Tiny Houses Ad Nauseam (Except Tiny House Nation)

[Snarkette]

If you craft, cook, build, repair, or rear offspring, tiny houses really don't seem practical. Adorable isn't practical and your cute little 2-yo isn't going to stay 2 for long.

[auntjess]

More on the subject, including zoning article link.  http://trove.com/Tyler-Regas/Future-Homes.188182?_p=full-channel-head&_p=promotedTroves&utm_source=wp&utm_medium=Widgets&utm_campaign=promotedTroves

[auntjess]

I watched the San Francisco Tiny House Hunting, and liked both the couple and their choice.

The Castro house was interesting, but the entry through the garage and passage was scary, and you could have ended up sharing a space with dog haters.

The condo was sleek looking, but that dog (pug? bulldog?) didn't need spiral stairs.

Now he has a little yard space of his own (though I'd put in grass, not all mulch--could hurt the paws--and it would be better.
They ended up with a small house, a cut above a tiny house.

[zxy556575]

I could never squeeze my way between buildings to get to my front door! Gave me claustrophobia just watching it. I thought their choice was the best option for them.

 

I always think I'd be quite comfortable by myself in a lot of these places (as long as it doesn't have a 4' tall sleeping loft) but could never hack it with another person. Would drive me bonkers to see someone else's face every second I'm awake.

Edited February 25, 2015 by lordonia

[auntjess]

Lordonia, I think that condo was a one-person place.
The clever ones we've seen where the one place converts to another only works for a single person.
I think the one they ended up with is enough larger to be well worth spending more for, but part of me wonders why one of these high-tech companies doesn't set up a place in what Californians and New Yorkers consider "fly-over country," where people could afford a real house.

[SmithW6079]

I watched Alice in Portland and her search for a tiny house, and I realized that they're not giving us enough information. She had $50,000 for a house, but she was having it built. Since it was being built for her in a workshop, it had to be carted somewhere. Did the $50,000 include the price of land she was going to buy or lease space on? It didn't appear so, but I would have liked an explanation. Do the home buyers' budgets represent the cash they have to pay for a tiny house. (I realize the San Francisco couple probably didn't have $600,000 lying around, but did Alice have $50,000 cash for her shed?)

 

Also, the one she chose to have built was just ugly. It looked like a giant burnt black box. Some of her style choices for the inside -- like the exposed electrical boxes -- just didn't make sense. The second house was really the most appealing, even if it was over budget. The hobbit house was cute, but the sleeping arrangements were awful, and the giant glass door -- while interesting -- seemed to afford minimal privacy (unless there were blinds or curtains I didn't see).

[auntjess]

 

Did the $50,000 include the price of land she was going to buy or lease space on?

I was wondering the same thing.  I assume it doesn't, and unlike those who had vacation land or friends with a farm, I'd think parking it in Portland would be costly.

They really should discuss this.

[Snarkette]

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/stylish-low-cost-houses-designed-singles/

[auntjess]

Those are much nicer, and have real stairs with a railing.
I'd never have wanted to have to climb a ladder to go to bed.

[laredhead]

Climbing a ladder to go to bed is fun if you are a kid or maybe a teenager, but after that age I don't consider it fun.  I like these houses.

[auntjess]

Laredhead, I'd get a perverse pleasure knowing that one of these tiny house people broke or sprained and arm or a leg, and couldn't climb to the bed for a while.\

[SmithW6079]

Laredhead, I'd get a perverse pleasure knowing that one of these tiny house people broke or sprained and arm or a leg, and couldn't climb to the bed for a while.\

That's OK, they can always sleep on the 2-inch cushion that doubles as a couch and storage unit.

 

The sleeping lofts bother me, because there's no way to sit up comfortably, let alone allow for any sort of mildly acrobatic intimacy.

[Snarkette]

Why are there no real couches in tinyland? Don't people spend more time in their comfy chairs and couches than in their KING SIZE (er, QUEEN SIZE) lofts?

[auntjess]

Most don't seem to have any comfy places to curl up and read, or watch tv.
 

[Snarkette]

These people spend time in these homes, right? When they are conscious? Or are they too busy renting them out on AirBNB (with "Nashville Star" or whatever that bling name was on the side of the home) or imprisoning toddlers? Maybe there are no real chairs and couches because mommy is napping all day?

