Who needs a big house? Tiny houses on the market nationwide. (prices, building)

[JD59]

This is all I need for one person or even two people.

Living in a place that's a lot less than 1,000 square feet is usually reserved for people just starting out on their own.
But a growing group of people are choosing to live in smaller homes, even if they can afford something bigger. Tiny houses or "micro-homes" appeal to buyers who want to pare down their lives in every way.

Tiny houses on the market nationwide - Yahoo! Homes

[davebarnes]

Tiny houses on the market nationwide - Yahoo! Homes
one page, no clicking required

fun article

[farmermac]

One of these articles pops up every once in a while. It has some appeal for a small fraction of people, but the only people I know that would consider this don't have kids and are anti mainstream in every other aspect of their lives. No thanks, gimme space baby!

[breeinmo.]

I could live in a smaller house, but those prices! I know, its their locations, but no way I'd pay that much for so little space.

[glamatomic]

I love the small house movement! Even though I couldn't live in a super tiny house myself, I have no inclination to live in a huge house either. I love watching tiny house videos on YouTube- they often have wonderful / ingenious organizing tips and tricks!

[LOL_Whut]

We had 4 people in less than 800 sq ft for a while. It was fine...but now I'm sure grateful to have a place with a second toilet!

[AZGal25]

As a single person with no intention of ever having kids, the tiny houses really appeal to me. I like that they force you to declutter your lifestyle. They're also easier and cheaper to heat and cool. And, to be honest, I've lived in apartments smaller than these tiny houses.

I used to worry that it would be unfair to my cat to have something that small, but now that he is a teenager he pretty much confines himself to small space anyway.

I've been looking at tiny house plans and considering building one myself.

[pekemom]

Why pay so much for so little? Sorry, I'm sure some people love it but it's not for us..
me, DH and a peke. We have a house built in 2005, so it's fairly new, for under $170,000.
It's a 3bed, 2 bath 1640 sq ft ranch, plus a basement, and a 3 car garage, on over an acre,
in a great community. That sq. footage is considered small these days, I think around 2500 is the norm...
(I grew up in a 3 bed 1 bath home (5 of us) that was a little under 1000 sq ft.)
I don't see the lure of paying a lot for being cramped. Even if it was cheap I would rather live here....
Just my opinion....

[AZGal25]

Well, I think the houses in the article are not really what the tiny house movement is about. It's not about paying $100k+ for a little house. It's about finding create ways to use the space and resources we already have so that we can avoid debt.

If you haven't seen it already, you should check out the tiny house documentary. The film maker is kind of annoying at the beginning, but she gets out of the way eventually and lets the documentary speak for itself for the most part.


We The Tiny House People (Documentary): Small Homes, Tiny Flats & Wee Shelters - YouTube

The real tiny house movement, imo, is about natural building, upcycling and living within your means. Some of these houses are being built for next to nothing using discarded materials and stuff people are just giving away.

[Hemlock140]

There are a couple of companies building them from shipping containers now, and in Seattle, they are adding them as "in law" cottages behind houses. That is becoming controversial.
Since two of ours have moved on there's only 3 of us left in this place with 3,000 sf and 5 BR, but I enjoy the roominess, seems so much bigger now with less people in it. I'd probably be claustrophobic in anything under 1,200 SF even if by myself.