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If you aren't planning on moving your home around a lot....buy a piece of land outside the city and put a small mobile home on it. Why go 300 sq ft unless it's insanely cheap or you're able to build it yourself?
Perhaps one day some company will get into tiny homes and start pumping them out of factories? I could see the builder basic 300-400 sq ft model going for $15-20k. I would think there's profit to made with a company building and delivering these things for that price.
Are these homes truly frugal living? I am looking at some on Facebook. Looks like something interesting for retirement. I don't know if it makes more sense to own the land the tiny home is on or rent. Obviously, I need to learn more about frugal living and would like to learn more on this thread.
These are a great idea for young workers who are just starting out, if someone built say 100-300 on a plot of land, then had careful restrictions they might have a nice community. The young can connect, then marry (Having saved for a few years) and buy their own larger home.
I was living in a 224 sqft airstream.
For < $50k I got 1k sqft of living space, 1k sqft of shop space, propane heat (wood stove will bump me over 50 but under $55k)
Solar power, guest bedrooms, living room, tub, shower, chest freezer, MUCH better standard of living...
I'm keeping my airstream, but to trsvel, not live in (did for 3 years)
Assuming you're not trying to jam The Waltons into it, I'm a big fan of small homes. That's small, not tiny. There's virtually no savings on going tiny. Most of the costs are similar for a 1,000 square foot house compared to a 250 square foot house. You still need to dig a hole and pour a foundation. You still need water, electrical, sewer, HVAC, a kitchen, and a bathroom. You still have minimum lot size to pay for.
Tiny homes are fine if you have absolutely nothing to store. But getting rid of functional and usable belongings to fit into a tiny home isn't exceptionally frugal, either.
Ugh! I hate tiny houses. They are too small for mature adults, especially those who make a living at home. Anything less than 900 sq feet is a real challenge for an older person, especially with a walker or scooter.
There is nothing wrong with *small* houses and one with an open floor plan can be a blessing with its ease of cleaning and low cost to heat and cool, but living year-around in 400 - 500 sq feet is just obnoxious.
Ugh! I hate tiny houses. They are too small for mature adults, especially those who make a living at home. Anything less than 900 sq feet is a real challenge for an older person, especially with a walker or scooter.
There is nothing wrong with *small* houses and one with an open floor plan can be a blessing with its ease of cleaning and low cost to heat and cool, but living year-around in 400 - 500 sq feet is just obnoxious.
One person or a couple in a 400 square foot studio apartment is kind of normal in many big cities around the world. In New York, co-ops and condos cost $1400+ per square foot. There's a reason why most New Yorkers meet their friends in restaurants and bars. They live in closets.
Tiny homes are fine if you have absolutely nothing to store. But getting rid of functional and usable belongings to fit into a tiny home isn't exceptionally frugal, either.
My living room is long and narrow, and I found that regular couches are too big to use. I built my own, a wood bench with storage underneath, and a back on the 'couch' end. I used cushions off a couch which got hauled. It will make a six ft. couch, but the rest of the length is an ottoman which also has storage in it. I have hardwood shelves built along the walls. I also built the shelves.
If your not needing to make it mobile, and have space for a dedicated storage building, then you could eliminate the storage problem. My house is 720sf, and if I could I'd put one long and not necessarily full width room along the side. Part would be a room to watch tv, and store the dvd's. The other part would have a shelter and shelves. The shelves would be utilitarian and organized and easy to get. That would solve the problem of keeping stuff I use sepearated, especially my crafts stash. Since I can't I use the second bedroom to store things but its not organized. The actual space used as living space is more like 540sf
Ideally, a storage area separate from the house would also work, keeping only the stuff you need this week inside and restocking when they get low. It could even be powered and put a freezer for storing food so long as you wouldn't have wandering animals. The advantage of a smaller house with separate storage is not having to heat rooms full of cold air you never go, or warm air you never cool. You can also warm up most of the house quite well by slow cooking a roast, getting you both dinner and warmth.
Last edited by nightbird47; 11-18-2015 at 12:32 PM..
Doesn't having to secure a storage site elsewhere for your overflow kind of defeat the purpose and spirit of downsizing to a tiny home in the first place?
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