[auntjess]

Or trapped in the loft because daddy left the ladder in another configuration?
 

[Snarkette]

I know! Let's have a ladder that moves between the two lofts in a two-person situation because no one would ever get trapped that way.

 

Tiny life lessons: more murphy, less loft.

[auntjess]

Didn't one have those rings that you could grab and swing down, and one had the climbing wall.

Do these people never, ever have a touch of um intestinal distress in the middle of the night?

They should furnish one of these with items from resourcefurniture, a place on my "if I win the lottery list" since Rev Run's wife, Justine, shopped there for her guest room. 
A sofa that converts to bunk beds!  I just think they have the coolest things.

 

http://resourcefurniture.com/product-category/product-collections/transforming-furniture/
Added the link, because I love the stuff, and a tiny house would need it.

Edited March 18, 2015 by auntjess

[SmithW6079]

Didn't one have those rings that you could grab and swing down, and one had the climbing wall.

 

That was the guy who absolutely had to have a workout space in his tiny house. Because going to a real gym would have been onerous.

 

Do these people never, ever have a touch of um intestinal distress in the middle of the night?

 

 

I would not want to be using a composting toilet for that!

[laredhead]

I just watched the Nasville episode and I think those people are a bit delusional to think they can live in that space with a toddler.  It would be like they were all living in a playpen.  My den is 400 sf and I have been trying to imagine downsizing my possessions and living in a space the size of my den 24/7.  Then I tried envisioning an imaginary line down the middle of it and cutting the space to 200 sf.  No way could I do that unless I was forced to do so.  I guess tiny house living is not for me.  I wouldn't mind downsizing, but to try and live in a space between 200 and 400 sf would be extreme.  It's fine for a weekend get away for a couple of nights and in an area where there is a lot to do outside, but not on a permanent basis.

Edited March 20, 2015 by laredhead

[Snarkette]

Lots of people live sub-200 (and I'm talking US, big city, not the less developed world) in reasonable comfort, primarily in studio apartments. The secret is this: They live alone. They don't have to have separate "spaces" for two people to get away from each other, let alone toddlers and pets. Many of them live in high rises or old converted brownstones. Not everything has to be green, organic, or composting let alone towable. And best of all, a lot of them have full size tubs, Internet, and real water pressure. 

[qtpye]

I always think these tiny houses (the houses, not the overblown trailers) would be fine or even ideal for one person.  I can even see a couple, who give each other their personal space, doing well with the small area.

 

However, children is where I would have to draw the line.  Where I live, we had some bad weather late winter and the children could not go outside to play in the snow, because it was too fricken cold.  My daughter's preschool was also canceled.  Having energetic small children in a small space for the whole day is a recipe for disaster.  I do not think you need a giant Mcmansion, but you do need more then 200 square feet.

 

Also, when I was a teenager, I liked having my own space.  I was not doing anything nefarious or interesting, but that is the time where you start to want your own privacy.  I certainly would not want my family on top of me 24/7.  However, a small home that affords privacy is fine...just not a micro or tiny home.

[Snarkette]

So I took out http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062352019/150-best-mini-interior-ideas from the library. Everything is super pretty but absolutely no emphasis on the bathrooms. In fact about half of these places don't even have bathrooms. Why go mini if you can't actually live?

[auntjess]

I don't get it, Snarkette.
In many of the HGTV et al shows, bathrooms get short shrift.
To me, bathrooms outrank kitchens even.  I mean you CAN eat anywhere.

The ultimate foolishness, was on Love It or List It, when David tells the homeowners, "yes, you'd still only have one bathroom, but WHAT a bathroom."

[Snarkette]

This week, a raw-foodist mom to two toddlers ("by choice!") who is doing Yoga and a PhD "on the side" with all her free time, and apparently a trust fund, decides to imprison her sons "off the grid" without normal water, gas, electric, or a proper toilet in order to prove something to someone and get out of her Grandfather's guest house, which has been rented out for actual income.

 

Her disapproving family is invited to put everything needed to care for two toddlers into about 10 gallons of storage.

[auntjess]

Not a tiny house, but a new type small RV/camper. http://www.abc12.com/news/headlines/Made-in-Michigan-Eggcamper--302821031.html#.VUtB_1lMJus.facebook
 

[Terrafamilia]

Just saw the Jackson Hole episode. It dawned on me that the tiny home community they were looking at was basically a camp ground meets upscale trailer park.

