topic Re: Tiny House series in Home

Tiny House series

devababy — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:22:15 GMT

i am watching the Tiny House program and a family of 5 is downsizing to 250sq ft. Are you kidding me. That is an argument waiting to happen. Do they really think this will work. Maybe for 1 person, but 5.

Re: Tiny House series

151949 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:35:06 GMT

I think you would have to be in dire financial straights to do this. And these things are grossly overpriced - you can get a really nice camper trailer - larger and much better equiped for half the price. We live in a camper all summer every year when we snowbird to Pa. Ours is in it's third year old. King size bed, AC and furnace. 16 gallon hot water heater Fully equiped kitchen - 4 burner stove, full house size fridge, microwave big enough for a sofa and 2 recliner chairs, and a table and 4 chairs. Large shower. 8ft wide hanging closet - tons of storage. 400 sq ft and it only cost us $45,000 brand new. Plus we are equipped with tanks to hold fresh water and waste water should we want to travel with this camper - we don't but we could.No way those tiny houses can compare.

Re: Tiny House series

QVCkitty1 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:36:00 GMT

I sometimes wish that I had more room, and it's just me in a small 2 story home. I don't know how they do it.

Re: Tiny House series

AKgirl2 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:39:34 GMT

@devababy wrote:
i am watching the Tiny House program and a family of 5 is downsizing to 250sq ft. Are you kidding me. That is an argument waiting to happen. Do they really think this will work. Maybe for 1 person, but 5.

Wow, a whole 50 sq. ft per person! The parents have desperately fooled themselves into thinking this will work...feel bad for the kids.

Re: Tiny House series

2blonde — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:41:36 GMT

Good grief! One floor of my condo (there are three) is 600 sq ft., and it's just me and a cat! What happens if someone gets the flu or two people need the bathroom? You could never serve beans for dinner!

Re: Tiny House series

devababy — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:55:41 GMT

I agree. Just occurred to me, the girls are teenagers, sharing room, bunk beds, but no dresser and I did not see closet space. Only 1 bathroom. No desk space for studying. I could not do this. And this one cost 95k. No way. Seems you could get a fabulous camper, and I've seen some great, spacious ones for half the price. Then how do they pass zoning laws and building code for water/waste water. I just wonder if potential owners have considered all this, or is this just a "let's do this" trend. I would feel closed in with that many people around me.

Re: Tiny House series

Happiness Is Inside JOB — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:59:38 GMT

The Tiny Show "thing" is in full swing on so many channels. I wonder if I saw the same show you are watching, the kids left their own rooms to then sleep side by side and could only take one box of items. I find that to be child abuse, seriously,people can't miss what they never had. So if the kids never had a nice home, never had their own room then they might adjust better but to go from my own room and privacy to the EnTIRE HOUSE knows when I flush the toilet cause we are side by side.

That is crazy!!

I am in a one level rambler and it is just me, my cat and my husband and I could use a full second level. I wish we had a basement so i want to go BIGGER not smaller. Everybody needs some privacy at some point.

Re: Tiny House series

SXMGirl — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:01:18 GMT

First, I think any family member who thinks that living in a 250 sf home with anyone will bring the family together is crazy. I remember seeing a family of 5 that lived in a 1,000 sf home in Florida and they moved into a 300 sf tiny home. They already lived in a tiny home. If you cannot manage your money while living in 1,000 sf, then you have money management problems and need help with that, but that does not require moving. It requires doing without anything but necessities and being adults.

Many of these tiny home owners either have to purchase property that is very far away from work or they are putting their tiny home on someone else's property. Not for me.

I do understand not needing the mega-mansions that I see around me. They are costly to heat and to maintain. But, I don't think that a tiny home is even safe. How easy is it to break into, and if you are too far out in the country, how long would it take for help to arrive.

We are also seeing neighbors fighting back against tiny homes since they believe that they bring down property values.

Re: Tiny House series

Bellabutterfly — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:01:52 GMT

The "Owners / Parents" will probably ...Pitch a tent onto the roof, for the kids to sleep in. Hope they don't have any pets...?

Even for 1 person 250 sq feet?

When they hit their late 50's and early 60's and are trying to get up the tiny stair case? To acess the "Sleeping Loft" that is big enough to scoot, not stand from one side to the next...Have fun!!!!

Once again...It comes down to personal choice...

I personally, could not stand it.

Re: Tiny House series

AnikaBrodie — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:13:04 GMT

When the "tiny house" program comes on, I change the channel. Enough said.

Re: Tiny House series

Peaches McPhee — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:17:23 GMT

I always wonder why they just don't buy themselves a camper or trailer.

Re: Tiny House series

software — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:22:18 GMT

I feel sorry for the kids.

I'm sure they have no choice.

Many elderly folks in my area have been living in "tiny homes" for years.

When my grandmother could no longer live by herself, her son (my uncle) built her a tiny house in his backyard. He lived on 2 lots anyway.

This was back in the 1960s. I thought it was a great idea, I loved the little house.

