Would you? Could you? Live in a Tiny Home

[Utinga]

I am in the process of finding an old shotgun or similar home in East or North Houston with a small lot to remodel with a modern bent. I feel we have slipped past what is important in our daily lives, family, friendships and togetherness without the need of "whose is bigger." I am curious about the members thoughts on the small/tiny house movement. What do you feel is an ideal home size and why? Family size and home business of course may be a factor.

I've included a few FYI, only, links.

Thanks to all thosee who participate, Glen Andersun :-)

http://www.census.gov/const/C25Ann/sftotalmedavgsqft.pdf

http://www.smallhousestyle.com/

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

And one for "fun" lol

http://dornob.com/tiny-truck-mini-trailer-super-small-mobile-camper-car/

[Highway6]

Are your examples coming from the perspective of a single and childless person ? A Home for 1 at present and for the future ?

I wish your poll answers were a little more realistic and with small enough ranges to be indicative of anything.

[ricco67]

Are your examples coming from the perspective of a single and childless person ? A Home for 1 at present and for the future ?

I wish your poll answers were a little more realistic and with small enough ranges to be indicative of anything.

I have to agree, there has to be a bit more choices and questions.

The SO and I are looking at a home/large apartment to rent, mostly because her two kids are going to be gone inside of 5 yrs and will need to get a smaller place.

In the end, I'll be happy with a small 2/2 or even a 2/1.

[Utinga]

Are your examples coming from the perspective of a single and childless person ? A Home for 1 at present and for the future ?

I have zero examples on here. This is my soul reason for this poll with a touch of curiosity @ HAIFA. Also to hopefully receive feedback on anyone's thoughts of the small/tiny house movement, positive, negative or just plain silly. As I stated in my post, please take into account your family ( single or children or parents or....) and other factors. If some members have the time and care to elaborate, all the better. Forgive me if there is a way of putting this info directly into the poll. I welcome an edit such as that.

"I wish your poll answers were a little more realistic and with small enough ranges to be indicative of anything."

I have zero poll answers. Please explain " more realistic." I am open for your sugestions. I chose this range for several reasons. I hate to disclose this now as I feel it may add bias to this poll. If you are corious please feel free to email or stop by le' casa for a chat.

Thanks so much for your info, much appreciated,

Glen Andresun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3 77026

[Utinga]

I have to agree, there has to be a bit more choices and questions.

The SO and I are looking at a home/large apartment to rent, mostly because her two kids are going to be gone inside of 5 yrs and will need to get a smaller place.

In the end, I'll be happy with a small 2/2 or even a 2/1.

"I have to agree, there has to be a bit more choices and questions."

I've a reason for this poll. You said small 2/2 or 2/1, that helps, but your idea of small may not be near mine. Lol This is why I set it as a square foot basis and not bedroom needs. One can have a 3,700 sq' one bedroom loft in New york and call it your weekend apt. for example. I only need to know the sq'. The choices are only to gain knowledge of a members home size. This helps to gage that persons response. If they want to elaborate, such as you have, I am most grateful for that info. Your one line of " her two kids will be gone inside of 5 years" was most helpful. Just be aware there are families of four such as yourself in 500 sq'. :-)

Thanks so much,

Glen Andresun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3. 77026

[west20th]

Here is a good example of a "small" home project. Looks to be 4 shotguns(?), 1 new, 2 rehabbed and one to be rehabbed. 299K.

http://search.har.com/engine/2611-N-Durham-Houston-TX-77008_HAR42632554.htm

[Highway6]

I have zero examples on here.

You have links. Those links contain numerous houses around 500 SF. Those could be said to be indicative of the SF you think should be appropriate of a small house. They are your examples.

I have zero poll answers.

Did you or did you not decide and then type what the poll choices would be? For the users, those would be our answers.

Seriously, in the short time you've been here, your level of combativeness has been incredibly off putting.

You knew damn well what I was referring too in both my points.

[Highway6]

I think your poll answers should have been in 500 SF ranges up to 3000+

5000 is a ridiculous choice that would be hard enough to find much less afford by your average Houstonian.

