A short time ago I ran a little survey asking people how big of a tiny house they would want. The largest example was 126 square feet and 40% of those that voted wanted a bigger tiny house. So I’m wondering how big? Here are some samples I collected off the internet just to give you an idea of how big tiny can be. At the bottom is a new survey.
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A: 102 SQFT – Weebee by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company This is my favorite Tumbleweed design. I love the front facade and little bay window. It’s really tiny and probably only useful for one person or two very close people. It has a sleeping loft, tiny kitchen, and bathroom. Photo credit Tumbleweed Houses. |
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B: 400 SQFT – Simple Solar Homesteading Cabin by LaMar This is a great little cabin designed by LaMar. You can actually buy his ebook for $5.00 and it includes plans for this little cabin which he says can be built for about $2000 in materials. That’s five bucks a square foot right? I’ve read the book, great stuff and totally worth five bucks. Photo credit LaMar. |
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C: 700 SQFT – Enesti by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company Jumping back to Jay Shafer’s designs for a minute. This is the largest house on his website, the Enesti. This tiny house has two bedrooms, two stories, one and a half baths. The upstairs even has a bathtub. Photo credit Tumbleweed Houses. |
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D: 980 SQFT – Cohutta Cabin by Sheldon Designs This is a simple one bedroom cabin with a large loft. It features an open floor plan, large kitchen, laundry, and full bath. The design is by Andy Sheldon the architect behind Sheldon Designs who has been designing tiny houses and sheds for a couple decades. Photo credit Sheldon Designs. |
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B: 1200 SQFT – Lakeside Cabin by Sheldon Designs This is a very nice three bedroom house. It has two bathrooms, a large kitchen, and laundry. This design is also by Andy Sheldon. Most of the designs on his website are actually much smaller. Photo credit Sheldon Designs. |
Now using these houses as examples how much space could you live in? Try to momentarily set aside any bias toward any one design and focus on the square footage only. Thanks!
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It’s “Enesti,” as in “NST.” (I forget what NST stands for… non-standard something.)
Thanks… I’ll fix the typo.
Anyone know why Jay names it Enesti (NST)?
It stands for “Not So Tiny,” part of Jay’s larger home collection.
thanks Lindsay! That reminds me of a neighbor that named his dog Dee Oh Gee
Hmmm… I live in a 1200 sq ft home including the garage. Never really considered it tiny, though.
I agree… but people seemed to want bigger… now we know not that big. Along that note I don’t think of 700 sq ft as tiny either and that seems like a popular number. For a family of 3, 4, or 5 I can see 700 being a good number though. In any event interesting results huh?
I voted quite differently in your polls – first one, thinking of tiny retreat type space. Second time considering of two people who both work from home offices with a kitchen large enough to do a fair bit of food processing and room to store garden harvest for at least 6 months. Plus a climate with 4 definite seasons and a large dog. This still leaves the question of what do with occasional guests and relatives who come to stay for weeks at a time….
Thanks EJ. I think you actually point out the elusive issue which is… how much space to people really need depending on their needs. I’m pretty sure there’s no way to put a mathematical equation to it since there are so many variables.
Which leads me to then speculate on the true value of tiny house design and tiny houses in general… which I’m beginning to believe is really how well they illustrate how little or much we need. They help us see our homes through different eyes and help us question what we need and want. At least that’s what it does for me.
My current home, which I’m essentially stuck in, feels like a nice size, maybe a little bigger than we need, but I know for certain its more than I want to take care of, and it takes a lot more of my time than I expected. Exploring tiny living is helping me design my true dream home, one Julia, Katie and I would be happy in for many years.
Hello, love your site! I have pretty much determined that for myself- with enough of a disability to make me fearful of depending on the ladder to the Tumbleweed’s loft- that perhaps I should lean toward The Lusby with the downstairs bedroom and use the loft to relax in when I am awake and spry – or better yet, customize the ladder itself to make it feel safer for myself as I age.
However, I adore every aspect of the Micro Compact Home outside Moma which fits my lifetstyle better ie: no cooking and lots of modern touch: I work from home on the net. I’d rather have a home like a Tumbleweed or a Tiny Texas, but hate the thought of sacrificing that much of my space to a kitchen or even one folksy touch.
My largest issue is living in California (which could be rephrased as ‘feeling trapped in the Gay Ghetto’ based on my experiences elsewhere in the USA, sadly) where land is at a premium + pesky neighborhood codes. I’m still hoping to be able to park in a friend’s back yard someday, like that one woman in the Tumbleweed video. Also, as someone not quite 5′ tall, MANY of these are perfect for me! As soon as I can get the 20 extra bucks I am sending away for all the Tumbleweed plans- and one last thing? I love the weehouse concept, but here in hardcore urban areas, those wide open glass walls are just not even an option as far as safety.
Thanks so much for listening, I certainly do get lonely in my passions!
Hi Brady… Just a thought… a few times while digging around building codes and zoning issues in California specifically I’ve run across some laws that have been passed on ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) which are simply granny flats, in-law units, etc.
I haven’t posted a write up on this yet because I havn’t found enough answers to form a solid opinion but it looks like some communities in California might be totally open to this kind of addition to an existing property. Other communities have made it really had to add these types of spaces and I suspect my next suggestion is exactly the reason why
You see if homeowners could add an in-law unit to their backyard for grandma then why couldn’t they also add one and then rent it out?
By the same token why couldn’t a home owner built a tiny house on a trailer, pull it into their backyard, take the wheels off, place it on a foundation, and get it permitted as an inlaw unit?
I’m certain the issue for most communities is they don’t want to see an explosion of apartments in people’s backyards. But other communities seem to be more open and make it easier.
So here’s the real suggestion… and I’ll continue to do some digging too… find some nearby communities and counties that don’t make it nearly impossible to add ADUs. Research the legal stuff and then begin looking for people who might like the idea of a little backyard house side rental income. Build a tiny house cheap and then move in.
This might at first sound like a long shot but I suspect that you might find a lot of people interested in the possibility. The logistics might be a little tough, but for someone determined and clever an inexpensive tiny house might actually have some real hope even in cost and zoning prohibitive California.
Here are some links on the subject I’ve found:
http://www.abag.ca.gov/planning/housingneeds/secondunits.html
http://www.housingpolicy.org/toolbox/strategy/policies/diverse_housing_types.html?tierid=42
http://www.transcoalition.org/ia/acssdwel/03.html
http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/01-02/bill/asm/ab_1851-1900/ab_1866_bill_20020929_chaptered.html
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to: Michael Janzen … ‘Just a thought’ -? You, sir, out do yourself on quite a few levels! I’ve got my reading cut out for me, and I thank you for that. Much thanks!!!
Whoever came up with, and gave so much credence to, the “Neighborhood Association” needs to be brought up on charges of Crimes Against Humanity. That includes the Judges who legitimized them. I avoid neighborhoods that have them myself but what of those who, while minding their own business, had this nonsense imposed on them years later? It’s bad enough when Governments tell a home and/or landowner what they can or cannot do with their own place, it’s down right ugly when these upstart “citizens” indulge in the practice. Perhaps the basic concept may have been a good idea at one time but the power hungry have latched onto it and corrupted it, many other examples of this type of behavior come to mind.
Sorry, a little off topic but one of the comments set off the trigger on that particular peeve. Even here in Texas, normally a place where sense usually prevails, it is becoming an increasing problem. Perhaps because of all the people coming from other States where such behavior is tolerated. Oh well, just venting on a subject that will be difficult to rid ourselves of. After all, these parasites have tasted power now and won’t give it up easily.