[auntjess]

I disagree with both choices on TH Hunting last night, though I can see the arguements for the houseboat.
In the Washington state one, the only good outcome would have been if they had split up.
She didn't mine adding a half hour each way to his commute, but they couldn't move that much nearer his work, because the distance would make her kids not visit as much?
And in such a tiny place, how much company could you stand?

Hope he dumps her.

[zxy556575]

My main thoughts for the Washington couple were:

 

1. Bullshit.

2. Why even bother "downsizing" from a 700sf house on the water in the town you're determined not to leave?

3. A former professional baseball player and current business executive should have been able to save more money than this guy, what with the $150K budget. The woman can't be making much more than minimum wage as a shipping clerk for a cheap looking "custom" jewelry company.

 

I assume it's not easy for the producers to find people who really are searching for a tiny house, but now they're just fabricating the entire thing. There's no way that couple bought that house.

[SmithW6079]

My main thoughts for the Washington couple were:

1. Bullshit.

2. Why even bother "downsizing" from a 700sf house on the water in the town you're determined not to leave?

3. A former professional baseball player and current business executive should have been able to save more money than this guy, what with the $150K budget. The woman can't be making much more than minimum wage as a shipping clerk for a cheap looking "custom" jewelry company.

The budget thing didn't bother me so much. Just like the first couple, they probably could have afforded more, but didn't want the debt. There's nothing wrong with that. Also, not every ballplayer gets a multimillion-dollar contract.

I was a little confused about why they spent so much time on her job, especially since, as you pointed out, she was basically a shipping clerk, not even the designer or owner of the business.

So the ballplayer and shipping clerk now own two homes in the same town? Or does she still live with her daughter in her original house? I also got the sense the daughter wasn't necessarily enamored of the ballplayer.

The first wife was so annoying. I thought for sure it was going to be another case of the man folding and giving up what he wanted. It was a little sad that he had to speak to her mercenary side to get what he wanted.

[auntjess]

I didn't dislike the first wife. 
My first thought, on living on a boat in Charleston, would have been "remember Hugo," which made landfall there.

[SmithW6079]

The Lawn Guyland lesbians the other night were annoying (we don't all sound like that), and their desire for a "vacation" home even more puzzling. I liked the episode, in that I live on Long Island and knew the places they were talking about. However, from Farmingville (their home), East Patchogue (House #3) is 15 minutes away; Wading River (House #2) is 30 minutes away; and Southhampton the farthest (45 minutes). I could see if they wanted a house out toward the East End, say Orient Point or Montauk Point.

 

They both said that they shared custody of their children with their ex-husbands, so I would imagine there are times when they have their house in Farmingville to themselves, and I didn't understand the need for a separate house just the two of them, especially when the dark-haired lesbian kept talking about needing a kitchen for the big dinners she'd make for family and friends.

 

The Long Island Sound is nice, but personally I'd rather be on the ocean than the Sound. The Wading River house was right on the beach. If you want a beach house, that's the one you go for. I thought it was the cutest of the houses, too, although the loft cottage was OK. Good for them, though, in negotiating a lower price for the beach house.

 

The kid buying the row house in Baltimore? Just had entitled d-bag manchild written all over him. Saying you had a $200K budget, but willing to go over it without a second thought because you absolutely positively have to live in this neighborhood? And not just over it, but by 25 percent. Why didn't the friend explain the concept of "house rich, cash poor" to him? What was the point of her being there, anyway, since she told him to go for the over-budget house? And, no, John, going $25,000 over budget did not "save" him anything if his budget was $200,000. It's slightly less over budget than $250,000, but that's it. 

 

Is saying the houses come furnished Tiny House Hunting's way of getting around House Hunters' folly of pretending the move-in boxes/existing furniture aren't the new homeowners'? 

[auntjess]

On the LI couple, I was glad they didn't go for the big kitchen over beach.
I'm wondering if they'll just rent it out for a lot of the year, since that's what they do.
Did they say where the Baltimore guy was from?  It was obviously somewhere else.

I was really surprised that code allowed that open stairway, with no railing.

Was hoping that one of them might offer a parking pad in the back, but I guess not.

