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Porch Lover
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I wonder if anyone else is interested in this new (old) phenomena? I am liking the thought of just enough room for living in, and having a 2nd one for storage/work room for my sewing and yarn projects.

Main reason I'm interested in this is the separation of work mess and being nice enough for company. Also, bit, is the heating and cooling features. Then solar or wind could help with the heading or cooking.

And I'd love to get more passive "earthship" features in a home such as that.

(I don't like paying those bills!)
 
I've lived on a 45 foot boat and in a 37 foot motorhome. Both were fairly comfortable but they were built in a way that worked. I question this tiny home thing, especially those on trailers. There is less moving around room in those things than there were in either one of the two I lived in in the past. I can see 700 or 800 square feet to not feel squashed but anything smaller is just too small and much harder to rid yourself of if you want to get rid of it. And I noticed it was harder for me to clean the motorhome because it was smaller, less open space.

Using one as a studio/guest house would work. Like you said, it keeps your work out of the house and has the capability of housing guests for a time.
 
I'm not thinking super tiny, that's why I put /small in the title. I'm thinking some of the 500/600 foot storage type buildings on permanent foundation. But stealing the ideas of storage from RV's and some really neat stuff I've seen in the tiny homes. I've been interested in them for the last several years.
 
There for awhile I thought they were really neat but then I stopped and thought about, why are those people spending upwards of 100K for something that small that many municipalities won't allow? They could spend half that and buy a fifth wheel.

Are you talking about the wood built storage buildings? I've seen a couple of those done up. Nice. The two I've seen were done up really well. They didn't cram a ton in either one and left it more open and not so cramped.
 
Angie said:
Yep, those type of storage buildings. I'm having trouble finding the few photos I want to show you.
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Now that I know which ones you're talking about I'll see if I can find a couple for you. Those got my attention.
 
I started looking at tiny homes. I looked at barn type sheds. I looked at park model mobile homes. All have advantages and disadvantages . In the end I'm going with a destination RV. The one I've decided on is 400 square feet. It has everything in one unit. It has tanks to use for waste and grey water. I am going to have them install a compost toilet so that will serve dual purposes. I will do an underground irrigation system for using the grey water for my nut and fruit trees. It will have a filtration system so the trees get clean water. I'm building a 20x60 concrete pad since I have no intention of ever moving it i can skirt it and use underneath for clean dry storage area. Later I'm building a 20x20 seperate screened room so I can have a nice outdoor area since FLORIDA is so buggy and hot I'm going to do vinyl with Windows. The RV has a 25 foot awning I can use when cooler and less buggy. I have water and electric already and am looking into solar to have on the grid to get paid back for energy. Maybe?
 
Dutchs, that is an awesome plan. Especially the large screened room. I love porches, and that would be so easy to enjoy.
Once I lived in St Petersburg in a small duplex but it had a carport that had been screened in. That was where I spent a lot of my time.
 
We lived in a motorhome for 4 or 5 years. Enjoyed the heck out of it. At least I did.

Are you going with a fifth wheel? It's got so much headroom they feel especially spacious.
 
robin416 said:
We lived in a motorhome for 4 or 5 years. Enjoyed the heck out of it. At least I did.

Are you going with a fifth wheel? It's got so much headroom they feel especially spacious.
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No I'm going with a pull behind. It is quite spacious. I have an old 5th. Wheel right now and i really like the setup of this pull behind better. this is it. Floor Plan is 6B
http://www.baypointtrailers.com/destination
 
How many slideouts does that thing have. It looks like it'd be more than the 400 square feet.
 
OK, I stopped and looked some more. TT's have come a long way. An 8 foot ceiling? Will you have a washer/dryer?
 
robin416 said:
OK, I stopped and looked some more. TT's have come a long way. An 8 foot ceiling? Will you have a washer/dryer?
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Yep..8 ft. ceilings...Washer/Dryer in a closet. Full size Frig. and Microwave. I'm buying my own Compost toilet and having it shipped to them and they will install it. King Size Bed........Dual blinds for shading or full light stoppage....20 gallon Electric Water heater. Everything.....I was very impressed. Dual panes thermal windows. Complete R38 Insulation wrap. Sliding Glass door. And it has the full 12 volt system so you have power if Electric goes out. I won't have to do Septic or will my property taxes go up since it is a movable dwelling:D
 
robin416 said:
I've lived on a 45 foot boat and in a 37 foot motorhome. Both were fairly comfortable but they were built in a way that worked. I question this tiny home thing, especially those on trailers. There is less moving around room in those things than there were in either one of the two I lived in in the past. I can see 700 or 800 square feet to not feel squashed but anything smaller is just too small and much harder to rid yourself of if you want to get rid of it. And I noticed it was harder for me to clean the motorhome because it was smaller, less open space.

Using one as a studio/guest house would work. Like you said, it keeps your work out of the house and has the capability of housing guests for a time.
Click to expand...

We watched this couple for over a year now. The ydid opposite of you first motorhome then boat. Very daring couple,imo. They go to places I'd be leary of but have a blast and living their dream while young enough to enjoy it.
 
Daring is right. Hit rough seas or be in port with a hurricane and you live aboard gets the heart going pretty good. Or heck, have a tranny go out going to the fireworks in DC and have something fail in the other engine and have a hundred boats zipping around when you can't move. That actually turned out to be a fun night in the end. Many of the people with us ended up sleeping in the Coast Guard station at Boling AF Base.
 
robin416 said:
Daring is right. Hit rough seas or be in port with a hurricane and you live aboard gets the heart going pretty good. Or heck, have a tranny go out going to the fireworks in DC and have something fail in the other engine and have a hundred boats zipping around when you can't move. That actually turned out to be a fun night in the end. Many of the people with us ended up sleeping in the Coast Guard station at Boling AF Base.
Click to expand...

