Tiny house

Has anyone here ever done or seriously looked into the tiny house thing? With a somewhat larger than average (four young kids) family, it would need to be less tiny than some of the trailer built stuff. I am thinking it would have a real foundation and basement.

Not sure about:

Off grid capabilities of electricity generating equipment

Storage for tools (other than garage, a tiny house next to a big garage is A-ok)

Washer/dryer (anyone suggesting I had wash everything by hand gets to clean four sets of vomit soaked sheets the next time my kids get a stomach bug)

Paperwork stuff (scan and shred?)

Cistern practicality

anything else?

tuna55 wrote: I am thinking it would have a real foundation and basement. Storage for tools (other than garage, a tiny house next to a big garage is A-ok) Washer/dryer (anyone suggesting I had wash everything by hand gets to clean four sets of vomit soaked sheets the next time my kids get a stomach bug)

What you're looking for is called a "house." Nothing tiny about any of your requirements.

calteg wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I am thinking it would have a real foundation and basement. Storage for tools (other than garage, a tiny house next to a big garage is A-ok) Washer/dryer (anyone suggesting I had wash everything by hand gets to clean four sets of vomit soaked sheets the next time my kids get a stomach bug)

What you're looking for is called a "house." Nothing tiny about any of your requirements.

Well yeah but excluding the basement like 600 sq feet.

Our cabin is under 1100 sqft (24x24 downstairs and a 20x24 bunkroom upstairs) and it's not too bad for 10 days and half a dozen people in it. We use two 120 watt solar panels, 5000 watt inverter, mid-to-low grade charge controller with (4)big 6 volt solar batteries. We have all LED lights, some 12v and some 120v. We use the classic Humphrey LP lights a lot too and a LP direct vent wall mounted heater. We don't have running water per se but we have kitchen sink and 5 gallon jug. It drains to a 55-gal drum buried with holes in the bottom filled with gravel/sand. We don't quite have the need for a cistern and a septic system yet, but I'd like one in the future. The 'bathroom' has a shower and a lav that goes to that same drum. The shower is fed from a tank and 12v pump. We heat water up on the stove and dump it in. If we had bigger water system there are some small LP heaters that need little to no power to turn on and run.

The cabin is pictured in my avatar.

I've had a cistern for 25 years. There's really no downside. Free (soft) water is great.

You're considering 6 people in 600 sq ft? I'm pretty sure that violates the prison guidelines and the Geneva convention.

It would set up your kids in the future however when they write books about you

tuna55 wrote:

calteg wrote:

tuna55 wrote: I am thinking it would have a real foundation and basement. Storage for tools (other than garage, a tiny house next to a big garage is A-ok) Washer/dryer (anyone suggesting I had wash everything by hand gets to clean four sets of vomit soaked sheets the next time my kids get a stomach bug)

What you're looking for is called a "house." Nothing tiny about any of your requirements.

Well yeah but excluding the basement like 600 sq feet.

May I ask what the ultimate goal is? What's the real motivator? Because the definition of "tiny" varies radically when 6 people (4 of them kids) are living in it, compared to 2 adults living there. And "tiny" isn't always cost-effective at all, if the ultimate goal is to save money.

I often think about this, but then get brought back to reality with how cramped our 1500 square foot split level is now. Only way I could do it would be if I were single, which I hope I never will be again.

I've spent several years studying it, both as a business and for personal use.

First question above is a good one- what's your goal? If it's cost savings, you might be surprised how expensive Tiny Houses can be. Jay Shafer's company Tumbleweed Houses is now selling them for over $60k. That's a lot per SF.

Some things just are not scalable. A toilet is the same size no matter how small you make the house. On a Tiny House, it is a much larger percentage of the overall cost AND square footage.

There are some very good reasons to do it- DIY accomplishment, clutter-free life, closeness with your kids, semi- mobile,etc.

But at 600 SF, you are bigger than a Tiny House.

I have determined I can't build them for profit. I am gearing up instead to begin building pocket neighborhoods (look up the work of Ross Chapin).

These may be closer to your goals, but it is a neighborhood concept, not an individual concept.

What are you looking to accomplish?

I've always thought the tiny houses were pretty cool. The wife and I have two kids and our house is ~1,000 sq ft. We could easily lop off 400 sq ft and barely notice. We purged almost all of our belongings a few years back to help get out of credit card debt. Once we'd practically emptied the house we found that we liked the whole not having much idea, most people would consider our house pretty barren.

Some people like having lots of stuff and space (and that's fine) and some people don't. If you don't then go for it.

Can't help you with the logistics though, just agree that it's a neat idea.

