Tiny Home Movement.. who's in?

[wayner]

I would build an oversized 3 bay garage and live in the loft upstairs.

This guy has taken that idea a step further. (My shop space would be more minimal in what it contains though. I want open space with few things now rather than the other way around...which is what I used to think was what I wanted).

[GH85Carrera]

My storage shed for my lawn equipment is 100 square feet and it is packed. My 3 car garage is bigger than most of those tiny homes and my garage is smaller than I wish it were.

No doubt at all that I have a lot of "stuff" that I could get rid of. Our guest room only gets used a few dozen times per year at most.

I simply do not understand the urge to live in a tiny home. I see no upside at all except that dusting the entire place will take a few seconds.

To each his own.
.

[flatbutt]

I've been living in a 900 sf house for 30 years. The main issue is no garage. My dream house is a garage with a loft apartment. I just finished changing the oil in my Ducati for winter storage...in the kitchen.

[VincentVega]

I like the idea but after a few nights on the boat I like the burden of a 'big' house. I do really like the idea for a weekend or vacation place. ~600 sqft in Maine or at the beach would be just about perfect.

[Lapkritis]

Will not be joining the tiny home movement. Reason: taco night, dogs, we both work from home at times so noise can be a problem and I like my own space. If other people are into them then great, less pricing pressure on the normal market.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I've been living in a 900 sf house for 30 years. The main issue is no garage. My dream house is a garage with a loft apartment. I just finished changing the oil in my Ducati for winter storage...in the kitchen.

The joys of bachelorhood!

I spray painted my old car in college (a panel at a time!) in our "living room" (really a common area with all kinds of computers, surf gear, bikes and other random crap me and my roommates had that we didn't want to keep in our respective bedrooms. Good times!

Fwiw I'm repainting my motorcycle now but I've got a workbench in the basement for that. The better half and youngins probably wouldn't appreciate my doing that in the living room!

[ckelly78z]

With the aspect of being mobile like most of the participants in the "tiny house" craze claim to be, I could so live in a really nice RV with all the amenities. We have a 30' foot Dutchmen travel trailer (240 sf) that we often spend a week or two in at our local State parks. It would be completely doable for the long term if it weren't for having my 16 YO son, and my 21 YO daughter come along with all of their "stuff" and attitudes. Our camper has no slideouts or bunks, just a big queen bed in an enclosed bedroom at the rear of the trailer, a nicely appointed kitchen with a 4 burner stove/oven, and an 18 CF fridge/freezer, and dinette across the front, and a really nice couch, massive storage, and a decent bath/shower in the middle. My next camper will be the same size and layout with one big slideout to push the couch and dinette out by 2'.

I wouldn't, or couldn't be cooped up in the trailer all Winter long in the cold, windy, wet NW Ohio climate, but could see me exploring SoCal, Arizona, Florida, Texas during the Winter when it will just be my wife and I, and a dog.

[ckelly78z]

When we first moved onto our 10 acre farm with a 40x60 pole barn, we both started collecting alot of junk that quite frankly, we were never going to restore, or use. Our house is 1800 sf with a 18' wide x 26' deep attached garage (just big enough for a Porsche 944 and a BMW 325 side by side). I walled off the front 8' x 18' and made it a nice heatable shop with all my tools and a workbench. I spent the last two days going through everything out there to eliminate junk and organize what I have, and throwing away a couple boxes full. I'm trying to do this with all aspects of my life with retirement on the horizon, and possibly the thought of living like my above post.

[group911@aol.co]

Which is part of the point. A lot of the tiny homes have huge decks to draw you outside. Maybe the small trend will finally make kids want to get outdoors.
I find it interesting that people have these beautiful sites and then build a massive home on it to try and make you have no need to go outdoors.

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

In my county 400 sq ft is the minimum area for a habitable "house." You can't get a building permit for a house smaller than that. I've taken trips in campers and I get claustrophobic. I just curl up in a corner and stay there until I can get outside. A tiny house wouldn't work for me in this climate.