With that, i think the most telling answers would have been for those that are married and intend to start a family (the status quo), who picks 1500-2000 (desire to try to live small but stay realistic with a growing family) vs 2000-2500 (typical suburban, 3/3 or 4/3 American dream.. the status quo).

So I think your poll choices suck since you have 1000-2500 as one choice. Yup. That would be mine if I chose to participate, but i won't since it would also be meaningless.

PS - Your family of 4 example ( or was that too not an example ) -- It's disingenuous to even bring it up considering we both know that no family of 4 is living in 500 SF because they want to. They aren't choosing to "live small". They aren't living in a silver RV from the 50s in order to be hip or save the earth. And since this is directed to Haifers and is a poll... it's about choice, not necessity.

Guess now i understand your poll choices (user answers)... Is any family living in over 1000 SF wasteful to you ?

[crunchtastic]

our (2 adults no children) current home is just under 1,500. We have lived more or less comfortably in about 500 feet. Our final home, which we'll build, will most likely be in the 700-1,000 range. We're looking at containers, beach house style with parking underneath, or single shotgun (sidehall style). I'm leaning toward the shotgun. It's a simple design that lends itself to various energy and resource saving techniques, and good ventilation. It also works well with the narrow lots you see here. Can put the house on one side and garage/carport and garden on the other. For the same amount of money, I would rather have fewer square feet of better designed space than wasted or ill-used space. Besides, the bigger the place, the more crap you inevitably fill it up with, and the more time you gotta spend cleaning. I look at my mom's huge kitchen full of extra cabinets with chocolate fountains and fondue sets and 18 sizes of skillets, all I see is more time on my hands and knees cleaning greasy clots of pet hair off 15 unnecessary feet of baseboards. No thanks.

[ricco67]

Personally, I'd rather see some properly built condos (hi rise or not), that are aimed for the $80-$200k market. these $800k-1.5mil places are all well and good, but those of a more modest means would also like to live in quality housing.

[Ross]

We have 2 adults and a child in 1400 square feet, 2 bedrooms, one bathroom. For the most part, it's fine. However there are a few drawbacks, some due to the age of the house (built in 1952):

One bath isn't enough

There is nowhere near enough closet space, and we don't have that many clothes

There's nowhere to store the vacuum cleaner, br0oms, etc.

No coat closet

The washer is in the kitchen and the dryer is on the back porch

There's no really good spot for computers and paperwork

I figure that we really need about 1800 sq feet to be truly comfortable. If we were to tear down and build new, it would be 2400 sq feet just to make resale a better proposition, if required. We had some frineds who built a 2400 sq foot house in Bellaire on a street full of 4,000 sq foot houses. It hurt them on resale when they retired.

[Utinga]

I think your poll answers should have been in 500 SF ranges up to 3000+

5000 is a ridiculous choice that would be hard enough to find much less afford by your average Houstonian.

With that, i think the most telling answers would have been for those that are married and intend to start a family (the status quo), who picks 1500-2000 (desire to try to live small but stay realistic with a growing family) vs 2000-2500 (typical suburban, 3/3 or 4/3 American dream.. the status quo).

So I think your poll choices suck since you have 1000-2500 as one choice. Yup. That would be mine if I chose to participate, but i won't since it would also be meaningless.

PS - Your family of 4 example ( or was that too not an example ) -- It's disingenuous to even bring it up considering we both know that no family of 4 is living in 500 SF because they want to. They aren't choosing to "live small". They aren't living in a silver RV from the 50s in order to be hip or save the earth. And since this is directed to Haifers and is a poll... it's about choice, not necessity.

Guess now i understand your poll choices (user answers)... Is any family living in over 1000 SF wasteful to you ?

[/quote

I can give you many examples of families who have chosen to live in 500 sq' or less. New York city in of itself, is full of them. I understand that is there and Houston is a completely different animal. That was part of my reason for polling here.

