HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on Aug 10, 2015 11:36:54 GMT -5
I watched Tiny House Nation the other day when they showed a couple in Seattle, then recorded and watched a few more episodes.
The basic premise is you move from a 1500, 2000, 2500+ sq foot house into a 200-300 sq foot "tiny house." Usually it is so the couple involved can pursue other interests (traveling, going back to school, etc).
So, I was watching them "downsize" and trying to figure out how the hell this really works. Random thoughts in no particular order:
- if they like to travel, do they need a suitcase? Or just a backpack? There are literally NO closets to store any sort of travel items (even a rack pack, which all good thrifty backpackers have). Where do these go?
- do they really live with only 5 t shirts and 3 pairs of pants? And speaking of clothes, since I haven't seen a single episode yet where they have a closet, how do they keep their work clothes from getting wrinkly? It's not like they have an iron or ironing board. What about heavy winter coats, hats, gloves if they live in a cool climate? Those take up lots of space.
-trash and recycling. Even in tiny houses you produce trash and recycling. I've not seen any storage receptacles for these items.
- cleaning supplies? Nope, haven't seen those. I only saw 1 episode where they had 'in house' laundry. UGH!
- None of these people have ANY hobbies from what I can tell. No bikes, no golf clubs, no soccer cleats or balls, no hockey gear, no art supplies... the only hobby I saw was video games.
- No tools of any kind. No hammer, no nails, no screw drivers, no anything. Certainly no lawn/yard supplies even though most still own the land they live on.
Do all these people rent storage facilities? I honestly don't understand some of the basics. I get down sizing and not needing 3 different sets of china and everyone has too much clothing, but this seems they don't even own some of the basic prerequisites for home ownership.
I get that they are essentially living in a hotel room... but for how long is that sustainable? It seems like it might be ok for a year or two, but I would get sick of it awfully fast.
What do you guys think?
|
|
Chocolate Lover
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 15:54:19 GMT -5
Posts: 23,200
|
Post by Chocolate Lover on Aug 10, 2015 11:41:29 GMT -5
I think they're insane myself. I don't want to live in a shoe box full time. You never see ways to do/store things that you mentioned, then again, have you seen the cooking/refrigerator space most of those things have? I've seen Tiny House Hunters on HGTV and the tiny in place houses have decent size appliances now and then but the kind you can tow are horrible. You'd be lucky to have a dorm fridge. And 2 burners. Seriously WTF?
|
|
MJ2.0
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 24, 2014 10:27:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,049
|
Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 10, 2015 11:47:00 GMT -5
Alone? No... just, no. With someone else? There would be a murder/suicide within the first 48 hours.
|
|
Jaguar
Administrator
Fear does not stop death. It stops life.
Joined: Dec 20, 2011 6:07:45 GMT -5
Posts: 50,108
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IZlZ65.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Text Color: 290066
|
Post by Jaguar on Aug 10, 2015 11:51:11 GMT -5
I think they are neat, but I live in a 502 sq foot apartment now and I don't think I could go into a smaller sized place.
|
|
TheHaitian
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 27, 2014 19:39:10 GMT -5
Posts: 10,144
|
Post by TheHaitian on Aug 10, 2015 12:02:13 GMT -5
Why not just move into a studio apartment? Small space, low maintenance and some amenities.
I am in shock when they spend 200k-300k to downsize. I thought downsizing was supposed to save you money!
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 12, 2024 19:17:57 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2015 12:36:36 GMT -5
I do not get the appeal. I think it is some kind of anti materialism movement, kind of like a reverse Mc Mansion.
I couldn't do it. I am not a big house person, but there are so many other small alternatives to the tiny house, Condos or older homes.
I wonder how many people regret the tiny home choice. I have a travel trailer, so I like I have a fair idea of how that much space works and it get old really fast. Every small task requires squeezing past this and moving that. By the time we come home, I am trilled to see my grown up size kitchen.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Aug 10, 2015 12:50:06 GMT -5
I lived in a 200 sq ft apartment in Boston. It was NOT easy. I kept my bike chained in the hall and played volleyball and softball.
The biggest problem was storing enough to have a full use pantry and dealing with out of season clothes. For my kitchen pantry, I used every square inch of space I had but cooking was still a pain the butt as I had no where to work. I generally bought groceries for one meal - which really sucked when I got home from work late and was hungry, I ate a lot of take out. My out of season clothes were stored at the cleaners.
