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Hi all. I am a reporter in Dickson Tennessee and will retire on the small equity I will likely have in my house in Nashville in about three years. My needs are extremely modest; I require a very small space hopefully on a few acres in the country under 1,000 (even around 500) square feet would be fine. I have been trying to figure this out for years. I will have about $45,000. I don't really want a single-wide but have no problems with one. What I really want is a tiny house to buy or maybe build outright. However, ALL these sites for small modular houses are really high per square foot. The Katrina house is a rip, or so they say. I thought about a Yurt and realized it was too dangerous for a single woman and actually too goofy. Should I just get a floor plan and contractor? Ugh, I just don't know how to get started. Help!!
Wouldn't you do best by getting an older home? The development costs of a new lot would eat up a good chunk of your budget.
If you go to Zillow.com and punch in your requirements- in particular the budget amount- I'm sure you will come up with a slew of options.
I think the very best thing is to get to know a good realtor long before you start looking seriously. An older small home that has very high quality construction is often a slow seller because it may not have an attached garage, has old 2-post wiring, a small bathroom, or other antiquated features. Updating and remodeling such a home may be expensive, but less than a new home purchase, and a better build quality than a pre-fabbed house.
Many of these houses are out in the country. These days, it might come down to what you want most, the land or the house. I would think carefully about 'a few acres in the country'... if a person isn't an avid gardener or a fanatic about keeping a nice lawn, a few acres often becomes just another small neat yard in the middle of a neglected plot full of weeds. Keeping up the acreage is usually a lot more expensive than keeping up the house that's on it, even if you want a natural or wild looking environment. Nature is an equal opportunist, and will just as quickly grow an ugly weed patch as a fine looking vista. The first happens early, and the second takes decades of time to develop. And sometimes, a place in the country is nothing but rocks and weeds for $45,000.
Move to some country where you can live like a queen...
I'm not being entirely serious but the fact is that even tiny houses still have tax bills and utility costs and maintenance issues. It might make a lot of sense to think about places where your money will actually go further...
There are not as many savings for a truly small new house as one would imagine. You are still paying the same amount to run utilities, the driveway and compile the survey, civil work, etc. You'll be buying the same appliances for the most part- assuming Dw, fridge, stove, microwave, washer, dryer, water heater. And HVAC for a smaller house (meaning the unit not the ducting) is no that much less. The roof and foundation will be cheaper but no more so than if you had a two story house with the same footprint.
I agree with the others that buying a smaller existing house- and at one point in time 1000 sf was not considered absurdly small- might be a better route. You can remodel/make adjustments over time and since you are single it frees you up to do things others might not be able to such as combining smaller bedrooms into one, swithing the purpose of rooms and not caring about whether the bath is enterred from the bedroom.
I'll also warn that moving an existing house from another site is never as cheap as it sounds. People always think its like winning the lottery but they still have to build a foundation, install HVAC, run utilities and typically make other repairs/updates since those houses are generally being given away for a reason.
Tumbleweed is probably the most well known promoter of the "small house" or "tiny house".
So, if you're deadset on actually building maybe these examples will fuel your fire.
However, I tend to agree with the others. As they have lamented to, you'll probably get a better bang for your buck by looking for a small country house, hopefully on some acreage. The drawback of course is it's probably going to be an older structure in need of a lot of repair, updating, and effiecentcy improvement. And that cost can get out of hand quickly. Carefully weigh the differences and make a informed and educated decision.
If you are hoping to buy a few acres, put in Electric, water and sewer taps, or septic and a well, then build a house, I have some bad news for you, it can't be done.
i think maybe somethng like Slabtown Customs would be a good fit for you. they no longer have a website, but do have a few videos on youtube and here is an article...they are not all on a trailer btw.
Location: When things get hot they expand. Im not fat. Im hot.
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Have you looked at HUD houses?
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