Friday, January 2, 2015

Could You Live in a Tiny House by Melinda Curtis

From Tiny House Nation
I'm constantly fascinated by what's on TV. Suddenly, there's a plethora of shows about living in houses that have less than 700 square feet - most are around 200! Tiny House Nation. Tiny House Hunters. I'm sure there is another show in the works.

For those of you challenged to imagine how small this really is: a 10 foot x 10 foot room = 100 square feet. Imagine putting your kitchen, living areas, bathroom, and bedroom in what for most people is the size of two bedrooms! Yikes!

Although now I see they are featuring "portable tiny houses" that are essentially wooden trailers. I'm not sure I see a difference between a fiberglass built trailer and one of these tiny homes on wheels. The gas required to move your tiny wooden home would be astronomical given the weight. But it looks awfully pretty, doesn't it?
Tumbleweed Tiny House Co.

The interesting thing about the show Tiny House Nation is they help families move into these small homes. And by help, I mean, they force them to give up much of their stuff. Essentially, they take a rubber life raft and whatever you can fit into it, you can take with you when you move. Everything else? Well, they say you must get rid of it. Which makes me wonder if these people are renting storage spaces for their extra stuff.

Recently, as I was watching one of these shows, I began to wonder. Could I live in a tiny home? I came up with a test for myself and I'd like to share it with you to see if a tiny home is something you could consider in your future.

1. How many pairs of shoes do you have? I counted nearly 50 pairs. In my defense, I'm a runner, a biker, an attendee of formal events and business meetings. I don't think I could pare my shoes down to 3-4 pairs. FAIL!

2. How many coffee cups do you have? I have close to 30. Why? Because I drink 2-3 cups of coffee or tea a day and people know I do. That means they give me coffee cups. I might be able to pare my collection down to 4-5. FAIL!

3. How many boxes of holiday decorations do you have? I have 10. I know I don't use my grandmother's ornaments, but I love them. I look at them every holiday and then put up my newer ornaments. FAIL!

4. Could you sleep in a loft platform bed? Oh, boy. Might just as well put a big FAIL right here. When we visit our kids in another state, we sleep on one of those inflatable mattresses. If that's anything like a platform bed, I'd need a daily massage to get moving.

5. Could you survive a stay-at-home vacation in a tiny house with your family? Considering the types of television shows Mr. Curtis watches...no. FAIL!

So, I guess I won't be part of the Tiny House Nation. How about you? Would you be able to move into a tiny house?

Melinda Curtis is an award wnning, USA Today bestselling author.  She writes both sweet and steamier romances.  Her January releases are Rescued by a Wedding (a steamy two-book bundle from Harlequin) and Always a Bridesmaid (a sweet romantic comedy novella).
  

12 comments:

  1. No way no how! My dream house has a craft room large enough for a longarm quilting machine frame. We won't discuss the fact that since I started writing full time I don't have time to quilt. My fabric stash alone would fill a tiny house!

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  2. They wiped out my comment. Sigh. No, I failed the test. Too much wrapping paper in the attic and too many decorations and just plain too much stuff. I have stuff from my grandmother also which I will never throw out.

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  3. My dh and I downsized in 2003 and now live in a 1400 sq ft house, but my dh has another whole bldg for his "stuff."

    And Mel, I think you need shoe therapy!

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  4. Having lived in cities most of my life, I'm used to smaller spaces, although not quite this small.

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  5. Not on your life. I'm constantly dreaming of simplifying, getting rid of what I don't use, downsizing, but I'll never do it. And what do you do when you've got guests in a tiny house, I wonder? Velcro them to the ceiling, maybe? Actually, my grandsons would love that.

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  6. There is no way I could live in a small house!! Just my Christmas decorations would take up the house lol

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  7. Our house is 1,300 square feet. It is quite comfortable, and I think we could easily clear out one or two rooms...if we parted with books, got rid of my studio, and the office. See, I look at these tiny houses, and they work for people who can do their lives someplace besides their house - or who do their entire lives on a computer screen. Involved in crafts??? Probably have a space for supplies problem. Do something that requires a desktop pc and a printer/scanner/copier? Do you live somewhere that requires two wardrobes? (Summer and winter, with winter requiring big thick coats and heavy boots?) Do you have small children in your house for any reason? Are you single? Do you have children? I don't think people with a toddler, much less a teen, could live in less than about 700 or 800 square feet, and that would be rough. What I have seen a lot of is that these houses are parked in a friend's backyard, and I kind of get the impression they are more like a get away space than living quarters.

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  8. I think these houses work for people who are single, or maybe married with no kids. Also, who only eat and sleep in their house, do any computer printing elsewhere, and are satisfied with electronic books and small screen televisions. They can't need to keep two wardrobes (summer and winter), and they need to either store food elsewhere or be happy buying basic supplies everyday. Having to go someplace else to do laundry would drive me crazy, and I need to have my studio and office. Those two spaces alone end up being more than 200 square feet! What I notice about these is that the people have no kids, they tend to live in a friend's backyard...and when you really examine the situation, these little buildings are more like a separate guest suite than a home.

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  9. I live in an apartment. Downsizing from a huge six bedroom house to a two bedroom condo hasn't been easy! But now I love my new three-bedroom apartment and don't miss the big house.

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  10. I've been obsessed with tiny houses since I started following Tammy Strobel over at Rowdy Kittens. My husband and I dream of retiring into a tiny home someday. .

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  11. Talk about down-sizing! This is such a fascinating phenomenon. My daughter has a friend who is building one, but I could never survive it. My pets alone take up too much space. :)

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  12. I'm pretty sure when you build yourself a tiny house, you'll have to really spend a fair amount of time to ensure that you've got enough storage solutions to match your way of living. It'll probably be the most personally constructed home you've ever lived in!

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