I Am Infatuated With Tiny Houses

I seriously love, love, love tiny houses.  I have been researching them online and watching home movies about them posted on You Tube.  I am so impressed with how they are made, the whole self sustaining, off grid, low footprint lifestyle, and the economy behind these cozy little homes. 

They are tiny, no doubt about that.  You would have to seriously purge and downsize to live full time in one of these but I also think it would be a pretty liberating experience.  I am really impressed by the families that are making it work and how they do it. 

I want to build one in the worst way.  I think it would make the perfect cabin and be a great back up option, just in case.  Some people build them from scratch with all new purchased materials while others scrounge around and collect items to reclaim and recycle.  You can build one for as much or as little money as you would like. 

In my own research I figured out that the best way to acquire your flatbed trailer frame is to purchase an old travel trailer and strip it down to the frame.  In the process, depending on the condition of the RV, you can reuse a lot of the stuff already in it like the 12 volt lights and wiring, propane stove, refrigerator and hot water heater, shower pan, sinks, hardware, etc.  If you don’t want an avocado green stove or golden harvest refrigerator you can just use appliance paint to give them a more modern look. 

For a single person I think they are ideal.  I think if you built one with a downstairs bedroom it would work well for a retired person or retired couple too.  Definitely something I’m willing to consider.  Can you imagine what it would be like to own a small chunk of land and the home it sits on free and clear with no monthly utility bills? 

You would have your annual property taxes but that would be for bare land as, in most states, these tiny homes rank as RV status.  You would also have your annual DMV registration to pay in that case. 

You could put in a septic tank or, like many, use a composting toilet.  A lot of people have one indoors and another one outdoors and they set up their showers the way same too.  Gray water, from showers, tubs and sinks, is re-used to water gardens and flower pots.  Some collect water off their roofs in rain barrels, while others dig wells or are situated near a natural spring or other water source. 

Use of solar panels with batteries or gas powered generators provides electricity when they need it and they cook and heat with wood or propane.  The ingenuity of these tiny home dwellers is amazing to me and quite inspiring as they figure out ways to exist comfortably outside the mainstream. 

I have to laugh though as almost everyone seemed to have a laptop and a cell phone and many had an HDTV set up.  We sure do like our little luxuries don’t we? 

Could you ever conceive of becoming a tiny house dweller yourself?