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I prefer smaller homes, less to clean. I like to mop my home daily and I don't feel comfortable having cleaning people in my home everyday. Besides I think everybody should clean their own bathrooms. It's my inner "Sheldon Cooper" at work.
The cultural paradigm goes against the logic of smaller houses.
Few, if any, new homes and apartments are designed to cater to a "downsized" lifestyle.
For example, imagine if housing was designed with built-in clothes storage systems that eliminated the need for bulky clothes storage furniture (chest of drawers, dressers). Or built in dining tables that eliminated the need for a stand alone dining table. Ditto, for desks in bedrooms. Or built in seating in the living room / family room.
Or better built in lighting, to eliminate the need for additional lamps.
In that case, one would only need a small amount of personal possessions, and far less volume to store them in.
More exotic "furniture eliminators":
Hanger points for hammocks, swings, and other non-traditional suspended furnishings.
Short tables designed for sitting on the floor.
Futons.
The biggest problem with these small houses are that they still need to be connected to water and sewer or have a well drilled and a septic installed. Either of these options could exceed the cost of the house itself.
I always thought that it would be an interesting concept to have a village of these small homes that share a well and septic system. They could be coupled with passive and active solar components as well as a possible central geothermal infrastructure to allow very green and affordable living for single people or couples without children.
Unfortunately, most zoning laws prohibit this type of arrangement unless they are located in a rural area. Since the occupants of this demographic are most attracted to areas with public transportation and a lot of services the rural plan is not feasible.
The biggest problem with these small houses are that they still need to be connected to water and sewer or have a well drilled and a septic installed. Either of these options could exceed the cost of the house itself.
These costs are added to the "regular" houses anyway, so theoretically (tiny house +well+septic) should still be less than (large house+well+septic).
But if they are asking $50-100K for the tiny house itself, I think it's another get rich scheme for the manufacturers, because it doesn't cost that much. In fact, small houses can be built with your own hands, and it will take about $5-10K, to which you can add well+septic.
These costs are added to the "regular" houses anyway, so theoretically (tiny house +well+septic) should still be less than (large house+well+septic).
But if they are asking $50-100K for the tiny house itself, I think it's another get rich scheme for the manufacturers, because it doesn't cost that much. In fact, small houses can be built with your own hands, and it will take about $5-10K, to which you can add well+septic.
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