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.
Anyone could live in 144 square feet for a small period of time. Not a chance for the long haul. I'd be ready for the looney bin after a couple of days. Nice PR stunt, but I'm not impressed.
I once lived in 70 square feet with a roomate.
We had a sink and a toilet, but no cooking facilities.
There was no closet, but since all we had was an orange jumpsuit, a pair of flip-flops, and a toothbrush, we really didn't need much storage space.
I wonder what would happen, though, if modern Americans simply went back to living in more reasonably-sized houses. No need to be extreme about it, for the sake of getting attention. But let's be reasonable.
It used to be that anything more than a 1,000 square foot home was pretty big.
I grew up in a 1-bathroom, 3-bedroom house - with two older brothers. In the winter we closed off 1 bedroom & all three of us boys slept in the same bed. We did this until I was about 7 (I'm the youngest). It was both more economical and warmer that way.
Why does each kid need their own Master Suite and Bathroom these days? Why do we need such massive living quarters? Is it really because we need it, or is it more about ego?
This house we are living in now is 875 square feet and absolutely huge, but I used to live on a sailboat so my perception of "huge" is quite skewed. I lived on my sailboat for about fifteen years and it was a rather small one at that. It had about 120 square feet of living space. It had a kitchen, a bathroom (no tub, just a shower), a nice comfortable bunk area with a "guest bunk" available although I generally used that as storage. A small living room with an outside living room, too. It was all wood, and had a propane stove. No water heater, though. It had a black solar heated shower bag and I could heat up water on the stove when I wanted hot water. If it had mattered, I could have arranged a water heater of some type, I suppose.
Living in a really small area is kind of nice. All the furniture was built in with storage below it. Other than changing the cushion covers, there wasn't much interior stuff to buy. A lot of "stuff" just wasn't necessary because there just wasn't any place to put it. Also in this 28' boat, there was storage for sails, ropes, engines, etc., so it wasn't just all living space.
I don't see why she is getting any rave reviews, this has already been done in a much better fashion for hundreds of years. It is sort of a social commentary that folks consider this "news". Either that or it was a particularly slow news day. I guess folks have to find content for their news and blogs somewhere.
All I can say is "no toilet" and it cost her $14,000. What a rip. Heck for $14,000 I could build a nice small 2 bedroom cabin with a bath and a kitchen and a septic system. And they thought what she did was good or creative?
I can live in small spaces but not without a toilet and running water.
Okay, 144 square feet seems REALLY small, but my parents lived in a 400 square foot cottage for 2 years while they were building the (much larger!) house they currently live in. This is the cottage (as seen from the side porch of the house). They now use it for storage. (Which seems like such a shame! Their house sits on 10 acres of wooded land. It would be awesome if they could move the cottage farther from the house, into the woods, and maybe down by the stream that cuts through their property. Then I could move in!!)
The cottage had a kitchen (2-burner stove/oven, utility sink, fridge) and a full bath (shower stall, toilet, sink). My mom had it set up quite ingeniusly on the inside. They put their queen-sized bed up on risers so that they could use the space beneath the bed for storage. Mom made use of as much vertical space as she could and erected shelves across the ceiling beams for extra horizontal space. Cabinetry created a "wall" between the bedroom and the living room. The cabinetry housed the tv and the computer. There was a full-length sofa, and behind the sofa was a drop leaf table that could be reconfigured to seat four people for dinner. The cottage had radiant heating under the concrete floor (they live on a mountain), an "attic" fan for ventillation (plus the whole back wall had a row of windows), and dish-tv and internet. All the comforts of home!
I'm pretty certain that I could live in such a small place long-term, but I'm ruthless about keeping my possessions to a minimum. My parents (and their dog!) survived it for two years, but mostly that was because my mother was CONSTANTLY cleaning and picking up after my dad.
I wonder what would happen, though, if modern Americans simply went back to living in more reasonably-sized houses. No need to be extreme about it, for the sake of getting attention. But let's be reasonable.
It used to be that anything more than a 1,000 square foot home was pretty big.
