October 24, 2008
The tiny house, where 2 adults live in 100 square feet...
... and somehow it looks hip and unsqualid.... at least in that video clip. What's it really like? They show it with one slim, mild-mannered man inside, making tea, working at a little desk, perching on a loft bed, while the sun is shining through the windows. But what's it like at night, when it's raining out, and your partner's in there too, and she's getting on your nerves?
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"...in their too"?
But not to worry, that kind of wealth will be spread around and we'll all live in housing equal to, if not worse than, that.
shouldn't that be "in their two"?
Sorry, feeling cranky this morning.
note that those things are really 150sf once you add the loft, which gives you some separation from a spouse, though of course of the 2 examples, 1 is a single man.
would the story be less hip if you wrote that the guy lives in a trailer or an RV like thousands?
of course, but they wanted to make a political statement, when none exists
A tiny "house". Sorry. Those are dressed up camp trailers with siding. Notice the wheels? Camp trailers sitting in the middle of California Wine Country some of the most expensive real estate in the world. I wonder who owns the land they are camping upon?
Typo fixed.
"I wonder who owns the land they are camping upon?"
Their kids I think they said.
15 to 45 K?
Why not just get an RV then?
But really... It's about the size of the building my great-grandfather moved his family of seven into when he bought his farm.
His oldest daughter never quite forgave him for that first winter.
Which brings up another point... you can be outside more in California... these houses are not *cheap*... but they are adequate. And if a person actually has money, there's less psychological need to keep lots of junk, just in case you need it later.
It's just camping. Couples do it all the time.
You can get 10 times that square footage for the same money around here, assuming you don't mind an army of Mangums walking your streets.
Those are travel trailers, not houses. Is it possible for a travel trailer to be "hip"? And like DBQ, my guess is in locations like the Napa Valley, resistance to these things would build explosively if they ever departed the novelty phase.
Where do those people go poop?
same place they do in an RV, or some tiny hotel bathrooms. A combo Shower stall/toilet
I've seen ads for these microhouses and they are ingenious in their use of space. Still, two is a crowd.
I once lived in a 400 sq ft two-bedroom apartment. It was like living in a hallway--40 feet long with a 10X10 bedroom at each end, livingroom, kitchen and bathroom in the middle. And I didn't like my roommate.
The biggest problem is that with rooms that small, when you are both in the same room, you are in each other's personal space. A little annoyance goes a long way.
100 sq feet for two people? That's not crowded at all. There's a little 1000 sq foot house in Columbus where something like 100 people live.
It's listed as their permanent address on their voter registration form. Coincidentally, they're all Obama volunteers, and have actually been in the state for just a month or so.
But who cares, as long as it helps your guy. Ends justify means, yada yada yada.
Sounds great for California living, where you never need a reason to be outside. Where does this guy keep his clothes?
Actually, I guess nice clothes are not so much required in NorCal.
I have long wanted to live in a vintage Airstream. One of these Ralph Lauren ones would do nicely. Especially the Adirondack.
But what's it like at night, when it's raining out, and your partner's in there too, and she's getting on your nerves?
No problem -- just buy two and park 'em next to each other.
With a house that small, the world is your porch. The house itself is only for weather extremes.
A tarp, a couple of lawn chairs, and you're good to go.
I spent some time overseas, worked odd jobs and lived on a steam grate.
I was only a common old working chap, as anyone there could see.
But when I got a couple o' drinks on a Saturday, Glasgow belonged to me.
I still think we should campaign to make "alt-house" the accepted name for these little places.
I can see the new magazines...
Hut & Garden....
Shed Beautiful...Cardboard
Living...Better Shacks & Garden...
Modern Crate...Traditional
Sidewalk...Metropolitan Alley...
And Helle Decor
"You know you're a redneck if your relatives invite you over to take the wheels off their new house."
"Her husband adds that most Americans "want to be seen in their big house with a big car." But not them, not anymore.
"I don't think bigger is better," he says."
Mhm, I'm sure he's been trying to convince his wife of that for years.
It's all well and good to get rid of clutter, but there's no room for books (or kids or grandkids, for that matter). It could only work for those solitary souls who prefer a habitat to a home. And we know which candidate that crowd will be voting for.
As for the former contractor from Southern Cal, his interest is in getting others to buy these things -- his delight in the idea sounds a bit market-driven to me. Living in one of these is definitely not a good idea if he wants his marriage to survive.
If I were single, this (sans the wheels) on a small piece of land would be wonderful.
Putting these houses on wheels makes them independent of local building codes. They are pretty much stick-built houses, not RVs. But eliminating most of the detritus of every day life is liberating for many people. Do you need a lot of books when you can walk to the library? A laptop is a reasonable source of news and entertainment these days; you don't need a TV/DVD player to watch your Netflix on. Further, if you have no place to put clutter, you're less likely to accumulate it.
A co-worker once put almost everything he owned up for sale. He had decided to live aboard his sailboat. He was happy for years, until he met a woman for whom living on a sailboat was a deal-breaker.
Entertaining is the obvious problem, especially in the winter when it's too cold/dark to eat outdoors. The sailboat harbor had a community room with a kitchen.
It's a trailer! Come on! It's not a tiny house! That's just a mealy mouthed way of making it sound cool when it's not.
Lot's of poor people live in trailers. Are they trendy now?
The wheels are optional. This can be built right on a traditional foundation, or even a full floating basement with HWH, furnace, W/D and sump pump.
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