Could you live in something this size?

[Aemma]

I've stumbled across some very interesting vids this week, having to do with Urban Farming, Self-sufficiency and the Small House Movement, respectively. I'll eventually be positng about some of this stuff, but since I'm in a wee bit of a rush right now, I thought I'd settle for this in the meantime: How small of a house could you live in?

Check it out:

LJLSoUkh1Vs

[Tabiti]

Considering the fact I've spent my life in communistic era flats, I can bear various conditions...
However many Japanese still say we all lived in too big flats.

[Absinthe]

In a small wooden house like this in the middle of nowhere, yes. Then I could go out and take a walk in nature whenever I felt suffocated. :)

In an apartment this size, inside the city? Preferably not. Though I hear this is pretty much the situation in Tokyo.

For the record my flat is not much bigger than that - and not nearly as clean and un-cluttered :P

[Agrippa]

Could I - if I have to? Yes.
Do I want that? Surely not.

People adapt themselves to much worse, just think of being sick or crippled and the like, or living in a shithole of a slum, but is that always good? Its not the optimum, neither is extreme, useless luxury. The problem is the line in between, but to determine that is more difficult and subjective, yet some people seem to be naturally more reasonable than others, like in most other political and personal fields too...

[Osweo]

LJLSoUkh1Vs

I could manage in there quite well, given that, off and on, I must have spent about two years or more in this:

BWzE-Z9BgTI
:thumb001:

When you move out of a thing like the above, a larger house like I'm in now gets you a bit nostalgic for the smaller sometimes. In the van, I could get out of bed and go to the toilet or make a cup of tea in about five or so paces, you see. :D And I find living in a small space makes you go out more, and see the countryside and your surroundings. There's a lot you miss, locked away in your shells, you non-Gypsies...

But there's no way to store all the provisions and belongings you need for a proper life. It's human nature to collect heirlooms and furniture. And a real man needs a lot of space for his tools. ;)

[Radojica]

My flat is rather small, only 29m2, so probably I would be able.

[Psychonaut]

I have lived in smaller (military barracks), but would not willingly do so again. I far prefer a big house to a small house and hope that my next one has at least four bedrooms.

[Piparskeggr]

Well, as I camp a bit (normally several days to a couple of weeks at a time), I'll use that as a baseline...

My one man tent is 140 sq ft (abt 13 sq m) and my cooking/sitting area shelter is 192 sq ft (abt 18 sq m).

A little extra room for storage and toilet...probably about 580 sq ft (54 sq m), if I were living alone.

[Äike]

Yes I could.

[Birka]

Wheel it into the woods and use it as a hunting lodge. I didn't see the gun racks though.

[Cato]

Welcome to Smurf village.

[Germanicus]

Osweo's "caravan of love" looks the same size as the one i spent 1 1/2 years in working on a building site in the 80s...it's ok when you adapt to the lifestyle...:thumb001:

BWzE-Z9BgTI

[Osweo]

Osweo's "caravan of love"

I should have said, mine's far more modern, and slightly different in plan! I just wanted to give an idea of the size. And yes, it's not that bad to live in, just not forever... :p

[Cato]

Why an interest in or a need for such tiny housing? Overpopulation, for one thing, which puts strain enough on Tellus Mater, but also the strange notion that human beings should live in spase, spartan conditions like soldiers in a barracks. "Resource management" pwah! The guy's toilet was in his tiny show! He slept in his tiny attic (I guess it's an attic) and had to reach this via a ladder. What a lot of weirdness to me. :eek: That little house was barely larger than a tool shed.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

Why an interest in or a need for such tiny housing? Overpopulation, for one thing, which puts strain enough on Tellus Mater, but also the strange notion that human beings should live in spase, spartan conditions like soldiers in a barracks. "Resource management" pwah! The guy's toilet was in his tiny show! He slept in his tiny attic (I guess it's an attic) and had to reach this via a ladder. What a lot of weirdness to me. :eek: That little house was barely larger than a tool shed.

And it will lead to crime too.

[Cato]

Well, that's what I thought, a little house like that must be very easy to break into.

[Bloodeagle]

This would be fine if it were just myself and I had an additional place to store my tools! If I had to cohabit with others then I am afraid it would be rather miserable.
I built and live in a 1500ft2 house. This is a little on the small side for our family of 3, but is far more ideal in this climate.

[Lulletje Rozewater]

This would be fine if it were just myself and I had an additional place to store my tools! If I had to cohabit with others then I am afraid it would be rather miserable.
I built and live in a 1500ft2 house. This is a little on the small side for our family of 3, but is far more ideal in this climate.
Is that 50 square meter??????

