Tiny House Nation - General Discussion

[debraran]

Lol, I was going to leave Zack a note on his FB...Please, tell me where do they put their clothes?? Even in Zack's really tiny house, HE has a closet for his ski jackets and boots.  The girls loft was cute, loved the privacy door, she had room for trunks, etc. The other room was cramped and I didn't see any place for their clothes either. Loved the table but if they could spend a little  more, 400 sq feet might have worked better.

I also still don't understand the electricity part, I see no wires or generators and with 5 people taking showers, etc. is the tank that large? 

Nice family though, not grating on the nerves and they seemed "real" but I don't see how it works without more storage.  Even cleaning supplies, like a mop or swifter, need a little closet.

[debraran]

3 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

what I wonder is with all these people having to sell when they have no place to put the trailer, why is this not being addressed. Like making them RV standard so at least they can go to an RV park. 

That's very important. Early on on THN, and I'm sure it happened to other folks building one,  many were turned away from parks not realizing they had to fit a certain criteria to stay and many weren't allowed to stay long if they did. One couple wanted to see all the states got very discouraged, but you really have to do your homework.

When I hear you are on a "friends property" or your parents land, I still have to wonder if you are off grid or illegally hooking up to something. 

I also see homes on Tiny House Listings that were built on THN and they will say, "upgraded insulation, upgraded roof,upgraded floor" Since they are so "young" I wonder how well they are built. I see upgraded insulation a lot.

[psychoticstate]

2 hours ago, debraran said:

The girls loft was cute, loved the privacy door, she had room for trunks, etc. The other room was cramped and I didn't see any place for their clothes either. Loved the table but if they could spend a little  more, 400 sq feet might have worked better.

I really did like the 11 year old girl and her affection for Paris.  Her loft space turned out nice, although like with her parents' loft, you can't stand.  It appeared that she couldn't even sit on that cute cushion by the desk because the head space was so low.  That would be a major deal breaker for me - - I have back and neck issues and could never deal with being hunched over like that any time I needed to be in my bedroom. 

The "room" for the two youngest girls was TINY (no pun intended.)  It looked maybe the size of a closet.  Was there even a window in there?  So no door unless you keep the bathroom wide open?  And if you need to use the bathroom and close the door, it means opening up the little girls' space?  

Since they bumped out the trailer to accommodate the dining space, why didn't they bump it out to make the little girls' space larger?  Or make the bathroom larger?  

[debraran]

24 minutes ago, psychoticstate said:

 

The "room" for the two youngest girls was TINY (no pun intended.)  It looked maybe the size of a closet.  Was there even a window in there?  So no door unless you keep the bathroom wide open?  And if you need to use the bathroom and close the door, it means opening up the little girls' space?  

Since they bumped out the trailer to accommodate the dining space, why didn't they bump it out to make the little girls' space larger?  Or make the bathroom larger?  

I forgot about that, maybe a barn door would have been better for the bathroom, that was odd and might be noisy.

Are the ceilings always so low because of the "on wheels" regulation for height? I've seen some a short person could stand in, maybe 5 feet or a little more, but that cutey will outgrow this space in a year or so. I think she loved being alone and the privacy aspect the most.

I hope they do a foundation home again soon. I think small can be doable but not as you said with crouching and banging heads and having no privacy even in the bathroom. ; )

[Snarkette]

Episodes like this make waver between "fakeity fake fake" and "call CPS" as my desired outcome

[auntjess]

Tomorrow, 10/29, at 7:30 AM ET, is my favorite Tiny House World.  It's a classic.
http://www.fyi.tv/shows/tiny-house-world/season-1/episode-10/tiny-two-story-pop-up

[debraran]

I never saw Tiny House World...when is it on? That house, kind of a cool design,but did it have a bathroom and were they in parents backyard?

I thought I saw a similar model but it was a home with kitchen, etc.

[auntjess]

It's on FYI and on whenever.
Yes, this the one with no bathroom, in her folks backyard.
It's like a playhouse for pretty old children.
It just cracks me up when I see it.

