Do you think we may be headed for Tiny Home

[leftyladyfrommo]

villages like mobile home parks? I would like a tiny home but at my age I would need someplace without yardwork.

My house is 750 sq ft. I have no storage so my one little back bedroom is storage so I basically have 3 rooms and a tiny bathroom.

I could do 350 sq ft easily.

I am in and out of customer's homes and so many people buy these great big houses and then actually use the kitchen, the family room with a gigantic TV. the big bedroom for living. Sometimes they have exercise equipment in another bedroom and all those houses have an office room.

I see houses where everything is on the 1st floor and all the rooms upstairs are empty.

If you live by yourself you don't need any more than a Tiny home.

[RKP5637]

1. Builders/developers will move IMO toward tiny homes at a very low cost to them and then the

prices will ratchet upward giving them significantly more profit than even now for conventional housing

[leftyladyfrommo]

4. My little house would sell for close to $100,000

But it has a big yard.

Those littles I have seen are around $20,000. I am in KCMO and it's cheaper here than other big cities.

[RKP5637]

8. To me, a tiny house would be an excellent idea!!! n/t

[Mariana]

9. The only new detached homes going up in my area are giant McMansions.

Those and fugly crappy cheaply built condo buildings are pretty much all of the housing that's being built here.

Edited to add: There is an exception. Habitat for Humanity have renovated a few old buildings in town and converted them into lovely homes. They did a fantastic job.

[RKP5637]

16. Yep, they throw up crap and people buy them. I've been in some McMansions that are also pure junk.

Yep, many condo buildings are pure junk too.

[leftyladyfrommo]

18. Some of the most expensive homes I visit are a piece

of junk. They start to fall apart after a year. And that's a $400,000 house.

[RKP5637]

22. Yep, big rooms and drywall thrown up, low end roofs and all shoddy construction. Like a car that

looks great, but the great paint job is over rust.

[ProfessorGAC]

43. I Wish They Would

But around here, I see zero new building that doesn't have homes 2,400 sq. ft. or bigger.
In our town, that would be $360-390k, but in other towns to our north, it might hit $480-500k.
But, I see zero homes being built at 1,200, or 900, let alone

[Hortensis]

46. DEMAND drives construction. Builders don't tell people how they

dream about living and take out mortgages to make real.

[RKP5637]

48. Quite true, for the most part. n/t

[Johnny2X2X]

2. I think the trend is towards bigger homes

With work from home being more and more prevalent the tendency is going to be for bigger homes further away from cities.

[SYFROYH]

3. If you go that small, maybe a Class A motohome and see the world.

You could visit relatives on the holidays like Cousin Eddie Johnson.

2022 Entegra Coach Anthem 44Z

[leftyladyfrommo]

7. I look at those but they are really expensive.

But you sure could live in in one. Anyway, I could. I prefer small spaces.

[SYFROYH]

12. yes, this one is $550,000

And depending on where you live even small houses are getting spendy. Of course, it comes fully furnished and outfitted.

I daydream about something like this where stay in parks for a month or two at a time.

[leftyladyfrommo]

20. I think about that but I wouldn't feel safe.

Too much trouble going on right now.

People in the robbery business are making a killing because the police can't get there in time to catch them.

It's getting kind of scary. Even in broad daylight.

[Hortensis]

47. How would a tiny home be safer? This IS a tiny home, and a good

idea for trying this kind of living out. There are tons of used motorhomes that are still in decent condition inside but not roadworthy any more that sell for extremely little. Or you could rent one. A lot of people who decided to see America in one ended up living wherever theirs stopped running when they could no longer afford repairs or fuel; but some owners rent them out in their yards or wherever. Choose one in a reasonably well policed neighborhood or trailer park. Senior parks tend to be quite safe.

[smirkymonkey]

60. You could buy a studio in a managed doorman building in Boston for that much (maybe a little bit

more, depending upon where you live), but I live right downtown and in my building (which is one of the older ones, without a gym or pool, but still nice and very well maintained) studios go for around $550,000 to $650,000. Utilities are pretty inexpensive (unless you crank the AC in the summer like I do, and even then, it's not that bad).

