Trying on Tiny | Audrey and Tomas try on a house smaller than 200 square feet.

This is my friend's blog about building and living in his tiny house. In case anyone is interested. He and his wife are younger than (most of) us so their needs and wants are different than, for example, mine. But I'm really getting interested in the direction, the concept, of simplificating and adding lightness, as applied to not a car, but a life.

Prison offers a small home off the grid solution.

I remember reading about those tiny homes on trailers some time ago in one of my business journals. After building many complex, custom stuff for clients, I found their simplistic construction and concept very interesting and extremely easy to build so I wanted to do something based on their model but I think I would starve for sure had I went that direction in Los Angeles. One good thing about those homes on wheels is that they do not fall under building codes, I assume they don't since they are on a trailer with no foundation. That's 90 % of the headaches in our business.

I used to know a retired USFS fire lookout who did just that - he basically built a house like a fire lookout, with a kitchen, etc. below it. All the USFS people went to visit him and marveled at his house. I bet a bunch of them copied what he did.

Another blog with detailed construction pics for a tiny trailer house.

Vagabode: Step-By-Step

Something like this is realistically too small for me and my wife. If I were single, I could live in one quite happily. For the two of us, something more like a very small house would be better. Although she, I, and our baby lived in that campervan for months w/o issues, but we were 17 years younger too.

Still, I think it is cool to see people doing it.

I keep thinking that for many young professionals, a college dorm plus would make sense. Figure 120-200 sq feet, a bathroom and shower. Lofted bed. Small cooking area and then the rest is open concept. Definitely enough space for one person, and able to be close to work/the action, even in an expensive city.

Now add in amenities like a gym, meeting rooms, TV/rec rooms, a pool, parking and maybe some higher end "take out" food on the first floor. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Jeff, need some help here!

As I was leaving San Diego and looking for houses in Houston, one of my colleagues remarked what he needed was a one bedroom house with a 5 car garage.

They are building these in Portland now, several in Seattle too. Not as upscale as you described. 200 sq ft units w/ bath but no kitchen. Several units share communal kitchen and dining area. Basically a dormitory. Will rent about $200/mo cheaper than a conventional studio apartment. In urban mixed commercial/residential areas with lots of mass transit, car share, food joints, hipsters, bars, etc. I think it makes sense for young people just starting out, for people who work in a city and go home on weekends, etc. I guess they can't stop you from having a mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker, etc . They fit 50+ units in four floors in a single family house's lot.

The only thing is I'd add a parking spot per unit. They would make great pied-a-terres. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Ah ha that is the rub. They have zero parking. Loophole is they are regulated as communal housing not as apartments. Neighbors up in arms. But presumably you could rent a space from a local business or house.

don't forget "work/live" space; "loft" space

we have all sorts of housing variants here - from Executive rentals to communal, to co-ops, to a guy who made his own tree house in some forgotten park land

The reason "off the grid" appeals to so many people, is it is away from commercial electricity, water, and sewer service which makes it so unappealing to most people. Anybody considering this lifestyle is not doing it to be a part of a housing development or full service community, they are doing it to get away from most other people and into the wilderness where the only thing in sight is trees, valleys, and lakes, not other houses.