Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I could never live in a tiny home, and I am single. Have you ever heard of the rat in a maze study? They proved that rats crammed in tiny areas go crazy and violent. I can't imagine living with someone in a tiny home. OMG. Everyday I live for the moment I can get away from people and relax in my home.
Nobody said anything about building a structure that is not up to code.
Why would you think there should be any higher expenses?
Lets add rainbow fees and cloud taxes too, might as well.
Every property has property tax. Nobody is saying that property taxes go away when you own property.
If you want a paved driveway, then put in a paved driveway. But that is off-topic.
LOL. You obviously haven't been following the "tiny house" movement. The majority of those interested in these "trailer houses" think codes are ridiculous and you can't read very far on the topic before you see someone speaking about "if it has wheels it doesn't have to meet codes". Beyond that, most of the pictures shown of these trailers on wheels are of structures that would not meet codes in most areas of the USA for a livable space.
FWIW....I'm against rainbow taxes or taxes on clouds....but giving everyone an IQ test and checking their bank account would certainly tell the tale in most instances when it comes to these pie-in-the-sky, go-against -the-grain "ideas" folks come up with like "tiny houses".
As others point out....a smaller/existing dwelling is a more viable option for those who truly have the finances to own a home. As far as environmental impact...building a >temporary< structure that will certainly end up in the landfill (long before a permanent structure is ever thought of being torn down) simply isn't "green living".
In my opinion, the novelty of living in a house that is no bigger than 14 X 14 room would wear off quickly. I don't need a 20,000 square foot home, but then again who's to say otherwise if I choose to if someone else does?
I see the Tiny House Movement much the same way I see fashion / design shows and concept cars.
The idea is to do something a bit extreme, to highlight an underlying concept. The crazy, futuristic car you see at the LA auto show may not roll off the assembly line, but you'll see parts of its design and concept show up in later model years.
Tiny Houses are the same way. Could I live in one? Sure. But I'm single, like small spaces, and don't own much. But the movement isn't to try and force everyone into under 400 sq ft -- it's instead to get people to re-evaluate just how much space they REALLY need. Sure, a wooden box on a trailer would cost 1/10th of what a full size house would, and would cut your utilities and energy usage way down. But most people aren't making that extreme of a jump. But if you get a family of 3 out of a 3,000 sq ft house, and into a 1,500 sq ft house, they'll see (assuming all other things equal) their heating and cooling costs go down, mortgage payments go down, property taxes go down... All without a hugely negligible loss (assuming a well-planned layout).
Tiny Living also showcases the market for smaller appliances, and more efficient devices. Instant hot water heaters, more efficient refrigerators, etc. As these products are brought to light, more and more people will buy them (even if they live in a full-sized house), which not only lowers the market value, but also encourages development in the field. Switching appliances to more energy efficient ones can have a significant impact, even in large houses.
A few radicals moving into boxes on wheels gets people talking about the space they really need, and how much they'll save if they were to downsize.
An average-sized family should have no problem living in 700 - 1,200 sq ft.
I think this post hits the nail on the head. I doubt people will start flocking to 200 sq. ft. houses anytime soon, at least in large numbers, but I could see millennial opting for smaller houses for the long-term. I think that is a good thing.
My wife and I are both millennials, and we're planning to build a house in the next couple of years. We want it to be a house that we can stay in for the next 20+ years, which will include having 3+ kids (hopefully). We both think that a 3/2 in the neighborhood of 1400 square feet will do the trick, even if we have four kids. This is substantially smaller than the average family of six currently lives in, and a good bit of our inclination toward smaller houses likely has to do with the tiny house movement. If it was just the two of us, we would probably build a 600-700 sq. ft. house. If I were a bachelor, I'd be all over the 200 sq. ft. castles.
I don't see a family of three living in a 1,200sq ft house.
Really? Why, too much space for them, or just too much junk?
I grew up in a 3-person family in 650sq. feet flat, never felt there was not enough space. Now, having more land around your house is a different story....the more the better. I owned a house around 1000sq ft, but decided that I'd rather have a tiny cabin and shed(s), instead of all this space I wasn't really using (other than to store lumber, which could stay in a shed).
Really? Why, too much space for them, or just too much junk?