I only had room for a twin bed, that was a trundle. When the second bed was up, it took up 80% of my second room - I had 2 rooms, one about 10x10', the other 10'x8.5'. It was really a pain if anyone stayed with me more than one night.
Won't do it again.....ever.
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on Aug 10, 2015 12:53:56 GMT -5
Have you noticed that this show isn't about people living in tiny homes? Rather it's about people who think that buying a tiny home sounds like a good idea.
Often, cost seems to be a primary consideration. But the shows usually don't address a lot of issues. Such as where are you going to put the house and if you can only afford $40K for the tiny house, how will you afford a lot to put it on? And then there are things such as a water supply and waste disposal. Adressing either of those issues can be quite costly. Then there is the fundamental issue of zoning ordinanaces. Does the tiny house comply with zoning in most parts of the country? Or would you have to jump through endless hoops and get a long string of variances to even allow you to use a tiny house?
To me, this show is more fantasy than practical. I'd like to know just how many of the folks on teh show actually buy tiny houses. And, of those who do buy tiny houses, how many of them are still living in them five years later.
I think a show on living in tiny houses and what that means in practical terms would be even more interesting. After a while, do you end up with a 200 square foot tiny house that is surrounded by 1,000 square feet of storage sheds to house the stuff and activities that won't fit in the house?
|
|
Tiny
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 29, 2010 21:22:34 GMT -5
Posts: 13,494
|
Post by Tiny on Aug 10, 2015 12:59:16 GMT -5
Why not just move into a studio apartment? Small space, low maintenance and some amenities. I am in shock when they spend 200k-300k to downsize. I thought downsizing was supposed to save you money! I have never seen the show (no cable or streaming access). I didn't realize they spent so much 'downsizing'.
Wow. If I wanted to downsize - and had that much $$ to spend... I'd just rent a studio or an 'efficiency' apartment - or one of those new fangled Single Rooms (with a shared kitchen/bathroom) in a highrise in New York... 200K could set me up for a life time in a LCOLA and maybe for 5 - 10 years of 'renting' in a HigherCOLA....
FWIW: I'm not too into the movable under 300sq foot 'homes'... But I can see living in a 500sq foot or so "house' set on a foundation (or with a basement).
I think it really depends on how much time you spend at home - if you are sleeping/showering/catching a quick bite to eat you don't really need a lot of space.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Aug 10, 2015 13:04:29 GMT -5
If they were redesigned a bit more they could help with the where do we put granny problem. I think my mom's city will allow these to be built on current city lots, with the caveat that they must be removed when granny doesn't live there anymore. That I see as a very useful outcome of having one of these. If granny needed a wheelchair or walking aids, she'd be screwed. And having granny climb that ladder?
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on Aug 10, 2015 13:05:02 GMT -5
Alone? No... just, no. With someone else? There would be a murder/suicide within the first 48 hours. This is kind of an interesting photo. Did you notice the hand rail on the wall above the window? That means that the collection of wood boxes along the wall functions as the "stairway" to the loft. I really question whether that "stairway" is compliant with any building code anywhere in the country. How about the obviously very hot surfaces of the heating stove and related vent pipe? The center of the top of the stove has been so hot that it has been discolored by the heat. And there is no shielding to keep kids or someone who is falling from coming in contact with these very hot surfaces? Or, how about the fire risk from the heating stove (it looks like it is way to close to combustible surfaces to comply with codes that I ama aware of).
|
|
Spellbound454
Senior Member
"In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends"
Joined: Sept 9, 2011 17:28:42 GMT -5
Posts: 4,096
|
Post by Spellbound454 on Aug 10, 2015 13:08:49 GMT -5
We tend to live in smaller houses in Britain....(unless you are landed gentry and live in a Mansion)
IKEA have been a God send...They really are the masters of storage. I don't keep clutter, so if it doesn't have a place it goes....and if I haven't worn the clothes in a year, they go. I guess its just what you are used to.
|
|
grumpyhermit
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jul 12, 2012 12:04:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,445
|
Post by grumpyhermit on Aug 10, 2015 13:09:20 GMT -5
I was wondering how you accessed the loft in that picture. No way would I be crawling up that rickety looking stack of crates. For a tiny house, that whole heating situation seems inefficient; it appears to be taking up a lot of real estate.
|
|
Abby Normal
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 12:31:49 GMT -5
Posts: 3,501
|
Post by Abby Normal on Aug 10, 2015 13:18:46 GMT -5
we could probably do it - if we had a big ass garage. DH could never purge that much. We only have 1200 feet now and I don't think we could go much smaller.
