Tiny Houses and Apartments Gaining Popularity Amongst Younger Generations
The American dream for the most part is dead for generations now just graduating from college or university. The dream that if you get a job and work hard, you too can afford a beautiful home with a white picket fence, 2.5 children and a Labrador Retriever. After the 2008 financial and mortgage crisis, many of the baby boomer generations can’t afford to retire leaving less jobs open for new graduates and those that are open are paying, adjusted for inflation, less than in the past. In addition, those who had cash during the mortgage crisis, specifically rental companies purchased large amounts of property and now rent it out at exorbitant rates.
For new graduates, the only solution seems to be to stay with their parents until they can save enough money, which can sometimes be a decade in some cases. With additional expenses like extremely high tuition and loan payments, saving also seems to be a problem. Children aren’t leaving their childhood homesteads until later and later as they try to find a partner or friend that they can live with. However, those without the luxury or those just looking for more freedom and independence on their own are taking an alternative path, living in Tiny Houses and compact apartments.
By the names, “Tiny houses and Apartments”, it sounds like people are living in the equivalent of Harry Potter under the stairs, but in reality new and inventive technology mixed with proper planning is giving people a much greater quality of life. Countries like Japan who have a noticeable lack of living space have been using these techniques for years and now they are making their way over to the states. There are even entire shows on channels like HTV dedicated to living reasonably on a budget. While you may think that living in a small apartment is cramped and not for you, the savings might be too much to pass up on. Not only do the homes and apartments Im about to show cost less, but they also lower your global footprint on the earth by a large percent.
Let’s first begin with apartments and see what some people are doing in order to save space. Because in apartments you have a set amount of space and no land to build on, the key to creating space is to create a system that will transform a room into whatever you need it to be in seconds. How current systems are doing this is with pull out and fold out beds, tables, ect. If you look at the picture below, you can see that almost everything in the apartment if foldable and can be moved up into the wall. The room might be cluttered and small if you fill it with furniture, but with foldable panels, an open space is possible. There are people using this system with rents in Manhattan around $600 which is insane. The key with micro apartments is realizing that much more is possible than it looks like with the square footage you have. You can even implement these types of systems if you have room in your apartment, you just wish you would have more.
Next are the tiny homes which usually are built on land that is cheap and affordable. In the majority of places, the land is actually more expensive than the house, so living cheap in a tiny house of your dreams starts with a good location. Tiny homes are usually constructed by companies in pieces and you can just put them together when they arrive. Sort of like an Ikea built home, these companies make it possible to build them in a day. Many of the homes are also semi mobile so can be moved to a new destination if you would like. Some can be built multiple stories or include many amenities like an outdoor hot tub. If you are looking to live cheap on a budget and don’t worry too much about living in a smaller place, this might be the life for you. Most of these homes are priced very reasonably which means you wont have a mortgage and can save your money for other activities. Here is an article which shows a few homes, all for under 50k. http://inhabitat.com/6-tiny-homes-under-50000-you-can-buy-right-now/
The key to living in smaller places is to use public areas as much as you can when they are available to you. If you live in a city like New York, there are many places open where you can just sit buy a coffee , do work ect. Also with many jobs now offering benefits to workers like meals, it makes it easier to think of your work place as a second home. If you are like many looking to save as much money as you can or if you are just interested in leaving a lower carbon footprint, getting a micro apartment or tiny home might be for you.
-Calaber24p
I've been living "tiny" for the past 4+ years. Not by choice, but necessity. I had to move back in with my parents due to a slew of bad luck, and not being able to handle living in the house with them (I love them but they are the worst roommates I've ever had!).
There happened to be an old shack on the property that was overlooked, neglected and derelict. One day I had the bright idea of renovating it to get out of their hair... It only cost me a couple grand and I had a fresh space with nobody on the other side of the wall... Well, except the chickens, and the ducks, and the owls, and the race cars....................
Since I had limited skills, and because of space limitations, I was only able to plumb in some running water for a sink (cold only) and decided it would be fine to just use the restroom in the main house for showering and the toilet. I know some other tiny home situations are like this and all I have to say is that it's probably for the best that you have a bathroom, however small, in your tiny house.
The other main issue I have had in here is lack of storage. For some reason, people (particularly family) seem to want to dump their stuff on me. So despite there being ample storage in here at first, the stuff soon became too much and that is a daily juggle as well as I get rid of things...
But I am in the middle of a move as well to get out of here because I've learned that while the idea of living in a "tiny house" is fun, it's not for me. Would I do it again in the future? From the experience I have had and knowing what to look for, I would say yes. But only if it was completely necessary, or for a shorter amount of time as I have been out here for.
The real story is always in the comments.
Thanks for sharing @theb0red1! This is really informative. I have wanted to try out the tiny houses because of its practicality and principle. At the same time, I really admire those families featured on shows about tiny houses who were able to live fully even though the space is limited. If you think about it, the space in the tiny houses are just about the size of a 1-bedroom or studio--type condominium. So, instead of purchasing hundreds and thousand of dollars for a small space in high rise, this could be a better alternative.
However, just as you mentioned, there are some drawbacks with living in a small house. Accruing things would really be inevitable and expanding your private space might come up in the future.
I just hope to develop a housing project like this that would help poor communities.
