Tiny Houses (Tiny Homesteads)

[barnhart]

Does tiny homestead include living in small regular houses that are situated in a urban area. If so, maybe we qualify. Our family of 8 lives comfortably in a 750 sq.ft. apartment.

I think a lot of the tiny house idea is economy, and any home in an urban area is probably not really economical. Still, I would give you an honorable mention.

Definitely gets an honorable mention. However, we are going to have to have your wife’s concurring testimony with regard to the “comfortably” claim before moving your application forward.

On a global scale I suspect nearer the top than the bottom. Same with an historical ranking, houses have gotten much bigger just recently.

[gcdonner]

Well, T1 asked me to post some pictures of local "tiny houses". Here are 2 that are within 7 miles of me.

I'm not sure if there are 2 families living in these houses or just two houses being used for different purposes. Not the size comparison with the 8x12 storage shed.

This house is only 14 feet wide and was delivered in one piece by a shed dealer not too long ago.

[temporal1]

Well, T1 asked me to post some pictures of local "tiny houses". Here are 2 that are within 7 miles of me.0623221519_HDR.jpg
I'm not sure if there are 2 families living in these houses or just two houses being used for different purposes. Not the size comparison with the 8x12 storage shed.

0623221511_HDR.jpg

This house is only 14 feet wide and was delivered in one piece by a shed dealer not too long ago.

The second one, 14’ wide, is interesting.
i was drawing up a floor plan, 14’ wide, 14x20 or 14x26, i thought i could make work.

Delivered in one piece by a shed dealer? .. ..

In this colder climate, i thought i would like 2x6 exterior walls. Small but solid.

What is the foundation?
Metal roof?

[gcdonner]

Well, T1 asked me to post some pictures of local "tiny houses". Here are 2 that are within 7 miles of me.0623221519_HDR.jpg
I'm not sure if there are 2 families living in these houses or just two houses being used for different purposes. Not the size comparison with the 8x12 storage shed.

0623221511_HDR.jpg

This house is only 14 feet wide and was delivered in one piece by a shed dealer not too long ago.

The second one, 14’ wide, is interesting.
i was drawing up a floor plan, 14’ wide, 14x20 or 14x26, i thought i could make work.

Delivered in one piece by a shed dealer? .. ..

In this colder climate, i thought i would like 2x6 exterior walls. Small but solid.

What is the foundation?
Metal roof?

This one appears to be 14x40, very similar dimensions to a single wide trailer, which for you would be a better option I think. This one does have a metal roof, which, btw, I am having put on my house right now. You can get them with 2x6 walls (you could with one of these sheds as well...) but a trailer would be complete including plumbing, wiring, light fixtures, flooring, etc, whereas a shed like this you would most likely have to finish out yourself. Down here these are just set on piers, no foundation and most I have seen don't even have skirting added. In your climate these wouldn't be sufficient unless you had a full foundation.
If you already own your own home and it is paid off, you might be happier just abiding...

[Ken]

It seems like people here are talking interchangeably about a lot of different things. Just off the top of my head I would distinguish between.

1. RVs and motor homes which are designed for travel are generally inadequately built for 4-season use in colder climates But many people live in them full-time, especially snowbirds who have them permanently parked in warm locations across the south from Arizona to Florida. There are a few companies that make true 4-season RVs that are sold up here in the Northwest and Alaska with things like better insulation, double-pane windows, and undercarriage insulation to prevent freezing pipes. But they tend to much more expensive. One such company is Arctic Fox.

2. Tiny homes which are built to the same dimensions as RV trailers but using more traditional construction techniques, insulation, and fittings to focus more on year-round living rather than lightweight ease of transport as is the case for RV trailers intended to be constantly hauled all around the country. Since light weight and ability to haul long distances at highway speeds is not a priority they might be 2x heavier for the same square footage as RVs. However, since tiny homes fit into RV trailer dimensions they can often skate by regulations that affect larger homes. In most places it is legal to park your 5th wheel or camping trailer on your property, a tiny home is really just a custom version of one of those.

3. Mobile homes (the traditional single wide and double wide trailers) which have been around for ages and also built on metal foundations and wheels like tiny homes, except that they have larger dimensions and are heavier so require a semi tractor, pilot car, wide load permits, etc. to move and depending on jurisdiction are more likely to require more permits to site on your property than an RV trailer or tiny home.

4. Prefab homes. These are factory-built homes that are built in factories and then transported to the home site in pieces or as a single part and then located permanently on a foundation of some sort. They are not built on wheels and generally have wood frames rather than metal. Many come in small dimensions equivalent to a mobile home or even a tiny home. But unlike those, they are not necessarily built for transport or on wheels. When we lived in Alaska I watched one go in across the street. They didn't roll it into place on wheels like a mobile home. They used a crane to lift it off a semi trailer onto a pre-constructed foundation.

5. Traditional cabins. There are probably millions of small cabins spread across the country, many of which are tiny. But they are generally built in place using traditional construction methods or of logs. Sometimes from kids, but often just from plans. Every family I know in PA seems to have a hunting cabin in the woods of some sort.

And then there are a whole range of completely nontraditional forms of housing that are also tiny but not really included in any of the above. Such as yurts which seem to be popular in some warmer and dry climates. Here is a yurt company in Oregon: https://www.yurts.com/gallery/

[Soloist]

And then there are a whole range of completely nontraditional forms of housing that are also tiny but not really included in any of the above. Such as yurts which seem to be popular in some warmer and dry climates. Here is a yurt company in Oregon: https://www.yurts.com/gallery/

Wife: Our friend's MIL has a yurt from this company, I bet. Looks most like a size 30. Pretty nifty how they designed it, and I think the girls sleep upstairs and the mom has a downstairs bedroom. They have it on the same property as the friend's singlewide. Nice little commune going on there. I think they have a fireplace and a ceiling fan, which makes it stay really warm in the winter and cool in the summer. At one time, there was a really neat picket style fence there made of white tree branches from a yard job the owner did. I think it's been upgraded since then, since they have lots of dogs now.

[temporal1]

Page 3:

Kerry Tarnow / “THE TRUTH About Tesla's $15,000 Tiny House For Sustainable Living / 9min


i have no idea how credible Kerry Tarnow is, but, i would anticipate there is no actual “$10,000” ultra-nifty prefab tiny home. Interesting video.

how i wish there were some fabulous inexpensive practical options - - that would be acceptable to local building codes.

finding a location that permits smaller building footprints is a major stumbling block.

UPDATE:

IT HAPPENED! Elon Musk's $15,000 House FINALLY Hitting The Market / 11min

[gcdonner]

Page 3:

Kerry Tarnow / “THE TRUTH About Tesla's $15,000 Tiny House For Sustainable Living / 9min


i have no idea how credible Kerry Tarnow is, but, i would anticipate there is no actual “$10,000” ultra-nifty prefab tiny home. Interesting video.

how i wish there were some fabulous inexpensive practical options - - that would be acceptable to local building codes.

finding a location that permits smaller building footprints is a major stumbling block.

UPDATE:

IT HAPPENED! Elon Musk's $15,000 House FINALLY Hitting The Market / 11min

These would be easily acceptable here in Tennessee and probably a host of other Southern "red" states.

[MaxPC]

These would be easily acceptable here in Tennessee and probably a host of other Southern "red" states.

I think they are called single wides and double wides. Our prefab came split in half then connected together onsite. I call it our Tinker Toy home.

[Josh]

In California you can buy a single wide trailer for the low price of $350,000 and put it in the back yard of your city lot. That’s the “blue state” version.