Tiny Houses Ad Nauseam (Except Tiny House Nation)

[auntjess]

Having just watched Tiny House Builders, Hunters, and another one whose name I can't recall, I think we need a dumping ground for these.

The one where the family wanted a place on some vacation land was good, but the one where the wife had married a true believer, not so much.
At least she held out for a flush toilet.
On all of these, I'm appalled at the way safety is ignored, with hazardous stairs, and NO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS in sight.
If I had a wood house, that would be the first thing I'd buy.
Also, not seeing much insulation.
I want to turn Mike Holmes loose on them.
 

[peggy06]

I watched the Tiny House HH where the buyer bought a yurt. While I don't get wanting to live in a tiny one-room space, and have concerns about the security/weather-proofness, I do have to say the model yurt was very attractive. Much more so than the one she decorated herself. Of course, by the time you put in all the upgrades in the model, you could afford something better.

 

I'll watch a few more of these, but not sure how far they can go with the concept. It's kind of like the show they used to have about unusual houses, but with a narrower focus.

[Honey]

That family of 6 that bought that little house for $35,000 got me thinking. That size house would be perfect for me, and at $35,000 my mortgage would be almost nothing, compared to rent. That is the perfect size for one person.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Honey

[auntjess]

 

I'll watch a few more of these, but not sure how far they can go with the concept.

Some seem to focus on building, but apparently there's also a resale stock.

TH Nation does one-off ones, built for a specific use, or site.

 

and have concerns about the security/weather-proofness

Yes, I can't think they'd be very warm in winter, and in the hot summer, the lofts would be unlivable.

 

[KLovestoShop]

These people want tiny houses, so every time one of them says "It's so small" I want to slap them. It's a freaking tiny house!!! Of course the spaces are going to be small. Tonight's couple reminded me of the three bears--- one house was too small and the third house, which was only 700sqft, was too big. And what's with the constant complaint of the location of the bathroom? That's what you get with tiny houses. But at least they were smart enough to go with the biggest house.

[chessiegal]

Tonight's firefighter episode had ridiculously small houses. She could have gotten a bigger small RV with more space for less money. We have a 32 ft. sailboat, and we figured we have about 200 sq. ft. down below that includes a galley, head, 2 sleeping quarters, and a roomy cockpit. We've lived on it for a week at a time, but I swear, even with the 2 of us, it gets 1 ft. smaller every day. :)

 

 

[laredhead]

The woman firefighter said she had thought of buying an RV, but wanted something "more permanent" - HUH?  Being on wheels doesn't make it permanent in my world.  Basically, this woman could have bought a tow-behind Airstream or a 5th wheel and gotten the same result with more space.  Sounded to me like she was ditching her 5 bedroom house to camp out for a year or so.  I think her 6'5" boyfriend probably wasn't going to last very long in any of the tiny abodes she looked at.

[auntjess]

I think the one commenting on how small the place were, was the wife in the family of 6, and I think it was more his idea to go so tiny.
I was sorry for the older girls, who looked understandably unhappy seeing the place.
Glad they didn't get the cabin, because how could you bathe and flush in a drought year, with rain being your source.

Sound theapy?  Only in California, but the yurt and the sandbag house both were cool lookng.
I'd much rather have my clothes outside in a closet, than the toilet and kitchen.

[Taylorh2]

$965,000 for a 400/500 sq ft apt in NYC ?

[Beauty Taint]

I finally caught a few epis of Tiny House Hunters (I don't have cable any longer, but my daughter and I were staying at my mom's for a couple days over Xmas). I'll admit I have a semi-serious interest in living in a tiny house, now that DD is grown and on her own, and I'm looking to downsize. Well, serious enough that I've watched a considerable amount of Youtube vids about them, at least. :D I may never do it, but the idea is rather appealing to me. Not 100 or 200 sq. ft. tiny, but I'm confident that I could live pretty happily in 500 sq. ft or a bit less. Anyhooooo.....