As I seem to have stepped on toes with this poll, I shall humbly retreat. Please accept my apologies for not making this poll clear enough. I had a method for this madness, trust me.I never meant for it to evolve into a he-said-she-said match.

I ask the editor to please remove this thread. I suppose I best sit on the side lines and just observe and learn for awhile.

Thanks so much for all your input truly I am sorry.

Glen Andersun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3 77026

[Utinga]

Here is a good example of a "small" home project. Looks to be 4 shotguns(?), 1 new, 2 rehabbed and one to be rehabbed. 299K.

http://search.har.com/engine/2611-N-Durham-Houston-TX-77008_HAR42632554.htm

A million thanks for your time as well as this link. I really appreciate that. I'm just a poor soul in search of a single home in the 40 to 50,000 range. I found one here in Near North for 35,000 (lots of rehab needed) that was perfect, but its backyard is the train tracks. Yikes! hahaha

Glen Andresun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3 77026

[Utinga]

We have 2 adults and a child in 1400 square feet, 2 bedrooms, one bathroom. For the most part, it's fine. However there are a few drawbacks, some due to the age of the house (built in 1952):

One bath isn't enough

There is nowhere near enough closet space, and we don't have that many clothes

There's nowhere to store the vacuum cleaner, br0oms, etc.

No coat closet

The washer is in the kitchen and the dryer is on the back porch

There's no really good spot for computers and paperwork

I figure that we really need about 1800 sq feet to be truly comfortable. If we were to tear down and build new, it would be 2400 sq feet just to make resale a better proposition, if required. We had some frineds who built a 2400 sq foot house in Bellaire on a street full of 4,000 sq foot houses. It hurt them on resale when they retired.

Thank you so much for taking your time to participate, and I truly understand your predicament with storage and an extra bathroom need. Sorry to hear about your friends resale. I'm surprised someone in that area didn't want to do a scrape-off even with a new home, the way things are progressing in that 'hot' area.

Glen Andresun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3 77026

[Utinga]

You have links. Those links contain numerous houses around 500 SF. Those could be said to be indicative of the SF you think should be appropriate of a small house. They are your examples.

Did you or did you not decide and then type what the poll choices would be? For the users, those would be our answers.

Seriously, in the short time you've been here, your level of combativeness has been incredibly off putting.

You knew damn well what I was referring too in both my points.

My apologies, again. The links were FYI only, never meant to be construed as examples. I have poll questions but no answers as of yet, that is what I thought you meant, apologies for that also.

If you feel I've been combative I apologize for that as well. I was called a lier and several names my Mr. Zappa and I may have carried them over into other threads.

I found when texting, posting to blogs, etc. It is most difficult to get the nuances of the true meaning at times, without eye to eye contact so to speak. My bad.

Glen Andresun

utinga@hotmail.com

1926 Hardy #3 77026

[sevfiv]

On that note, I was shocked to find out my folks just sold their ~1500 square foot home in Bellaire for asking price (it's one of only a handful of 1950s tract homes left on the block - 13 left of 30) and the buyer is actually going to live in it (2 adults, 1 child).

I do truly believe that if they had added on to it they wouldn't have recovered anything (it still would have had the same chance of demolition) since the new status quo is like what was mentioned above - ~4,000 square feet (beige stucco boxes).

For me, I live in a two adult/no kids 3 bed/1.5 bath household - ~1,100 square feet - and it's palatial (compared to the smaller places I'd lived in the prior ten or so years).

This has spoiled me, though - we each get an office and have a garage the size of most apartments I'd lived in - though I'd like to *think* I'd be comfortable downsizing if needed.

[Utinga]

Personally, I'd rather see some properly built condos (hi rise or not), that are aimed for the $80-$200k market. these $800k-1.5mil places are all well and good, but those of a more modest means would also like to live in quality housing.

