I so much agree! I’m afraid that this kind of thing probably does more to deepen the stigma of more conventional trailer homes, than anything else.
There is something incredibly valuable in wanting smaller homes - one of the most effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint of a building over its lifetime is to simply make it as small a possible while still fulfilling its function. So when we built our home we not only chose ecologically “friendly” materials - strawbale walls, etc. - but also kept it smaller to begin with. So maybe let’s not paint too broad a brush. That said, there is something about the tiny house movement as it currently is manifesting, that is too cute by half.
9 Likes
Definitely! I often take flak when I criticize tiny homes, because people think I’m not bought into the idea of sustainable lower-footprint living. In fact, my point is the opposite- we already have sustainable options that are poorly leveraged and under-appreciated. Manufactured homes are very efficient and most of us could be happy in them if we solved the current legal and social issues around predatory trailer parks (or found some other solution for sustainable and just land-use for more people). What grinds my gears is wealthy white software engineers buying 160 acres, plunking a tiny house on it, and acting like they’re fixing climate change.
14 Likes
Seems counterintuitive for a furniture store to sell a home that has almost no room for furniture.
7 Likes
my weeaboo ass prefers the muji hut
4 Likes
Housing person here to clarify terminology. “Manufactured home” is indeed a synonym for “trailer” or “mobile home,” and generally seen as less derogatory or classist.
“Modular home” refers to those homes built offsite, but with similar characteristics to site-built in terms of framing, then transported to the site and put together. They aren’t mobile once assembled.
12 Likes
IKEA stuff is actually mostly pretty good, if you avoid the absolute cheapest models, and/or don’t have to disassemble the furniture once you’ve built them.
7 Likes
Yup…
2 Likes
Totally. Similar logic that a 30 year old beater Toyota that exists and can be kept running today has a lower footprint than a new Tesla rolling of the line for quite some time. All messaging benefits aside.
This article talks about Sears Roebuck catalog homes that are still in use 100 years on and have appreciated in value - highly doubtful that will be true for these boxes.
8 Likes
Exactly. I know there need to be early adopters to spur advancements, but if you really care about personal environmental impacts, you buy an existing home and make it more efficient, if you need a car, you buy used, etc. For every new tiny IKEA home out there, we could weatherize at least 9 existing homes to make them more efficient.
Edited to fix my numbers. (Again.) Thanks @anothernewbbaccount for the check.
6 Likes
Business trends are working against that. Private equity vulture capitalists now see an opportunity there and have been buying them up.
7 Likes
you beat me too it! Nice job. 
4 Likes
How else am I going to become the Henry David Thoreau of Instagram influencers?
4 Likes
Oh, but then it’d REALLY move around.
1 Like
I agree fully with your sentiment, but I’m not sure I follow your numbers.
IKEA tiny home, $50,000
9,000 homes
So you’re saying we could weatherise 9,000 homes for around five and a half dollars per home?
4 Likes
Doh, good catch. I forgot to carry the zero.
Our average cost per unit is $6k, so I was off by a factor of ten or so.
3 Likes
So you could do about 8 or 9 homes per IKEA Tiny Home.
Still good value. 
ETA @ClutchLinkey I see your correction above to 900. I still think your maths is wrong. 900 x $6k = $5.4 million, not $50,000.
9 times $6k is closer to $50k
1 Like
I honestly don’t get the IKEA hate. Over half my furniture are from there and they’ve held up for years. Expandable dining table, dining chairs, full size bed and mattress, computer desk and chair, filing cabinets, lounge chair, rugs, kitchen items. They’re still in good shape after 8+ years. Granted, I live alone, no kids, so that may be a factor.
As the adage says, you get what you pay for. Even at IKEA, price is a factor; higher price normally equates to slightly higher quality, just like anywhere else.
Now excuse me, I need to plug in my Tesla…
5 Likes
This…
…reminded me of this (here’s the video link)
But, ideally, it should need no instructions other than ‘press the button’
4 Likes
Yep.
- Price: $59,900
- Rooms: 1 bed(s), 1 bath(s)
- Dimension: 15 ft x 48 ft
- Home Area: 729 sqft
- Location: Located in a mobile home park
- Model: 2020 Eagle River
- Community Type: All Age Community
- Property ID: 1118167
- myMHcommunity ID: 25202655_s
- Posted On: Aug 9, 2019
- Updated On: Oct 9, 2020
Buy a bigger used one for a lot less. Or a nice used Airstream which will have more space and be more mobile.
2 Likes