 

So the tiny abodes themselves were nothing new to me, but the shows had the added flair of typical House Hunter style idiots - complaining about how tiny everything was when they WANTED A TINY HOUSE. Arrrgggghhh! LOL Yurt Loon lady was my....errrr....favorite. Being concerned about having the right acoustics for her magic healing gong baloney, but indoor plumbing is an abomination? J.F.C. Listening to her go on about her apparent need to only shit outdoors really made me lose my shit. Heh. I was telling DD that a major deterrent to me about possibly living in any kind of tiny house "community" would be that I would end up surrounded by New Age Hippy Dippy Bullshit Poser Morons like Yurt Loon.  I asked DD how long she thought it would take before I punched someone like Yurt Loon in the face just to shut her up if she were my neighbor. She laughed and said maybe 5 minutes. Tops. ROFL

Edited December 28, 2014 by Beauty Taint

[SmithW6079]

If I had the money, I would love to live in that third Manhattan apartment in "Tiny House Hunting." That was just a stunning place -- the private outdoor space alone was worth it.

I knew, however, as soon as the wife said, "We're both going to have to make some small compromises" that the translation was: "the husband is going to have to make some big compromises," and I was right. They picked the place he liked least. Given that she's a realtor, I wonder how much get preferences skewed the search.

[laredhead]

I liked the Boston couple who bought a Wisconsin vacation house on Tiny House Hunting.  I enjoyed the banter between them.  The two more contemporary houses were gorgeous, but the older house was sort of blah.  It had the best view and most property and with some remodeling it could be a beautiful house.  My den is 20 X 20 which makes it 400 sf and I have tried to envision it divided into smaller rooms and living in that space with another person for more than 3 or 4 days.  Nope, not going to happen.  

[SmithW6079]

I liked the Boston couple who bought a Wisconsin vacation house on Tiny House Hunting.  I enjoyed the banter between them.

 

And I disliked them -- or at least Glasses. I didn't think they were "bantering" as much as Glasses was berating the boyfriend continually. As a gay man, I'm tired that the only gay men we see on shows like this are drama queens, and Glasses was quite the drama queen. Did they say why they were buying a house in Wisconsin? And if they were tired from all the upkeep of their home in Boston, of course the logical answer is to buy another home that they will have to manage remotely. Even "tiny" homes need upkeep.

[Taylorh2]

Saw an episode last night with a man who had his 4 yr old son on the weekends. This guy actually considered a 93 sq ft "home" That thing was the size of a tool shed.

 

I am so glad that his friend talked some sense into his head. (Even if it is all fake. lol)

[SmithW6079]

Saw an episode last night with a man who had his 4 yr old son on the weekends. This guy actually considered a 93 sq ft "home" That thing was the size of a tool shed.

I am so glad that his friend talked some sense into his head.

 

I liked the barber episode. Well, specifically, I liked his bearded, beary friend. However, I also was glad the friend talked him out of the shed. I don't get people who don't take into consideration a second person or the fact that their child will grow up one of these days, so I was happy that he realized the houses he had seen were really only made for one person and that he was going to build his own, with separate sleeping lofts for himself and his son. 

 

I'm glad they went into a little more detail about how composting toilets work. So basically, you have to empty the shit out every few days and dump it in the manure pile. As "hippy-dippy" as the barber was, you could tell he was kind of skeeved about having to empty his chamber pot. 

[auntjess]

I liked the barber too, and really hope the show's around, and revisits when he gets his house built.

 

I didn't understand the Florida couple wanting room for their 5 grown kids.
They'll soon have families or boy- or girlfriends, and then kids, so how long is that tiny house going to be doable?

Renting a big place for a week or so seems like the best use of the money, if you aren't going to have an expandable place.

In the Wisconsin episode, I did like the houses, but kept hearing Gordon Lightfoot singing "Superior it's said never gives up its dead..."
 

[Athena]

Hello all. There is actually a Tiny Houses thread in the House Hunters forum. If there are no objections, I can move this thread and merge with that one. Thank you. Have a happy 2015!

[Athena]

The problem with that consolidation is, there are shows that aren't part of the "House Hunters" empire, in which Tiny House Hunters does belong and is located. 

 

Other shows include Tiny House Hunting - I don't think that one's on HGTV at all. Then there's Tiny House Nation, which has its own forum.  And I think that somewhere there's Tiny House Builders. 

 

Cool beans, Suz. I'll leave this topic as is since I don't watch these shows. For those of you who do watch the House Hunters one or the other ones, there are forums for it.

 

Have a great New Year's!

