would you/could you live in a tiny house?
I complain about lack of space and yet I’m daydreaming about a tiny home…
It started this past February when I read Bethany Lyttle’s article “Think Small” in the New York Times about the wave of small, ecologically-sensitive homes. I was like a child in awe over a dollhouse exhibit when I spun through the slide show of miniature dwellings and found out that for the starting price of a new Prius, I could nab a modern prefab mini. To me, these homes are endearing for their built-in coziness, clever design solutions, and perhaps above all, teensy-tiny footprints. I love this quote from one of the residents in the piece: “We live in our view rather than look at it.”
Ah, yes. But can you imagine squeezing into 120 square feet? (I thought my first 300-square-foot Manhattan apartment was a tried-and-true shoebox!) I’m convinced that it would be impossible for my family (and our stuff) to permanently co-habitate in a tiny house, but I could be swayed into a weeHouse for that “someday” second home. Are you with me? — Megan K.
August 2nd, 2007 at 6:23 am
I love the Katrina cottage and Diario Tiny Tumbleweed houses… like playhouses for grown-ups!
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:06 am
I couldn’t do it full time. My fiance are both quasi-creative types and noisy. We need our own areas within our home. That said, I desperately want to buy a little thatch of grass in the Dewey Beach/Delaware area and plunk down a tiny house. Maybe one in Maine too. I’d end up with 6 tiny houses that would equal one big house. OOPS.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:51 am
Totally! That is, if it was just me. But I happen to be attached to a pack rat–there just wouldn’t be enough room for both of us AND all his stuff.
We recently downsized from a house + garage to a smaller apartment, though, and frankly the move was really liberating. We now spend less time taking care of our stuff (shuttling it around to make more room, digging through it to find things) and more time doing things that make us happy. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but we’re on our way….
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:08 am
It’s much easier than you think.
If you want insight, just rent an RV for 2 weeks, or a month. If your home is suburban, park it in front of your home and just live out of the RV.
I lived on the road for about 6 months in a 24′ class C, and I would go back in a heartbeat if I weren’t tied to a job location for the time being.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:55 am
The small movement reminds me a little of the slow food movement, and also of the hygiene trend in the mid 20th century (actually there were quite a few waves of the hygiene trend). It became a moral imperative to have clean, white counters. It meant that everyone would be healthier. Up where I live, in NY state, people down the road are tearing down their giant old house and putting up a smaller new one. Eventually, they rationalize, all the demolition trash they’ve contributed to the landfill will break down.
August 9th, 2007 at 11:31 am
oh my–i could. i’ve been drooling after these small homes for ages…but i have in mind a small compound of small homes. something where you share land with friends, live in your small homes but have communal dining/recreational areas, photo studio (my own selfish reasons), etc.
August 12th, 2007 at 5:16 am
What I wrote was kind of dry compared to what I feel like today, which is total relief to be in a small house. I used to live in a 13 room farmhouse. It was like a dream come true in some ways–a room for everything–sewing, model horses, books. But in some ways, no matter how big it was, it felt claustrophobic–the lay out was haphazard, and there was no way to use all the space. I’d love to fix up where I am now: replace appliances, make it sleek. But sometimes all it takes is running the vaccum and I’m perfectly content. I can just look across the room and see a plain, clean wall and be happy.
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:02 am
I have been dreaming of this as applied to a retreat. Perhaps in a “camp” scenario were there are several of these that each guest family uses…. each circling a larger gathering facility where you play board games and dine. When your vacationing chances are you don’t spend much time in a shelter anyway, but when you are there it’s nice to insure it is a rewarding experience. We have a small family but even that is tough to imagine using this concept as a primary residence. I am a big propionate of qualitative or quantitative, and thus smaller is better but I suspect there are limits that if breached would adversely effect the occupants. (Dad… she’s in my room again… ).
Cool stuff.. !