA. It's a better class of jerk.

The problem with modern tribalism is that it's illegal. The laws are set up to disallow communal rights and ownership of property without individual debt. Tribalism is a barrier to capitolism so the laws are agin it.

[madokie]

12. I could see doing that in the future, well maybe not quite so small

just the two of us now so we don't need a whole lot of space, 600 to 800 sf sounds about right for us. with the right layout much smaller would be fine though.

[democracy eh]

13. not quite as tiny, but still cool

The Cottage Company (small house neighbourhood developers in Seattle area))
http://www.cottagecompany.com/

their architect
http://www.rosschapin.com/



and a Canadian firm doing green mobile homes

www.sustain.ca