[langway]

Alright I'm watching the episode called "350 sq. ft. Outdoor Adventure House" The couple has two young boys and they showed them the unfinished house and these kids are not having this shit, lol. The older one said right off the bat "This IS NOT fun." I guess the parents said it would be. Now they're trying to figure out a way to make it "fun" for them. Did the parents really think just living in a tiny house would be enough fun for them? They're kids! 

[debraran]

I saw this home in an ad for tiny houses and was impressed with how nice it was compared to some others. (still too much of a box for my taste though) But then I saw the price, and although 105,000 might be fair for the wood and extra touches, it was what I spent for mine 20 years ago and I have a small colonial, 3 bedrooms, etc. Even though mine is worth closer to 175 now, I still think tiny homes are getting closer and closer to regular foundation homes. It might make them more attractive, but not the original point of affordability. This kitchen has storage I would love though.

http://rockymountaintinyhouses.com/red-mountain-34-tiny-house/

Edited November 19, 2016 by debraran

[qtpye]

On 10/3/2016 at 8:28 PM, Snarkette said:

I suspect a lot of these tiny movementers are AirB&B'ing their "new life" (so supplemental income, as seen on Tiny House Nation!),  using it as a second/vacation home, or create an artificial basement on a relative's land until they move on to a real home.

The show is really all about a downsizing cult ("downsize but maintain your middle class status, but simplify and lower your debt"), the participants include a fair number of opportunists as well as some misguided cultists, and an awful lot of put upon children, pets, and spouses.

Lacking from this show: studio apartments, trailer parks, moving out to someplace in Wyoming, and proper toilet hook-ups that neither compost nor burn. "Ted Kaczynski with upscale counter tops!"

 

On 10/16/2016 at 4:06 PM, debraran said:

That's very important. Early on on THN, and I'm sure it happened to other folks building one,  many were turned away from parks not realizing they had to fit a certain criteria to stay and many weren't allowed to stay long if they did. One couple wanted to see all the states got very discouraged, but you really have to do your homework.

When I hear you are on a "friends property" or your parents land, I still have to wonder if you are off grid or illegally hooking up to something. 

I also see homes on Tiny House Listings that were built on THN and they will say, "upgraded insulation, upgraded roof,upgraded floor" Since they are so "young" I wonder how well they are built. I see upgraded insulation a lot.

That is the rub. Truthfully, trailers would fit these people's needs much better than these unregulated little houses, but that would mean that they are downwardly mobile and no longer middle class and a lot of these supposed "minimalists" are very class conscious.

https://timeline.com/history-trailer-part-mobile-home-poverty-74bb8a7c44be

[jumper sage]

I think the regulations are beginning to show.  Just caught a rerun of Tiny House Nation but they were rehabbing a foundation home and putting in their space savings ideas.  I liked the house.  It was in Florida and was a Victorian, to match the neighborhood, with a modern interior.

[debraran]

They are starting to film a new season after a year break, Zack Giffin mentioned on his FB page.  I hope they improve it but I really thought the whole "living in a trailer house on wheels" got old. Foundation homes, smaller space, I'd love to see ideas that make more out of less.  Seeing them for sale months or a year later was disheartening for many who loved the movement but when they were giving teasers for sales before the show even hit the airways, that was just silly. It was a gamble to think the show would sell the house (many didn't) but if they don't address this, Zack's work with vets and others for affordable housing wont be taken seriously.

[jumper sage]

I agree @debraran - I have a friend with the coolest house/property.  It is 600 sq ft and is very well appointed.  It has an open kitchen/living area with a tiny hall way that has a corner bathroom with full size tub/shower, tiny bedroom, home office with a large closet.  A walkthrough laundry room to back door completes the house.  There is a front door in the living room with a tiny hall that has large hidden closets on both sides which actually creates the hallway.  She is on an acre and 1/2 with detached garage, high fenced in party yard with a party shed that can open up to serve food and drinks on a large counter.  A veggie garden and fire pit complete the back.  Her front yard is huge with a tiny forest of trees.  The house is set back off the street as it was built with room to add onto the front if needed/wanted.  I love her house/property.  It is perfect for 1 person and her menagerie of pets.  She has been taking ideas from the small house movement and applying them.  She now has a clothes line inside that pulls out and detracts like an outdoor one, very handy.  She has mounted her ironing board flat on the wall behind a door and it can pull down much like the tables in a tiny house.  She has purchased smaller/lower furniture and stackable benches with pads for a roomier feel.

