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I've been curious about the whole 'tiny house movement' I've seen about on TV and blogs and whatnot. However, I'm skeptical. Is anyone on here making it work?
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I've seen one of the shows on TV and having lived in a studio apartment in SE Asia as well as spending summers in our 24' RV driving, camping, boondoggling in Canada and USA I see it as too hard to sell and move forward. Living in a small space with multi functions demands an effort of tight routine and constant, unending editing that adds stress to your planned day. It's do-able if you're willing to be super organized 24/7. For example, your bed is likewise your prep area for meals, projects, home office, crafts and of course meals [anything that requires a flat surface]. The fridge will hold sufficient food for one weeken detergen so long as leftovers can be corralled on one plate to be used for lunch or dinner the following day. Freezer foods work subdivided in sandwich sized baggies but adds so much more time to putting groceries away. No bargains buying family sized portions.
I found even laundry detergent had to be re-packaged and you don't want to know how many swear words I muttered at rolls of toilet paper. Consider every drawer, shelf and cupboard is half the size you're accustomed to using. A beach sized towel only fits over the shower door gizmo. We used those super absorbent car wipe sheets for personal towels and another color for kitchen stuff.
If you want to know how it feels, I suggest your rent a B type or C type 19' - 24' Recreational vehicle for a month. It becomes your home with everything you anticipate using/needing for a year. -
Sounds bleek!Comment
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It would be such a pain-in-the-butt. Sure, I can cook in a tiny kitchen but the amount of time it takes to constantly be shuffling pans around would be insane.
People made 'normal' sized houses for a reason.Comment
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I'm not a fan of those tiny houses, but I do think the current trend is for people to purchase more home than they need and can truly afford to take care of.
In the 50's and 60's, the standard little ranch house was maybe 1,000 SF with a basement plus a one car garage or maybe a carport. Many families we grew up around raised four kids out of homes like this with no problem. These houses were cheap to build and buy, cheap to heat and cool, easy to maintain, etc.
Today's modern families typically only have two kids and the popular house is at least 50 to 100% bigger with a two car garage, two stories, multiple roof lines, separate bedrooms for each kid, huge kitchens, outdoor entertainment areas, etc. These are all perceived "needs". They cost more to build and buy and a lot more to maintain.
Better to have a really nice small house that you can easily afford and take care of, than to be strapped to a big expensive place. When you can pay cash for it and have plenty $$ put away, do whatever you want, get stupid if that feels good.
This is the way I am trying to direct my kids.
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What is so different about this than a mobile home? What am I missing?
Sounds like hipster rebranding to me.Comment
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