I don't want a "tiny" house. I think i'd go crazy. Not because I want a lot of stuff, or

[Flaxbee]

even have a lot of stuff, but because I like a little space and I don't want to live right on top of the cats' litter boxes (we have 5 cats, must have 3 litterboxes, minimum).

I get pissed off quickly if I'm crowded, cracking my elbows on door frames, etc.

Now, we currently rent a small house, about 760 livable square feet (basement is not livable for humans - the ceiling is so low my husband can't stand up to his full height (6'4&quot nor can I if I'm in heels), but the cats are happy to play there and visit two of their three aforementioned litter boxes).

However, I think that if we had use of both the upstairs and 'downstairs' (basement), that would be AMPLE space. It's just the two of us and our five felines. Huge amount of space, if used correctly / designed well. If we even had a full 1000 square feet, it would be comfortable. We'll probably end up with a little more because it'd be nice to have an annex office ... but again, if we had about 1250-1500 sq. feet (including the office) it'd be perfect.

Even if we could afford a super giant mansion, I don't want one. I want a very energy efficient, extremely well built, convenient home that doesn't take weeks to clean. And that has only a few functional, regularly used items be they furniture, clothing, home appliances, etc.

How about you? Could you live in a "tiny" house? One of those tumbleweed ones ( http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ )? What space do you think you need to feel personally comfortable but not extravagant and wasteful?

Edit: going to cross post this in the Lounge

[Curmudgeoness]

1. I have seen those tiny houses,

and there is no way that I could live in one....unless I lived somewhere where I could be outside almost all the time. That would open up the livable space for me. I don't know what the square footage would be that I would want, but I have had a dream of a small cabin/cottage type, with one large room, a small kitchen, a small bathroom, and a bedroom above, like a loft. I stayed in a cabin at Yosemite that was like this----it was an a-frame. The only problem with it was that there was only a bathroom downstairs, and at night in the dark, it was no fun to navigate the stairs, which were steep. That would have to be remedied.

I have learned to hate basements...always moldy and mildewed. But having that area for storage is great.

[Flaxbee]

2. I don't like basements, either. I can handle "walk out basements" partially built

into a hill, because the first floor ("basement&quot has windows or a door you can open to fresh air. But so many of them are built so poorly that there is always seepage and mildew. Yuk. I know a house can be engineered and built so that doesn't happen - after all, there are terrific energy efficiencies that result from building under/below ground level (warmer in winter, cooler in summer - our basement is so much more stable, temperature-wise, than the above-ground level), but I think it takes a very skillful engineer and very skillful/honest contractor to pull it off.

I know the kind of house you mean - small cabin with upper loft - and I also realized there was no freaking way, especially if I lived in the house as I aged - that I'd want to shimmy up and down steep stairs (or a ladder, god forbid) if I had to pee at night. No.

[Curmudgeoness]

6. LOL, yes, there is a downside to that loft.

I love the idea of a loft to keep the sleeping area away from the living area. But the solution should be easy if I am just dreaming...and that is to have a bathroom up in the loft as well as downstairs. Actually it would be better for me to have a full bath above and just a half bath downstairs.

But as I get older, I do think that having stairs is not the best move. Too many older people that I know are moving into homes on one level with no steps to navigate because they can be daunting.

So, are you thinking of moving or building? Or is this just an exercise in dreams? Do you want to downsize?

[cbayer]

3. I live in a very, very tiny house and I love it.

We essentially live off the grid. No pets, which I think helps a lot.

I like that we use the space so efficiently. We have staked out our own spaces and kind of have a rule that if you bring stuff on, you have to take stuff off (kind of).

The thing about space, imo, is that you will fill it.

Same goes for water, electricity and holding tank capacity.

I miss a garden and would love a bathtub once in a while, but those are small things to give up in the long run.

And the ability to clean quickly and easily is a big benefit.

But everyone is different, and that is what makes life interesting.

[Flaxbee]

4. I think one pet would be easy - dog or cat - but multiple pets does make a real difference in

terms of space (esp. if you're on a boat!)

I'm sort of paranoid about fresh water; not sure if I could handle a boat / having to worry about fresh water. Everything else I think I could handle just fine (electricity, space, etc.). Husband lived on a houseboat on a big lake for a few years and loved it; we have talked about that, also, but I love the ocean and if we were on a boat at all and I could get past my water issue, I'd vote for the ocean.

But then again - a garden is something I've really grown to love.

Everything has its trade-offs, I guess.

