Daily Mail – by DAVID MCCORMACK
Once upon a time an American family’s home was their castle and the bigger the better, but growing concerns about meeting mortgage payments and the environmental impact of large houses has helped fuel a new movement of people who are happy to live small.
The Tiny House Movement is a growing group of people who are happy to downsize the space that they live in and enjoy simplified lives as a result.
While the average American home is around 2600 square feet, the typical small or tiny house is around 100-400 square feet.
Buyers can be anyone from millennials and newlyweds who want to avoid the 30-year mortgage path to retirees who are downsizing and simplifying for a more carefree lifestyle
Large homes come at a cost and most Americans spent between 1/3 and 1/2 of their income on keeping a roof over their heads, as a result 76 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck.
To escape the cycle of debt that increasing comes with the large house and the white picket fence, some people are attracted by the simplicity of the Tiny House Movement.
One company at the heart of the movement is the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, which teaches workshops all over the country on how to build tiny homes.
The Sonoma, California, company also offer tiny house floor plans and build homes for people who want their ‘houses-to-go’ ready-made and delivered.
Inside the loft bedroom of the Tumbleweed brand Cypress 24 model Tiny House
Doug McEneany, right, takes a picture as Jill Caraway, left, looks over a Tumbleweed brand Cypress 24 model Tiny House on display in Boulder, Colorado
While the average American home is around 2600 square feet, the typical small or tiny house is around 100-400 square feet
Buyers can be anyone from millennials and newlyweds who want to avoid the 30-year mortgage path to retirees who are downsizing and simplifying for a more carefree lifestyle.
There are also artists and musicians who want space, physically and financially, to practice their craft.
New to the market from Tumbleweed is the Cypress 24 model Tiny House, which provides enough space for four adults may sleep comfortably in the loft and the new downstairs bedroom.
Tiny houses can come in all shapes, sizes and are certainly not ramshackle shacks as people still want them to be livable and stylish and include regular toilets, showers, and kitchens.
Some people put the tiny homes in their backyards for a young college graduate or elderly parents, while the concept of ‘tiny home communities’ is also taking shape.
New to the market from Tumbleweed is the Cypress 24 model Tiny House, which provides enough space for four adults may sleep comfortably in the loft and the new downstairs bedroom
Some people are attracted to the idea of a tiny house on wheels because they can then travel the country with it
I find that a used travel trailer is cheaper with less weight is better for travel. These are real nice as I have been in one, however if you have ever lived in a small trailer, it’s not for the average person. Having one of these on a piece of property with trees where it could be well hidden and in a SHTF situation they would be comfortable.
Not my Cup of Tea, to damned cramped.
But when the price of gas hits $10 a gallon or more…
Our house is about 800 square feel which we built ourselves and raised two kids in (including homeschooling)…I would go all claustrophobic in a house that small!
Don’t worry. The bankers will find a way to tax and take these houses, too. Can’t have the people thinking they actually own something nor can they live comfortably cramped now, can they?
Just where would one park this thing if they didn’t own any property? It’s bad enough to have an RV that has to be moved out of the park every 7 days or so.
. . .
Now add in the $60,000 tow vehicle for it. And it is not cheap. I use to do as well with my 1957 Bell trailor. Restored outside, and rebuilt inside to the way I wanted. And yes I did some of the tin can camp meets and some others in it. Were we showed of the restored outsides and custom insides.
When gas hits $10.00/gal. that’s when you park and say, “Honey, we’re home!”