I would love to see what they could do with her house to make it more useful in its space.

The best part is that it is a real house on a foundation and even has a crawl space/storm shelter within the house that houses her furnace and other things one would need to get to.  She is the 3rd owner over 40 years and it has gone by word of mouth, no advertising necessary.

Edited June 12, 2018 by jumper sage

[debraran]

4 hours ago, jumper sage said:

I agree @debraran - I have a friend with the coolest house/property.  It is 600 sq ft and is very well appointed.  It has an open kitchen/living area with a tiny hall way that has a corner bathroom with full size tub/shower, tiny bedroom, home office with a large closet.  A walkthrough laundry room to back door completes the house.  There is a front door in the living room with a tiny hall that has large hidden closets on both sides which actually creates the hallway.  She is on an acre and 1/2 with detached garage, high fenced in party yard with a party shed that can open up to serve food and drinks on a large counter.  A veggie garden and fire pit complete the back.  Her front yard is huge with a tiny forest of trees.  The house is set back off the street as it was built with room to add onto the front if needed/wanted.  I love her house/property.  It is perfect for 1 person and her menagerie of pets.  She has been taking ideas from the small house movement and applying them.  She now has a clothes line inside that pulls out and detracts like an outdoor one, very handy.  She has mounted her ironing board flat on the wall behind a door and it can pull down much like the tables in a tiny house.  She has purchased smaller/lower furniture and stackable benches with pads for a roomier feel.

I would love to see what they could do with her house to make it more useful in its space.

The best part is that it is a real house on a foundation and even has a crawl space/storm shelter within the house that houses her furnace and other things one would need to get to.  She is the 3rd owner over 40 years and it has gone by word of mouth, no advertising necessary.

 

My coworker has a 700 ft home that is 2 small bedrooms (one for storage/office) but layout seems similar. Her land isn't as large but enough for her a patio area/shed keep things neat in the yard. She has an attic crawl space she uses for holiday storage and things she doesn't want to part with but doesn't want downstairs (albums/luggage etc) I like looking at tips for foundation homes, my daughter has the Ikea table shown a lot on THN shows. It folds on both sides and has 6 drawers in the middle. Really useful. Built in bookcases or dressers save space too.

It's much harder with kids, but there have been smaller homes shown online with families of 4 or 5. Bunkbeds, limited toys and lots of cool organization make it work but like any home I'm sure there are days that it looks like a disaster. ; )

This family did it with 6 but I wouldn't suggest it. ; )  They had them on a catch up show, I haven't seen yet. https://www.facebook.com/pg/tinyhousefor6/posts/?ref=page_internal

Edited June 12, 2018 by debraran

[jumper sage]

I remember that episode.  I am glad they put their own stamp on it.  I too wish they would have updated in the last 3 years.

[Minivanessa]

Don't forget the tie-downs. Tiny house blown over.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 10/16/2016 at 4:48 PM, psychoticstate said:

The "room" for the two youngest girls was TINY (no pun intended.)  It looked maybe the size of a closet.  Was there even a window in there?  So no door unless you keep the bathroom wide open?  And if you need to use the bathroom and close the door, it means opening up the little girls' space? 

This episode was on TV yesterday.  Maybe on Bravo?

Anyway, I'm glad to hear I wasn't imagining things with that door.  It reminded me of many of the things Zach does, which are efficient, but are completely impractical.

.