[Rick Lee]

I have plenty of space, but sometimes it's too hot in my garage.

[group911@aol.co]

Still see these throughout western Europe. Mostly next to railroads outside cities. Great use of space.

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

In the former east bloc countries, back in the day, a lot of families had weekend dachas or garden houses. They were allowed to own the land and sell whatever they produced on it. I remember seeing a lot of them in E. Germany and Hungary. They were the size of those sheds you see out in front of Home Depot and Lowes, but were on some decent sized lots. When you spend the week in a tiny high-rise apt., often with no elevator, it was kind of nice to get out to the country for the weekend. I did a lot with my friends in E. Germany. But I can't imagine doing that for more than a weekend.

[vash]

i'll do it later in life.

BUT..i'll need it bigger. no way i climb into a loft bed with an aging "trick" hip. so i envision one story. and no way i do the composting toilet thing. i'll be a grouchy old effer, and i want a flushing toilet connected to a sewer line going somewhere..maybe a septic tank.

the trick for me would be mild weather so i could do a lot of outdoor living.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I've been living in a 900 sf house for 30 years. The main issue is no garage. My dream house is a garage with a loft apartment. I just finished changing the oil in my Ducati for winter storage...in the kitchen.

Sounds like a cool gig to me!

[red-beard]

Going by the numbers, a 1 mile by 1 mile subdivision, with 30 foot wide streets, 20x20 homes (studio with loft) on 40x50 foot lots, could accommodate nearly 10,000 homes.

[red-beard]

You can do a lot with 400 square feet with a lofted bedroom.

[Rot 911]

I really like the idea of a large garage with a loft apartment upstairs.

[JacobS911]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

I really like the idea of a large garage with a loft apartment upstairs.

I'm on board with this idea as well! Other than I did spill a quarter of a tank of gas in my garage the other week on accident.. could smell it in the house for a few days. Would have to be more careful working on my car haha

[Charles Freeborn]

I had a 950 sf house for years. Nice little pad. Easy to keep clean, big enough for a bachelor.
With wife and I both working from home now it wouldn't be enough. Current house is 2300sf. Too big for just the 2 of us, but increasing in value by the minute.
Will downsize back to 1k +- when we retire, but probably a condo of some sort so we can close the door and go traveling for 3 months at a time...
I see a business model of renting a warehouse space with a couple of communal lifts, air compressor, welder, etc, and then finding a group of car people who want a place to store and work on their cars.
-C

[JacobS911]

Originally Posted by Charles Freeborn

I had a 950 sf house for years. Nice little pad. Easy to keep clean, big enough for a bachelor.
With wife and I both working from home now it wouldn't be enough. Current house is 2300sf. Too big for just the 2 of us, but increasing in value by the minute.
Will downsize back to 1k +- when we retire, but probably a condo of some sort so we can close the door and go traveling for 3 months at a time...
I see a business model of renting a warehouse space with a couple of communal lifts, air compressor, welder, etc, and then finding a group of car people who want a place to store and work on their cars.
-C

There's a garage here in Denver that does this. I had a co-worker that was a part of it. Think it was $50 a month and you could go there at any time to use the tools and garage. It's a good idea especially here with most living out of apts. and having no where to work on their cars.

[Deschodt]

My wife ropes me into watching the tiny home show occasionally... I could not do it... I don't do well in small spaces as I discovered crossing the Med in a sailboat once. I see those people sometimes with kids (!) oohing and ahhinhg at the tiny houses, but I bet one year later they probably moved into a mac mansion or divorced... Looks horrible, like living in a camper van.

I could live in 400 sq-ft if I was by myself over a 1200 sq ft garage however... Knew a guy who did that, mezzanine in a warehouse, ultimate man cave. But with kids ? please ;-)
(I recently downsized from 3500 to 2000 and that feels like a mistake now, 2500 is about right for 4 in my book)