Agreed, I would love to see some nice small condos or modestly priced hi-rises. There seem to be way too many of the three level sameness being thrown up for sure. Metal, faux stucco, brick, or clapboard sided, they all seem to be garage bed/bath first level, liv, dine, kitchen second level, followed with two more beds and bath on third and a nice rooftop deck with a view of...? It does add some density to the city core though, yet at a high price for some of us. haha

[Marksmu]

Agreed, I would love to see some nice small condos or modestly priced hi-rises. There seem to be way too many of the three level sameness being thrown up for sure. Metal, faux stucco, brick, or clapboard sided, they all seem to be garage bed/bath first level, liv, dine, kitchen second level, followed with two more beds and bath on third and a nice rooftop deck with a view of...? It does add some density to the city core though, yet at a high price for some of us. haha

Really hard to do "small" when you have young kids. Kids who are 1-2 have a difficult time picking up, and they could completely ransack a house of less than 1000 square feet in minutes.

Dont know what small would be for a family of 5 - 2 adults 3 kids, but I would not ever want to do that in less than 2000 square feet and a garage. I am probably spoiled, but kids just have so much stuff....its cheap so they have lots of it.

[RedScare]

My parents raised 7 kids in a 1700 square foot house...and we never felt cramped. If today's kids have too much stuff, it is likely because their parents buy them too much stuff.

[sidegate]

Agreed, I would love to see some nice small condos or modestly priced hi-rises. There seem to be way too many of the three level sameness being thrown up for sure. Metal, faux stucco, brick, or clapboard sided, they all seem to be garage bed/bath first level, liv, dine, kitchen second level, followed with two more beds and bath on third and a nice rooftop deck with a view of...? It does add some density to the city core though, yet at a high price for some of us. haha

I agree but absent deed restrictions there is little prospect of this happening in any desirable area in the city. Even with DRs, the trend is away from smaller homes to lot fillers. Taking West Montorse as an example there's a relative dearth of affordable options for a family in a bungalow looking for more space - any newbuild is typically going to be north of $750,000. Plan B = the suburbs. That's life in the big city, well this one anyway.

[Utinga]

My parents raised 7 kids in a 1700 square foot house...and we never felt cramped. If today's kids have too much stuff, it is likely because their parents buy them too much stuff.

Consume! We must consume, more, now! Lol For sure RedSquare, the " keep up with the Joneses" is a vicious cycle. I have a farm with a small home in Brazil. It is located in a tiny, less than 40 homes, village. All my neighbors have several children living in 4 rooms or less homemade house. With one bath....outside. Those kids have more "stuff" than they know what to do with. There toys just happen to be the outdoors, a broken bicycle tire and a twig to roll it with, lots of carved wooden toys, a rope in a tree, one soccer ball for the entire village, the creek, trees to clime, etc. Granted most want more, but at a young age they learn the difference between their wants vs their needs.

[TheNiche]

our (2 adults no children) current home is just under 1,500. We have lived more or less comfortably in about 500 feet. Our final home, which we'll build, will most likely be in the 700-1,000 range. We're looking at containers, beach house style with parking underneath, or single shotgun (sidehall style). I'm leaning toward the shotgun. It's a simple design that lends itself to various energy and resource saving techniques, and good ventilation. It also works well with the narrow lots you see here. Can put the house on one side and garage/carport and garden on the other. For the same amount of money, I would rather have fewer square feet of better designed space than wasted or ill-used space. Besides, the bigger the place, the more crap you inevitably fill it up with, and the more time you gotta spend cleaning. I look at my mom's huge kitchen full of extra cabinets with chocolate fountains and fondue sets and 18 sizes of skillets, all I see is more time on my hands and knees cleaning greasy clots of pet hair off 15 unnecessary feet of baseboards. No thanks.

Containers came into vogue when they were cheap building materials. The prices have risen and now they're mostly just suitable as an aesthetic preference (IMO). Old industrial equipment can often be had inexpensively, though. Have you given any consideration toward living in a converted petroleum products storage tank or a similar aparatus?

