Tiny Houses (Tiny Homesteads)

[temporal1]

Still sad to be missing the many links and posts shared in MD's Tiny House thread.
Decided to give it another go.

Some links to begin:
FREE: Tiny House 7-Day eCourse
https://tinyhousebuild.com/free-7-day-ecourse/

i just signed up. have not started.
i hope to learn a thing or two, maybe about more efficient living .. in the world i have.

There are lots of pros+cons+questions about Tiny Houses.
it's interesting to observe what folks are doing with their ideas.

Tiny Green Cabins
http://tinygreencabins.com/

Tumbleweed Tiny House Co.
http://tinygreencabins.com/

Tumbleweed: 5 things no one will tell you
https://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/expert ... house-rvs/

Tiny Luxury
http://www.diynetwork.com/shows/tiny-luxury

Colorado: 2017 Tiny House Jamboree
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-natio ... 1258961395

[Josh]

There's some guy near me who is making these things - at least, there's always one or two sitting on a trailer in his driveway with a for sale sign.

It seems like a logical outgrowth of building minibarns, which bloom like weeds in May after a few days of rainshowers around here.

[Valerie]

Still sad to be missing the many links and posts shared in MD's Tiny House thread.
Decided to give it another go.

Some links to begin:
FREE: Tiny House 7-Day eCourse
https://tinyhousebuild.com/free-7-day-ecourse/

i just signed up. have not started.
i hope to learn a thing or two, maybe about more efficient living .. in the world i have.

There are lots of pros+cons+questions about Tiny Houses.
it's interesting to observe what folks are doing with their ideas.

Tiny Green Cabins
http://tinygreencabins.com/

Tumbleweed Tiny House Co.
http://tinygreencabins.com/

Tumbleweed: 5 things no one will tell you
https://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/expert ... house-rvs/

Tiny Luxury
http://www.diynetwork.com/shows/tiny-luxury

Colorado: 2017 Tiny House Jamboree
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-natio ... 1258961395

I love these! Wasn't it Jess on MD who was seeking these out years ago? I wonder if she ever bought one, and wonder how she is in general. There is someone in my area that makes these as well- it's kind of funny that people want to simplify to this degree- kind of coming full circle

[Josh]

I can't imagine too many of us would buy one of these unless they got it on super sale - you could just find a minibarn on sale and put a sink and a toilet in it (perhaps one of these)

[url=http://www.cantonrep.com/article/201603 ... /160309263]Washington Township man builds waterless toilet[/quote]

As a bonus if you don't put on a foundation you don't need to pull any permits!

[temporal1]

i miss Jess77! ..
she moved from Texas to Florida with her family .. sure would enjoy an update from her.
she was interested in a tiny house! years ago.

tiny living, modest, efficient living, is not a new idea, i enjoy reading about the lengthy history, too .. some examples:

Finland: Log Houses


Iceland: Turf Houses .. early community living


i've been told, after WWII, so many GI's returned so quickly, it caused extreme housing shortages. many people converted their garages into extra housing, and, many lived in cardboard containers for a time!

people live in tents, caves, yurts ..

a distinctive i notice in today's "Tiny House movement" is, luxury and conveniences are the priority.
most of these folks seem to be focused on "stuffing" the most high end amenities possible per-square-inch, they can. 21st Century "pioneers" are accustomed to creature comforts. they remove the space, keep the expensive products+technology. (they want all the goodies they enjoyed in their parents' homes.)

Budget.
one crazy thing (to me) is, once these folks have purchased their tiny homes, they often pay $500-1,000/month for lot rent! the West Coast is expensive.

for me, this is a deal breaker.
$500-1,000 monthly, in many places, represents a respectable mortgage or lease payment - for a whole house with garage+lot. i understand some areas are very-very expensive.

[gcdonner]

i miss Jess77! ..
she moved from Texas to Florida with her family .. sure would enjoy an update from her.
she was interested in a tiny house! years ago.

tiny living, modest, efficient living, is not a new idea, i enjoy reading about the lengthy history, too .. some examples:

Finland: Log Houses


Iceland: Turf Houses .. early community living


i've been told, after WWII, so many GI's returned so quickly, it caused extreme housing shortages. many people converted their garages into extra housing, and, many lived in cardboard containers for a time!

people live in tents, caves, yurts ..

a distinctive i notice in today's "Tiny House movement" is, luxury and conveniences are the priority.
most of these folks seem to be focused on "stuffing" the most high end amenities possible per-square-inch, they can. 21st Century "pioneers" are accustomed to creature comforts. they remove the space, keep the expensive products+technology. (they want all the goodies they enjoyed in their parents' homes.)