[Bloodeagle]

Is that 50 square meter??????

That would be 139.35456 m2 :D

[Jamt]

That would be 139.35456 m2 :D

139 m2 is a normal size villa in Sweden. Being as you are 3 people it must be more than enough.

[Bloodeagle]

139 m2 is a normal size villa in Sweden. Being as you are 3 people it must be more than enough.
We do tend to spend 6 mos out of the year huddled in our houses here!
We heat with wood and any smaller than this would be to difficult to moderate the heating extremes. It would tend to get to hot and then to cold as you let the fire die out.

139 m2 was the average size American home in 1970.
Our house is 36% smaller than the average size house in America today!

When I retire to Hawaii I plan to build a home around the 93 m2. :D

[RoyBatty]

I'm currently in something of a similar size. Depending on what your requirements are it *could* work but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. Even the owner admitted towards the end of the program that he needed to get something bigger.

It's fine if one has minimal requirements and only need it for temporary use but it's too small for doing any kind of work, practicing hobbies, entertaining people etc. Yes it's "possible" but it's always going to be struggle.

[Majar]

I've always wanted to live in a tiny cabin, trailer or yurt (http://www.mongolian-yurt.com/). Living in a mansion has never appealed to me. My house is considered small by local standards, but it still seems too big for my needs. I really only need 2 rooms and a lavatory. Something this size (http://www.midwestbuildings.net/Log%20Cabins%20Large.html), around 500 sq ft would be ideal.

[Tony]

This one is more sophisticated

Lg9qnWg9kak

[Sabinae]

im fine with my studio and its quite smaller than all of these-its about 45 m2... :P but im only by myself. For a family, i think you need a bit more space indeed. And 139 m2 will suffice. Depends on the family and lifestyle.

[Skandi]

Hmm.. I like separate rooms, smallest house I have lived in was the one I bought a two up two down terrace, small yes our car was longer than the house was wide, but quite big enough for two, you need space to get away sometimes! mind you the current house has 4 rooms... but they are a lot bigger!

So.. No I could not live in that... shed for longer than a month or so, how would I cook!!! if i were to live in something that small it would be a boat

[Arrow Cross]

"Tiny"? With 96 square meters?

My current residence is 55 (for 3 persons), the previous one had been 52 (for 4), and the flat I was born into... uhh, no idea, but even smaller, without adequate heating.

[Aemma]

"Tiny"? With 96 square meters?

My current residence is 55 (for 3 persons), the previous one had been 52 (for 4), and the flat I was born into... uhh, no idea, but even smaller, without adequate heating.

No no no my friend, square feet! Imperial system! :D A metre is roughly a bit bigger than 3 feet. So divide that which you think this is by 3 or so and you'll get an approximation of sorts. :)

I liked this tiny house and the tiny house movement and what it stands for since, for a North American at least, where McMansion homes are the thing, it makes one think about housing needs as opposed to housing wants. I think I could safely say that most middle class North Americans are overhoused these days. There are repercussions with respect to overhousing, least of which is the carbon footprint one leaves. Yes I realise that I sound like some Granola Girl. But thinking about these kinds of things is important to mankind's overall well-being in the end.

[Piparskeggr]

96 square feet is approximately 8.9 square meters

10.8 square feet is approximately 1 square meter

An apartment of 55 square meters is about 594 square feet, about 6.2 of the little house described at the start of the thread.

[Tom Cat]

The small cabin depicted in the OP is a bit claustrophobic even by my standards.

The spacious houses depicted appear to be uncomfortably large to me.

My wife and I own a modest, single bedroom house. It has an enclosed front porch, a relatively large rectangular family room that we also use for a computer room. There is a smaller dining room with a small yet comfortable kitchen. It also has a nice partial basement. As part of our small backyard landscape project, we recently added an enclosed concrete patio. We also have an unattached, single bay garage, that provides extra space for a small shop.

We're both very happy with our cosy sanctuary. :)

[Eldritch]

10 sqm cabin for rent in the middle of nowhere for 150€ per month:

http://static.asunnot.oikotie.fi/media/47306/large/23652609.jpg

http://asunnot.oikotie.fi/vuokrattavat-asunnot/6479593

[Cato]

10 sqm cabin for rent in the middle of nowhere for 150€ per month:

http://static.asunnot.oikotie.fi/media/47306/large/23652609.jpg

http://asunnot.oikotie.fi/vuokrattavat-asunnot/6479593

Does it at least have a toilet?