[Utinga]

our (2 adults no children) current home is just under 1,500. We have lived more or less comfortably in about 500 feet. Our final home, which we'll build, will most likely be in the 700-1,000 range. We're looking at containers, beach house style with parking underneath, or single shotgun (sidehall style). I'm leaning toward the shotgun. It's a simple design that lends itself to various energy and resource saving techniques, and good ventilation. It also works well with the narrow lots you see here. Can put the house on one side and garage/carport and garden on the other. For the same amount of money, I would rather have fewer square feet of better designed space than wasted or ill-used space. Besides, the bigger the place, the more crap you inevitably fill it up with, and the more time you gotta spend cleaning. I look at my mom's huge kitchen full of extra cabinets with chocolate fountains and fondue sets and 18 sizes of skillets, all I see is more time on my hands and knees cleaning greasy clots of pet hair off 15 unnecessary feet of baseboards. No thanks.

Had to laugh at your last sentence, as it is so true. I too would like a shotgun, I've a great design interior and exterior that I want to do with it. Would even like the deck to have equal or more square footage than the home itself. There were so many shotgun homes in Houston, once upon a time, that have been sent to the landfill. Yea, we must buy more because that's what the advertisers tell us to do. 19 skillets ar even beter. Lol

Best of luck, with whatever choice you make.

[crunchtastic]

Old industrial equipment can often be had inexpensively, though. Have you given any consideration toward living in a converted petroleum products storage tank or a similar aparatus?

I have not thought of this, but Mike wants to live on a barge in a large river. Can you put one of these things on a barge?

[RedScare]

You can put anything on a barge.

[TheNiche]

I have not thought of this, but Mike wants to live on a barge in a large river. Can you put one of these things on a barge?

Yeah, pretty much what Red said. You can do anything from standard wood frame construction (like they do in Seattle) to all-out steampunk on a barge. And barges are cheap (but tugs are not).

I'm still an advocate of cylindrical slipform concrete construction topped with geodesic domes, FWIW. And two spheroid PSTs at the base, covered with vines. But that's beyond the scope of this thread.

[RedScare]

I've been thinking a lot of a motor home, with a large garage. One side of the building would garage the RV, and the other side would have a den, full bath, and perhaps a bedroom and kitchenette. Free storage for the RV when at home, and freedom to do whatever I want. Cost is fairly low, considering that the biggest costs in a modern home are finishing kitchens and baths. The shell could be completed for about $40,000, leaving lots of money for a nice RV.

[crunchtastic]

I like that idea.

I'm willing to to go smaller and more mobile than he is. My issue with the barge idea is leaving. Tugs are great until you needed to get downriver yesterday.

You never know when it's time to go. This is still why I keep a passport and and $2,000 in small bills close at hand. Not that any of you heard that, because I might just have to to kill you.

[TheNiche]

I like that idea.

I'm willing to to go smaller and more mobile than he is. My issue with the barge idea is leaving. Tugs are great until you needed to get downriver yesterday.

You never know when it's time to go. This is still why I keep a passport and and $2,000 in small bills close at hand. Not that any of you heard that, because I might just have to to kill you.

If rapid escape is your concern, then build yourself a hangar in one of those airpark communities, get a light sport pilot's license (which is relatively cheap and doesn't require the medical qualifications), a cheap light sport aircraft for $50k, and build a nondescript warehouse to serve as a live-in hangar. Basically, that's Red's idea plus an aircraft.

You can still have the RV of course (or a trailerable sailboat if you're more concerned about the power being out and the borders being closed off, as I am), but there's nothing like a plane to avoid getting stuck in traffic during a real or imagined CBRN threat or a quarantine order.

The floor area required for a hangar relative to its living enclosure also creates the effect of an 'inner keep'. Mount two servo-operated firearms controlled by webcams in the far corners and a third above the living enclosure along the back wall to create overlapping fields of fire.

I should mention. The other advantage to airparks is that they're often inhabited by people even crazier and even better-armed than you are.

[samagon]

Are you guys plotting your escape from the impending zombie apocalypse?

I have a Subaru sti, and can pretty quickly attach a big metal cow pusher on the front, I can put lots of gasoline in the back and I'm good for a speedy getaway