Tiny House Movement Growing
89Down-Sizing America
As a result of the bursting of the housing bubble, subprime mortgage crisis, world recession and growing concern about our national and personal debts, America is downsizing its houses, cars and lifestyles.
The article linked below in this morning's Detroit Free Press documents that the market for tiny houses is thriving amidst the current real estate market shambles.
"It's very un-American in the sense that living small means consuming less," said Jay Shafer, 46, cofounder of the Small House Society, sitting on the porch of his wooden cabin in Graton, Calif. "Living in a small house like this really entails knowing what you need to be happy and getting rid of everything else."
A tiny houses on a nice lot may have greater appeal to many than manufactured house trailers or double wides located in trailer parks.
While they're at it, Americans need to downsize themselves. I read recently that the U.S.A. ranks number one in obesity, ahead of Mexico and Argentina. Tiny houses can help if the owners use the extra space in their yards to grow their own healthful food.
Read more: Tiny-houses: Movement grows as market struggles | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20101205/BUSINESS04/12050382/Tiny-houses-Movement-grows-as-market-struggles#ixzz17G1Hr7am
Dwell.com--Small Wonder--Small Stand-alone Studio by Sarah Deeds
- Small Wonder--DeedsDesign Studio in Berkeley
On a tree-lined street in Berkeley, California, architect Sarah Deeds of Deeds Design and carpenter John McBride placed a 120-sq ft office/art studio near their house, a renovated 1906 Victorian, on a 3,100-square-foot lot. Photos by Lenny Gonzalez.
1-20-12DeedsDesign.com "Simple Life in a 12x12 House in Northern California"
- Simple Life in a 12′x12′ House in Northern California « deedsdesign
I enjoyed watching this video of life in a 12′x12′ cabin with no hot water, electricity, internet, and heated by fireplace. In exchange for giving up these modern amenities, the occupants get peace, quiet and a simple life. Not a life for everyone, b
DeedsDesign, Berkeley, California
1-11-11Berkeleyside--A City Looks For Big Solutions in Little Houses
- A city looks for big solutions in little very little houses | Berkeleyside
On Saturday, Mayor Tom Bates will cut the ribbon on a new home on Delaware Street in Berkeley. Its not every day a city leader takes the time to welcome a new dwelling into his fold, and this home is not big, nor particularly special; in fact its p
2-16-12DetroitFreePress--Flexible dwelling can be bedroom, studio, more
- Flexible dwelling can be bedroom, studio, more | Detroit Free Press | freep.com
One thing's for sure, David and Cathy Hall have absolutely no fear of commitment. They became friends in eighth grade, and that was it. Bought their first house in 1974, and that was it. The Halls, now in their 60s, their girls grown and gone, still
Tiny House Blogs--Dwell
- Tiny House Blogs in Dwell
Living small is the new way to live bigwhether within a tighter, more creatively written budget or physically in fewer square feet. In her new book Tiny Houses, Loud Paper Magazine founder and frequent Dwell contributor Mimi Zeiger compiled....
No Roof Network--slot houses
- noroof architects Slot House
The first move was to cut a slot to allow the tree to be seen from inside. This revealed a cedar frame infilled with handmade brick underneath the sheetrock and vinyl siding. The slot became the spatial idea of the house, and is repeated to extend...
2-24-11NYT--The $200 Microhouse
- The $200 Microhouse in Stoughton, Massachusetts
For ingenuity, thrift and charm, Mr. Diedricksens tiny structures are hard to beat. Made of scavenged materials, they cost on average less than $200 to build. They often have transparent roofing, which allows a fine view of the treetops, particularl
12-5-10 Miami Herald--Tiny House Movement Thrives Amid Real Estate Bust
- Tiny house movement thrives amid real estate bust - National Business - MiamiHerald.com
As Americans downsize in the aftermath of a colossal real estate bust, at least one tiny corner of the housing market appears to be thriving. To save money or simplify their lives, a small but growing number of Americans are buying or building homes
Small Studio in Berkeley by DeedsDesign.com
- Small Studio House Plans in California Forest | Modern House Designs
This small studio house plan was a labor of love, and became a sweet retreat for the couple who clearly put their heart and soul into the design. This small California house design is an inspiring studio for architect Sarah Deeds of deedsdesign.com.
Flowers and Vegetables in a Michigan Garden deedsphotos
- Flowers and Vegetables in a Michigan Garden August 2009 deedsphotos
This has been a good year in Michigan for flower and vegetable gardens, cool and plenty of rain. Perhaps a bit too cool for tomatoes which were late but well worth waiting for. Here are some pictures taken in...
