What do you think about living in a tiny house and have you ever considered living like that?

I know, right???

We're working on making it happen.

Having a place for the horses is huge. You would puke if you knew what she pays in board.

 

My friend is looking at selling his two story house and doing tiny home/sprinter van living.

I actually have one friend who lives in a van, down by the ocean. He also owns a sail boat, so I'm sure that helps. Mad respect for choosing to do that, but defiantly not for me.

 

Oh, I was thinking about a different body of water.

 

A river, perhaps?

 

What makes you say that?

 

Having a smaller place would also help with the very human problem of collecting junk that we don't need.

"Hey I want to buy this totally useless item"........."no, we don't have the space"........."ok, cool"

 

I think we need to stay on the right track.

 

There he is!!

 

I've had the idea in the back of my head for a long time. I actually went to buy a dirt cheap RV at one point to test out the idea, but the thing ran for shit, so I didn't end up getting it. Instead, i moved from a 1300sqft house to an efficiency apartment of maybe 288sqft (kitchen around a corner, but not a completely separate room...island between the kitchen area and livingroom/bedroom...half size fridge, small footprint stove/oven) to see how i'd do with less space.

love it. confirmed my thoughts that i could live with minimal space and not feel cramped. honestly, i could probably make do with even less space. i never sit on 2 seat sofa. also, more money for taco enhancements.

i like my job, and live in the city, so a legit tiny house isn't realistic for me at the moment. At some point, i have no doubt i will buy a small plot further west, and put a tiny house sized living arrangement on it (trailer based or not...i don't know yet. super small a-frame would be cool too).

i'm happiest when backpacking, so taking out the dish water and pooping without running water, and living off of minimal resources aren't concerns for me.

 

Yeah, it's definitely not for everyone, but for the people that love the minimalist lifestyle it makes sense. I think making a list of the pros and cons would help, as would maybe renting a tiny house for awhile to see if it fits you too.

 

You posted a lot of what my thoughts were about living this lifestyle and it was well written. It sounds like you did it the smart way and moved down to where you are now and didn't just jump into it, suiting your minimalist living.

 

You sound happy and free of "stuff".

 

Well I already live in 1254 Sqft ranch I used to have an apt long ago that was 900 Sqft and it was about perfect only thing I would add to it would be a half bath . Other then that 5 acres in the woods put the apt in the back of a 50 by 50 shop :} and done as has been said I like my shops I a 32x28 garage and a 21x 15 garage both are set with equipment / tools for various things that is where I want space :}

Cypher

 

I have a bad tenancy to do things 60-80%. I built a tiny house frame, and exterior... got a job in a different city and abandoned it. Sold it for $550. Guy was a friend of mine, he's living off the grid and loving it. If you like projects, you'll still need a workshop/barn.

 

Not everyone can Live off the Grid and people like your friend has my respect.

 

I don't know... I like the idea but I think most of the people on TW are by nature the kind of people that like to have some stuff/toys so realistically a tiny house wouldn't work for 99% of us at this point in our lives. But fresh out of college, with no solid job yet and an active life outdoors... I could have done it for a year or so. At my age now (mid 40s) there's a lot to say for coming home to a decent sized space (my house is 1800sf) where you can relax and unwind. Living in the little house with all the compromises is actually just another kind of work.

 

Something that small would be good if I was gone most of the day and weekends. IT would drive me nuts if I was in there for long periods of time

 

One night I was watching PBS and a documentary "Alone in the Wilderness" came on. It's the story of Dick Proenneke living in the Alaska wilderness. Dick filmed his adventures so he could show his relatives in the lower 48 states what life was like in Alaska, building his cabin, hunting for food and exploring the area.

There was something so powerful and beautiful, that one man could be so self sufficient, with the skills/smarts, living in such solitude, while also being in tune with nature. That documentary really opened my mind about the minimalist life and what we really need here on earth to be happy.

If any of you haven't seen the documentary, part of it is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss

Part 2 is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NRdZ8J24Q

 

Living off grid means no bank accounts etc ?

 

That's the thing;
I could totally live in a tiny house if I had a big-ass garage and workshop, and a ton of land. I spent summers living in a 15X12 one room camp with a loft from when I was 16 until I was around 21, and loved it. But it was on a lake, with nobody else around, and a ton of room to roam. And I didn't have many possessions, so it didn't matter that I didn't have much space. Now, I can more than take up an entire tiny house with just my guns, ammo, and tool storage.

I can definitely see the appeal, but it's not for me. As far as I'm concerned, 1000-1200 square foot cabin on 50+ acres would be ideal, as long as I had a 6-bay garage with a workshop overhead.