Tiny houses

[Glenda]

You have to look at these houses:

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/






From the website:

"My name is Jay Shafer, and I live in a house smaller than some people’s bathrooms. I call my tiny home Tumbleweed. My decision to inhabit just 100 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I just do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space. Tumbleweed meets all of my domestic needs without demanding much in return. The simple, slower lifestyle my home affords is a luxury for which I am supremely grateful.

Since completing the construction of Tumbleweed in 1999, I have continued to make little buildings. How each house gets used depends on its occupant’s particular needs. What one person would enjoy as a quiet studio in their backyard, another couple might choose to inhabit as a full-time residence. What some people see as the perfect weekend hideaway in the country, others will use as a beautiful free-standing addition to their existing home for accommodating an elderly parent, an adult child, guests, or as office space. "

[Kenneth ken]

1. interesting

I don't think I could actually live full time in one of these though.

There are certainly aspects of it I would like. Should be easy to clean - my least-loved household thing. It seems like it would be difficult to have guests over (maybe that's a plus :) too)

I think also that at some point, it would start having an effect of forcing one to spend more time out and about doing things other than sitting home. Probably another plus, except in harsh weather.

Put one of those on an acre of land, and you'd have lots of room left for growing a garden that would possibly be able to produce enough food to feed you for the year.

[NMDemDist2]

2. i lived in an apt above a onecar garage for two years

not much bigger than this, wish the apt had been as well designed

I (literally) could not have swung a cat in either of the two rooms

I loved that place :)

[Warpy]

11. I've lived in a lot of odd places

including a room in a rooming house that was half a previous room, a van, a tent, and the more conventional options of trailer, tiny urban apartment, and now a small 1952 tract house. I would always prefer to live in a well planned small space to a poorly planned large one.

I miss my single wide trailer. There was a place for everything, and I never felt cramped.

[NMDemDist2]

13. i have also

i lived 5 months in alaska out of a 10 x 12 tent with my BF

the apt noted above

a season in W VA in a campershell mounted on a pickuptruck bed/trailer

i had another tiny apt that you couldn't fit even a loveseat in the one room and the bedroom was just the size of a queen sized bed with a 14" walkway at the bottom

i like tiny houses, DH took one look at the houses above and laughed then walked away LOL

[lostnfound]

3. Thanks for sharing that, what a great idea. nt

[bluedonkey]

4. Cute

shed.
Here I thought my house was tiny.I will never be ungrateful again!

[byronm]

5. Small houses are big

when they're not full of junk :)

[chaska]

6. I've lived in a camper and a van, and...

I've spent many nights in the tiny shelters on the Appalachian Trail. There is definitely something unexpectedly wonderful about tiny spaces. And the simplicity of lifestyle demanded by such dimensions is so liberating.

I have a storage space currently. Everything I own fits easily into a 5x10 space (and I own a lot of musical equipment - guitars and amps, etc.). I have plans to cut that in half (at least). My goal is to be able to carry everything I own in a van and travel the continent livin' and a lovin' where and with whom I please ... or something like that.

'Tiny, Tiny Houses' is one of my favorite books. Thanks for the site.

[mdmc]

7. cool i o !!

:kick:

[InvisibleTouch]

8. I have way too much junk...

...but it's an enticing concept.

More than once I've seen fully equipped campers sell for a pittance at auction - and I've sometimes asked myself why one couldn't haul something like that to a plot of land out in the wilderness, and live perfectly well. Gotta be in a warm climate, of course, but talk about your low start-up costs....

My hurdle comes back down to "way too much junk." But I'm working on it....

[Warpy]

12. My albatross is a huge Spanish rug loom

No way will that sucker fit into a camper, not even one of those Pace Arrow monstrosities.

I did manage it rather well in a single wide trailer. I weighed less then, though.

[katinmn]

9. These would really save a ton in heating costs!

[Acryliccalico]

10. Might be nice for

when I get older and it gets harder to clean and take care of a bigger place.

[CindyDale]

14. Oh, gosh. That is so cool, thanks. I've bookmarked it. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

15. Any moment, I expect Laura Ingalls Wilder to come running out. (nt)