Heard about tiny houses?

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   whitney_185posted 14 years ago

   For the past year or so I've become more and more into the "small house movement" --- living in small (700 square feet or less)homes. Does anyone live in such a home? We recently got a really good deal on a rather large home and now all of the expenses are adding up, which is making me want to leave PRONTO! I'm interested in 500 square feet or so. What do you guys see as the pros and cons of living in a small home?

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      h.a.borcichposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, there is a hubber here who was featured in a few magazines with his ultra small houses. I so wish I could remember his name but I found him on hubpages once. I will post again when I remember!

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         h.a.borcichposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I found him....woodsman. He now has no hubs up but his hubber name remains

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      sarovaiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Small is beautiful. Still you can enjoy with big houses too.

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   ediggityposted 14 years ago

   Pros: Less to clean and maintain
   
   Con: Less space for all your stuff

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      whitney_185posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I think the fact that I'd have to get rid of a lot of my stuff is part of the draw. My home isn't cramped by any means, but it is filled with stuff I don't need.

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         ediggityposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         You could always Freecycle it and start over.

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         china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I had that siuation myself - so decided to dump all the the things weighing me down, holding me back, making my life a misery - She is getting married again next week I hear through the grapevine

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            whitney_185posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            That's pretty funny.... hahaha

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         rebekahELLEposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I am going through that process now, getting rid of stuff. It's time consuming going through it all.. but I don't plan on moving soon.
         
         my house is not tiny, but not too big, around 1600 sq ft. with a caged pool area and back yard. I think I would feel too confined in such a tiny space. my friend has a condo with no backyard or patio.. it drives her crazy so she always wants to be out.
         
         I don't know who said it, but years ago I read a quote from someone who said they could never be one of those people who live in a box. I think a lot of it has to do with where we were raised and how much space we had.. just a theory I read.

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   Flightkeeperposted 14 years ago

   I don't think tiny houses are so bad as long as you have a big back yard and weather that's sunny and beautiful at least three quarters of the year.

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   TamCorposted 14 years ago

   I've read articles and watched TV programs featuring these--it's probably the perfect solution for some folks who don't mind small spaces.
   
   They really are cute, and it amazes me how they manage space so well inside the small spaces. Plus they are definitely energy efficient!  Those are the pros that I see.
   
   I couldn't live in one, though, I have got to have room to roam.  I would go stir-crazy in something so small.  That's the con, and quite a major one, at least to me! 
   
   Good luck if you decide to go for it, and....can I have your big house when you're through with it??? 

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      whitney_185posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      They do seem to manage space efficiently!
      
      I'm also not sure about being to live in one, but at the same time with the smaller payments it makes me think I could afford to get out of the house a little more!
      
      I'll keep you updated on the big house. lol

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   Polly Cposted 14 years ago

   I live in a tiny house - not sure how many square feet it is, but it is a small, Victorian two-bedroomed terraced house in the UK (where houses tend to be a lot smaller anyway).
   
   We have lived in this house for 13 years, and it was perfectly adequate for my hubby and I, and even when we had our first son it was not too bad. But now there are four of us and I am so sick of it. We are looking to move as soon as circumstances allow.  The only reason we are still in it right now is because we like the location. It does have good points - it is easy to heat and keep warm and doesn't take too long to clean. The downside is that it becomes cluttered very quickly (in fact it is always cluttered) and when guests come over it is even worse - in fact we don't have room for enough chairs to accommodate extra people. Having said that, small houses are fine for single people or couples, and not so great when you have kids or like having company over often.

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   DoorMattnomoreposted 14 years ago

   Ive got five people in about 400 square feet of house. The hardest part is I have no closets and three girls and one bathroom. It gets messy and dusty fast, but its just as fast to clean the whole thing. Its hard to have company over sometimes. Lots of squeezing past people to get around, but everyone who ever comes over says they don't mind, they love how cozy our house is. We are adding on now, a larger living room and a master bed/bath upstairs. I'm looking forward to storage space!!

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   whitney_185posted 14 years ago

   Polly and DoorMatt, were you able to take more vacations/get out of the house more from saving money on rent, heating, buying things, or were the costs still fairly high because of location?