[zxy556575]

They both said that they shared custody of their children with their ex-husbands, so I would imagine there are times when they have their house in Farmingville to themselves, and I didn't understand the need for a separate house just the two of them, especially when the dark-haired lesbian kept talking about needing a kitchen for the big dinners she'd make for family and friends.

 

I agree they were annoying. I ended up muting rather than listening to the brunette drone on any more about the bloody kitchen. If she needed a large kitchen, then turn the entire 200 sf into one and put a couple of cots in the middle. Jeez.

 

Of they wanted someplace to get away by themselves, go to a B & B on the weekend -- or -- here's an idea! Use one of your own vacation rental houses.

[SmithW6079]

Of they wanted someplace to get away by themselves, go to a B & B on the weekend -- or -- here's an idea! Use one of your own vacation rental houses.

Did they actually own the properties? I got the impression they were more like realtors, arranging tenants for others' rental properties.

[zxy556575]

I heard the narration as they managed rentals and owned some of them. "I heard" may or may not be what was actually said, of course

[zxy556575]

The two men wanting a pied-à-terre in NYC weren't the most annoying I've seen, but the tiny one looked like a turtle with that bulky wool scarf looped around his neck and skinny head poking out. I could have done without the 3-act play entitled "Where On Earth Would We Eat?"

 

The first apartment with the dining table on pulleys -- whaaa? Just fold up the legs and tip it up against the wall.

 

NYC has so many tiny apartments it could be a series all by itself.

 

I really liked the prefab house the Washington State couple was going to move onto the island.

[SmithW6079]

At first I was excited that this was another Lawn Guyland episode; I'm familiar with Amityville, so I was anxious to see where they were going. Still, a Manhattan episode was fine.

However, I'm not a fan of bitchy effeminate gay men, so the tall one annoyed me right off the bat. Also not a fan of drag performers, so that was strike two. Did they say he was an actual performer in shows or just a "character" he was trying to develop? Because if it's the latter, isn't he too old to be a club kid? Also, the whining about not being downtown or needing quiet when he was hung over all the time was strike three.

I liked the 5-in-1 the best, but it and the first apartment were really one-person places.

As for the Seattle one, why are the wives in these shows always such bitches? I get that she might be frustrated by the never-ending projects, but she shot down everything the husband said, which was especially troubling because the tinkering was obviously something he enjoyed.

I was embarrassed for the wife when the husband and the designer were getting excited about what they could create, and the Wicked Witch of the West stood glaring off to the side trying to determine how she could get the little dog too.

Who doesn't want input in a home they're designing from scratch? It was like the wife was ready to cut her nose off to spite her face if it meant she could stop her husband from getting any sense of enjoyment from creating their vacation home.

What surprised me was that the husband wasn't even trying to hide his annoyance/disdain for the way she kept pissing on his plans. Whenever she would make a comment about thwarting his plans to be active in the design and construction of their house, he'd give her the side-eye.

The pods were really cool. It's amazing what they can do with them, and I would totally live in one. Well, maybe not the three-part one. I would hate to have to go to another pod just to go to the bathroom, especially if it was raining.

Edited June 17, 2015 by SmithW6079

[zxy556575]

The NYC episode was careful to include the phrase "furniture included," but if that wasn't already their apartment, I'll eat one of the tall guy's drag wigs.

Edited June 20, 2015 by lordonia

[Snarkette]

I'm pretty sure *all* of these follow the standard House Hunter model. You never see negotiations or lost sales, or anything real. I do enjoy peeking into other people's homes, which is why I watch, but the "drama", the "conversations", all of it is fake and stupid and takes away from the design story. Tiny House nation, where you see the build, is far better but even then there's a fake "OMG, we need to move in 5-7 days" story. Always. And for some reason, no one realizes that they're going to have to downsize until All Knowing Tiny Patriarch indoctrinates them into the Church of the Holy Composting Toilet.

[SmithW6079]

And for some reason, no one realizes that they're going to have to downsize until All Knowing Tiny Patriarch indoctrinates them into the Church of the Holy Composting Toilet.

Brilliant.