Budget.
one crazy thing (to me) is, once these folks have purchased their tiny homes, they often pay $500-1,000/month for lot rent! the West Coast is expensive.

for me, this is a deal breaker.
$500-1,000 monthly, in many places, represents a respectable mortgage or lease payment - for a whole house with garage+lot. i understand some areas are very-very expensive.

Why do you need a lot? I follow a lady on Youtube who lives in an oversized Dodge van (not a motor home) who travels around the country visiting different places. In many areas you can stay overnight in Walmart parking lots with their blessing, the same for some big box stores like the Home Depot, etc.
I expect that Max could give some real insight into all this since he lives in his camper trailer year round.
Remember these "mini houses" are just artsy interpretations of campers, camping trailers, or motor homes. Get an old school bus and renovate it to suit your needs and "hit the road, Jack..."

[temporal1]

Remember these "mini houses" are just artsy interpretations of campers, camping trailers, or motor homes. Get an old school bus and renovate it to suit your needs and "hit the road, Jack..."

i agree.
some of the presentations i've seen on these 21st Century interpretations do make use of old school buses, campers, etc. some folks want them to be very mobile, some want permanent locations, some want to lease (like mobile homes, or rv's) - all different approaches.

for myself, i've thot a little about building a tiny space toward the back of my garage, to either use, myself, while i rent my home, or, to rent that small space. either way, i would have to get a loan to do it, so, the rent would have to make sense. so far, i'm not convinced it would.

in about 1959, one of my uncles did a "crazy" thing, he bought an old schoolbus, they sold EVERYTHING, the family got into the bus and headed west. in those days, when people moved cross-country, it was a "real" move, contact was mainly through letters, long-distance telephone calls were rare+expensive, saved for emergencies, or very special moments. they were not of the hippie genre, that came a bit later.

i was a child, it was a wonder to witness all that was involved in their great undertaking.
they did fine. found work, raised their family, etc. (i do not recall how long they had the bus.)

[Josh]

I currently have have all my earthly possessions in my bedroom which is relatively small, plus share a kitchen, bathroom, etc. with five other adult men. Unfortunately, I am finding it's just not enough space for the minimal amount of things I need to fulfil my responsibilities - it's a real battle to keep laundry organised, have space to pack when I need to travel, and keep part of my room tidy enough for when I work from home and need to have a video conference call.

I applaud those who can live in really tiny spaces, but I also don't like putting pressure on people to do so. I think it's ok if people need a bit more space.

[temporal1]

I currently have have all my earthly possessions in my bedroom which is relatively small, plus share a kitchen, bathroom, etc. with five other adult men. Unfortunately, I am finding it's just not enough space for the minimal amount of things I need to fulfil my responsibilities - it's a real battle to keep laundry organised, have space to pack when I need to travel, and keep part of my room tidy enough for when I work from home and need to have a video conference call.

I applaud those who can live in really tiny spaces, but I also don't like putting pressure on people to do so. I think it's ok if people need a bit more space.

it's not for everyone, and, i suspect many that do this rely on others to house at least some of their possessions. i have several boxes of things our children "left behind" when they moved away, now years ago ..

at this point, i have possessions i'd like to give my children that i no longer need .. but they are so far away.

[MaxPC]

Why do you need a lot? I follow a lady on Youtube who lives in an oversized Dodge van (not a motor home) who travels around the country visiting different places. In many areas you can stay overnight in Walmart parking lots with their blessing, the same for some big box stores like the Home Depot, etc.
I expect that Max could give some real insight into all this since he lives in his camper trailer year round.
Remember these "mini houses" are just artsy interpretations of campers, camping trailers, or motor homes. Get an old school bus and renovate it to suit your needs and "hit the road, Jack..."

There are long term campgrounds for "snowbirds". The monthly rental fee covers utilities too so once that's considered, it's cheaper than a mortgage payment in the same area.

Staying in Walmart parking lots is only for one-nighters who are in transit. It's not always safe either, depending on the neighborhood. There are no hookups so you can't bathe and you would need to find a campground anyway for dumping your black water tank .

There's no perfect solution to housing but I will say that "tiny living" allows you to use your money and time for ministry, travel and charity that would have normally been spent on the upkeep of a stick and brick.