[Beauty Taint]

Darn this thread! It got me on another kick of watching youtube vids of tiny homes and I'm gettin' the itch again REAL BAD. :-D I even starting Facebooking pix to potential squatter victims friends and family saying to start thinking about a good spot in their yards. LOL

[Snarkette]

Suz (at Large): Well, if you're looking for linkies, here are plenty more! No particular rhyme or reason, just a few I googled across.

http://www.houseplans.com/collection/katrina-cottages
http://www.mariannecusato.com/#!portfolio/c8mm
http://littlehouseonthetrailer.com
http://www.cavco.com
http://sustain.ca/models-pricing/solo36bunkie/?pid=564
http://richsportablecabins.com / https://plus.google.com/photos/104317431054100893074/albums/5526291487141776305

and a more general blog about this kind of stuff: http://www.designboom.com/contemporary/tiny_houses.html

Edited January 8, 2015 by Snarkette

[DownTheShore]

Did you see that tiny house episode (don't know which show it was, where the couple bought a tiny house/cabin in Jackson Hole WY?

It's actually a resort community: http://www.firesidejacksonhole.com/?noredirect=true

Lovely but expensive cabins with all the mod cons. They paid something like $325K for it, and she was complaining that they really didn't need the back deck. He seemed to be the more sensible of the pair regarding the amount of space they would really need.

All I could think of was that the place was almost on top of a stream, and what was going to happen during spring thaw?

[MelinaBallerina]

I couldn't get over how expensive they were!  What's the average prices on regular sized houses in the area?  Are these really competitively priced or are they over priced because of the "specialness" ???

[Snarkette]

DownTheShore, MelinaBallerina I posted my thoughts about the Jackson Hole property here before the lovely AuntJess pointed me to this thread.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Snarkette

[auntjess]

MelinaBallerina, at the beginning of the Jackson Hole episode, they mentioned what a small percentage of land in the area is in private hands, and available for sale.

The fact that you get sewage, electricity, and water would be worth a lot to me.
I didn't care for the woman in Jackson Hole, because I thought his office needs trumped her yoga or whatever she wanted the space for.

For developments like the one in Jackson Hole, the Seattle houseboat, and the Wisconsin resort, you'd think that the developer would have a building of smaller storage lockers, where you could store sporting gear and whatever.
It's not like any of these places are going to be towed elsewhere.
Sorry Snarkette if I was unlovely.  Just trying to make figure out all these damn shows.
 

[Snarkette]

AuntJess  I *love* the title of this thread and appreciate you making the effort to help unify tiny snark! I hope that my comment didn't come across as unappreciative, because I meant it to be positive!

 

As for the silly Jackson Hole people, I couldn't believe gf/wife/lady person would minimize Primary Wage Earner's need for space to Earn Money To Pay Off The Decidedly Non-Tiny Mortgage. I expect that the very manicured grounds will have strict usage limitations, particularly in the whole "let's put up a cheap shed next to our overpriced home" department.

 

I'm am deeply concerned about their bikes. Nice bikes deserve a warm home over the winter.

[auntjess]

I'd think that there's probably a clubhouse or somewhere reserved by the developer, and you could have discreet storage areas that don't look like a storage place.  You could access the units from inside, but it seems like easy money for a place that caters to people who are into gear-intensive activities.

[SmithW6079]

In the Seattle houseboat episode of "Tiny House Hunters," did anyone else get the impression that the gym teacher and his friend/former roommate had been more than "roommates"?

Also, I thought the realtor was pretty rude. He couldn't even answer some basic questions, and he was pretty dismissive of the gym teacher's concerns.

[DownTheShore]

I think that I only caught part of that houseboat one. Was one of the choices near something noisy, like a restaurant?

[auntjess]

Yes, one was by a restaurant, and the agent said you had to sign that you wouldn't complain about the noise.  I can't think why, unless the seller also owns the restaurant.
It was also the most expensive place.
Some figure was tossed out on cost of maintenance of the boat, and how often.  Seems like pretty expensive upkeep.

[Snarkette]

Am I right that the hunting show works like house hunters, in that the "purchaser of the week" already has purchased or has a home under contract and then agrees to look at two nearby properties as if they were real options?

[MelinaBallerina]

What I was wondering, on the houseboat near the noisy venue, they said it was moveable, so why couldn't someone buy that one and move it away?  I did like that one best.  Could not believe he got the smallest one!

[SmithW6079]

I caught up on two "Tiny House Hunters" on FYI.

