Posted on 07/21/2010 8:30:00 AM PDT by combat_boots
(I have no connection to this company). My name is Jay Shafer and since 1997 I have been living in houses smaller than some people’s closets. I call the first of my little hand built houses Tumbleweed. My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space. My houses have met all of my domestic needs without demanding much in return. The simple, slower lifestyle my homes have afforded is a luxury for which I am continually grateful.
(Excerpt) Read more at tumbleweedhouses.com ...
Sometimes I fantasize about having a small studio apartment, where I can escape from accumulated stuff and other people’s messes and demands.
But small means, oh, about 250 square feet.
These tiny house people are most of them “child-free”. And “partner-free.” Sometimes you do read about a family with one or two children living in 400 square feet and doing it rather ingeniously. More power to them - that’s how our forebears lived, only with a whole lot more children than that.
Now go play outside.
“No need to belittle personal preferences.”
But it seems he is trying to make himself out to be special. We have more than enough space for everyone. I am not impressed.
$38,997 for 65 square feet!!! Get real!
That kind of house really appeals to me. Can you tell us more? Where it was, how well the passive heating cooling worked, architect’s name, pictures?
I've got a 2K sq/ft house and it's twice as much as I need. (I live alone.)
If the housing market ever comes back I'm selling my place and either building something like the Tumbleweed (over a large underground bunker) or something like the below pic:
Since his tiny house is on wheels, and not a permanent structure, I assume he doesn’t pay homeowner’s property taxes on it. Do property taxes work that way in California?
If you click on his picture to see the inside at the end of the video you learn he is recently married and is expecting a child. The have built another tiny home next to his existing one.
That thing is gorgeous!
in the closet in more than one way perhaps?
There is a guy in Luling, TX that builds these using mostly recycled materials. A little too small and pricey if you ask me. But if you had a small piece of property in the country, it might be doable for a weekend place.
http://www.tinytexashouses.com/index.html
Watched a special last winter about people that live in caves...it was amazing...
83 square feet is barely enough for a decent gunsafe.
My wife and I moved from a large five bedroom home to a 1000 sq ft condo while we prepare to move permanently to Kentucky. The place, even at a whopping 1000 sq ft, seriously cramped our lifestyle. I have no recording/rehearsal studio. No place to refinish furniture, maintain my bicycle, my car, etc. With the condo we feel like we simply “exist”.
It is like putting our life on hold. There is very little you can do in that space beyond read books and watch TV (and surf the internet).
This is a novelty and nothing more. Still, having one in the backyard would be cool for when guests come. But then, they are only visiting, and for temporary digs it would be fine.
>>I could live in a small house on a large piece of land.
But only if I had a large barn/garage/workshop.<<
Ha! You beat me to it. When your house is merely the place where you eat and sleep, you don’t need much space.
I sure understand what your saying...I moved from a 2300 sq foot home into a little over 1000 sq feet and that include washer and dryer in the living space not in the basement...had to downsize a lot, but could use more storage space....it was easier to keep the larger home neat and know where everthing was...still have too much STUFF.
I think they are very cute and have used the space efficiently.
I actually think it is pretty cool. However, people that live in tiny spaces often do not realize how it actually cramps their lifestyle. I’ve known people that live in permanently parked RV’s in RV parks. Every one I knew lived a very “limited” lifestyle or spent very little time there. They were not very self sufficient because they didn’t have the space to do anything. That about sums it up without going into detail.
If someone uses their home as pretty much just a place to eat and sleep, size isn’t that important. I tried it for a while and had a great time, but it was meant to be temporary. It’s why hotel rooms in resorts are not very big. They don’t need to be. The occupants don’t actually “live” there.
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