I grew up in a 1-bathroom, 3-bedroom house - with two older brothers. In the winter we closed off 1 bedroom & all three of us boys slept in the same bed. We did this until I was about 7 (I'm the youngest). It was both more economical and warmer that way.
Why does each kid need their own Master Suite and Bathroom these days? Why do we need such massive living quarters? Is it really because we need it, or is it more about ego?
I agree. I added onto my home last year. Before it was 900+ feet and now it is 2100+ square feet. In so many ways it is downright silly. My wifes walk in closet is bigger then most peoples bathrooms and is hardly filled. (12 x 8) And my daughters closet is not too much smaller (6 x 8). Does a 2½ year old need a closet that size, or 12 x 16 free spanned bedroom that is primarily unused for most of that space?
The answer is no.
The truth is I wish I had not added on. This house has so much wasted space now, just square feet that is just not used. I could not get by on 144 square feet, but 1000 feet, I did that for 14 years just fine. I feel prey to the "we need to add on for the baby" ploy, but we as a society need to get away from that mentality. I feel silly for falling into the bigger home trap.
I agree. I added onto my home last year. Before it was 900+ feet and now it is 2100+ square feet. In so many ways it is downright silly. My wifes walk in closet is bigger then most peoples bathrooms and is hardly filled. (12 x 8) And my daughters closet is not too much smaller (6 x 8). Does a 2½ year old need a closet that size, or 12 x 16 free spanned bedroom that is primarily unused for most of that space?
The answer is no.
The truth is I wish I had not added on. This house has so much wasted space now, just square feet that is just not used. I could not get by on 144 square feet, but 1000 feet, I did that for 14 years just fine. I feel prey to the "we need to add on for the baby" ploy, but we as a society need to get away from that mentality. I feel silly for falling into the bigger home trap.
Yeah and on top of that you have higher heating and cooling costs. I love smaller homes and I would never live in a big home. My DH and I use the kitchen, family room, kitchen, and bathroom probably like most couples. Four rooms is plenty for two.
I agree. I added onto my home last year. Before it was 900+ feet and now it is 2100+ square feet. In so many ways it is downright silly. My wifes walk in closet is bigger then most peoples bathrooms and is hardly filled. (12 x 8) And my daughters closet is not too much smaller (6 x 8). Does a 2½ year old need a closet that size, or 12 x 16 free spanned bedroom that is primarily unused for most of that space?
The answer is no.
The truth is I wish I had not added on. This house has so much wasted space now, just square feet that is just not used. I could not get by on 144 square feet, but 1000 feet, I did that for 14 years just fine. I feel prey to the "we need to add on for the baby" ploy, but we as a society need to get away from that mentality. I feel silly for falling into the bigger home trap.
I hear you.
2 of our 3 kids are grown and gone, and 3 years ago we bought a 2-story brick house that - if fully finished - would be well over 4,000 sqf.
Part of the sell for us is that it's a fixer-upper, and has mind-boggling potential. We paid $135,000 for it. If brought to its potential, it would be worth easily double that amount, even in today's slump housing market. So on one level it's an investment as well as our house.
Another consideration is that it won't be too long before our kids, with their spouses and grandchildren, will be coming to our house for holidays and other occasions. It'll be wonderful to have the room. Even now, though, we often have family get-togethers where 25-30 people come over for a meal.
It also sits on a full acre lot, so there's all kinds of room for gardening as well as planting trees and shrubs. It's almost like having our own little acreage right in the middle of the city.
Even so, I've super-insulated and sealed the house. We have a high-efficiency furnace, new central AC and a Heat Pump. We pay less to heat and cool our house than most people with 1,000 sqf houses do.
There are a LOT of things people can do to live more "green" and more "sustainable" lives. Unfortunately, most of the time we just don't. For instance, in our rental house, I have to constantly tell the tenants (brother & sister-in-law) that they need to close inside and storm windows, etc. It never ceases to amaze me that people can be so oblivious to the obvious.
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.
)
