# Tiny houses **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 19, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812 "2018-03-19T04:15:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/41 "2018-03-19T20:43:56Z")
How about they paint them pink? Someone’s sure to write a song about them. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/42 "2018-03-19T20:45:27Z")
[I just wanna make an omlet!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKqdi0Wp0E) My dad must have been the ur-tiny houser. He said he always dreamed of living “in a tar paper shack in the woods”. I thought he was nuts. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/43 "2018-03-19T20:47:40Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Things like this are more 3 season campers. > > [https://i1.wp.com/www.greenandcleanmom.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/eco-camper.jpg](https://i1.wp.com/www.greenandcleanmom.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/eco-camper.jpg) > > I’m sure there is a way to make them 4 season and still be portable and transportable, but I don’t know how. It is not hard. my motor home had a propane forced air furnace. Water tanks under the seat that did not freeze. Hot water, flush toilet, propane fridge. Of course for lengthy stays you need a water hose and somewhere to run the sewage. And TXJIM, that is an awesome looking little teardrop! Dennis ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/44 "2018-03-19T20:51:10Z")
Ah, yes, houses out of packing crates…very retro. They used to call them Hoovervilles. I think people like to dream about a living a simplified life, but having learned the truth of my mother’s dictum, “Whatever size house you buy, you’ll fill it before you move out,” I think the storage issue would drive you mad. You start out thinking you’ll only need a single pan and a few dishes, until you want to make spaghetti and realize a colander would be nice, and maybe an additional pot. Before you know it, you’re stashing the pie plates in the towels basket and looping the measuring spoons over the dishwashing liquid. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/45 "2018-03-19T22:27:56Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’ve found it highly amusing when “Tiny House Hunters” has an episode in NYC or other very crowded city, and they present these very small apartments/condos as “tiny houses” when, really, _those are just normal NYC apartments_. Occasionally, they’ll look for 1000 sq.ft. condos, which is a 2 bedroom unit anywhere (not just NYC). I kind of like the idea of a tiny house. I live in slightly over 600 sq.ft. now, I could lose 100-150 and still feel like I had enough room. (It would force me to declutter, which is something I should do). But I know all the reasons I shouldn’t have one. I don’t watch a ton of HGTV, but when I do see the tiny houses, I wonder why those people don’t seem to know why they shouldn’t have one. I love the look of container houses. Again, I don’t think it’s a rational thing for me to get (and have never priced one v. a traditional built house), but I love them. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/46 "2018-03-19T23:02:00Z")
I love the ones where they have 3 kids (2 of them teenagers (of opposite sexes)) and are looking for a tiny house. WHY!!?? Those kids are going to really, truly resent the lack of privacy and space before they’re old enough to move out on their own. Also, I second the recommendation of Rebecca Lavoie’s “HGTV & Me” podcast. Go listen! She’s hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/47 "2018-03-19T23:35:45Z")
I don’t understand why they go so extreme. There are plenty of small two bedroom homes and a single bath. Around 850 to 1000 sq ft. Many built in the 50’s and 60’s for baby boomer families. They can be a tight fit if you have several kids. My 4 cousins slept in one bedroom until they were 10. Then the two boys used cots in the living room. Eventually a sofa hide a bed was bought. The line for the bathroom got pretty long. 😉 But they all remember childhood fondly. A 2 bedroom starter home still makes more sense than these 300 to 400 sq foot tiny homes. Builders need to offer more 2 bedroom homes under 900 sq feet. I do agree modern homes have gotten ridiculous. 3000 sq ft for a small family? I don’t understand that at all. 1500 and three bedrooms is enough. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/48 "2018-03-19T23:59:55Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t understand why they go so extreme. > > There are plenty of small two bedroom homes and a single bath. Around 850 to 1000 sq ft. Many built in the 50’s and 60’s for baby boomer families. > > They can be a tight fit if you have several kids. My 4 cousins slept in one bedroom until they were 10. Then the two boys used cots in the living room. Eventually a sofa hide a bed was bought. The line for the bathroom got pretty long. 