Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
When you consider that we have a 2800 sq ft house, but really only set foot in 4 rooms on most days, your fantasy makes sense.
To play amateur psychologist, the smaller your environment is the easier it is to control your life..Like if you only had two outfits of clothing, you'd never get backed up on laundry or run out of space in your dresser.
Did anyone watch Frontier House on PBS? If you aren't familiar, a 3 or 4 families left their lives to live as homesteaders did on the frontier in the late 1800s.
One of the families were quite well-off and had two teenaged girls. In addition to having to do farm chores and not being able to wear make-up, the girls hated every minute of life in the one-room log cabin they had to share with their parents. But when the producers did a follow-up after the show was over and everyone was back at home, both girls mentioned how much they missed the closeness of the log cabin. It's been years, but I can still hear one girl saying something like, "Our house is so big that you never even know if someone else is home with you."
How can we have healthy families when we all sit in our own rooms in front of our own tvs or computers?
I just bought a one bedroom 519 sq ft house with a good sized yard. It is darling. We'll see how it is living in it! It's just me, and it's a little bigger than the apartment I'm currently in.
I want to do a cottage-style garden in the front - lots of herbs growing right outside the kitchen.
I ADORE the Ross Chapin homes and by today's standards, they ARE tiny lol My home when I bought it was just under 750 sq' with two bedrooms. I added a 6x8 laundry room and we are STILL under 800 sq' lol It's a cute little thing and easy to maintain but I have to say that storage is an issue. I can cram lots of things in the attic but they never seem to come back down again. I would love a small sunroom to keep my books and other stuff but other than that I like it.
A previous poster mentioned the tiny IKEA plans and I totally agree. They inspire me to get rid of my junk that I hold onto for whatever reason.
There are a couple of groups on Yahoo that you might join. I think one is actually called Tiny Houses lol
Ok, I've been living in my little 519 sq ft house for over 6 weeks now. It's great. I can clean the whole place thoroughly in a morning, and I replaced the livingroom floor (200 square feet) inexpensively and by myself. It'll be inexpensive to heat this winter. I've got space outside and a shed for storage. No laundry room but I have a little portable washer and a clothesline where clothes dry in a second in the desert dry heat.
Now, if there was more than one other person living with me, it probably wouldn't do. But for me and the 4-leggeds, it's wonderful.
IIRC - Lots of Craftsman Bungalows were, by today's standard, not very big. Small houses have been the rule for most of history. Today's suburban McMansions are the anomaly and were designed to be bought and sold and not to be lived in.
After I retire I will be looking for a Casita (small house) in central New Mexico.
Last edited by GregW; 10-01-2008 at 06:24 AM..
Reason: spell check
My dream house would be a Shotgun or Railway Apartment, basically the same floor plan, the Railway Apt has a "hallway" connecting the rooms. Probably less than 800 sq ft. 3 rooms covers it for me. Living room, kitchen, bedroom (if you count the bath - 4 rooms). Would have to have a nice front porch and maybe back or side porch too!!!
I have done several Designs for small homes (600-700 sqft) They are very functional if you don't need alot of room. These were all 3 room homes, one bedroom, kitchen, and a living room. I had a two sided fireplace separating the kitchen and living in one of them which gave a nice separation of space. None have been built yet, but the designs are sitting here when I have time to get them built by someone
Sounds very cute! I can picture it!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would love a small sunroom to keep my books and other stuff but other than that I like it. 