Worst storm we were ever in in our little cuddy cabin was on a river' St Johns River 5 boaters lost their lives that night in that storm. Never knew a river could be so violent.
This couple are now in Panama. They go places I wouldn't even think of going. Panama is ok but some of the dark trails and lonely roads they walk seem dangerous to me. Very interesting life for sure.
 
havasu said:
Being 6-2 and 250 pounds, every home I go into is a tiny home!
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I know how you feel. I'm 6'-2" also @ 200 lbs. We are living in our 5th wheel while building our house and my wife is always getting on to me about where I leave stuff etc..
 
It really doesn't take much, gumpy, to have something be in the way. After a while having to move this thing or that thing to accomplish a chore gets old. Luckily my hubs didn't do that while living in the MH but we weren't building a house then either.
Meerkat said:
Worst storm we were ever in in our little cuddy cabin was on a river' St Johns River 5 boaters lost their lives that night in that storm. Never knew a river could be so violent.
This couple are now in Panama. They go places I wouldn't even think of going. Panama is ok but some of the dark trails and lonely roads they walk seem dangerous to me. Very interesting life for sure.
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And the only thing you can do is try to remain calm when all you want is your binkie. What happened to you on the St Johns sounds like the same thing that happened to us on the Occoquan. Luckily having spent so much time on the water in MI I recognized the weather was turning and went in. The others that didn't said it was almost impossible to get into the marina.
 
We have a 28 ft travel trailer and a "tiny house" type shed, but the shed doesn't have any house type improvements in it, just the front porch. Our middle son and his girlfriend asked to move in to start banking their money to buy land. So at first I thought they'd do the shed and insulate it and all, but they are living in the trailer and storing stuff in the shed. They are doing fine...we have electricity right close by. The only thing that takes them some work is every other week they have to hook up to our truck and take it a few miles to empty the septic part of it. And they have to come in and shower and wash laundry at our house. So far, they seem ok with small living, but it'll be easier in the summer when they can hang out outside more. Too cold now.
 
My husband just started building a 20 foot one for my adult son. He asked if he could move here and save on rent and so now he is helping to build it. Don't know how it will go, but if he leaves we will have a nice shed. We looked at the ones at a local Amish place and they are really nice. But to save money my husband said he could build it for much less than that and he is good at building.
 
Our home is about 1500 square feet. We live in about 600 and use the rest for a b&b. That is lots of room for the two of us but only because I have a 800 foot m/l shop and numerous outbuildings. When I get old enough that I can’t do things anymore I know that I could make do with much less spAce but to prep and live on a rural acreage I dont have nearly 3nough shop/storage space. I just can’t see doing the minimalist small house thing if there is any way around it. I have spent weeks at a time living out of a truck camper but it gets old quickly.
 
I don't actually know the square feet of our house, but it is two stories, an old 1850 farmhouse that we have been living in for about 18 years. The area we actually live in, downstairs is not that big. I am trying to clean out the upstairs the best I can. I have not been able to go up and down stairs very well the last few years. I have a single bed in the living room where I sleep since there is just no way I can go up and down every day or more times then necessary. So it is small but two space hogs are the two wood stoves. One in the kitchen and one in the living room. Even if I clear out the upstairs I won't be using it for our daily living though my husband sleeps up there and has his music and video equipment there. I could do the minimalist easy if I was alone and think maybe someday I will have to.
 
katlupe said:
I don't actually know the square feet of our house, but it is two stories, an old 1850 farmhouse that we have been living in for about 18 years. The area we actually live in, downstairs is not that big. I am trying to clean out the upstairs the best I can. I have not been able to go up and down stairs very well the last few years. I have a single bed in the living room where I sleep since there is just no way I can go up and down every day or more times then necessary. So it is small but two space hogs are the two wood stoves. One in the kitchen and one in the living room. Even if I clear out the upstairs I won't be using it for our daily living though my husband sleeps up there and has his music and video equipment there. I could do the minimalist easy if I was alone and think maybe someday I will have to.
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Our place is two stories as well, but we bought knowing that steps would eventually be problematic so our living space is entirely on the first floor
 
We have a plan to buy a small acreage and build our dream house (not extravagant, just exactly what we want). To help that happen faster we're going to build a good sized steel-frame barn, and have a bare bones living quarters on the side. Two bedrooms just big enough to be legal/functional, one bathroom, and a great room (kitchen/living combo). We'll live in the apartment while we build the house, then repurpose it as a guest house, or hobby rooms.
 
We have been living in our 5th wheel for a year and a half. We hope to have a manufactured home this summer. I want to build my own home and probably have the skills, just no time or energy. My wife has been a trooper but she is not going to be able to rough it much longer.

Our Rv is 35ft with triple slides. This year we built a nice cover over it and are finishing up an addition. Puting a wood stove in the rv seemed sketchy. We need the wood heat due to all the moisture here. We figured that out last winter.
 
Cascadian said:
We have been living in our 5th wheel for a year and a half. We hope to have a manufactured home this summer. I want to build my own home and probably have the skills, just no time or energy. My wife has been a trooper but she is not going to be able to rough it much longer.

Our Rv is 35ft with triple slides. This year we built a nice cover over it and are finishing up an addition. Puting a wood stove in the rv seemed sketchy. We need the wood heat due to all the moisture here. We figured that out last winter.
Click to expand...
I kept a dehumidifier going in our motorhome when we were full timing in it. Moisture build up got especially bad during Winter when everything was buttoned up.
 
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