😉 But they all remember childhood fondly. > > A 2 bedroom starter home still makes more sense than these 300 to 400 sq foot tiny homes. > > Builders need to offer more 2 bedroom homes under 900 sq feet. > > I do agree modern homes have gotten ridiculous. > > 3000 sq ft for a small family? I don’t understand that at all. 1500 and three bedrooms is enough. People whom can afford larger homes (and not ostentatious McMansions) do so to provide each child with their own room, and to have more than one bathroom option…plus have a decent sized kitchen, living room, den and dining room. 3000 sq feet really isn’t all that big for a family of four or five people. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/49 "2018-03-20T02:12:48Z")
We always said we could live in 2 shipping containers, L shaped. Knock out a couple windows. One mine, one hers, shared bath, kitchen and big deck in the Vee. We could do that very easily. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/50 "2018-03-20T03:31:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There is a tiny house [hotel](https://www.google.com/search?q=tiny+house+hotel+portland&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjMrYbg2fjZAhUU-WMKHfihBj4Q_AUICygC&biw=1920&bih=974#imgrc=UBPSknfi6mUeBM:) here in Portland. We went to an open house there and were impressed with the clever designs to make them habitable. But it would drive me nuts to have to live in something that is smaller than a decent hotel room. That’s neat! Back in the day, a lot of motels were separate cabins, and some still are. A “Tiny House Hotel” is a cool idea. However, I couldn’t live in a Tiny House ™. My 700 ft2 2BR apartment gets cramped sometimes, and it’s just me and the cats. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/51 "2018-03-20T03:34:22Z")
> [@txjim](#): > > On a similar note, I was very interested in the small teardrop campers [like this one](https://www.clcboats.com/modules/catalog/boat.php?category_qn=recreational-vehicles&code=clc-teardrop-trailer). Easy to tow, low cost, who needs more space? I was very interested in the version I linked; plans available from a company specializing in canoes and kayaks and, hey, I’ve built those so why not? > > Then my wife and I went to a RV show and saw the damn things. A tiny 2-man tent replacement that’s 3X the price of a pretty decent 17 foot walk-in model with toilet/shower and 100X fewer fights with the spouse. Someone should put an engine and a propeller on that thing, and call it a UFO. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/52 "2018-03-20T03:41:27Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I love the ones where they have 3 kids (2 of them teenagers (of opposite sexes)) and are looking for a tiny house. WHY!!?? Those kids are going to really, truly resent the lack of privacy and space before they’re old enough to move out on their own. I recently connected on Facebook with a childhood friend who lived this way for a while after her parents split up. Her father moved out with her oldest brother when that brother turned 16, into a mobile home that was something like 10x32. I don’t think they even make them that small any more. Within a few months, she and her younger brother moved in there too, because of her mother’s mental health issues, which was why the marriage broke up in the first place. They were a family that were barely middle class even with both parents working, and that was all he could afford. IIRC, she had the bedroom and the father and brothers slept in the living room, until they could get a bigger place. As an aside, I’m glad I found her because she has terminal cancer. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/53 "2018-03-20T05:14:24Z")
When I lived in Tokyo, my apartment was ~180 sq ft. Lived there for 2.5 years. I was single, nomadic and worked like a slave, so it wasn’t horrible but dang, it was pretty small. All my clothes fit into a back pack and a regular sized suitcase. One thing I found is you can’t really live with someone in such a small space unless you’re really on the same schedule. You have to wake up at the same time, get up at the same time, etc ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/54 "2018-03-20T05:23:38Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > . . .my mother’s dictum, “Whatever size house you buy, you’ll fill it before you move out,” I think the storage issue would drive you mad. > . . . A few years back a tiny house went up beside the road on my commute. I had, not tiny home dreams, but _affordable_ home dreams, so I watched it curiously over the four and a half years I had that job. Once per year or so, another shed would show up in the yard, each one a little bigger than the last. By the end they were like hedges lining the property. Then the “For Sale” sign went up. > [@mixdenny](#): > > . . . > And TXJIM, that is an awesome looking little teardrop! > . . . > [@txjim](#): > > . . . On a similar note, I was very interested in the small teardrop campers [like this one](https://www.clcboats.com/modules/catalog/boat.php?category_qn=recreational-vehicles&code=clc-teardrop-trailer). > . . . That’s a work of art - the wood is beautiful - but it’s a museum piece. Any man who wants a teardrop camper has never experienced the joy of trying to make breakfast with cold rain dripping down the back of his neck. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/55 "2018-03-20T06:39:21Z")