How to Improve Motor Vehicle Fuel Economy and Reduce Emissions
- How to Improve Motor Vehicle Fuel Economy and Reduce CO2 Emissions
Aapply the laws of elementary physics by imposing a non-commercial vehicle weight tax. This tax could be tapered in over a 5 to 10 year period with the effect of roughly equalizing the fuel cost per mile in the U.S. with that of Europe. It appears to
Tiny Houses: The New Trend in Housing
- Tiny Houses: The New Trend in Housing
With rising energy costs, the mortgage crisis, and economic uncertainty, tiny houses are becoming more and more popular. Are you tired of working your finger to the bone to pay for a house you'll be lucky to...
Tiny Houses Hub
- Tiny Houses - Part 5 of Fantasy Homes series
Im still doing research on possible Fantasy Homes I would love to live in, given the money and place to build them. You may have heard about the new trend toward tiny houses which use very...
Tiny Houses: The New Trend in Housing
- Tiny Houses: The New Trend in Housing
With rising energy costs, the mortgage crisis, and economic uncertainty, tiny houses are becoming more and more popular. Are you tired of working your finger to the bone to pay for a house you'll be lucky to...
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Website
- Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
Tiny Houses from 65 to 837 square feet. Buy house plans and build it yourself, or buy ready made houses delivered to you. Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed Houses set the standard for small house living.
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I'm thinking along the same lines. The only time we use our entire house is when we have a family reunion on holidays. The rest of the time the space is wasted and we continue to pay high real estate taxes.
This is my desire, to have a small place, dependent upon the Earth and natural resources. Soon...
I would love to build one of the modern style tiny homes. Maybe around 500 square feet from energy saving construction and materials. However, normal utilities would be important to me.
Tankless hot water heaters for example take up little space and after the initial purchase price they cost very little.
I recently heard of insulation that not only insulates but is insect and pest retardent as well.
Just like a mobile home - tie-downs would be important in case of high winds.
"The bigger, the better" - this is the American way according to Bush and I am almost sure I remember him saying that about the SUV a few years ago ignoring the auto-industry crises and the prices of gas (since for the enviroment he never had any concern to bigin with).
America may be forced to readjust its "size' and its thinking - and what a "tragedy" that will be for the ones who will have to give up the 5-th TV in a household of 4
Thanks, all, for your comments. We're on the same wave length.
I love this concept and the builder was so impressive in his ability to see and explain the advantages of living small. For me and my pup, it would work. Of course, you have to have the bucks to afford the land. America has become the land of excess. Those who have continued to live well but conservatively will weather this economic storm better than many who continue to live extravagantly, paycheck to paycheck and then face a rude awakening if status quo changes.
I've been in favor of tiny houses for a long time now, Ralph Deeds. I learned about them several years ago, and I wish I could have built one. I've always thought that people with large houses that have lots of rooms probably never see most of the rooms unless they have a very large family. The same goes for cars (Personally, I'd drive a golf cart if they'd let me take it on the road.) I particularly like the architecture of many of the little houses, especially those that look like little castles.
Well meaning zoning laws (and sometimes not well meaning) can prohibit small homes.
It's about time we stopped being so greedy and started being economical. We've been living beyond our means for too long. We also need to live more eco-friendly. This world and this country has only a limited amount of natural resources. It's time to think of the world and not just ourselves.
Local zoning laws are certainly a negative factor for all kinds of home building innovations.Thanks for your comments.
Last year I was living with my family in a 15 by 20 shack that I built from scraps.
No we are not boozers or drug addicts as some will quickly assume.
Although we lost our home and in the process I was struck by lightning and also lost my job I did not feel destitute.
We just up sized thank you to our incomes on hubpages. We live in a sort of conventional house now with power my daughter is attending college.
After living here for 6 months with running water electricity and all the normally things that we have always had most of our lives.
The whole family wants to move back to the shack I built.
So hell yes Ralph I am ready to down size!!! Ha ha
Love your Hub!
Love em. I also like the spin you didn't put on the article. So many times these types of homes are attached to extreme left and/or right thinking. When in reality it's just what you mentioned earlier. It's about having a house that matches the way you live. If you have a 3000 sf house that you realy never use or even need. Your wasting your money.
Good article, Mr. Deeds. One of these would be great for a art or writer's studio in the backyard as well.