On 10/3/2016 at 5:18 PM, psychoticstate said:

The composting toilet was gross.  I thought it was wrong to basically make the oldest son do all the work insofar as carrying the bucket through the house (with warnings not to spill it) and pour it outside. The dad should have done that, especially since he was so gung ho about it. 

Well, people always wonder what tiny house dwellers do with their waste water, and now they know. 

It's illegal in a lot of areas to dump gray water (shower, sink) on the ground, but this kid pours a few gallons of undiluted human urine in their flower bed. 

What bugged me about these people (and pretty much every tiny house family with kids) is that they seem to think that the only way to be close to your kids is to cram everybody in on top of each other.  The little girl in this episode seemed to appreciate the closeness, and I put it on the parents that they weren't giving her that before.

ETA:  At the end, the dad said he was still into the tiny house thing, and thought he'd look for something in the 900-square-foot range.  I'm not into huge houses, but even I think that's pretty small for a family of five. 

What's the point of intentionally having a smaller house than what would be comfortable?  Bragging rights?  Is he really a finer human being for having his family of five in 900 square feet, as opposed to, say, 1500 square feet, which would still be "cozy"?

It reminds me of the people who say they have to move into a tiny house because the don't want their lives to be dictated by possessions.  I have an idea--don't let your life be dictated by possessions regardless of where you live, and if you're too weak to do it without hopping on the hip tiny house bandwagon, then maybe you need to look into that.

.

Edited February 17, 2019 by StatisticalOutlier

[debraran]

Saw on FB it’s restarting on 3/13 on AE

If people  watch they’ll make more but time will tell .   I think the THOW fad is ebbing but I see some YouTube shows  that show many tiny homes that aren’t mobile that are nicely done.

[jumper sage]

19 hours ago, debraran said:

Saw on FB it’s restarting on 3/13 on AE

If people  watch they’ll make more but time will tell .   I think the THOW fad is ebbing but I see some YouTube shows  that show many tiny homes that aren’t mobile that are nicely done.

Nice to see that this show is moving in that direction.  My friend lives in a 550 sq ft house on nice property with a foundation and crawl space.  It is very well appointed and everyone loves it.  The owner before her, it has been sold from friend to friend, put in a small garage.  She is in the suburbs, has sewer, water, electricity just like the bigger homes surrounding her.  She really is in a gem of a house with a beautiful lot.

Now that Bravo is running this show - yay - I am, once again, astounded at how stupid people are.  You can't go from a 2200 sq ft house to 375 sq ft and think your are taking everything with you.  They must think the tiny house is a magic house.

[debraran]

The new show is on A & E not bravo. I hope they have some foundation homes. My friend has a 700 sq ft one she loves.  Time will tell.

you should check out Living big in a tiny house” on you tube.  Wonderful host (Australian) and great homes.

https://m.youtube.com/user/livingbigtinyhouse

Edited February 22, 2019 by debraran

[StatisticalOutlier]

I watched another batch of them on Bravo yesterday, several of which were Family Edition.  I was already wondering why I watch this show when all it does it make me either roll my eyes or get mad, and then they throw a bunch of kids into the 350 square foot mess, or worse, parents who would put their kids in that situation.

Yeah, Zach Zack--the 15-year-old girl sharing a crouching loft with her little brother is going to be fine with just a rag hanging there between their beds.

And there was one couple that was staying on the street in the Bay Area--had the TH parked on the street along the curb in front of a friend's house.  The steps to the TH extended onto the sidewalk, and there were power cords running from the friend's house across the sidewalk to the TH.  How is that allowed?

I know there's a housing crisis in the Bay Area, and I've seen streets that are lined with decrepit trailers, but those are almost always right up against the freeway or in an area of vacant lots.  I can't believe people in regular neighborhoods are going to put up with people running power cords across their sidewalks, never mind the obnoxiousness of living quarters parked on their street.

Maybe that's why the friend's face was blurred. 

