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.
As an alternative to the over exaggerated benefits of tiny home simply pursue Katrina Cottage plans as the sq footage even includes closet space. The fad has created a vast development of poorly constructed, vuerable untreated decks and prices that back in the day would include a gymnasium and home built with brick!!!!. It is ludicrous that the scam artists are charging 60-90 k for garbage emphasizing travel and tons of money left over!!! In reality these little cute trailers will break your horns financially and relegate your to having to expand or out buildings even garages ( except in many cases you don't own the extremely small property. No closet space, ladders feather then steps to access sleeping lofts that are better suited for the knuckleheads who fasll for this scam.
If it was me I'd buy an RV and park it wherever I planned to place the tiny home. Definitely save money.
If it was me I'd buy an RV and park it wherever I planned to place the tiny home. Definitely save money.
Google RV prices.
Not me. We had 60 mph wind gusts the other night and saw on the news a few of them blown over. That and the lack of insulation cost a lot to heat and cool.
The way I see it, "tiny houses" are a way for the trendy, educated idealist, to say they don't have any money. The less pretentious and more accepting of their economic condition, take the time tested route of renting a small apartment.
I think the whole tiny house thing is often rooted in a "I want to live cheap but I would be way too embarrassed to live in a mobile home" type of thing.
Many think that mobile homes = trailer trash, while a tiny home is cool and trendy. In today's world, where people need constant attention, it's waaaaayyyy cooler to Instagram pictures of your tiny house than your singlewide trailer.
Of course, I did say "is often..." because I know that's not always the case. I do think it's the case sometimes, though.
My husband is 6'5. He'd never live in one of those stupid things. It wouldn't fit his tv and he'd hit his head and bump his broad shoulders on everything.
That's why most people that buy them are skinny hipsters that are like "wow, I bought this tiny home for only $100,000 and it's 150 square feet! You can't buy a typical house this cheap!"
What?
There are places in America you can buy a couple 5 bedroom houses for that price!
Small homes (700-1000 square feet) are very different from the "tiny houses" that are being pimped on HGTV which tend to be < 400 sq ft and mounted on wheels. Millions of older small homes are found all over the country, and in many areas, they even have basements as well as garages. Most can be bought cheap because there's a limited market for them. A handy buyer can buy and rehab one for significantly less than it would cost to buy some 300 square foot glorified camper and the land needed to park it.
True, but this a recent new thing, and it will evolve. Of the 720 feet of mine, a quarter is an unused room, so in reality its a 540 sized living house. The room will get organized but I seldom go in there to find anything. I've looked at the Katrina cottages, and there is one I'd love to live in should bad come our way here. (they tested the new tornado warning siren this morning. Woke me up out of a sound sleep with a what?????? Yes, it does wake you up. Geesh, hope to never hear it for real)
I think the thing with tiny homes for some is that they can be moved. As more places make them legal it would make a difference. The town and towns around it where I live are full of older homes. But unless you work in oil (and are still lucky to be working) its a bit out of the way. Many cities long ago knocked down the smaller older homes from the thirties so they could build newer, bigger track homes. They aren't going to start building new ones with foundations. If small to tiny is what you want you go with the ones who currently make them. And if you aren't planning to travel, then would you really want an RV?
So the market has the current builders who are recrafting the art of being small and practical to choose among. So that is who the interested buyer goes to. Eventually, they'll want something more planted, but I suspect not your gotta have everything modern house. When there's a market, it will happen. I see this as the flip side of the gotta have a mansion trend which is also in vogue, and those who don't want a mansion just might be happy with a smaller but not tiny home if someone was building them.
I think the thing with tiny homes for some is that they can be moved. As more places make them legal it would make a difference. The town and towns around it where I live are full of older homes. But unless you work in oil (and are still lucky to be working) its a bit out of the way. Many cities long ago knocked down the smaller older homes from the thirties so they could build newer, bigger track homes. They aren't going to start building new ones with foundations. If small to tiny is what you want you go with the ones who currently make them. And if you aren't planning to travel, then would you really want an RV?