[Vasconcelos]

That's expensive.

[Eldritch]

Does it at least have a toilet?

It has a toilet, shower and kitchenette. ;)

Check the images behind the link. Actually if it had twice as many square meters, I think it would be perfectly adequate for one person.

[Cato]

It has a toilet, shower and kitchenette. ;)

Check the images behind the link. Actually if it had twice as many square meters, I think it would be perfectly adequate for one person.

Which makes it a perfect dwelling for a midget.

[Zankapfel]

I couldn't.
I live in a spacious flat on a ground floor. I even have the luxury of a small fenced yard, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Too many felines, pens, books, Bowie paraphernalia, photography, lab and stargazing equipment, shoes [lol] to even think about keeping things orderly in such reduced space.

We have Loftcubes and Fincubes here designed by Studio Aisslinger, they are quite ingenious and can be placed anywhere.

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2003_loftcube/loftcube_leadimg.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2007_loftcube/loftcube_content_002.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2007_loftcube/loftcube_content_003.jpg

http://www.decoluxe.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/hakkinda.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2008_fincube/fincube_content_001.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2008_fincube/fincube_content_002.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2008_fincube/fincube_content_003.jpg

http://www.fincube.eu/images/slideshow/konzept/031-Fincube-Florian-Berger.jpg

[The Lawspeaker]

I couldn't live in something very small since I like to have some space but I think that something like a Fincube could do it for me as I don't have a lot of stuff and I detest clutter. They could place mine in a park or next to a lake :)

Or in case they want to be smart... on a building in a nice (communal ?) roof garden.



http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2008_fincube/fincube_content_002.jpg

http://www.fincube.eu/images/slideshow/konzept/031-Fincube-Florian-Berger.jpg

http://www.aisslinger.de/images/stories/projects/2008_fincube/fincube_content_003.jpg



When of course I am getting married or have a girl be so stupid to move in with me then of course I want a bigger house but for now I don't really need it either.

[Zankapfel]

Fincubes are designed to be placed in the great outdoors indeed, Civis :)
I am borderline obsessed with orderliness as well, but unlike you I do have a lot of stuff - and to think I left out my drawing table, gaming consoles and various gadgets still! o.O
In small spaces, things tend to get cluttered easily. That's why I need space.

[The Lawspeaker]

That's the main difference between a woman and a man I think :) Women tend to have a lot more stuff then men. For me: I would use a computer (which I use for reading, administration, playing games, music, television). I would have books (I would prefer an E-reader), clothes and the normal household utensils and supplies.

Of course a wardrobe. I would prefer to have the utensils, storage, wardrobe, bookshelves put away in a kind of alcove or a build-in wardrobe/storage etc. And when possible I would use screens or screen doors to adjust the space according to my needs at that particular moment.


Just to keep the rooms free of any clutter and use the available space twice of three times over. :)

I like my minimalism. Being raised in foster care it has become second nature.

[Zankapfel]

How sexist! It has little to do with my being a girl :p
I have a lot of hobbies and that's the equipment I keep around, it can take up a bit of space - cams, lenses, tripods, telescopes. I like to buy/keep my books (I become attached to them as crazy as that sounds). I need space for my drawing table and for working on models, as you might recall I am an Engineering student and I focus on mechanical/electrical device design.
The Bowie paraphernalia now, guilty as charged. That's purely hormonal.

[The Lawspeaker]

Hehe. :P Well. I think that my lifestyle in that respect can be explained by my childhood spend in foster care. I moved around so often I didn't really got the opportunity to become attached and I have long kept that "nomadic lifestyle". Hence I usually get rid of everything that I have once in a while (if I can afford it) and only keep a couple of thing and buy everything new.

I am saving up for something like an e-reader and I will buy it when there are Dutch books available and if I have books that are already e-books there are even more chances that I will throw away my old books. I dislike it when stuff takes up space and as I am not used to having a lot of space I prefer to hold on to every little bit that I can find. :D

Also: having a lot of stuff is not very handy when you're moving on anyways.

A centimetre saved is a centimetre earned.

[Wyn]

A centimetre saved is a centimetre earned.

Yep. :)

I could definitely live in a house like the one in the OP. A huge amount of space, a great deal of furniture etc., none of that interests me. That, and the fact that it is obviously going to be much more cost-effective...you could call it an ideal home, in fact. With children however you would obviously need something a little bigger. Not necessarily much bigger though, and definitely not thousands and thousands of square feet.