I'd be happy to never see another TH on wheels because they're just ridiculous.  Now, very small foundation houses?  Oh yeah.  Have people choose what size to make it, instead of being limited to 8-1/2 feet wide and 13-1/2 feet tall, and put creativity into making something actually livable instead of something that merely can be lived in.  Of course, Zach Zack would be out of a job because few people look forward to channeling Rube Goldberg every time they want to sit down to eat.

Edited March 4, 2019 by StatisticalOutlier
I don't like him, but that's no reason to spell his name wrong.

[debraran]

9 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I watched another batch of them on Bravo yesterday, several of which were Family Edition.  I was already wondering why I watch this show when all it does it make me either roll my eyes or get mad, and then they throw a bunch of kids into the 350 square foot mess, or worse, parents who would put their kids in that situation.

Yeah, Zach--the 15-year-old girl sharing a crouching loft with her little brother is going to be fine with just a rag hanging there between their beds.

And there was one couple that was staying on the street in the Bay Area--had the TH parked on the street along the curb in front of a friend's house.  The steps to the TH extended onto the sidewalk, and there were power cords running from the friend's house across the sidewalk to the TH.  How is that allowed?

I know there's a housing crisis in the Bay Area, and I've seen streets that are lined with decrepit trailers, but those are almost always right up against the freeway or in an area of vacant lots.  I can't believe people in regular neighborhoods are going to put up with people running power cords across their sidewalks, never mind the obnoxiousness of living quarters parked on their street.

Maybe that's why the friend's face was blurred. 

I'd be happy to never see another TH on wheels because they're just ridiculous.  Now, very small foundation houses?  Oh yeah.  Have people choose what size to make it, instead of being limited to 8-1/2 feet wide and 13-1/2 feet tall, and put creativity into making something actually livable instead of something that merely can be lived in.  Of course, Zach would be out of a job because few people look forward to channeling Rube Goldberg every time they want to sit down to eat.

Judging from Zack's FB page, they are trying to drum up interest in new show. Was a long time coming. I think they know although interest in small homes for vets etc is still high, TWOW not as much. This one looks like nice playhouse but for living in?

[debraran]

I watched the first show eating breakfast this morning. AE has it on their site. Nothing that great, liked the outside of this big house , the colors, and some components but not that special. I thought they made the couple seem a bit dense, I thought an engineer would understand about fire hazards and space but it is a TV show. The wife seemed a bit underwhelmed at the end, seemed to just occur to her that smells from cooking would permeate the entire home and get on their clothes etc. It can do that in a larger home, did she really think a tiny home would be different? I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that will be on tiny house listings like many others in a year or so.

The storage was nice but I've seen better on other shows and any time you have to do too many steps to achieve something, you don't tend to do it often. I remember a puzzle Zack did for someone with chairs and table, etc and they said later, they kept the pieces out (which took space) because it was tiring to keep doing it everyday.

I do love seeing stair storage and pullouts for kitchen storage and love turn-a-round walls but these things can be put in regular homes also. Stairs always have unused space, even a door under them would be nice.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 3/14/2019 at 4:37 AM, debraran said:

The storage was nice but I've seen better on other shows and any time you have to do too many steps to achieve something, you don't tend to do it often. I remember a puzzle Zack did for someone with chairs and table, etc and they said later, they kept the pieces out (which took space) because it was tiring to keep doing it everyday.

That's what drives me crazy about many of Zack's solutions.  They're clever, but they're not practical. 

I tried to watch some of the Bravo reruns today, but I just can't.  Every time John says, "You guys" it's like a stab in my ear, and he does it constantly.  I don't like anything about the show enough to put up with that any more.

[debraran]

12 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

That's what drives me crazy about many of Zack's solutions.  They're clever, but they're not practical. 

I tried to watch some of the Bravo reruns today, but I just can't.  Every time John says, "You guys" it's like a stab in my ear, and he does it constantly.  I don't like anything about the show enough to put up with that any more.

I tried the new ones , pretty bad to me. The last one was supposed to be touching but I found the adult daughter beyond annoying. I asked both hosts if there would be any foundation homes on FB. Both didn’t answer my question, So I guess not. Too bad. 