[cbayer]

5. A lot of people on boats have pets.

We even knew a couple that had an iguana, a dog and a parrot, lol.

But it has some inherent downsides, imo.

We carry about 150 gallons in clean aluminum tanks, but better yet, we have a water maker. It's makes the freshest, purest, most uncontaminated water you could imagine. Far superior to anything you could buy or get through a public system.

Living on a boat can be challenging, but also idyllic. I sometimes forget exactly how fortunate I am.

[hlthe2b]

11. Do you stay docked most of the time?

Sounds idyllic, frankly (with the right person, of course--lol)

[cbayer]

12. No, we are rarely in a dock.

We anchor most of the summer and takes moorings in the winter. The only time we dock is when we go over the mainland about 4 times a year.

It is idyllic, but it's a very small space and having the right partner is critical.

[The empressof all]

7. I understand how you feel

I am moving from 3600 feet into 1600 square feet in a few weeks and worried about how it will work. The reality is that with two people you can make do with even smaller spaces than that, if you organize and plan correctly. I think you need light, air and the ability to close a door on each other when needed. We found we really only used three or four rooms plus the kitchen and bathrooms on a regular basis anyway. I don't know if I would be able to handle a really small place because I do like my alone time and I need that door quite a bit as my SO is a yacker and if I am within eyesight he is talking.

With a good design I probably could get down to 800 square feet but it would need a great design and solid doors.....maybe with a lock...

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. My new home, first one I ever owned, is 900 square feet.

.
.
.

Just about right for me - no upstairs, no basement, so heat costs are minimal.

Fortunate to have 2 large garages, as well as a 8x16 foot bunkhouse with 2 beds for guests.

Kitchen and living room are open concept using half the house, so quite spacious for such a small house.

3 bedrooms and bathroom are off to the sides.

Both the bunkhouse and the main house have good airtight wood stoves,

main house also has a propane wall furnace, and electric in the bathroom.

I'm in Northern Ontario, and retired -

I wanna be warm!

And I will be.



CC

[RebelOne]

9. I already live in a tiny home, a 10-foot-wide by 40-foot-long

mobile home. Fortunately, I have an enclosed garage where everything I don't use goes. It is just me and my Chihuahua, and we have plenty of room. I have two bedrooms, but one is used as my computer room.

[laundry_queen]

10. I could only if I lost 100 lbs and had a large garage for storage.

I'm too fat to live in one of those 100 sq ft ones. But I've been looking at the 300-400 sq ft type ones and I think I could deal with that easily if I didn't have 4 kids. As it is, there are 5 of us in 1500 sq feet and at the moment, that is small enough for me.

[Squinch]

13. I would LOVE to have one if it were in a beautiful place where I could have a lot of

outdoor time.

My siblings (5 of them) and I often joke about buying a plot and putting up 6 tiny houses. Because we just couldn't stand living with each other, but we wish we could.

[ladyVet]

14. I'm currently living in something way too small.

It's a 80 x 14 single wide mobile home, four bedrooms and two baths. My three boys still live with me, and if the economy stays like this I expect that to continue (well, the youngest will probably go somewhere the MJ laws are better).

It's much better now that I've gotten the kitchen redesigned into a logical space, and it's open to the living room, so that makes it seem larger. The problem lies with the bedrooms my two oldest have: way too small for grown men.

Ah, well. We've managed for twenty years here, and at least I have a bit of land and storage buildings. Now that it's getting to be cooler, I can work on getting the buildings cleaned out and organized. I'll probably spend more time in the craft building then.

[TexasBushwhacker]

15. I'm not that crazy about the Tumbleweed designs

They all rely on loft sleeping areas which just isn't practical when you're 56 and have osteoporosis. No ladders for me! What I prefer are the cottages that were designed after Hurricane Katrina to serve as better alternatives to mobile homes. They have one that's 576 sf that I would be totally comfortable in.

http://www.cusatocottages.com/index.php

[Flaxbee]

16. I agree - I don't have any health or mobility issues, and I STILL don't want a sleeping loft if

it's accessed by a ladder. I like the idea of the loft, if it had stairs to it.
However, if I couldn't stand upright - if the ceiling were low and I had to crawl in and out of bed, that would get old REALLY quickly.

Will check out the link - those look interesting. Thanks!

[TexasBushwhacker]

17. And heaven forbid having to get downstairs quickly, like for a fire n/t

[Flaxbee]

18. Or if you really had to pee! Lol

I don't like the idea of stumbling up and down ladders if I had one too many glasses of water before bed.