# What do you think about the tiny house trend? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965 "2012-04-06T01:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/41 "2012-04-07T17:34:17Z")
I am very fond of this cottage [plan](http://details.coolhouseplans.com/details.html?pid=chp-49816&FoundID=37&sid=chp23&ordercode=C101), it looks large enough to get around in a wheel chair, with a little modification of the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/42 "2012-04-07T17:48:45Z")
If one can feel self righteous living in 350-400sf, what’s wrong with the 7 of us in my household living in a little over 2500sf? Isn’t that the same footage per capita? ---
**Author:** ![florez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9e5f3/32.png) [@florez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/florez)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/43 "2012-04-07T18:07:32Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > If one can feel self righteous living in 350-400sf, what’s wrong with the 7 of us in my household living in a little over 2500sf? Isn’t that the same footage per capita? To simplify and be OK with it, is not self righteous. To look into the benefits of alternative, and possibly more cost effective housing, IMO is no cause for self righteousness. What do you mean by “…feeling self righteous…” about a tiny house. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/44 "2012-04-09T02:46:56Z")
On my family farm there’s numerous outbuildings; one of which is a 2 story summer kitchen with plumbing and electric that I often fantasize about turning into a tiny house. It’s probably actually a big bigger than the average tiny home, but completely within the range of being a tiny home. It’d be such a cool project… It’s not really that old, maybe 80-100 years. But it has some neat features - it’s a post and beam construction with big rough hewn beams. And it’s just sitting there on my farm not being used! I don’t think I’d ever want to live there or in any other house that small full time but it could be a great overnight home or for guests or temporary use. And honestly, although it’d wind up being an expensive hobby, I just love the idea of planning, designing, and actually doing the work. I’d be excited even if it wasn`t some glorified shed my great-great-grandfather built. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/45 "2012-04-09T02:53:59Z")
About 5000 sq ft, and sometimes I feel cramped in my house. If I had to live in something like that, in the articles, I’d shoot myself. Maybe when I was younger… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/46 "2012-04-09T04:07:20Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I don’t think so, no. Did you guys look at the links? > > I know we Americans are widely viewed as fat asses who “need” walk in humidors in our walk in closets in our bathrooms, but this isn’t a culturally determined tiny. This is actually tiny that we’re talking about here. You two are talking about 350-450 sq ft, which is the size of a good sized camper or studio apartment, which many Americans enjoy quite a bit. > > This thread is about micro living spaces, where the \*largest \*model available is _24 sq feet_, with a 5’10" height. I’m not sure there’s any culture where 24sq ft is equivalent to 400sq ft. Actually, the first linked article is about a “tent alternative”. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/47 "2012-04-09T06:03:37Z")
I was talking to a friend in Japan Saturday. I asked her how big her apartment was and it worked out to 226sq ft. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/48 "2012-04-09T15:48:20Z")
I’m giving some thought of putting up one of those in my backyard as my “man cave” and giving the full-sized house over to the girls to do with as they wish. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/49 "2012-04-09T17:56:20Z")
> [@mack](#): > > It’s amazing how little space you can get used to once you get over the shock. Said the buried corpse to his new neighbor. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/50 "2012-04-09T18:01:57Z")
Smaller is better, IMO, but those Barbie Doll Playhouses are not in my future. Our house is about 1300 sf, but the finished portion of the basement is all storage, so we live in about 900 sf, which is plenty. No kids, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/51 "2012-04-09T18:05:46Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I’m giving some thought of putting up one of those in my backyard as my “man cave” and giving the full-sized house over to the girls to do with as they wish. Kind of the Hugh Hefner approach. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/52 "2012-04-09T18:26:41Z")
You people who live in tiny houses- where do you keep all your books? ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/53 "2012-04-09T23:58:05Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > If one can feel self righteous living in 350-400sf, what’s wrong with the 7 of us in my household living in a little over 2500sf? Isn’t that the same footage per capita? Well, square feet per capita would be a pretty weird way to decide how large of a house you need - it’s not like a 2500sf house is the same as seven 350sf houses added together. I highly doubt that your 2500sf house has seven kitchens. And even with the trend to having more bathrooms in large houses, you probably don’t have seven bathrooms. Even with a large family, there’s diminishing returns on adding square footage. You want a larger living room or den than a single person, but adding another couch or a few chairs doesn’t mean you need a living room that’s seven times bigger. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/54 "2012-04-10T00:36:14Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > You people who live in tiny houses- where do you keep all your books? Libraries are great, wonderful things. I have book shelves in my office at work that are jammed packed. And I’ve been reading a lot on my Kindle. Smaller spaces do not work if you are a sentimental person. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/55 "2012-04-10T02:20:43Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I don’t think so, no. Did you guys look at the links? > > I know we Americans are widely viewed as fat asses who “need” walk in humidors in our walk in closets in our bathrooms, but this isn’t a culturally determined tiny. This is actually tiny that we’re talking about here. You two are talking about 350-450 sq ft, which is the size of a good sized camper or studio apartment, which many Americans enjoy quite a bit. > > This thread is about micro living spaces, where the \*largest \*model available is _24 sq feet_, with a 5’10" height. I’m not sure there’s any culture where 24sq ft is equivalent to 400sq ft. Yes, but then the responses mentioned some places as ‘small’ when they’re bigger than the ones Jjimm and Quartz are talking about. The ones in the first article aren’t intended as proper homes, just festival accommodation or a shed you can sleep in. The second link, to the one in Connecticut, isn’t all that small when you include the loft space where the bedroom is - and it does have a kitchen. During the last huge property boom some ridiculously tiny flats were for sale in London, and not for ridiculously tiny prices either. I remember one that was something like 50’ sq - though it did fit in a toilet, sink and shower. It was basically intended as a pied a terre for someone who worked long hours in the city and just needed somewhere near work to sleep at night (and didn’t want to live out of a hotel), spending their weekends at a larger home elsewhere. Obviously it wouldn’t be somewhere you could raise a family, but not all homes have to have the option of being family homes. ---
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965/56 "2012-04-10T04:21:20Z")
They are awfy cute–the ones I’ve seen in the past. But for 30K in this economy one can pick up a hell of a lot more footage per dollar plus the ground it sits on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-the-tiny-house-trend/617965.md?page=2)