Open concept kitchen, dining, LR, plus 2 BR & a bathroom, all on one floor. I don't know the square footage but I'd guess maybe 400-500..

I've seen many families do this.

A camper or trailer here in tornado alley would not be safe.

Re: Tiny House series

Kachina624 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:49:17 GMT

I love to look at those tiny house programs as some of them are so cute. Live in One? I don't think so, I love my stuff. They'd make a nice vacation cabin. If you like them, just hang in there a few years and lots of them will be for sale...cheap. it's just a fad.

Re: Tiny House series

Ms X — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 20:56:38 GMT

250 sq ft isn't even big enough for one person unless there's a big outdoor deck (with mosquito netting and a roof) that functions as part of the home and it's warm all year. That way, you could really live outside a lot of the time. Barring that, you need at least 400-500 sq ft for one or maybe two people. For two people, I'd say 600-800 is minimum.

I don't like the sleeping lofts either. It's not a room and you can't even stand up in it. Then getting up and down on those flimsy ladders is a nightmare.

People say you'd get more space for less money in a trailer, so I don't know why anyone would buy them at this point. They are cute, but some are too small for even one person.

Re: Tiny House series

RedTop — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 21:03:36 GMT

There was a time during my daughters childhood that the backseat of the family car was not large enough to accommodate both of them at the same time without an argument and/or physical altercation. If we had been presented with a tiny house option during that time frame, I would opted to have bamboo shoved under my fingernails before I would have put my girls together in the loft bed---or even tried to have our family of 4 live together in such a small space. Even now, we would never be able to do it, period. We all require a lot more personal space than is available in a tiny house.

I feel sure the novelty wears off eventually, and not every family lives in the tiny house full time. My guess is that the working couples who are gone all day are probably doing okay with the downsizing. The couples who come to mind as the most likely to be successful with tiny house living, are the traveling nurses, and the couple who owned an orchard, but built a larger tiny house with a full size bedroom and bath. It would be interesting to see a show that updates these families with their tiny house living, as I doubt everyone was successful with downsizing to that degree.

Re: Tiny House series

Desertdi — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 21:09:07 GMT

I am 4 foot somethin'............and my pals keep suggesting I should get one of those "tiny" homes. So far..........I have held my temper....................but if ONE more person suggests it, they are going to have a very sore knee.

Re: Tiny House series

151949 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 21:20:54 GMT

Maybe young people moving out of a dorm room with very minimal possessions - otherwise I just don't understand the draw to them.

Re: Tiny House series

Kachina624 — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 22:10:18 GMT

@Desertdi Are you having rain today, Di? We are having that rarity, a cloudy, overcast day. It's a rare treat. Had a brief thunderstorm late yesterday afternoon. So far, nothing today.

Re: Tiny House series

ccassaday — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 22:22:44 GMT

I would love for them to revisit these families in a year, I bet they are not still living in the tiny house.

Re: Tiny House series

Tigriss — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 23:19:35 GMT

I lived in a 5th wheel camper growing up traveling to where dad was working. There were four of us in a 1978 camper. We took it with us when we went to college. My sister did 3 years in it, I did 2 years in it. We now have it at the lake for when we go fishing. It didn't have the nice slide outs like they do now. Other friends have campers there and we have turned one of the storage/car shelter things into a "tiny house". We insulated it with spray foam, dry wall, added a bathroom and have a great room with kitchen/bed/living all in one. It is a fishing camp, but we take the kids and go to the nearby parks, Providence Canyon and Callaway Gardens.

Tiny homes are just cute/snazzied up version of heavy travel trailers. THey don't have the technology that travel trailers have to make it efficient and really livable. Many of us have known this for some time, but all those city dweller drove this market. The prices of the tiny homes are outragous for what they are, they are super heavy, and are just modern versions of park model travel trailers....watch Lucille Ball in The Long, Long Trailer. Even those are way better than the tiny homes. I can't imagine the fuel usage when towing the things. The aerodynamics sucks! I'd rather have built a 1940s post war cottage that many people raised families of 4 and more in.

As for the kids having to share a space, I shared a room and bed with my sister till we were 9 and 11. My mother shared a room and bed with her sister till she was married and then shared a room and bed with my dad (they now have separate rooms). Her brothers did the same thing along with both sets of her grandparents and parents. Grandpa was in the Army. The 6 of them lived in a park model travel trailer. The girls had the three-quarter bed in the "bedroom", the boys had the bunk beds, and ma/dad slept on the hide-away in the living room. My dad shared a room with 4 brothers and the girls, 3 of them, shared a room. When we get married, we share rooms and beds these days. Why is it so important that kids have their "own" rooms. In most of the rest of the world, siblings share rooms, even 3 or 4 in a 10x10 space. Only in America do we feel that we must have our own bedrooms of large size for our privacy.

I like the idea of down sizing from the McMansion and not collecting so much stuff, but the tiny homes are not the way to go due to sheer cost.

BUT...if that is what you want, the do it. It isn't for everyone, and you have the freedom to do that. People in NYC live in smaller spaces and pay through the nose for that! Who are we to judge.