The couple that quit renting to live in a tiny house

Everyone is required to dress like characters from Trailer Park Boys. Bubbles Talks About his Shed.

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People[quote=“jhbadger, post:9, topic:44935, full:true”]
Basically they don’t have lots of possessions like books or have indoor hobbies. I don’t know anyone who lives in one of these tiny houses, but several of my friends live/lived on houseboats, which are similar. They were biologists who liked to spend most of their time outdoors. I’m a bit of a hoarder myself, although living in apartments does keep my possessions somewhat in check.
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I have heard people who live in small apartments in the city say things like ‘the city is my living room’. I think this is similar. Your focus of existence probably has to be what you do outside the dwelling. If you like woodworking or tinkering with cars, or have equipment-intensive hobbies like boating or camping, you might have to get new hobbies if you move into the city (or into the tiny house).

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Everybody knows a burrow owl lives in a hole, in the ground!

You can’t just hook up a mobile home to the back of your truck and move it any time you want. That tiny house was built on a standard size trailer, so they don’t have to deal with permits or contract movers to haul their house around. Secondly, you don’t control the quality of the build when you purchase a mobile home. For some, that is a big deal. That is why a lot of people go to tiny homes vs. an RV. I’ve been in brand new Airstreams and they are gorgeous as hell! But the chemical smell will just about knock you out. I imagine the same is true for a new mobile home.

There are several families that have posted their experiences in living with children in a tiny home. So it is totally doable, but not everyone’s cup of tea. People are getting creative these days. I am looking at getting a tiny house. Fortunately for me, there is a Makerspace nearby so I can take up sewing or woodworking without sacrificing my own space. The point is, you can make anything work. People wanted more options and this is why the tiny house movement was started and continues to grow.

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You use ebooks and ditch all of your books.

Yes, the off gassing materials that make up the interiors of mobile homes & RVs is gawdawful. It would be like living in the Canadian Tire.

Also gosh forbid you should get an older one or try to reno an older RV. Asbestos city.

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Just guessing, but I’ll bet none of them set-up in areas with REAL winter. Sub-zero weather, kids, and a tiny home are a Very Bad combination.

Come to think of it, every piece I’ve read about families in such living situations, the kids are very young. Having a couple of teenagers in a house that size? Speaking as a parent who just hosted an extra 8 teens last night who showed up in small clumps over the course of several hours…your teen’s social life depends on them having enough room to invite friends over.

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You’re making me hyperventilate here. Ditch my BOOKS?!?!

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It’s a children’s book, but if you haven’t read it, you might want to. The protagonist is a kindred spirit: The Library by Sarah Stewart

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Yep. I’ve ditched over 4,000 in the last five years.

That sounds about right. Plus I’m pretty sure that’s a picture of 8-year-old me on the cover.

I am trying to stick to ebooks now just for the sake of not being found dead one day under a mountain of Agatha Christie novels and 70’s sci fi. People say “but real books are better!”, and I agree, but I just have too many of them. I have a four bedroom house and not enough bookshelves. Obviously this tiny house thing is not for me, unless there’s a way to build one out of actual books.

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Most people with age-related infirmities either end up in assisted living centers or having to move in with relatives anyway. A hypothetical situation set several decades in the future is hardly a reason for a young, healthy couple to structure their entire lives around financing more house than they need and likely more than they can afford.

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Older people often abandon large homes due to developing mobility impairing medical conditions.

My own inlaws just went from a 2600 sq ft 3 level home to a 900-1000 sq ft home on one level, for many reasons all of which were related to aging including medical conditions that are beginning to limit mobility.

Inaccessible is no-good, but anything can be made accessible. Cramped is often a real plus for older folk.

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Like this?

Interestingly, BB covered a cheater version in 2005: House carved to appear as if it were made of books.

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If the tiny house movement can revamp the image of the trailer park as a place to live, it will have been a resounding success. Due to their restrictions, trailer parks are typically overcrowded–which leads to problems.

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I concur. The kind citizens of Starlite Starbrite also thank you for your understanding.

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or build a little shed or garage to do those hobbies in.

Housing is a sucky issue. I’ve been a renter for a very long time. I am sick of it. Owning a home is basically renting from the bank. I’m done paying for housing. I am a nomad now. The word homeless is dumb. Small houses are just fancy sheds and trailers. I am officially boycotting housing of any kind and all the crappy social stigma(i)? that go along with not living in a box.

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Just think about what you are saying here! I really doubt that someone who lives with a tiny house with their family is going to prioritize their teenager’s social life over their financial freedom and “sticking it to the man”. =)

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There are lots of different people trying to work on tiny house communities. I can think of some in California and some in Texas just off the top of my head. Spur, Texas recently announced that they were working on becoming tiny house friendly by changing up some of their zoning. But it is Spur and kind of out in the middle of nowhere. It is a start though. Hopefully big cities will follow.

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