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      DoorMattnomoreposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The reason my husband and I got the house we did is that it was condemned. We got it for a very low price and then had to to a lot of renovating. There are other small houses on the market near us that are selling for a lot more than what we paid, so I do not think size had much to do with saving money. I do spend quite a bit of time outside, but that's more because we love outdoors. Another reason we don't mind the small house, we don't spend much time in it. As far as vacations go, Ive never been on one.

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   katiem2posted 14 years ago

   rpaulis wrote a great hub about small houses.  I'll head over and get the link to share with you.....
   
   Be right back...
   
   I found it
   
   http://hubpages.com/hub/Tiny-House-The- … e-Movement

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      whitney_185posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for that link! Lots of good information there if anyone else wants to learn more about it too!

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         katiem2posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Your Welcome!  I'd love to move out of my big house into a small house, or tiny!  I think it's going to be a HUGE movement!

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   optimus grimlockposted 14 years ago

   sounds like you wana go to jail!!! heres bubbbbbbaaaaaaaa lol

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    mega1posted 14 years ago

    I have a hub about tiny houses!  Love them!  Especially love "recycled" or "salvaged" tiny houses . . .

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    Hestia DeVotoposted 14 years ago

    I got to check out one of the truly micro-houses, a trailer inspired by Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed designs, and it was less than 200 sq ft.  But in reality, this woman had no shower in her house (she showered at work) and her idea of cooking was heating a can of soup, so I know that's too small for me.
    
    More recently I got to tour a 300 sq ft eco-tiny-house and it seemed much more practical.  It was just a tad smaller than a house I lived in after college (that was a 400 sq ft free-standing building). 
    
    So far, the tiny houses seem like they are all geared for urbanites who spend a good deal of time outside their homes and who eat out a lot.

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       Christy Goffposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Depends on if you have teenagers, and pre-teens.  The more space the better. LOL

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    Pearldiverposted 14 years ago

    You Have Got to be Joking You Guys!!
    
    The first thought on this was seeing the next generation celebrating the ownership of a Coffin that can be worn in whatever style you choose! Perhaps an Off-The-Shoulder Creation in zebra patterned card bored
    
    Amazing!!
    
    The Trailer Park Tux... Wow.. Penguins will be so envious
    
    But of Course I'm from NZ... We don't have a cluttered environment yet.
    
    Wow... a tiny coffin house... Something affordable - In a Fashionable Style that you Don't Have To Die For!
    
    Unbelievable!

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    SomewayOuttaHereposted 14 years ago

    ...oh come on PD....who needs square footage?....just think of all that fresh air.....
    
    

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       Christy Goffposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       LMAO, you gotta good point unless you have kids, then you need one of those for each child.

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       Pearldiverposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Oh Wow.. A Bikavan
       
       Ask Yourself... Would you really want a long term relationship in Bikavan Land with a Bikavan Man?

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    brimancandyposted 14 years ago

    I live in an 800 square foot 2 bedroom apartment, and it is absolute hell. My partner and I can't even be in the kitchen at the same time, because there is only enough foot room for one. We have to squeeze by each other just to get the the refrigerator.
    
    My dream is have a 2 or 3 bedroom ranch house. It doesn't have to be big. But, a basement would certainly be nice. We have a lot of stuff that needs storing. I lost a really nice 3 bedroom house with a great kitchen. I will never go smaller again.

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       Christy Goffposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I honestly don't know the square footage of my house.  It's big enough for 3 kids, my husband and myself.

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       brimancandyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I only know it is 800 square feet because it says so on our lease.

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    puter_drposted 14 years ago

    Right now my wife and I live in a 3 bedroom house, but to be honest, we don't use the 3rd bedroom except for storage and the 2nd bedroom has no bed and it serves as an office.
    As far as living space, we only really use the bedroom office bath and the kitchen. We don't spend any time in the living room besides passing through, and the dining room holds a china hutch and table. I think in 2 years we have eaten at that table once or twice on holidays.
    We could make due with a smaller house, but when we last looked, the only places with decent sized bedrooms were 3 bedroom and up.

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    Rafiniposted 14 years ago

    The best determining factor on whether you would survive living in a tiny house is whether you are organized.
    
    My mind is much more organized than I am and my 3 years in a 492 sq foot house was absolute torture. lol

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       whitney_185posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Did you learn anything from the experience? lol What kind of square footage are you in now?

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    ed77burnsposted 14 years ago

    Its easy to maintain and comfortable to live.

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