It's very safe and low maintenance and you have every convenience within walking distance as well as delivery services, easy ride share access, close to public transportation, and it's a very cozy little neighborhood. Lots of cafes, restaurants and boutiques. Very walkable. No need for a car, but there is parking in the building.

[Raftergirl]

67. My kid just bought a pied a terre

on Brighton Ave in Boston (Allston) last weekend. It’s 460sq ft 1 bedroom/1 bathroom. Put an offer in without physically seeing it. They were asking $349k but I know he offered over ask. He owns a townhome in Salem, but wanted a place in the city for weekends or nights he stays late at work.

All utilities are included in his HOA - which is about $400/month. It’s been fully remodeled and has an entrance to the courtyard, so some outdoor space.

[RKP5637]

11. Some are just incredible, so well designed and built! I could live in one of those. n/t

[Wingus Dingus]

19. That's beautiful, although most people don't need a 40 ft. tag axle diesel pusher--

get the biggest Class C (31 ft.) with slides and it would be quite livable for one person--I have one, bought it new a few years ago for 70,000-- although there's two of us plus multiple pets--makes it a little more cramped. We're going to have to live in it for a while when we make an upcoming interstate move.

[leftyladyfrommo]

21. I saw one that was a million. It even has a space

Underneath for parking a car.

[Wingus Dingus]

24. There's a lot of them that are a million-plus.

Prevost, etc. are more than a million.

[Torchlight]

5. In August, we're going to build one.

Two of us and a cat. It's a shed-to-house conversion with 550 sq. ft plus an upstairs loft.

We're doing it for a number of reasons, but cost, downsizing and living planet-responsibly are the top three.

There are a number of channels on Youtube dedicated to this stuff, and yes-- you can find lots and communities that have minimal-to-no yard-work to speak of.

[leftyladyfrommo]

10. Neat. I am jealous.

I can't do a loft because my knees are not so good but it would still be good for storage.

[Torchlight]

28. Bear in mind, many of them are typically one-level

The only major problem we've run into is no bank mortgages on this stuff. Purchasing an appropriate shed (for this purpose) can run upwards of 10k just for the shell, and is financed through the store (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc) and you're forced to pay their interest rates or buy it outright (that's why we're waiting a bit-- to get it all paid prior and avoid high-interest payments for the shell).

But that's the shed-to-house route. Some lenders will cover Tiny Homes (but never shed conversions) w/o too many obstacles.

[getagrip_already]

6. depends on location....

Tiny homes will always be luxury or niche options. They aren't a choice low income renters would make unless extremely cheap, and that isn't going to happen. Try getting anything low income built outside of major cities; the nimby's will eat you alive.

They seem like they would be cheap to build, until you realize that they are largely custom designs with intricate storage and dual use furnishings.

It can be a lot cheaper to build a 1000 square foot home than a 350 square foot home. Builders wouldn't normally furnish a 1000 square foot home, but you have to furnish a tiny house since it's integral to the design.

Maybe that will change, but until appliances, furniture, and storage options become high volume and affordable, that won't be an option.

Until then, the rich and handy will own them.

[leftyladyfrommo]

13. I was in mtg lending for years. I don't think builders

Can make enough on a 350 sq ft house to make it worth their while.

I remember a couple of other fads that simply faded away. One was Earth Berm homes. I hated that idea. I don't like basements or being underground.

And there modular homes. Those came and went pretty fast.

Big mtg lenders won't risk unusual houses.

[getagrip_already]

15. I suspect if it happens it will be along the lines of trailer homes.....

Built in a factory on a production line with cheap materials and no real imagination.

They won't be built on-site in a hot economy.

[leftyladyfrommo]

25. You could make a good business out of it.

When it comes to building you have to know what you are doing. Normally if you make a good product that is in demand you can succeed.

[lagomorph777]

45. Could be tailored to different upscale/downscale markets.

But yes, obviously they should usually be mass-produced in a factory. It's much cheaper that way, and the result is more consistent. They are typically small enough to carry to the site in one piece.