 

I liked the couple (him more than her, especially with her demands and "what I want is most important" attitude) looking for a home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, especially the whole concept of tiny house communities. It's funny how they were talking about privacy, yet no issue was made of the fact that your neighbors (especially in the wedge homes) were barely an arm's length distant from your house.

 

The second one, with the couple buying in Cape Code, was just sad. They were polar opposites in what they wanted, and she seemed to have no consideration for him not wanting to do perpetual fix-up projects. She was so out of touch, especially when she was insisting that the kitchen put in a few years previously would need to be redone because it wasn't her taste. Then don't buy that house?

 

In the end, she got what she wanted (the house in town), not within walking distance to the beach, even though that was all he wanted, plus not having to do any projects anymore. She just came across as so needy, I wonder why he stayed. (And there were a couple of shots when his hair wasn't done "right" and it was evident how bald he was.)

[auntjess]

I think she did agree that the renovations would  be contracted out, but she did come across as a self-centered bitch.
It made more sense to me to take a car shopping anyway, and have a beach you could walk to.
Also, what's the big deal with dining room space?

You can buy a fold-up table and use it when you need it.
This wasn't the one with storage under the bed in the loft, was it, because that looked like it would be a pain except for things you'd only need once or twice a year.

[SmithW6079]

I loved the lesbians Jac and Celine on the latest "Tiny House Hunters." They were delightful -- none of that faux drama we get with heterosexual couples or gay men (like the guys buying a vacation home in Minnesota or Wyoming).

I thought all three houses were great, but the first and third were really for one person. (That's been my impression of the tiny house movement in general: these houses are suitable for one.)

If the third house in the condo association had been just a tad bigger, I think they would have taken that one. I especially liked the little cupola on top.

Edited January 28, 2015 by SmithW6079

[auntjess]

Yes, I liked the Maine couple and lack of drama too.
Is it because these places are built on the ground that they look like houses, just small, inside? 
No composting toilets and scary ladders to a loft.
And garage should be a real convenience in Maine, and a fenced-in yard for the dogs.

On the condo one, I didn't hear any mention of fees, but for all they offered, I'd think they would have been substantial.

[Snarkette]

Cape Cod lady got on my nerves. She was all smiles during the talking heads and never once thought about her partner's needs.

[SmithW6079]

Is it because these places are built on the ground that they look like houses, just small, inside? No composting toilets and scary ladders to a loft.

Yes, I think that's it. They weren't gimmicky, and we aren't fed BS that the couples or families are going to be moving these houses all across the country. I think the Maine houses were also bigger than the ones "Tiny House Nation" builds.

[auntjess]

For those seriously looking into tiny houses, I saw this posted on Facebook.http://www.nymeta.co/whats-behind-doors-seen-believed/?utm_source=damn&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=dreamhousedamn
 

[Snarkette]

I'm not seriously looking into tiny houses but I loved the link

[Snarkette]

Austin. Bridezilla.

 

(At least they were making fun of their own furniture when they pretended to snark at the large kitchen and den pieces, right?)

Edited February 10, 2015 by Snarkette

[SmithW6079]

Austin. Bridezilla.

 

(At least they were making fun of their own furniture when they pretended to snark at the large kitchen and den pieces, right?)

I didn't think she was a bridezilla as much as it was "shut up about how much you want a big wedding." I don't understand the female mindset -- is having a huge one-day event really that important to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on it that could be better used in the long run? I had to laugh when she talked about getting married and buying a tiny house. Honey, on "House Hunters" (ginormous version), couples do that all the time, but they want their granite kitchens with a scrapbooking room for her, a studio for him, three guest bedrooms, plus enough space for all the entertaining they do.

 

Of course, the dude was just as annoying: "We have to be close to the Trail!" Exactly how long are four blocks (or the one they settled on, which was about a half-mile away) that it was too far? Is he one of those dudes who has to park closest to the gym before he goes and gets his swole on?

 

I liked the first house, but it really was just a studio apartment. I thought one of the pop-ups that talked about converting the bed alcove to a murphy bed was interesting; I would have liked to have seen that. And that one was the secondary home to a vacation rental -- did that mean the owner of the property took care of it? That was never addressed. The loft house was interesting, but it really was too short for him, plus there was no railing at the foot of the bed.

