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Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

[ Edited ]

We have a "destination" trailer - basically a camper that stays in one place and doesn't get moved around. It is 488 sq ft. including the 3 pull outs and the original space of 42 x 8. In campers the spaces are very efficiently used - almost all the furniture is built in. The ceilings are high enough for ceiling fans. Lots of windows. Storage in every nook and cranny.You can get a dishwasher and a washer/dryer. Our bathroom has a vanity sink and shower plus we actually have an outside shower too that we only use if we go to the lake and are covered with sand to rinse off before we come inside.We have a king size bed and a full 9 drawer dresser for our folding clothes and a 8 ft closet for hanging clothes. We have full size appliances. A furnace and AC, hot water heater works on gas or electric, as does the fridge. We are actually very comfortable in our camper.

So, I watch these tiny house shows, see what these things cost and I am always underwhelmed. They have very little in built ins. or closets or storage of any kind. Most of them you have to sleep in a loft that is only a few ft high and to get there you have to crawl up a ladder.And yet they seem to me to cost an awful lot for what they are getting. Most seem to not have a furnace as they often seem to have a wood burner fireplace or stove in them. 

I think anyone would be much better off in a camper or a mobile home. My camper living room/kitchen areas have a slide out on each side that extends the 8ft wide room 3 ft on each side to make it 14 ft. so this area is about 14ft x 14 ft which is very large and comfortable. And a new camper can run very expensive if you want to get crazy but a normal camper this size with everything you need is way less expensive than those tiny houses. Plus you can park this at any campground where as not all campgrounds will take a tiny house. I like the concept but in execution I think they fall way short.

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

[ Edited ]

I just watched a show on HGTV where acouple bought a tiny house that was close to the same size as my camper, but was very low on strorage space. They paid $108,000 for this place!!  The list price on our trailer was $45,000. Now I admit we do pay $1950 / year rent on our lot but it includes our water, electric, trash removal and cable TV. We have to buy our own gas and internet and phone - which , of course, we use our cell phones. But, i would say in the end, the trailer is a much better deal financially and comfort wise.

Valued Contributor
Posts: 830
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

I have often thought the very same thing.  We have a 37', two bedroom camper with a slide.  Full size bed in one room and queen in the other.  Plenty of storage.  When I retire I would like to replace it with a park model with a loft and make it more full time living through at least 5-6 months of the year.

Super Contributor
Posts: 438
Registered: ‎08-13-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

I love the idea of a tiny house but really watching the composting toilets made me change my mind. Plus it seemed like everyone was mooching off a friends property. I'm going to park my house in your yard reminds me of cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation. Are they all on wheels?
Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,111
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

I do find those programs interesting.  But I, too, wondered why not just get a camper or mobile home?  They seem so much more efficient than the tiny house I've seen thus far.  Wouldn't they still be subject to the same utility costs as campers, etc.?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 11,126
Registered: ‎06-20-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

Now it's a destination trailer.  LOL

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.


@Krimpette wrote:

I do find those programs interesting.  But I, too, wondered why not just get a camper or mobile home?  They seem so much more efficient than the tiny house I've seen thus far.  Wouldn't they still be subject to the same utility costs as campers, etc.?


 

 

I too wonder about the utilities and also basic things like sewage. Do these people who park these things on someones property dig a septic tank? How do they get water and electric? Who pays for it? I also wonder about hot water and heat/ AC. They never show a furnace or hot water heater in these tiny homes.I have noticed a lot of them have wood burners in them.They seem to be more popular in California where the weather is mild, but I have seen shows where they sell them in parts of the country where it gets cold.

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

A show I watched yesterday there was only one small cabinet and the person looking at it said "So I could have clothes or dishes but not both". That is the problem in a nutshell. 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 20,019
Registered: ‎08-08-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

I don't watch the shows these are featured on, but have seen them in different articles, and the one difference I thought was that these tiny homes are most often put out on land, in some rather isolated areas. That could account for some of the price difference, maybe getting land or lot with it? Could they be built more solid and with more insulation than a trailer? Also, many of them, because of the isolated areas, don't have all (or any) utilities available, therefore composing toilets and wood burning stoves necessary.

 

And they may, for the most part, be just another fad that time will see come and go. Not that some people won't see benefit in them over time, but many people will tire of the lifestyle and move on to other things.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,341
Registered: ‎04-19-2010

Re: Something I just don't "get" about the tiny house movement.

Agree with all of you.  Around here, $108K will buy a decent home.  Not a great home, but a decent one. 


-- pro-aging --


Rochester, New York