On a side note- that aussie in the pictures looks a lot like mine.
|
|
Waffle
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 12, 2011 11:31:54 GMT -5
Posts: 4,391
|
Post by Waffle on Aug 10, 2015 13:26:53 GMT -5
I find the tiny house shows fascinating. And I like some of the ideas of the people featured on the shows. For example, buy a less expensive house so you don't have to go as deeply in to debt for a graduate degree. Or by a tiny vacation house, so your family spends time together as opposed to everybody retreating to separate rooms with separate high-tech toys. Or sell your "big" house, buy a cheaper tiny house so you can retire sooner. And the one they all seem to have in common - minimize stuff and clutter. But the downsizing is too extreme for me. I saw one where they was a couple with a young daughter. The daughter was going to outgrow her space in a few years at best (IMO). But also, they went back to visit that couple after they had been living in the house a few months. There was barely room for the man to extend his arms to put on a shirt or jacket. I don't remember if it was the same show or another couple, but I remember seeing a woman washing laundry with some sort of portable hand crank machine that was maybe 2 feet tall and wide (at most).
|
|
973beachbum
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:12:13 GMT -5
Posts: 10,501
|
Post by 973beachbum on Aug 10, 2015 13:38:40 GMT -5
I'm with Tskeeter on this one. Totally skipping the part of how does an adult live in what is basically a dorm room with an attached bathroom. Where does the bathroom toilet, shower and kitchen sink drain to? What are the odds of killing myself getting down from that loft? Where do they get the hookup for the electricity and water in the first place to have a need for septic?? And what town is willing to have people pull up in what basically amounts to an RV and camp on the street?? I guess it could be one of those things where they just park in friends yards but then I still don't get how they would get water inside. And electricity would have to be with an extension cord. If anyone hasn't ever done it before I can tell you from experience it is danged expensive! Not something anyone would want to have going on for an long period. And for 300K I would want a lot more than a glorified trailer!
|
|
HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on Aug 10, 2015 13:56:34 GMT -5
We tend to live in smaller houses in Britain....(unless you are landed gentry and live in a Mansion)
IKEA have been a God send...They really are the masters of storage. I don't keep clutter, so if it doesn't have a place it goes....and if I haven't worn the clothes in a year, they go. I guess its just what you are used to. I'm ok with smaller and downsizing. But this seems like they really don't have basic necessities available to them.
|
|
happyhoix
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Oct 7, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Posts: 21,590
|
Post by happyhoix on Aug 10, 2015 14:31:53 GMT -5
I saw one of those shows where a family of five living in a big McMansion was downsizing to a one bedroom bungalow. One bathroom, downstairs bedroom would be for the parents, kids were going to share the loft.
There were two tween/teenager girls, both looked extremely unhappy at having to give up their private bedrooms to bunk in a tiny loft area in four little beds with their siblings, almost no room for any other furniture, no privacy.
Mom and dad were both very enthusiastic about their new lifestyle, but I felt bad for the kids. I remember how important privacy was to me as a teenager, and how much my little sister and I disliked each other. Downsizing to a one bedroom, one bath cottage because of financial reasons would be one thing, downsizing to a one bedroom, one bath cottage because Mom and Dad are on a 'tiny house' kick is another.
|
|
imawino
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 22:58:16 GMT -5
Posts: 5,370
|
Post by imawino on Aug 10, 2015 14:42:55 GMT -5
I haven't really watched any of the shows, but I am fascinated by some of the things they can do with tiny spaces. There are a lot of creative people out there figuring out ways to maximize space. That said - hell no. I love the idea of downsizing, but in a reasonable way. I have no desire to make every day to day task into some burdensome claustrophobic chore of moving stuff out of the way and squishing around to get to what you need. There's a big difference between a normal "tiny house" and this whole new hipster "TINY house" ridiculousness.
|
|
imawino
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 22:58:16 GMT -5
Posts: 5,370
|
Post by imawino on Aug 10, 2015 14:52:54 GMT -5
|
|
dannylion
Junior Associate
Gravity is a harsh mistress
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 12:17:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,213
Location: Miles over the madness horizon and accelerating
Member is Online
|
Post by dannylion on Aug 10, 2015 15:02:24 GMT -5
I would totally build a tiny house if I had a lot in some great vacation area or just somewhere I wanted to visit for a few weeks at a time.
