Tiny House/Small House Resources

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
Papers of Indenture
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Papers of Indenture »

My wife and I purchased our home in December. Its 970 sq ft. I've come to learn from my standard American friends, family, and neighbors that this is meets their definition "tiny house". Lol!

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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

@Papers--When we bought our house it was 1600 sq ft, and everyone asked us why we bought such a small house LOL. We'd lived in a tiny row house for years and thought the house felt like a mansion.

Another tiny waterfront (my current obsession) ...
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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

More lake house love.

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The only problem I have with these is the lack of gardening space. I'd love to build one that had a garden up the side of one wall or a turf roof with an herb garden (and a spiral staircase to access it) or both. Fresh herbs and greens combined with rice and beans would be a workable diet and easy to do in a small space like this.

jacob
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jacob »

@jp - Garden underwater? Seaweed and tilapias.

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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

Today's little house love. The wooded houses have the no-place-to-garden problem just like the waterfront houses though. :(

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George the original one
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by George the original one »

The first one has neater & tidier architecture, but that second one has a substantial sunlit deck, perfect for container gardening, along with the patio for lounging.

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Ego
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Ego »

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... dont-need/

and

http://dumpsterproject.org/

Wilson said the immediate benefits of living in the container were myriad: Lower rent, lower utility payments, less time spent doing chores, a shorter commute (approximately 90 seconds on foot) and less money spent on unnecessary possessions. Those benefits may sound underwhelming compared to the sacrifice involved, but in totality, Wilson said, they offered a new freedom.

Because his living space was so small, Wilson said he also spent much less time at home. Instead, he was frequently on and around campus, having face-to-face interactions. (Importantly, he also had to leave the dumpster to use the restroom or take showers, which he did at the campus gymnasium.) As the boundaries between home and community blurred, the neighborhood surrounding the university began to feel like an extension of his backyard.

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jacob
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jacob »

It's amusing that this happened on a campus where dorm rooms aren't that much bigger/person (when considering the lack of floor storage) and contain approximately the same amount of amenities. Back in my student days, there was a shortage of dorm rooms every time a new year began so sometimes people would build a tent hooverville on one of the big lawns while using the gym, etc. for facilities.

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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

Ideas for building an enclave ...

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I can see building these in small groupings, each with their own communal building for laundry, tools, and maybe even shared amenities like bicycles and exercise equipment. Kind of like the way a campground is set up with loops and comfort stations. Each loop could have it's own solar or wind system and maybe a catchment system. I'd change out some of those flower beds for herb gardens and fruit trees and make sure the central fire pits were set up for cooking as well.

henrik
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by henrik »

jennypenny wrote:Ideas for building an enclave ...
This seems sort of like living in an apartment building (with a garden), except you're looking into each other's windows instead of in different directions:)

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Ego
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Ego »

jennypenny wrote: I can see building these in small groupings, each with their own communal building for laundry, tools, and maybe even shared amenities like bicycles and exercise equipment.
There are many properties here in Southern California similar to those in your post that are know as bungalow courts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungalow_court

They are tiny standalone cottages with a central garden area and a shared garage. My first office when I worked for local government was in one of these cottages and we later rented one after returning from a trip. The properties typically have one owner and the cottages are rentals. This one looks a lot like the one we used to live in:

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The Sweetwater Zen Center purchased one of these in a rather tough neighborhood and turned it into a pretty nice place to live. Their model seems to be working.

http://swzc.org/?page_id=155

enigmaT120
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by enigmaT120 »

I don't know about sharing bicycles, at least for longer trips. I generally go about 30 miles a day when I bike. I'm very picky about my seat height and angle. It took me quite a while to get it where I like it, better known as when I don't notice it at all.

Laura Ingalls
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Laura Ingalls »

@Jenny
Maybe you need a tiny on a wooded lot near community garden?

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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

Laura Ingalls wrote:@Jenny
Maybe you need a tiny on a wooded lot near community garden?
I was really hoping to end up living near some like-minded people. I'm talking with a group that's building tiny homes and cabins together in Tennessee. I like them, but they are hardcore preppers and I wonder if that would get old after a while. I'm a slow doomer, not a SHTFarian, so I don't want to spend all of my time sitting around waiting for the world to end. I need to be working toward something.

Laura Ingalls
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Laura Ingalls »


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jennypenny
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by jennypenny »

I love this. It could function as a privacy wall that also provided more seating and shade when open. I'd probably put one on each side of a patio, and then rig a sailcloth between the two when open so the entire patio was covered.

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Ego
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by Ego »

One of the most viewed stories on NYTimes today. Tiny Home Test Drive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/12/reale ... -city.html

A modern, sleeker version of our apartment. We have one of these rather than a murphy bed but most of my other apartments have a roll-out murphy.

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GandK
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by GandK »

I love this man's self-reflection.

A Tiny House Was Someone Else’s Dream

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GandK
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by GandK »


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GandK
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Re: Tiny House/Small House Resources

Post by GandK »

jennypenny wrote:I love the transparent roofing material in this one. I have a glass roof over part of my current house and I love it. No more SAD.
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Apparently you'll have another option as well soon: transparent wood. :D

The incredible possibilities of 'invisible' wood

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