[Aemma]

10 sqm cabin for rent in the middle of nowhere for 150€ per month:

http://static.asunnot.oikotie.fi/media/47306/large/23652609.jpg

http://asunnot.oikotie.fi/vuokrattavat-asunnot/6479593

Is that like $300 US per month? :eek:

Ohh I just saw the pics though. It's soo cute! :)

[Agrippa]

Is that like $300 US per month? :eek:

Ohh I just saw the pics though. It's soo cute! :)

I guess it is not as cute once you sit in it ;)

[Eldritch]

Is that like $300 US per month? :eek:

Ohh I just saw the pics though. It's soo cute! :)

More like $200.

[Tom Cat]

I'll take it. When can I move in? :thumbs up

http://www.moonworkshome.com/Portals/31256/images/castle-in-the-trees-photo-080601001949o.jpg

Check it out in more detail here:
http://www.moonworkshome.com/Blog/?Tag=Adult%20Tree%20House

[Bloodeagle]

That's the main difference between a woman and a man I think :) Women tend to have a lot more stuff then men. For me: I would use a computer (which I use for reading, administration, playing games, music, television). I would have books (I would prefer an E-reader), clothes and the normal household utensils and supplies.


Clivas are you crazy? Man stuff is usually large, loud, messy and dangerous.
It requires its own place of worship. :)

I am currently planning my detached shop at home, that will house some of my current and future tools and gear. A modest 40 meters square shall do.
This is very small considering many of my fellow statesmen have an airplane hanger at home! :D

[Bloodeagle]

10 sqm cabin for rent in the middle of nowhere for 150€ per month:

http://static.asunnot.oikotie.fi/media/47306/large/23652609.jpg

http://asunnot.oikotie.fi/vuokrattavat-asunnot/6479593

If utilities (heat, electric and gas) where included in this small cabin, they would ask for double the $300 or so dollars you quoted around my here, plus a hefty damage deposit. :p

[Albion]

Yeah, but society would brand me a loser if I did. A shame, they look nice and cosy.

[Caismeachd]

If utilities (heat, electric and gas) where included in this small cabin, they would ask for double the $300 or so dollars you quoted around my here, plus a hefty damage deposit. :p



The same amount of space in somewhere like bay area California is about $600-$1200 a month. Utilities not included. Pay 1st and last months rent. $1000 damage deposit. Sign 1 year lease. Credit report, criminal history report, 10 year prior rental history, 3 interviews with landlord, and 3 personal reference checks of people you've known longer than 5 years.

I've actually seen things similar to this in people's backyards and they really do charge something like $600/mo with lease etc. In San Francisco a studio of the same size won't go for anything less than $1200/mo. I have a friend in FI with an apartment 2x the size of what I had in SF and it's 1/5th the cost lol.

[PetiteParisienne]

I definitely could, though it would take some adjustment. I really love how these homes require the fusion of creativity and practicality.

[rhiannon]

Living alone....yes. I could do it. Living with my husband and son? Hell no.

[AussieScott]

Wife and I, yes. With kids, no. You need rooms with doors and locks. :D

I lived with over 50 blokes in probably 80m2 on a ship at one stage, it was improvised so not even your bunk was a private space.

[Phil75231]

Living alone....yes. I could do it. Living with my husband and son? Hell no.

Agreed. However, I think the video assumes you're a single person. Still, what about a 500 sq ft (50 m2) house? The area-per-person would be the same. In fact, the guy in the video explicitly said that a 500 sq ft house would be more approp for him, his wife, and baby.

[SilverKnight]

I've stumbled across some very interesting vids this week, having to do with Urban Farming, Self-sufficiency and the Small House Movement, respectively. I'll eventually be positng about some of this stuff, but since I'm in a wee bit of a rush right now, I thought I'd settle for this in the meantime: How small of a house could you live in?

Check it out:

LJLSoUkh1Vs

Yes, think I could...I love simplicity and self sufficiency :)

[LadyFirehawk]

No way in hell I could live in that thing! My cat would go stir-crazy with claustrophobia, and for that matter, so would I. Also, my crafting projects tend to require plenty of floor space to spread out on. (I'm a hobby costumer, so I need to be able to lay out large expanses of fabric.)

[Linet]

No :no: ....no no no :grumpy:

[Mistel]

Yes, I could. Alone, obviously. I have lived in tiny flats before - studio ones, so I don't think it would be too much of a problem for me.
I don't like really big houses to be honest. I prefer small, cosy ones.