Tiny Little Houses (fit in, apartments, condos)

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I always wonder about the folks who plan to move to Hawaii and build a 200 square foot house. I wonder if they have ever lived in a tiny house, or if they just have a fantasy about it.

I just got back from 2 days in my travel trailer. It's small. I just measured. 168 square ft.

Travel trailers are well designed. There is a lot of stuff fit into a small space. They look really good.

We had enough space for 3 people to sleep. We could have stored perhaps 3 days worth of clothing for 3 people, as long as none of it was bulky. There was enough storage for maybe 2-3 days worth of food, because some of the cupboard space is taken up by one sauce pan, one frying pan, and a couple of plates, silverware, and a tiny microwave.

Bedding was kept on the back seat of the pickup and brought inside for the night, so storing it inside would have been a tight squeeze. There are only a couple of square feet of floor space. Fortunately, the dog prefers to be on the sofa instead of on the floor.

The stuff in my medicine cabinet at home (all of it necessary) would never fit into the medicine cabinet in the trailer.

We were happy as can be. We were only inside to sleep and outside the rest of the time. That's very suitable for camping, but perhaps not so wonderful for full time living. It rains a lot in Puna. There are mosquitoes. Being outside sunrise to sunset because you don't fit inside your house might not be as much fun as it sounds like.

Sometimes romantic fantasies and reality don't quite jive.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

Sometimes romantic fantasies and reality don't quite jive.

Agreed. But people are definitely different, and they have very different wants and needs. I met a charming woman a couple of years ago who lives in a 10 x 12 tent down in Puna and just loves it. Personally I'd feel deprived in such meager circumstances, but she seemed happy and content.

Met a guy down Pahoiki Road who has a small ohana building that he sleeps in, and a separate large screened lanai (20 x 20?) that houses his kitchen and "living room" areas, and a bathouse in between.

I did some extended camping once in an 8 x 20 Airstream, solo, with a galley kitchen and a tiny shower and toilet, and I figure that's about the least I could manage with, living alone. With a screened lanai I'd say it would be twice as tolerable.

[HonuMan]

The Portland IKEA has some great mock-ups of small apartments, the smallest of which is 250 sq. ft. They change out the furnishings every so often, and I'm amazed at how livable some of their configurations have been. Personally, I'd go a bit crazy living in something that small full time, but my wife and I have been tempted by some of those tiny, inexpensive condos in Hawaii, if we ever decide to divide our time between Hawaii and our current house on the mainland.

[Galactastica]

I've only lived in small houses/ohanas in HI, but spacey, normal mainland sized houses in Texas. I prefer the tiny houses. I'm more likely to clean, not clutter with junk i don't need. I just feel happier. I can definitely understand where people wouldn't like it, but some of us just have different preferences, as with anything. Whether the people moving and jumping right into it know what it entails or end up liking it, who knows! Some probably do, some probably don't. It's like that with moving to HI in general, no matter where you live when you get there.

[hotzcatz]

But with a tiny house in Hawaii, you aren't stuck inside during the winter months. The outside is part of the living space.

[manekiNEK0]

During a recent remodel on my 440 sqft home here in Idaho the bedroom was unlivable and went totally unused for many months (I am slow at remodeling). My gf and I lived in the remaining 300 or so square feet the whole time and it was during this time that we realized how little we really wanted or needed. Its all about getting rid of stuff. Really the only issue is storing the space-hogging things you need but use only occasionally like lawnmowers or tools or whatever.

Having less belongings could and should become a more realistic way of life when you're surrounded by jungle/rainbows/waterfalls/beaches/volcanoes don't you think?

Everybody's different though. I personally cant wait to live in a tiny little house out there in Puna

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by manekiNEK0

I personally cant wait to live in a tiny little house out there in Puna

Just be sure to do the research to find out if what you want to do is going to work in the area where you intend to live. I'm not sure now, because things have been in flux with the building code and all, but IIRC the minimum size residence for two people that you could get a building permit for was 220 sq ft of unencumbered floor space... in other words, not counting floor space that was covered by cabinets, counters and so on.

BUT, some of the subdivisions in Puna have restrictive agreements called CC&Rs, that have higher minimums, like 660 sq ft, for example. So do thorough research!

One of the biggest challenges people who are into the tiny house movement face is that there are restrictive codes and laws all over the country that are designed to keep people from living in shacks, and those rules never anticipated the far better designed and built structures these are.

In some places the answer is not to put the tiny house on a permanent foundation, but to leave it on a trailer chassis with wheels. That raises a whole new set of issues, but in general is less threatening. What the state and county are most concerned with are sanitation issues. What your neighbors are probably most concerned with is the possible impact on their property values.

Good luck!

[Big Island Cat]

I remember reading a story in the Ke Ola recently about small houses on Hawaii. http://keolamagazine.com/the-life-at...ace-like-home/ It was an interesting read.

[MickeyE]

Here ya go - links, links and more links!

8x8 Mini-Cabin - Simple Solar Homesteading

Home - Simple Solar Homesteading - Get the book!

Build This Cozy Cabin

Small House Society | ResourcesForLife.com

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company

Tiny House Talk - Tiny Homes and Small Spaces

Mickey

[nullgeo]

Four to six months a year in Hawaii, my home is a 24' sailboat with no standing headroom ... my wife, three large dogs, and I ... that's about 90 square feet of living space.

Six to eight months a year on the mainland, my home is a small box van with a 7'x10' box that has 5'10" height (I am 6'). So that's 70 square feet. I share it full time with the 112# dog. (We used to live in a mini-van.) My wife splits her time some traveling with me, plus her two dogs, but mostly she stays in her little cabin on our waterfront acreage in the San Juan Islands as I come and go.

I have room to spare. I am not exaggerating. Happy as a clam at high tide. Have everything I need within arm's length. Simplistic, minimalist living is -- obviously -- not acceptable for most. You are all welcome to working for your living spaces and possessions: working to earn the money to buy them, and to keep them housed and safe, and maintained. I used to do it and it felt like slavery. Slave to tradition and culture based on a lot of non-essential consumer-marketing. I now enjoy near-constant, intimate engagement with my environments.

Aloha.