[Hortensis]

49. Yes. It's happening right now. Lots of creative architecture

with new materials and techniques being turned into nice, sustainable homes in factories. Unfortunately, like new technology in general it's expensive right now. But they're covering the building codes bases, and getting mortgages won't be a problem.

Build better.

[Freddie]

14. Zoning issues

They’d have to change to allow for tiny homes.
Around here like most places the new construction is either McMansions with small yards or luxury condos. My neighborhood, built in the late 90s, is probably the last development around here to have smaller (1400 to 1600 sf) single homes. There’s definitely a need for houses like this or smaller, but they don’t build them.

[leftyladyfrommo]

27. We had a woman builder here who built cookie cutter

homes that could go FHA or VA as well as conventional.

She had about 5 models to choose from and people could choose from a variety of carpets and lighting so they could individualize their home. But your choices were limited. They were 3 bedrooms and well built.

She made a killing. The documents she presented to the loan company including plans and specs were always perfect. Those houses sold like hotcakes and it was a slow market.

[Hoyt]

17. Problem is finding a desirable location where they are allowed.

[leftyladyfrommo]

30. There is lots and lots of open land North of Kansas City.

Lots of land that was farmland. It's flat and easy to build on. Of course, flat land in tornado country is still a little iffy.

[pecosbob]

42. I would embrace it, but I'd need a Tuff-Shed bigger than the house itself for...stuff.

[LisaM]

23. I don't need a McMansion but I want more space

We have two people in a one-bedroom apartment and it's awful. Not enough room to have a good WFH space, which I need, and the only way for privacy at night if one wants to read or the other one wants to watch TV is for one person to take over the bedroom.

But it's Seattle and they are determined to squish us into ever smaller spaces.

I think tiny spaces are dehumanizing.

[leftyladyfrommo]

31. There are still lots of big houses to choose from.

Seattle is going to be expensive.

Bigger houses here are starting about $350,000

[Ron Obvious]

70. Here on Seattle's eastside, there are no houses left for less than a million

A small, boring little house a street down from us just went for $1.3 million. It's madness. I know at least a half a dozen people who have left the area because they can't afford to live here any longer.

[LisaM]

73. Yes, and it's not worth it.

Of course I don't want to see people go through financial distress because they overspent, but housing costs need to be controlled.

AirBnb and VRBO decreasing inventory doesn't help and yet no one will do anything about them.

[Hortensis]

50. It won't be "ever smaller." The psychology and sociology of

living spaces is studied, intensively, and too tiny causes emotional problems, practical problems (severe built-in dysfunction that can't be remedied), and social rebellion. It absolutely would cause neighborhood decline.

We're incredibly wealthy and getting wealthier due to technological advances. Our problems do not include inability to afford good housing for ourselves.

[CentralMass]

26. Progress on states allowing them is moving very slowly.

[leftyladyfrommo]

32. They are coming in here but we have lots of open land.i know

they built some for homeless vets.

[mitch96]

29. When I watch these programs about "tiny" homes, to me they are just a trailer with a different

kind of box on it.. It's a trailer not made for routine over the road use, yes?

For my money I would start with something with a sturdy construction attached to the ground.. Humm
How about a 40'shipping container? built of steel and able to withstand the riggors of ocean transport. Sink pilings and bolt that sucker to the ground. Many people have converted
shipping containers to very comfortable dwellings.
Need more room? add a 20' box.. make it an "L" or one on top of another...maybe offset a bit for style?...
I believe there are companies that pre make interiors for 40 footers..
A thought YMMV
m

[MineralMan]

33. My wife and I just moved into a Townhome.

It's 1200 sq. feet. on two levels. Two bedrooms, 1.5 baths. One bedroom is my wife's office. Downstairs, there's a family room we don't use, an alcove that is my office, and the half bath and a utility room with furnace, washer and dryer, etc. The family room isn't needed, but we have furniture in it and use it as overflow space when we entertain larger groups, which we do only rarely.