My parents once had a house that was, believe it or not, 11,000 square feet. There was a lot of wasted space.
Tiny House in Berkeley
On Saturday, Mayor Tom Bates will cut the ribbon on a new home on Delaware Street in Berkeley. It’s not every day a city leader takes the time to welcome a new dwelling into his fold, and this home is not big, nor particularly special; in fact it’s positively diminutive at just 420 sq ft, and can rightfully be described as a backyard cottage. So one might wonder why it warrants an “opening party” with dignitaries in attendance, sponsors — even a salsa band.
The reason is that small secondary units like this one — also known as in-law units, studios, or accessory buildings — represent a solution to a key challenge facing many cities: how to house a swelling population affordably without resorting to creating unsustainable suburban sprawl. “Smart growth”, in other words.
And Berkeley has decided to focus on these little houses. “We favor increasing the number of secondary units. It’s the only goal we have added to the housing element part of our general plan this year,” says Debra Sanderson, Planning Manager at the City of Berkeley.
The Delaware St cottage includes distinct areas for living, cooking, eating, working, bathing and sleeping. Photo: New Avenue.
These types of buildings often appeal to homeowners looking for more space without the need to relocate, or seeking rental income, and for home buyers looking for small, inexpensive urban homes on a permanent or semi-permanent basis.
The cute, zero-energy cottage at 934 Delaware Street was built by Berkeley start-up New Avenue, a company conceived at UC Berkeley which is where the cottage’s owner, Karen Chapple, also works.
Small Wonder
On a quaint, tree-lined street in Berkeley, California, architect Sarah Deeds of Deeds Design and carpenter John McBride placed a 120-square-foot office/art studio near their main house, a renovated 1906 Victorian, on a 3,100-square-foot lot. “Since it was a design/build project, I had the luxury of changing the project as needed during construction,” says Deeds, who was able to easily accommodate unanticipated developments for the studio, which she planned as an irregular pentagon shape to maximize interior space. Deeds used salvaged and FSC-certified wood for the construction, formaldehyde-free fiberglass and denim insulation, a door left over from a previous project, and no-VOC paint, stains and finishes. Adding to what she calls the clubhouse feel, Deeds put in a large south-facing high window overlooking an existing deciduous California buckeye tree that provides shade in the summer, and painted a bright “burgee” detail atop the exterior, milled from a fallen tree. “It’s like a little fort,” says Deeds.
Read more: http://www.dwell.com/articles/small-Wonder.html#ix
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/garden/24tiny.ht
A HOUSE tour is the highlight of a visit with a proud homeowner, but when one drops in to see Derek Diedricksen, who makes playful micro-shelters out of junk, it is less so. Possibly because the temperature up here on a cold winter day is less so, possibly because his square footage is less so.
At about 24 square feet, the Gypsy Junker, made primarily out of shipping pallets, castoff storm windows and a neighbor’s discarded kitchen cabinets, is the largest of Mr. Diedricksen’s backyard structures. The Hickshaw, a sleeper built on a rolling cedar lounge chair (or as Mr. Diedricksen calls it, “a rickshaw for hicks”), is considerably smaller, at 2 1/2 feet wide by 6 1/2 feet deep. The Boxy Lady, two cubes on a long pallet, is the smallest: 4 feet tall at its highest point.
For ingenuity, thrift and charm, Mr. Diedricksen’s tiny structures are hard to beat. Made of scavenged materials, they cost on average less than $200 to build. They often have transparent roofing, which allows a fine view of the treetops, particularly in the smallest ones, where the most comfortable position is supine. They have loads of imaginative and decorative details: a porthole-like window salvaged from a front-loading washing machine, a flip-down metal counter taken from the same deceased washer. Mr. Diedricksen hates to throw anything away.
As a tiny house dweller I appreciate the fact that more and more people are choosing this kind of housing. It's cozy, affordable, and a challenge!
Great article with good links! Voted up!
Thanks. The first seven pictures are of a small architecture studio designed and built by my daughter and fellow hubber, Sarah Deeds of DeedsDesign.com
Great design! I will check her out!
This is so cool. I've always wanted to live in a gypsy caravan or something similar. Good hub, friend and I want that little blue car!
I loved this hub. I just bookmarked it so i can explore more when i have a little more time. Excellent idea. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Jeff May Level 2 Commenter 17 months ago
Love the idea of tiny houses and cars. Might be tough with my two teenagers right now, but who knows for later. Maybe a tiny cabin in the woods somewhere.