If you are going to commit to living in a tiny house, I would definitely advise you to do a ton of research. I did it on an impulse as a quick fix and haven't had the most ideal experience.
Like I said before, knowing what I do now, I wouldn't be opposed to living tiny again, if the conditions and circumstances were right.
As to your observation about a tiny house being close in size to a one bedroom or studio apartment, in my case I would say they are both much larger, at least in my area and in comparison to the size of my shack (9'x13'). It could also be that the layout of these types of apartments make them seem larger than they truly are but I'm not sure.
As far as space constraints, to live in a tiny house right, the best way is to be a minimalist. I will say that though I wouldn't classify myself as a minimalist, living tiny has taught me about excesses, and enjoying life with less. I'm often shocked now at the size of people's average homes and the amount of decorations and stuff they fill them with! When you don't have a lot of area to fill and decorate, you naturally become more thoughtful about what should and can go here or there.
Thanks for sharing @theb0red1! That minimalism is what attracted me to tiny houses in the first place. With the restrictions of the space, you really have to think about what you really want and need at the same time.
Still, you are right. There should be a ton of research to be done when deciding to move into a tiny house. In my case, here in Asia, condos are just about the same size (in floor area) or smaller than tiny houses and they cost A LOT! I reckon if I'm going to be spending as much money, I might as well build it in a more practical manner. Thus, the tiny houses.
Still not sure how this could be applied in my location, but I'm looking at options. :)
That's excellent, and the trend could really take off with housing prices soaring as high as they are.
This is neo-feudalism.
I think I would love the idea of downsizing into a tiny home like this, especially if I lived in a bigger city or closer to it as you mentioned. I love efficiency and I'm in awe of the creativity used in creating them!
However, I'm based out of the Midwest, and in many places out here it is hard to just walk down to the store and grab a coffee or base most of your life outside of your home in public common areas.
That being said, land is cheaper, and in turn, house prices are as well. Working on the reducing the old carbon footprint in other ways...maybe one day that includes solar roof panels or other efficiency measures.
I love the idea of a tiny home. I currently live in a large home, and I am constantly trying to battle to keep the house clean. We bought a tiny home (well I believe the tiny house community would call this a small home at 672 sq ft), for our family of four. The home is on a great piece of land, and we would like to focus on a lower cost of living and try to be self-sufficient.
So, I have watched hours of tiny home shows and read tiny home books. People are able to do so much with their space. If you are going to try to go tiny, make sure that the space you are considering has many storage options. Most homes have a lot of dead space, and you cannot afford to waste space in a tiny home.
Check out Pinterest, there are so many cool ideas on how to find or create space saving furniture or built-ins.
Thanks for posting this article, it is a great reminder of all that tiny homes have to offer.
True. Many people don't think about the cleaning part when buying a new house. I just recently went through a home buying process. My husband like a bigger house, while I don't like too. I just don't need two living rooms and 3 bathrooms for 2 people. I admit it, we have A Lot of stuffs, but I feel it is better to get ride of unnecessary stuffs then buying a bigger house to store those things.
Great post! There was a time when I was considering purchasing a tiny home but have held off for the time being. A lot of those pre-fab units can be surprisingly expensive and the costs add up if you live in an area with expensive land. Still, micro spaces are pretty awesome, I just don't know that I could live in one full-time without going crazy haha.
Very neat post but it's so sad to see how people are being watered down, It's the same here in the UK and much much worse in many other places. Lord let the crypto save us.
I think there's something to be said for living a simpler life with less stuff, and living in a tiny home would force you to do that. However, most people would need to be able to balance a small living space with more space outdoors. I know I'd feel trapped if I had neither.
I'm from Canada as well and tiny houses and tiny house village projects are popping up everywhere in my area, with support from both retirees and young adults looking to live a simpler life. With the interest rate hike that was announced earlier this week, it's to be expected even more people will start looking into tiny houses in the near future.
While most tiny houses do necessitate a simpler and minimalist life, most communities and villages are built around the idea of giving everyone their private little abode, with communal areas and parks where resources can be shared so everyone has easy access to amenities :)
Yeah totally and after seeing the huge block of tiny apartments burn down here in the UK London only last week this really make's me want to avoid appartments. I could deal with thesmall home space but only if I had some land space to go with it. Today most people here in the uk are being pushed into tighter living spaces with no outdoor space:/ I guess it's the same in the USA? Thanks for the reply
I'm Canadian -- and from a part of the country where wide open spaces are the norm. I can only imagine what it would feel like to spend my life in a box with no real reprieve or escape.
You Canadians know how to live real <3 much love and you are very lucky. Thanks for the reply :) and sorry about the delay, I was just posting a new blog.
agree with your comment about people being "watered down"
yeah :/ But Thanks for your reply bud and I just followed you :)
This is an interesting concept, especially if you are on a budget.
I like the idea of tiny houses, especially as a way of combating homelessness, however I do agree with the comment about people being "watered" down. I also perceive the tiny houses "movement" as a solution similar to the post row home solution of the early 1920s (in my neighborhood at least) and the post WW2 Levittowns in PA and NY. They may be better than living in a housing "box" of condos.
My teen-aged daughter is obsessed with tiny living. She is already saving for her tiny home.
Such a Great Looking House Sir .
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@calaber24p