I would go mad if I had to live in one full-time.
ETA: I guess if I had absolutely no other options but to live full-time in a tiny house, I would find a way to make it work, but it is not something that I would otherwise choose to do.
|
|
MJ2.0
Senior Associate
Joined: Jul 24, 2014 10:27:09 GMT -5
Posts: 11,049
|
Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 10, 2015 15:13:04 GMT -5
800 sq ft isn't exactly tiny if it's for 2 people, so IMO that's totally doable. I think my new place has less room than that.
|
|
imawino
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 22:58:16 GMT -5
Posts: 5,370
|
Post by imawino on Aug 10, 2015 15:19:08 GMT -5
800 sq ft isn't exactly tiny if it's for 2 people, so IMO that's totally doable. I think my new place has less room than that. I agree - it's small but not tiny. Although I'm sure that depends on one's perspective. I'm in love with the first one, it's so pretty.
|
|
tskeeter
Junior Associate
Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
Posts: 6,831
|
Post by tskeeter on Aug 10, 2015 15:26:02 GMT -5
If they were redesigned a bit more they could help with the where do we put granny problem. I think my mom's city will allow these to be built on current city lots, with the caveat that they must be removed when granny doesn't live there anymore. That I see as a very useful outcome of having one of these. The granny flat that I liked was one built as a free standing structure on a This Old House project. I think the building had started out as a large barn shaped shed, but was re-designed and re-configured to turn it into a compact home. As with other This Old House projects, it was obvious that a team of skilled architects and designers had put a lot of effort into the design before anyone swung a hammer. And that it wasn't a project done on a shoestring budget. Executed by skilled craftmen who delivered beautiful finishes. Not a job with four inch gaps in the trim, as shown in the box stairway photo.
|
|
dannylion
Junior Associate
Gravity is a harsh mistress
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 12:17:52 GMT -5
Posts: 5,213
Location: Miles over the madness horizon and accelerating
Member is Online
|
Post by dannylion on Aug 10, 2015 15:29:17 GMT -5
The dog in the picture looks like a sweetie pumpkin.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 12, 2024 19:17:57 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 10, 2015 15:30:08 GMT -5
800 sq ft isn't exactly tiny if it's for 2 people, so IMO that's totally doable. I think my new place has less room than that. I agree - it's small but not tiny. Although I'm sure that depends on one's perspective. I'm in love with the first one, it's so pretty.
My family of 3 (Myself, DH, 12 YO DD) just lived 6 months in an 850 sq ft. apartment. It really wasn't that bad. A single family home of that sq ft. could work when we retire and DD moves out.
|
|
lund
Familiar Member
Joined: Jul 22, 2015 7:12:22 GMT -5
Posts: 787
|
Post by lund on Aug 10, 2015 15:35:41 GMT -5
We were two adults in about 640 sqf 1bd apartment. It was OK. It was fine with one baby too. But when the kid got running, it got too small.
|
|
imawino
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 22:58:16 GMT -5
Posts: 5,370
|
Post by imawino on Aug 10, 2015 15:36:22 GMT -5
|
|
Jaguar
Administrator
Fear does not stop death. It stops life.
Joined: Dec 20, 2011 6:07:45 GMT -5
Posts: 50,108
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IZlZ65.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Text Color: 290066
|
Post by Jaguar on Aug 10, 2015 15:36:45 GMT -5
I love the two bedroom 800 sq feet place.
|
|
imawino
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 22:58:16 GMT -5
Posts: 5,370
|
Post by imawino on Aug 10, 2015 15:39:50 GMT -5
The dog in the picture looks like a sweetie pumpkin. It looks like it has one brown eye and one blue eye and I want to hug it.
|
|