Do-It-Yourself Downsizing: How To Build A Tiny House
npr.org
npr.org
Besides that, I just try and not collect possessions. If I don't use something, I give or throw it away. I avoid buying stuff that will take up space unless I regularly use it.
In here, the bath is covered as Japanese usually share the same bath water amongst the family (you wash in the shower before getting in - it's more about relaxation than cleaning).
That being said, I never use my bath.
>That being said, I never use my bath.
Just saying.
http://www.chinahush.com/2010/04/09/young-girl-becomes-first...
Here's one earlier version found in 30 seconds with http://searchyc.com :
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=921959
... and here are some related links:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=659799
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=651810
I wish my startup could do that.
They've done a remarkable job with PR and are effectively the Apple Computer of trailer homes.
My apartment is pretty minimalist now...
Shelter Kit: http://www.shelter-kit.com/
415 sq ft Lofthouses start at $17k
Also, for ecological reasons, this would still be a waste of space, as you're only using two dimensions and probably need some space around the building. A typical apartment building would be better.
This is quite good if you've got a lot more land, but only a little space to build upon (forest, hills, etc.).
If I remember correctly, even the founder of the company selling those houses only partially lives in one of them. He's got a bigger, traditional house next to it.
One thing I like about it is how easy it is to completely clean the house from top to bottom. But no place washer and dryer. I think it would be cool to have one as a retreat.
I wonder whether "digital packratting" (collecting e-books, scanning everything to Evernote, collecting gaming "trophies") can replace the hoarding need that is so important to many people, but without the downside of being burried in clutter.
I think clutter is some kind of vicious circle. Once you start, it's hard to stop. And starting is pretty easy if you're not really vigilant -- things like long work hours, kids and long commutes quickly start your hoard. And if your life doesn't work out the way it does, you're prone to nostalgia and memorabilia.
Smaller accommodations make it harder to start that. But there's small, and there's tiny...
I am in India and real estate prices are obscene.I am doing reasonably well but am going to struggle to afford a 850 sq ft apartment. I was looking at a 1000 sq ft spot as something of a 'giant space'. :)
About 75m2 (800ish sq.ft.) is comfortable for a family of three, and you can certainly get by with much less.
My somewhat educated guess is that recent and current construction have been a bit smaller than Belgium. The law says new apartment buildings, for example, have to have an average apartment size of 75m2 but I would say that in the city here 100-120m2 is pretty standard for a family of four.
Mind, even 120m2 (~1300 sq.ft.) is quite small by U.S. "middle class" standards.
It may be a big shift down from what someone had before, and may even seem normal-sized by current standards but that is only because of disproportionate expectations. It can only be seen as true "downsizing" when your scale is way too big to begin with. Consider how the Mini is a "small" car - while being about twice the size of the original mini.
Mind, it is still a good move.
The one objective measure one can bring to the table is the lower boundary - which is maybe around 2 m2 per person, as there are numerous houses (e.g. dwelling where illegal immigrants are housed in by human traffickers) (I'm just making a guess here, based on hearing for example about 50 people being packed in small houses in farming areas). I suppose you're not seriously arguing that this is what we should strive for, yet this is (objectively) how little room humans can 'survive' on. (if it were possible on less, these people would get less, considering human traffickers probably try to minimize their costs in order to maximize profits).
You quantify your statements by saying that 30m2 is 'livable' for two people. I don't see how you can make this assertion. What is 'livable' or 'comfortable' is entirely subjective. One may get /used/ to living in a smaller room; heck, one would get 'used' to being sodomized daily with a coke bottle too, I guess, as long as it's done for a long enough time. That still doesn't mean it's something to aim for. You're projecting an entirely subjective /opinion/ (houses should be small, people should not have much stuff which is implied by living in such a small house, ...) onto this discussion and present it as /fact/.
Anyway I'm perfectly willing to accept that there is an 'optimum' in the sense that the median of the population would feel comfortable enough living in an apartment of a certain size. I know of no way to measure this optimum, because so many of the variable are hard to quantify. Instead we could say that the reality shows preferences already: the amount of space people feel most comfortable in, in function of their spending capability, is the house they live in! This may not be perfect, but it sure would show that what 'people' in general find 'comfortable enough' is a lot higher than your 30 m2.
I live, with one other person and three cats, comfortably in 54m2 (581 sq.ft.). We used to live slightly less comfortably in 42m2. I know four or five couples who live in 30-37m2 currently (which I, you will note, said was "livable"). And others that have 90m2+.
90m2 may well be standard for two people where you are at least but it is wasteful in terms of resources if nothing else.
I'm from the Netherlands and there is no way in hell you can buy a piece of land away from everything.
Go far enough outside the cities and there are still many places in the US that don't have building codes, though. So you can go and build your very own neon green & pink hobbit hole with a tree for a doorway and no one can say anything :-)
I did research on these tiny houses a couple years back and they have a nice variety of builds. Some of the ones with sleeping lofts were very interesting.