TINY houses... Fad or here to stay??

[Joel Owens]

Tiny houses

People are living in these 150 to 350 sq ft mobile houses. I think it's a lifestyle thing because mass America wouldn't live this way.

I would rather increase my income then have to live in such a small space. I like large spaces so this isn't for me but I will say it looks better than a dumpy trailer.

Here where I live you really wouldn't save anything. They have laws where you have to own 5 acres or more for a trailer etc. They do this because land would be about 150k or more for that in the suburban areas so it keeps the land from being littered with trailers everywhere.

I can see this being a trend in rural areas or the mountains.

Cost for one was said to about 35,000. For 300 sq ft it is about 117 a foot. Traveling in one of these as a rental might be interesting.  

[Douglas Larson]

I will attach my "Tiny House" photos at the bottom.

@Joel Owens  Tiny homes are fascinating to me. Over the last year I have been reading a lot about tiny houses and mini-cabins. It is becoming a very popular movement and I like the concept of minimal debt, getting rid of unnecessary stuff and a small environmental footprint. I think tiny homes work well with singles and couples but not so great with modern families for long-term housing. For about 6,000 years of recorded history, most families on earth have lived in what we now call "tiny homes" of about 300 sq. ft. or less. Now, we just have too much junk - part necessity and part fluff!

To indulge my tiny house fascination, I actually insulated and trimmed-out a 10 ft. x 12 ft. lofted garden shed to make a pretty nice, off-grid, mini-cabin to visit on weekends. I had to find just the right rural county about 90 minutes away from the Salt Lake City metro area that allows (or at least overlooks) such dwellings. We have spent many weekends out there but frankly, my kids get a little bored after a few days. For them, the simple life is fun to experience, but not permanently. They miss their friends, the wii, the trampoline and other conveniences. Also, my wife would leave me if we ever downsized so drastically! She actually created the floorplan for the cabin but her shoes alone would not all fit in the space! We do like our stuff....

Still, it's been a great family project to make our own little house and get "back to nature!" A lot of people have asked me how to make their own modified-shed tiny-house. I have seen some really cool ones on the Houzz app. They are used for guest quarters and writers' retreats (think Henry David Thoreau - Walden) and even permanent housing. Most cities have laws that allow for accessory structures of less than 200 sq. ft. but they cannot be used as a dwellings and cannot be the only structure on a parcel. Many people get around these rules by simply building the tiny house on wheels - making it a trailer.

One of these days I will write up the process I went through to make my mini-cabin. The total cost was about $4,000. The land was $15K, and it came with a stream ("Crik" as the locals say it). I've learned a lot and I may build another one soon.

Have Fun!