> [@txjim](#): > > On a similar note, I was very interested in the small teardrop campers [like this one](https://www.clcboats.com/modules/catalog/boat.php?category_qn=recreational-vehicles&code=clc-teardrop-trailer). Easy to tow, low cost, who needs more space? I was very interested in the version I linked; plans available from a company specializing in canoes and kayaks and, hey, I’ve built those so why not? > > Then my wife and I went to a RV show and saw the damn things. A tiny 2-man tent replacement that’s 3X the price of a pretty decent 17 foot walk-in model with toilet/shower and 100X fewer fights with the spouse. There are some nice things about teardrop trailers. You can make your own (or in our case, my BIL made ours) for way less than buying one. Ours was about $3500 in materials. They are amazingly simply to use. We can have our entire campsite set up in about 10 minutes. If it was late at night, or crappy weather, we can be done in about 5 minutes. You can pull it with almost any vehicle that can take a hitch. Ours weighs about 800lbs. Don’t like the spot you backed the trailer into? Pick up the hitch end and roll it to a better spot. Are there downsides? Sure. If you’re over 6’ tall, there is no way you want to sleep in it (imagine a queen size bed, but you can’t go past the edges of the mattress). Changing cloths inside of it is not easy. If the day is rainy, I hope you have a screen tent, or it’s going to be a “cozy” day. But then, I don’t want a toilet or a shower. I don’t want to deal with waste water. If I want to be away from my partner, I’ll gab a chair and a book, and go sit under a different tree. Ours really is a replacement for a tent and sleeping on the ground. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/56 "2018-03-20T10:57:01Z")
I read about some lady who built a place (in Maine IIRC) that was 12 x 12’ (with a loft). There was some tax loophole or something. She did live alone which made it easier. I’m not sure I could live there but I think I would like it as a vacation cabin. I already have a 2 person tent and vacation in that – though I only sleep in it. My house is actually too big for me (3 BR ~1400 sq ft + semi finished basement + 3 car garage\*)-- tried finding a smaller place. Brian - one car attached, 2 car detached. The detached garage was nice for building and now storing my kayak ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/57 "2018-03-20T16:01:11Z")
My first apartment was about 12 feet by 12 feet, or around 144 square feet. Emphasis on _first_. Was basically a place to sleep and maybe heat up some food in between college classes and working full time. Yes, I _can_ live in such a space but I really do prefer to have more room than that. (Current residence is about 1100 square feet, with parking for two vehicles, much more adequate) ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/58 "2018-03-20T16:23:13Z")
I’m the oldest of 5 kids - our family of 7 lived in a 1000 sq ft 3BR/1BA row house (back before they decided to call them townhomes.) I shared a bedroom till I left home at 19. I’d have loved a room of my own, but at least I had a bed of my own. (When my mom was a kid, she had to share a bed with her aunt.) Yeah, it felt crowded at times, but we all grew up to be productive members of society, so living in cramped quarters didn’t seem to have warped us. Mostly. On one hand, I like the idea of living tiny. On the other hand, a decent sized shower and a separate laundry area, not to mention the attached garage, make life just a bit nicer. Each to his own, I guess… ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/59 "2018-03-20T16:27:21Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > How about they paint them pink? Someone’s sure to write a song about them. Or make them out of ticky tacky. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812/60 "2018-03-20T16:48:23Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I love the look of container houses. Again, I don’t think it’s a rational thing for me to get (and have never priced one v. a traditional built house), but I love them. How long until some bright entrepreneur starts making container-style siding for stick houses? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-houses/810812.md?page=4)