In modern terms, the place is very small. We could do with less space, but we both like having separate office spaces. This year, we'll put a twin bed downstairs in the family room and use it as a day bed/couch, and for the occasional overnight guest.

Our house in California was just 600 sq. ft., with a sleeping loft. But, there, we rented an office suite for our work to get out of the house. That house was big enough, too, for us, except for working areas.

[Backseat Driver]

40. I love my townhouse rental: 1300 sq ft - spacious 2 bd/2.5 baths; one car garage

with in-door mudroom/laundry and a parking space and 10x10 back patio with a front retention pond view with another garage on-site for storage that badly needs a clean-out. We have two senior pups. It would be perfect except there's no saferoom for storms. We even have a very small garden. We're within 5 miles, as the crow flies, of both of our kids. Prices of RE, rentals, and senior facilities in our suburban location continue to escalate. We do have the option of moving to a 1 bd/1 bath - single level should one be available at lease time--still pricey but more doable as we age, doggies pass, etc...At 74, DH still works FT, but we have no debts or credit, but plenty of "like to do" that one can't do living paycheck-to-paycheck - i.e. nothing can be more than a couple C notes in order to save, save, save for emergencies sure to occur. CoVid wasn't easy, but I'm an introvert. There might be a longevity gene to deal with because many, including parents and friends have already departed this life. I have an almost vintage car (2002) of little value except to me that sits in the garage because repairs are very expensive, but would hate giving up the extra bedroom soon to be multi-use office/hobby or warmer sitting/reading/gaming for Grandma and Gramps and the grandkid approaching teen years, but it's a slow process that may never be completed.

[highplainsdem]

34. ...

If you live by yourself you don't need any more than a Tiny home.

Unless you like to have guests, or you simply like more space, whether for storage or other purposes.

I get claustrophobic fast in smaller spaces. I also need large windows and views to feel comfortable for any length of time.

[leftyladyfrommo]

37. I am the opposite. I feel comfortable in a small space.

I get nervous in bigger spaces.

[hamsterjill]

35. I could do tiny if

I had some outside storage. The concept of tiny really appeals to me. I absolutely hate house repairs because I’ve been dealing with a lot of that the past few years. I tell everyone that I have the same mentality as some dogs i.e., they feel safe in an area that they can control and defend. So a system that could have easy maintenance is very appealing.

I think the addition of some outside storage will become more common. So I hope the trend continues. I would want some space outside to have a yard and some flowers.

[Redleg]

36. I am getting divorced so I might be in the market for a tiny home

depending on how things turn out. I am about 8-10 years away from retirement, my wife wants to keep our modest home, and I am currently spending too much money on rent.

[yorkster]

38. There seems to be something almost wasteful in building

lots of tiny homes. Why not just smaller homes, rather than tiny units that are impossible for more than 1 or 2 people to live in.
Some of us older ones are thinking about small group living as an alternative to living alone. For younger people who want their own space and possibly children down the road, I would think tiny might wear thin after a while.

[leftyladyfrommo]

39. I wouldn't want one if I wasn't single.

Having another person in such a small space would make me crazy.

[yorkster]

41. I get that.

I can also see them as possible for a guest, etc.

[smirkymonkey]

61. I agree. Tiny homes are almost like an extreme backlash to McMansions.

I completely agree with you. How about just going with "small" homes? You know, not so tiny that you can barely move in them or have room for storage, but not obnoxiously large either. It seems so reasonable, yet most people still seem to gravitate toward these miniscule matchbox houses that, to me, seem to be very uncomfortable to live in.

Why not find something that is just small enough to be cozy, meet your living space needs and not cost you more than you can afford in a mortgage or maintenance, yet large enough to give everyone some breathing room?

[yorkster]

65. Right. They do seem like McMansion backlash.

Of course, real estate prices have been out of sight, though they may moderate.

Tiny homes seem like the equivalent of buying a tiny frying pan, just the right size for 1 hamburger or I fried egg.