[auntjess]

I don't know if any of you watch Salvage Dawgs, but recently they were salvaging from an old jail.
They took several toilet/sink combos from the cells, and Mike thought they'd maybe sell them to some of the tiny house believers, because they were dual purpose.

http://shop.blackdogsalvage.com/collections/old-robeson-jail/products/sink-toilet-combo-jail-cell

Edited July 12, 2015 by auntjess

[zxy556575]

Haha! Perfect! Of course, once I personally squatted down that far to sit on the toilet, I'd never be able to get up again.

[DownTheShore]

I was watching some tiny house show, don't remember which one, that involved a couple who are theater set designers/decorators building a tiny home that they could live in wherever they landed a job. They were building it by themselves, on a friend's property in Boston, but what stuck me about it was that they didn't seem to be insulating it at all. They had all these pulleys rigged up to lift the roof and slide clerestory windows into place, but none of it looked really weather-tight.

[auntjess]

I thought they had some insulation in the main part, but maybe not enough,
I did like that couple more than many of these tiny house people.
And am I an awful person because I want to see a show where little people buy a tiny house?
 

[DownTheShore]

Now THAT would be interesting!

I have to admit, I enjoy the tiny house shows because the participants' mentality is usually so different from my own. My bedroom is 255 sq. ft. and I can't imagine two people living full-time in this amount of space. And those ones that want to live in even a smaller space? I sort of think that they've never quite outgrown that "hey, let's build a clubhouse" phase of childhood - lol.

[izabella]

I was watching some tiny house show, don't remember which one, that involved a couple who are theater set designers/decorators building a tiny home that they could live in wherever they landed a job. They were building it by themselves, on a friend's property in Boston, but what stuck me about it was that they didn't seem to be insulating it at all. They had all these pulleys rigged up to lift the roof and slide clerestory windows into place, but none of it looked really weather-tight.

 

I saw that one and couldn't help thinking those ropes were not going to last particularly long since they were exposed to the elements being on the outside.  I dunno, I'd think those would rot after a while, and they certainly wouldn't work as well when wet because they'd be thicker after absorbing water.  And the pulleys could rust. 

 

Maybe I'm wrong, but I just thought that was a really dumb system if they really plan to live in that house and use the pulleys to lift the roof regularly.

 

I'd hate to see any of these houses try to deal with a big snowstorm or thunderstorm with major wind.  Most of them clearly do not have insulation of any kind, neither roof nor walls, because we can see the exposed walls in almost all of them.  They don't even mention insulation.

 

I much prefer the tiny/small houses that are actually real houses (tied into sewer and water and electricity) in cities, like the guy who bought the small rowhouse in Baltimore, or the lesbian couple on Long Island, or the gay couple who bought a Wisconisn (or was it Minnesota) vacation cottage, or the couple in San Francisco who bought in Bernal Heights.  Those seem like places that real people would actually live/vacation, rather than the tiny stand-alones with their composting toilets. 

 

I guess none of those stand-alone tiny house people ever get tired of bumping into each other every 5 minutes, barely moving around or knocking into things, and having to climb ladders to get to the composting toilet.  I'll bet they all have bruises everywhere.  And those toilets will not be fun to have to constantly empty in all weather.  God forbid any of them get sick.

Edited July 21, 2015 by izabella

[DownTheShore]

What is driving me crazy (besides composting toilets) are the women who must have a bathtub in their tiny house. And when they do get one, they have to sit all scrunched up to just fit in the thing. How relaxing is that? Not to mention that those wooden bathtubs are eventually all going to leak.

[auntjess]

I've decided that Tiny House: Big Living, on HGTV, is the best of the lot.
Real people go to builders in their area, and they have have specific needs and sometimes plans, in hand.
In a recent one, a winery owner had 2 different builders each build a tiny house, for guests to rent.
Family builder won the prize, but I bet mosts paying guests will prefer the one built by bigger builder, with nicer interior.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I don't like Tiny House: Big Living, perhaps for the same reasons you do like it.  Like the winery one--I would rather get a good tiny house than one that was made on a 10-day deadline.  And most of the episodes I've seen have a running thing about whether the house will be finished in time, how the builder had to stay there until after midnight working, or had to hire extra people to get it done in time.  I'm more interested in the design, and how people deal with the challenges of a small space.

 

But it's the same with the manufactured story lines on various house-hunting shows--I just want to see what the houses are like in various places and could do without the drama.  But then again, there was a show just like that on a local Los Angeles channel for a while, and even I have to admit it was kind of boring.