 

And at the end, the woman says they're having their wedding in Mexico because it's cheaper. Yeah, not so much for the people who have to travel to Mexico. Even if it was just over the border, it's still at least a four-hour trip from Austin.

 

I also saw the older beach couple. They were annoying too, with their constant whining about sleeping space. If you want your family to sleep over, then get a bigger house, or investigate the many fine hotels in the area. And who buys a vacation home two hours from your home?

[auntjess]

I was so glad they picked the largest house, and I don't understand the mindset that would blow a huge amount of money on a wedding, either.

But she did come 'round, so maybe it was producer driven.

What I liked was that it was a real house, not some box with a scary ladder.
And while the loft one had stairs, there was a really big drop off the end of the bed.

They should have gotten married on their trail, and had the reception in their yard.

[Snarkette]

I'm still convinced this is on the model of the normal house hunting shows, i.e. they've already bought the house (or its under contract) so all the conflict and drama and crap is utterly fake so all the "whine whine trail whine" and "my weeeeeeedddding" and such is manufactured for draaaaaama. I wish they'd give up the pretense and focus on real estate pr0n instead. I mean, how many people see 3 homes, each with a nice name, pick one of them, and are moved in without negotiation or lost sales?

 

That said, who the hell wants to live in someone else's backyard? What's the deal with this $250k home with shared property? My jaw dropped at the price of the studio apartment home as well as the arrangement.  Yes to murphy bed. In fact, more murphy beds for all the teeny homes. When you're up, you're up. Couples in particular need more separation and workspace and whatever wife (she was acting but still) says "Oh, you'll get used to h aving no life or privacy", perhaps you'll want to run away from that person.

[Taylorh2]

OT:  Sue Heck (The Middle) may be living in a Tiny House pretty soon.  ;-P

[auntjess]

I was hoping the Nashville couple would decide not to go tiny, when none of the houses suited them.
Those stairs still seem precarious for a toddler, and I hope the put a safety rail along the loft, if the little girl will be up there.

[SmithW6079]

I was hoping the Nashville couple would decide not to go tiny, when none of the houses suited them.

Those stairs still seem precarious for a toddler, and I hope the put a safety rail along the loft, if the little girl will be up there.

I actually liked that they didn't choose an unsuitable house and had one built (like the barber a few episodes ago), but I rolled my eyes at the trailer crap again (like they're really going to travel with that thing), as well as another couple just paying lip service to "living tiny." He was a chef who needed a full-service kitchen.

Basically, by the end all they had done was add a guest house/bed and breakfast. I doubt they ever live in that house. The lofts look so uncomfortable, plus how do you change the sheets when the bed's recessed in the floor?

[auntjess]

Yes, I really liked that barber, because he wanted something permanent that he could share with his son, and could afford.
But really, you don't have to be old to have to go to the bathroom during the night, and those stairs and ladders look so insecure.

If the city allows the tiny houses, they ought to enforce all of the building code safety rules, which I assume would mandate railings for stairs, and maximum stair riser height, and proper egress windows in bedrooms.

[SmithW6079]

If the city allows the tiny houses, they ought to enforce all of the building code safety rules, which I assume would mandate railings for stairs, and maximum stair riser height, and proper egress windows in bedrooms.

I'm pretty sure John said at the beginning that Nashville didn't allow mobile tiny homes as permanent residences, so that's why they were building it in their backyard.

[auntjess]

I remember that, but at the end, they said they were letting people try out their house, and hoping to build a base to convince the city to allow them.
Does anyone else feel like they're ODing on tiny house shows?
I do like the guy Deke who builds them.

 

[SmithW6079]

Does anyone else feel like they're ODing on tiny house shows?

 

I'm not necessarily ODing on these shows as much as I'm aggravated because it just seems like it's rich white folks who have discovered that "tiny living" is trendy, so they "need" to do it, while still wanting everything in their tiny homes that they had in their big homes. To me, if you have a budget of $300,000 for your "tiny" home, you're not really living "tiny."

 

I like that most of the houses in "Tiny House Hunting" seem permanent because I'm tired of the gimmicky trailer houses on "Tiny House Nation." ("Oh, we want a tiny home on a trailer because we're going to tour the country." No, no you're not.)

 

I'd have to say that out of the house hunters on "Tiny House Hunting," I liked the barber, the houseboat guy, and the lesbians.