I hope they remain an occasional option as opposed to a mad craze.

[Hortensis]

44. No. I think you'd find there was huge emotional and practical difference

between yours and 350 square feet. And separate tiny units would be extremely inefficient to build and maintain.

Decent small mobile homes run from around 650+-1200+ square feet, and, though very small, that's a good size range for singles and couples. People live very comfortably in them, with room to stroll around. Same for apartments in that range. I'm in a 60-year-old 1200 sqft mobile right now, snowbirding in Florida, with living and sun/dining rooms, and a guest room, so my husband and I can get away from each other when we want and/or do hobbies. I'm on the covered patio as a storm moves in, and being able to sit out while it rains is lovely. I would never choose one of those tiny things with, if I were lucky, a tiny porch that got wet when it sprinkled.

Then there's the exterior care, with at least strips of "yard" around four sides, perhaps deeper on one side -- who's keeping those spaces? For the most part tiny homes would go on tiny spots.

What I do imagine if extremists were to take over our government -- because that's what they've done wherever they have -- would be government directed apartment houses, lots of them, with very small apartments. Maximize cost, storage (of people), and maintenance efficiency.

Itm, even if by far most people won't choose tiny, it's there for people who want it. Those who can't afford to build a tiny house (absurdly expensive) can try out the idea in by buying a travel trailer or older motor home whose engine's pretty much given out and live in that in a MH park or a friend's yard. They can be extremely inexpensive.

[llmart]

57. Something I haven't seen brought up yet with these posts is...

many towns have strict zoning ordinances against small houses, even the kind that used to be built in the 1950's. Any new construction has to be over a certain square footage and some places won't allow parking a travel trailer and living in it.

I like the smaller homes of the 50's and if you found one for sale, you could put the money into upgrading it if it wasn't already. My in-laws house built in 1952 was on a 100' x 100' lot and they were good about keeping it up until they died. I believe it was about 950 sq. ft. It had a full basement so at some point they put a half bath down there. It was quite modern on the inside because of the upgrading and you could walk to shops if you had to.

[Hortensis]

62. I like those smaller, old homes also. A lot. Our first was about 950 sqft

too, a well laid out California bungalow, but if only we'd had a 100x100 lot like your parents'! Ours was on a 10th acre cut into the side of a mountain. I'd be happy doing that size again just fine along with good location, walking to shops, etc. I'd prefer in the 1100-1600 range (this one is comfortable at 1200 sqft), but location -- blue! -- would rule.

With all the attention to communities trying to "gentrify" and increase their tax revenues, and subdivisions with size requirements, it's easy to forget that lots of counties and communities have always allowed smaller homes. Of course, most would consider "tiny" substandard housing and require special land use variance, but there are plenty of places around the nation with no land use restrictions.

Here in almost all of FL, except for inside a community or subdivision that doesn't allow it, you can typically at least park an RV on your property.

Btw, I just noticed that Home Depot sells home building kits (shades of Sears' mail order kits!). Some of them are "tiny" homes. Smallest I see is 270 sqft, largest 1493.

[llmart]

63. I agree with you on the location being "blue".

That would be important to me. I sit right on the border of a rather blue community but my house is located in a horribly red county. In fact, I just learned that supposedly the "orange one" is holding a rally in my tiny town. I spend most of my time in the more educated/liberal part of the next town over.

[Hortensis]

69. Know what you mean about where you spend your time.

How unfortunate, and indicative, that virtually all blue communities are more expensive than red.

[ripcord]

51. Do a shed conversion

They have large sheds, some even two story that with some work can be converted into tiny homes.

https://www.thetinyhouse.net/tiny-house-shed/

[NutmegYankee]

52. I lived in a 350 sqft studio for 5 years.

NOPE. You'd have to pry the keys to my 1500sqft Cape Cod from my cold dead hands. One bonus in New England is full basements don't count as space, so I have another 850 sqft tax free.

[LeftInTX]

54. Hubby and I live in a 2,200 sq ft home

It seems too small. Most of the space is filled with junk. Mostly hubby's....