So the market has the current builders who are recrafting the art of being small and practical to choose among. So that is who the interested buyer goes to. Eventually, they'll want something more planted, but I suspect not your gotta have everything modern house. When there's a market, it will happen. I see this as the flip side of the gotta have a mansion trend which is also in vogue, and those who don't want a mansion just might be happy with a smaller but not tiny home if someone was building them.
The issue of connecting to utilities and finding a place to park them renders the whole freedom of movement argument useless. They can't just be placed anywhere you like. Even if a town makes it legal to park them you still have to pay a lot of money to make the proper connections, plus you have to buy or lease the land.. Poof there goes any savings....
If you want a small house there are plenty of 500-700sq ft condos and homes for sale or rent all over the US.
You want to move often? Just rent a small apartment and move when you want or need to.
That plus "tiny homes" have terrible design, poor layouts and usability.
Point 1: none of those "tiny homes" were what was referenced in the OP: glorified trailers. Only one had a price, and that was the Cottage Company house for ... $593K. My guess is that none of the rest of those houses would be available for < $100k. All of the homes were also 500 square feet or more and built on foundations, so none are going anyplace any time soon. Not a single one was a glorified camping trailer with "utilities" supplied by an extension cord and garden hose.
Point 2: I know exactly how big a 12 x 30 studio apartment is because I lived in one for a while. I wasn't impressed. I've also spent time in 8 x 30 camping trailers (I have one at my camp) as well as vacations in 400 or 500 sq foot cottages/cabins. They're fine for a week but they get old fast, especially in rainy weather.
Point 3: How does having a "tiny house on wheels" cut land prep costs? A half acre of land is a half acre of land. Drilling a well or connecting to public water; creating the septic system or connecting to public sewer; and putting in a pole, electric meter, and running the power lines either above or below ground will all cost the same whether it's a tiny house on wheels or a 1000 square foot mobile home. If you don't want problems with the home staying level, then both need some kind of pad and supports to take it off the ground. Then you'll need skirting to keep the home warmer and prevent the pipes from freezing in winter. You'd save something there but my guess is it wouldn't be all that much.
Point 4: The land costs are what make these "tiny houses on wheels" scams. As others have said, unless you've got some close friend/relative who lives out in the boonies where there's no zoning and no health department restrictions on septic, you can't really park these glorified campers anywhere and live in them like they show on HGTV. An extension cord, a garden house, and a plastic pipe emptying the toilet into a nearby ditch (or a neighbor's land) does NOT constitute legal utility connections! Most lots don't have water and sewer connections at the back of lots. When somebody implies that the buyer can just roll one of these things into somebody's back yard and voila! they've got themselves a living unit, then that's a scam.
Did I or did I not say they were overpriced? The links I provided were to show that ADUs were accepted in Portland and Washington and also in Vancouver, Canada. I also wanted to show that there were small house communities. Yes, I know those small houses cost a lot. And one day someone's gonna come up with a plan to build them like modular or manufactured homes and cut the cost by 70% or more. And make a mint of money doing it.
By the way, for people who don't like living in a tiny house, please don't. No one is forcing you to, so why all the hostility? I currently rent a single room with a kitchenette. The total kitchen area is probably 7 x 8. In that space I have a 20" stove, a single sink, a 2' counter, and a small fridge. I have also managed to fit in a freestanding half sized hutch, a 2 x 2 chopping block, and a floor stand for my pots and pans. It's snug, but it works. Would I like to have soemthing larger? Sure, hell yes! In fact, many of those kitchens in the tiny houses shown are larger than mine. But the point I'm trying to make is you can live with anything and make it work if you want to. It's just that most people don't want to. It's all about attitude.
By the way, this is a picture of a single wide trailer. It's a small space. But does it feel small?
Remember, there's ways and ways of making a small space seem larger.
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.