(Disclaimer: I've been accused of being a hippy enough times that it may be true.)

I'd imagine that a tinyhouse stops being fun once kid #1 reaches age 3 or 4. If you're thinking of housing two adults plus four school-age kids you're no longer living in your tinyhouse, you're camping with a nearby permanent shelter. Workable for a brief vacation, bananas for long-term living.

Sounds like you need at least five bedrooms.

A tiny house is my idea of hell. I get and respect the concept, but it is just not for me or my lifestyle. I love some of the ideas they come up with though and am trying to incorporate some into my own home.

We survived 4 children, ages 5 to 17, in 1100 Sq ft. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, a kitchen, and the living room. It wasn't that bad. Realisticly, we could have lost another 100-200 sq ft without too much pain. Much smaller would be a challenge.

What about an RV? Houses are really cheap in this area; I'm sure you can find a small house that meets your requirements. Shoving that many people into such a small space is going to create issues, especially once the kids get older. Imagine the bathroom lines....

I count all the things I really want, and I just do not see how it is possible for me.

King sized bed, walk in closet, 2 sinks in the bathroom (negotiable, but there had better be a lot of counter space), a LOT of counter space in the kitchen, 2 recliners and a couch, and a separate living room for my guitars.

Yeah, tiny house isn't happening. Small house, sure. This house (900 sq ft) could even work for now if the layout was better. But why? Cost of housing doesn't go up that much for more room. And we don't even have that much stuff--too many clothes, too many guitars, but otherwise we're pretty barren.

Buy a large RV (motorized or not) and park it next to your house. Try living in it for awhile and get back to us.

While I fully admit I have a "stuff" problem, the living space of my house is about 400 sqr ft (basement, attic and garage storage add another 800 or so). It is fine for two people who are related or otherwise involved. My attempt at a roommate lasted about 6 months before he had to go.

IIRC, your kids are still pretty young - no? If so, a small house may be fine - cheap to run; easier for one person to take care of (I'm guessing tuna is feeling overwhelmed with constant house cleaning right now). But when your kids start getting older and want their own space, that small hosue may start feeling cramped.

I think this is secretly a plan for Mrs. Tuna and the kids to ultimately disappear and Tuna to be left with a small easy to maintain sanctuary with very little overhead and upkeep needed.

My house is around 2000 sq ft and used to be two seperate units of a duplex. I knocked out a wall and removed a kitchen to make an open dining room. The two kids who live with us full time each have a BR of their own, they used to share a room but at 13 and 11 they needed more individual space. They have their own bathroom on "their" side and the real joy is they have their own living room as well. This makes my life so much better I can't really put it into words, Disney TV shows positively rot the brain.

I've had a bigger house and a much smaller one. 4,000 sq ft was excessive but 900 is only good for one person.

YMMV and the above opinion is strictly my own.

I think we could easily do it if we lived the life we wanted to. I wouldn't want to work a 9-5 grind job and raise kids in a super small 500sqft house, but our 1200 sq/ft house is more than enough space for us. Now, it's got one non-working bathroom, plumbing in the shower that needs fixed, and a basement that has water issues, but if all the space was dry, functional space we'd have plenty of room.

I'd be happy in a 1000 sq/ft modern "smartly designed" home with a small detached garage.

EDIT: In an ideal situation, I'd love to own a property with a modest sized home and huge garage with a nice mother-in-law suite above it, rent the house and live for free above the garage.

All I know is I watched this on Netflix the other day:

http://tiny-themovie.com

Interesting, but not my thing. YMMV

One place to look is the tiny house cottages(non trailer). The big ones have 2 upstairs bed rooms and get the add on third room. Get the kids bunk beds.

We lived in 800 square feet on two levels. Top was a loft so two bedrooms and a large hallway that doubled as an office. Three kids in one of the rooms and us in the other. Also squeezed in a tiny second bathroom up there.,downstairs my wife had an office and the rest was living space. We moved eventually but if we had wanted to give up one office (we are both self employed) it would be ok even now with three older kids. But my plan had been to turn the detached garage into a kids rec room or I think we would have killed each other.

I figure about half the population of Toronto lives in less than 800 sq ft dwellings. They are called "Condos". I have no idea how they squeeze the car projects into that space.

For the record the six of us occupy 1800 sq ft today, with the three boys in one bedroom and the girl in the other. We have two and a half bathrooms. I despise big beds and hallways. If I had a basement I could be rid of 80% of my closets and my laundry stuff.

I really don't feel like delving into why I think this is something neat to me, I just want some ideas on how it can work.

I understand that my area target is above the "tiny house" threshold, but it's certainly smaller than a regular house would be.