Hubby used to watch those Tiny Home shows. He would dream about owning one. I'm like, "Are you crazy? Where are you going to put your junk"

He isn't completely retired yet. He has so much clothing and work junk. We did clean our garage last summer though!

Keep in mind we live in Texas, and we don't have basements. Attic and garage storage are out of the question due to our climate. Our garage was mostly a haven for gardening tools, campaign signs, paint, camping junking, tools, auto junk etc. (Stuff that already lives outside)

We sleep in separate rooms. The third bedroom is where our kids stay when they visit.

I do not dream of downsizing. Our home is appraised at around $230,000. If we would downsize, we would pay even more. Forget that! I will stay put.

[Marius25]

55. I found a 750 sq foot cottage house plan

that I really want to have built, but housing costs are so expensive right now it would be like $400,000 minimum to build that small of a house.

[Emile]

56. I have a 17 foot camper and there is no way I would

want to live in it longer than three days!

[MissB]

58. I don't live by myself

But even if I did, I still prefer the 3bd/2ba house that I have. My siblings live near here too and they each have the same setup in terms of number of beds/baths (though one has a 3bd/3ba).

I would be fine with rambling around in this house by myself. I have about 2300 sq feet, and the house is 100 years old so it isn't exactly an open floor plan. The living room and dining room are large for the size of the house, which makes it nice to entertain in. The master is on the main level, so we don't need to go upstairs if we don't want to. Our kids' rooms are upstairs along with a bathroom, so when they visit we all get privacy.

I do wish I had a much larger kitchen than I do. I feel like the builder wasn't all that into kitchens, so I have a relatively small one compared to the larger entertaining rooms. It's probably cheaper though. I'm buying cabinets and counters right now, and that's horribly expensive enough for a small kitchen.

We have a lot of outdoor space too for the better weather months. Large wrap around porch to spend lazy evenings on with my dh and a glass of wine.

After over 25 years together, I don't want to downsize so much that I'd fit into a studio apartment. Sorry.

[WarGamer]

59. Love the idea...

Now municipalities need to start accepting tiny homes with zoning rules, etc...

[Mr.Bill]

64. My wife and I are considering a 500 sq ft manufactured home.

By square footage that is a tiny home, but it will not be portable. My grandson has five acres and would like us to put it on his property. Recent legislation in California has made it easier to put granny units on existing home sites and makes it difficult for localities to prohibit it. This was meant to be a solution to the housing shortage and it's a booming business.

We are currently living in about 800 sq ft in a senior mobile home park, so it's not a big downsizing really. Our last home, six years ago was 1600 sq ft. We will be able to have some outbuildings for storage which is fine because we don't have to heat and cool those. Smaller home, larger shed, that's the strategy. The builders are having supply chain problems just like the auto assembly plants, so this may take a year. Meanwhile we can prep all the utilities and infrastructure.

[Dial H For Hero]

66. Only 350 sq ft? No thank you. My one-bedroom apartment has a bit over twice that!

I live by myself, and this is about the minimum I want for my purposes. I like having an in-unit washer and dryer, decently large kitchen, living room large enough for a 77" television, fireplace, bedroom big enough to hold large bookcases, deck, etc.

[Demovictory9]

68. my prior home wasn't very big but i too had an empty room. when I bought the place

I imagined a room for crafts, a room for an office like people say on HGTV's househunter. never happened. Did everything from the living room couch. LOL. and the big closets lead to keep stuff I never used.

I've downsized a bit and gotten rid of tons of stuff... especially clothes, shoes and purses

[Happy Hoosier]

71. Dunno... but I don't want one.

I want some space. I like to play games. I like to make stuff (sew, use my workshop), I like to cook. Maybe some folks are happy in those tiny places, but I would hate it as a regular place to live. Might be fun to have one on a lake in the woods for weekends, though.

[JCMach1]

72. I will go by housing shortage experience in Dubai- we are headed to more

Shared housing largely for singles and employer provided housing as a benefit. Some companies will even build housing on, or near to their ,location/campus.