I grew up in a 3-person family in 650sq. feet flat, never felt there was not enough space. Now, having more land around your house is a different story....the more the better. I owned a house around 1000sq ft, but decided that I'd rather have a tiny cabin and shed(s), instead of all this space I wasn't really using (other than to store lumber, which could stay in a shed).
Too much junk. Most people like their stuff & some to want more of it. Again we live in a one bed/one bath apt with a storage shed outside. We swap our clothes out for the different seasons. Same with our hiking gear we keep it stored. We have 1 dog & two VERY active cats! Overall it's how your able to store your things & swap them out.
I had owned a conventional, up-to-code house (which was small if one goes by square footage) and kept wondering what was I supposed to with all the space, since I had a big shed already, where I could store things. I sectioned off the kitchen and dining room area by hanging blankets, to live there and keep only those heated, but the rest had to be heated to some degree anyway so that the pipes wouldn't freeze, as some genius put the bathroom on another end of the house accross from the kitchen--what a waste. I kept wondering what they were going to do with zillion of electric jacks everywhere....someone planned an indoor plantation of sun-loving plant, perhaps? This was the smallest house I could find in the area. I installed new roof insulation, and I had to do it for all the square footage I wasn't using, as well. The giant crawlspace was a good place for breeding snakes and poisonous spiders (that lived in the area), I wouldn't want to be there...even the inspector and the plumber didn't want to be there... And so many jurisdictions fight small, compact living quarters that suit just one or two persons. The places already on the market are mostly giant. I don't need all this space, just want a small space, and they try to brand such as substandard, undesireable or unsafe, for absolutely false reasons. Looking in some areas I'm interested in now, I see houses at affordable for me price, but most of them are....2 story houses (with big footprint as well). It's all about taxing more and nothing else! And forcing you to pay more to local "repairmen". More foundation = more foundation problems, same with roof. Same with insulating walls or roofs. More plumbing problems as pipes run longer spans. And more tax for the county. God forbid you want to have a vegetable garden or just wildflowers and grasses on the space you freed by not having a giant footprint. This would offend sensibilities and they'd call it creating a "3rd world slam" except forgetting they're living in a 3rd world already, having been sold out by globalist interests, this will only come to roost, just give it time.
Too much junk. Most people like their stuff & some to want more of it. Again we live in a one bed/one bath apt with a storage shed outside. We swap our clothes out for the different seasons. Same with our hiking gear we keep it stored. We have 1 dog & two VERY active cats! Overall it's how your able to store your things & swap them out.
We had end-to-end, floor-to-ceiling shelving or closets, including overhead storage space in the hallway that was connecting rooms and bathroom/kitchen (ceilings were ~3 yards high). Of course, I'm not talking about having 1000 shoe pairs neatly stored each in a separate compartment. Now, I try to keep personal belonging that don't include tools (clothes, shoes, cookware) down to the size of my car trunk, no matter how much storage space I have. Things just have power over people and can turn them into hoarders, before they know it. Long ago, I worked as a caregiver for a person. I walked into their place and it was full of junk up to the waist, and trails were cut in it to walk though; the person told me they lost their gold crown somewhere and I needed to help them find it.
We had end-to-end, floor-to-ceiling shelving or closets, including overhead storage space in the hallway that was connecting rooms and bathroom/kitchen (ceilings were ~3 yards high). Of course, I'm not talking about having 1000 shoe pairs neatly stored each in a separate compartment. Now, I try to keep personal belonging that don't include tools (clothes, shoes, cookware) down to the size of my car trunk, no matter how much storage space I have. Things just have power over people and can turn them into hoarders, before they know it. Long ago, I worked as a caregiver for a person. I walked into their place and it was full of junk up to the waist, and trails were cut in it to walk though; the person told me they lost their gold crown somewhere and I needed to help them find it.
We are wanting to do some traveling here soon in the next few years. Which means cutting back on a lot of our stuff. Books, dishes, pictures of family & friends, etc. Most of out things will go into storage we've already started cutting back on our clothes & are down to two pairs of shoes each. We are looking into a teardrop so between that & our car we won't have room for much, it should be interesting even more considering that we LOVE our books & tend to collect them very fast.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