[debraran]

Kind of funny comedian I found by accident   (makes fun of tiny homes etc)

[jumper sage]

I can't get over the shoes.  The shoes are driving me crazy.  Why would people sleep next to a rack of dirty shoes?  IT MAKES NO SENSE!

@debraran - that was hilarious.  Thanks.

[jumper sage]

On 3/3/2019 at 5:45 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

the TH parked on the street along the curb in front of a friend's house.  The steps to the TH extended onto the sidewalk, and there were power cords running from the friend's house across the sidewalk to the TH.  How is that allowed?

It's not.  I remember when the eastern seaboard went out and people on one side of the street were running outdoor extension cords to the other side of the street.  We actually went to city hall and asked if we could.  They had to be heavy duty outdoor cords.

[ombelico]

Watched two episodes of this on Netflix, so I'm not sure which season they were from. I haven't seen it before on regular TV, but I gather it's been on A&E? At any rate, the first episode featured a soon-to-be-married couple who were building the tiny house in Georgia and then moving it to Maine, and the second featured a 25-year-old daughter whose estranged dad was building the tiny house for her.

I felt like the first episode spent WAY too much time on the "problem" of their hobbies (him - playing the banjo, her - sewing). They never even showed where these people were going to keep their clothes. Also, while natural light is important, the entire front of the house was a gigantic bay window, which didn't seem like a good use of limited space. I also didn't get why a tiny house was a good solution for these two. Real estate in Maine is not that expensive, and he already has a job lined up there. If they saved their money, instead of sinking it into this tiny house, they easily could save a down payment on a mortgage, especially for small town Maine.

My issue in the second episode wasn't so much with the house but with the woman the house was intended for. She's 25, living in Zionsville, Indiana, and can't move out of her mom's house, except to move into a tiny house in the backyard?  She lives right near Indianapolis, and has a college degree (a folder from Indiana U was in the background): why can't she get a job and a small apartment? It's not expensive! Or share one with a roommate (e.g., one of these friends she wants to have so many "dinner parties" with, or with her twin sister). The dog she has is small, so finding a pet-friendly apartment shouldn't be a problem. If she had been living in the Bay Area or other similarly expensive place, I'd have had more sympathy, but in Indiana? No way! Get a job and a real place to live.

[debraran]

On 9/1/2019 at 5:44 PM, ombelico said:

Watched two episodes of this on Netflix, so I'm not sure which season they were from. I haven't seen it before on regular TV, but I gather it's been on A&E? At any rate, the first episode featured a soon-to-be-married couple who were building the tiny house in Georgia and then moving it to Maine, and the second featured a 25-year-old daughter whose estranged dad was building the tiny house for her.

I felt like the first episode spent WAY too much time on the "problem" of their hobbies (him - playing the banjo, her - sewing). They never even showed where these people were going to keep their clothes. Also, while natural light is important, the entire front of the house was a gigantic bay window, which didn't seem like a good use of limited space. I also didn't get why a tiny house was a good solution for these two. Real estate in Maine is not that expensive, and he already has a job lined up there. If they saved their money, instead of sinking it into this tiny house, they easily could save a down payment on a mortgage, especially for small town Maine

The new ones on A & E are starting this week. Netflix has older episodes. I didn't like them myself. I found myself FF to the end when they show the home but it seemed "off" even for them. The one with the dad made me uncomfortable and I don't know how it was edited but most of them have me wondering how soon it will be for sale. There was another forum, showcasing how soon they would be for sale, some even before they aired. I realize they are fine for some people but as you said in some parts of the country, it's not expensive to have an apartment or small home that wont blow away in a storm.

Storage is always an issue and laundry for some, I know just being a couple now how often I do clothes especially if you don't own a lot, so that is always a question mark to me when not mentioned.

I really do enjoy this show

Bryce goes around the country looking for unique tiny homes (wheels and foundation) and all ages etc.  Most of his homes are built by the owners or with help but have been lived in for a while and some he revisits. You'll see modern, hobbit style, off grid and in between.