• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Could You Live in a Tiny House?

#21
I watched a special about these.

They are engineered for maximum use of every inch of space. Which is great. There can be an amazing amount of storage in these houses. A lot of your stuff would have to be immediately stored when not in use

One would have to be mentally geared to being an organized person to pull it off and remain sane.

Clutter would have no place as it would rapidly consume the space.

I like the concept but I have bad days. I don't think it would work for me.

I could survive in maybe 600-800 sq ft although I have a motorcycle and would need a storage building for that.

A gravel or paved yard with minimal landscaping would probably be a plus.

Hmmmm
 
#22
I like the concept. Who can be in more than one room at a time anyway? But in reality to store belongings in a functional way is going to require a few more square feet for me. Probably 500 square ft minimum if it was just me. 750 if I bring the wife and kid along.

Is this the movie? I found this on youtube
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: The Owl
#23
I'm building a cottage out of aluminum foil and duct tape.....

Seriously:- You would have to force me to live in a house that small......I like a place with lots of room...on land where the neighbors are not immediately noticeable or observable....

If I was in that position I think I'd elect to live in a camper on the back of a truck out in the boonies really...........
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: S-Bigbottom, J_Bass, Ostie and 1 other person
#25
I could do it but I think my 3 cats would eat me alive in there. They get bored enough in my house and terrorize the place.. I'd also still need a very large shed for all the tools and hunting/fishing gear i have or else my 120 sq ft. would quickly turn into 8sq inches of living space. A minimum of 600 or so square ft. and a separate garage would be much more ideal for me.
 
#26
My house is a pretty small one, 630 sq ft foundation, only the first floor is finished. Basement is watertight, that's where I keep my computers and music gear. Attic is basically a cold attic and used to store some things, but not much. Have a detached one car garage, but can only really fit the car, rakes can hang from wall that's it. Also have a 3 stall stable across the lot that stores lawn tractor, tiller, snowblower, etc. Mostly bought the place because of the 2 acres of conservation land, plenty of room to expand the house if we want to. At 630sq ft we have just enough space for a living room, full kitchen, tiny bath with a tub, and a tiny bedroom with little room on either side of a full size bed and a tiny closet. That's it.

Small heating/cooling bills and lower property taxes are the real benefit. Besides that, there isn't really anything convenient about it. One of the biggest problems we had right up front was getting a fair appraisal. Tiny house on a big lot, not recently updated, in a desirable town, in a neighborhood where houses almost never changed hands. We went back and forth for a while with the local tax collector about our appraisal, they tried to set value like house was updated and it wasn't. Yeah, people would kill to live in this neighborhood, but if the kitchen is 50 years old, it's not a valuable home. If you are building a new tiny house you probably won't have this problem though.

A few things to keep in mind. Smaller furniture is harder to find, and more expensive. Normal size couches and chairs don't work. Contractors who specialize in storage and customization are expensive. They sell stuff in stores for apartments and college kids but it is usually very low quality junk. You probably won't have a large fridge, probably a small cube. Probably won't have a full stove. You will probably be eating out more, making more frequent trips to the store because of lack of storage and cooking capability. I want a deep freezer but there is just no room for it here. So you save on the house, but can wind up losing all those savings towards changed lifestyle costs if you aren't careful. Cost should not be your main motivation.
 
#27
Pilgrim said:
Not even close. My basses and tools take up more room than that.
Click to expand...

Same here.

My modest recording studio takes up a 150 sq ft room in my 1000 sq ft house.

The TV show is called "Tiny House Nation"
They spend a great deal of time showing people going thru the downsizing process.
They can do some cool stuff construction wise with small homes, but I couldn't live in that small of a space - even alone.
 
#29
  • Like
Reactions: MJ5150
#30
I have a 25' trailer. That is 200 sqft. I could live in it, but I would need some place for the tools, music gear, guns, ammo, and loading equipement.
I have been toying with the idea of getting one of those outbuildings you can buy at Home Depot and adding insulation and electricity for that.
It could happen.
 
  • Like
Reactions: INTP
#36
I could exist in a house that small pretty easily. I'd just have to have a separate shed for storing/working on motorcycles, bicycles and whatnot. If it was out in the woods somewhere warm, I could even skip the indoor plumbing. An outdoor shower, sink and cooking on a propane grill is no problem for me.

It'd be like camping, but with a tent that wouldn't blow away in the wind and a much more comfortable bed.

I actually really like the idea of a tiny house and a shed out on a decent chunk of land in the woods. Close to some Forestry land to ride the bike on would be icing on the cake.
 
#37
A home that small definitely isn't for me. The town home I leave in right now is just under 770 square feet, and, although I don't need more space for myself, I would definitely need some more room if I were to have a wife and a couple kids.
 
#38
Though it never panned out, I met and almost started working for a guy named Jay Shafer who was, at the time, owner of Tumbleweed Tiny Houses.

Even though I never worked on one personally, I saw quite a few of them and it was pretty amazing how much they packed into such a small space. I don't think I could live in one for too long though without feeling like I was living in a dollhouse or something.

One of the Tumbleweeds:
elm-photo-slide-003_e9a51ac4-7f09-457f-9982-44fca367b51d_grande.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: The Owl

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back