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Original poster

could you live permanently in a 'tiny home'?

87 replies

woodencoffeetable · 07/04/2020 10:32

...binge watching tiny house nation.

great for a holiday. but to live like that permanently - it just seems like a lot of faff.

OP posts:

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 13:56

We have 2 clothes horses that we put round the wood burner. I like having very small bills most - I can literally cut costs to almost zero when need be (now for example as I am self employed and have shut my business).
We have 5 acres of land and are a small holding. I spend all day outside when I can, DC are happy in their very small rooms - they like not having any neighbours near us.
The floor plan is walk into porch with washing machine, fridge freezer, boot racks then up 2 steps one way to a small (caravan size) galley kitchen with stairs leading up, thru to our main room - small sofa, soft chair, bean bag, pull out table and stacked chairs for dining, piano (I know, I know) fish tank, and wood burner. Cramped but ok.
Upstairs our room and DC room which DH partitioned so they have a room each - just big enough for a single bed and a fitted wardrobe. From the porch up the other steps is the bathroom which I love, it is bigger than my bedroom - massive deep lovely bath, separate shower, sink, loo, big storage cupboards.
We have spring water supply, solar panels and open fires.
I prefer living this way, well within my means with lots of outdoor space and freedom. :)

HoffiCoffi13 · 07/04/2020 13:58

No. I have three young children and space is one of the most important things to me. We don’t have much clutter/stuff, but I love space. We looked for the most space we could afford (inside and outside) when buying our house.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 13:59

DS has just measured the house with a tape measure - 5.8m x 2.96m
It's like being in a caravan I suppose, and can be heated in 30 mins with a fire :)

Grasspigeons · 07/04/2020 13:59

fuckinghellthisshit - that sounds nice. How many sq ft or sq meters is it?

Grasspigeons · 07/04/2020 14:00

Cross post

caringcarer · 07/04/2020 14:02

I would really struggle. When we go on our hols I always get accommodation with plenty of living space, good of bedrooms and a large garden too. I like my own space do need a room I can go to for peace and quiet.

Devlesko · 07/04/2020 14:02

I'm not sure you'll be able to, unless of course you buy land and get planning permission.
Would love to do this ourselves and upgrade from our van, but not looking likely with Pritti Patel's new back door law change

CountFosco · 07/04/2020 14:17

Living big in a tiny house

They always live in the middle of nowhere somewhere warm with a massive outdoor space on that show. And the outdoor space includes a deck with a larger area than the house that has a dining table and chairs. And there is the storage box round the back that holds all the bulky stuff etc etc. It is a bit of a fantasy life for young couples; I think living in a tiny flat in a city centre in northern Europe with kids is way more challenging but no-one makes a show out of that.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 14:29

I love it, DC both say they will not live like this when they are older :)
We are in the middle of no where and have lots of outdoor space - it is a rough space thou - not lush pasture and rolling hills - far from it. No decking or outbuildings other than for animals.
I agree that a tiny flat with teenagers in the city is much much harder.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 14:31

One thing I find interesting is how spectacularly rude people are about my house, it is breathtaking. People seem to feel a desperate need to justify their own home or possessions and do this by telling me and my DC we are in sub way sub normal for living a different way. It's very odd.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 07/04/2020 14:33

No. DS14 has autism and as lovely as he is, we all need our space.

DH and I haven't ever spent as much time together as we have over the last month of lockdown and it's painful despite having a large house and even larger garden. In a tiny house I'd probably go mad at him.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 07/04/2020 14:33

It's like being in a caravan I suppose, and can be heated in 30 mins with a fire

This sounds amazing!

YangShanPo · 07/04/2020 14:36

I could if I was single and had easy access to the outdoors, not with my family though we need more space if anything.

ADreamOfGood · 07/04/2020 14:37

@fuckinghellthisshit that sounds amazing!
(So I presume your username refers to something other than your living conditions? )

What would your children choose then? (or was that a stray 'not'?)

Bluebooby · 07/04/2020 14:41

My favourite home was a tiny one bed flat that I lived in before having DD. It didn't have a garden. Now we are in a normal sized house with a small garden. I prefer living in a smaller space.

Cohle · 07/04/2020 14:42

If I was single and childless, sure. Lots of them look much nicer than some of the grotty bedsits I lived in when I was younger

The people who do it with young kids are mad IMHO (given that most on the show appear to be doing it by choice rather than necessity). Being able to unwind and have your own space after your kids have gone to bed is a lifesaver.

Purpletigers · 07/04/2020 14:44

Not for me . The bigger the better imo.

Original poster

woodencoffeetable · 07/04/2020 14:49

fuckin sounds like your set up works for you. that's great!

I also really like my space. dh and I don't even share a duvet!

OP posts:

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 14:56

I love the idea in theory, although not while our children all live at home!

In practice though it's be far too fussy and awkward and I would not love it.

What I actually want is my take on a witches cottage in the middle of a forest or a clifftop overlooking the wild crashing sea below. Something like a modern revamp of what a better off Anglo-Saxon farmer might have had. Three rooms all on one floor - bedroom at one end, all purpose room in the middle with big open fire (with big wrought iron kettle...) and big wooden table, what would have been the barn at the other end a spacious bathroom with the washing machine and dryer and a drying rack on a pulley

I'd want space in the rooms but not many of them, and it'd only do for 1-2 people even though those houses originally housed whole families.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 14:58

The user name relates to my current situation re coronavirus haha! I had to shut my business and we're broke, again! But free. Yes, everyone has their own nirvana and this is mine. DS wants to be rich and live in an apartment in London or NYC DD wants to live in a house with an en suite bathroom and a dinning room and have a fancy kitchen (cooking is her passion). They both want pets and love animals thou so I can see their plans changing as they get older.
It is so cheap and allows me to feel in control of my finances and workload.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 15:01

My house has been called a hobbit hovel and a witches cottage haha

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:02

Devlesko what is Priti Patel's back door law change?

ADreamOfGood · 07/04/2020 15:02

Thank you for sharing! I do hope the work picks up soon
Gives you time to get hoeing and planting though, and save money down the line.
Your lifestyle really appeals to me, but I will have to wait until my children finish education and go off to do their own things.

Dozer · 07/04/2020 15:06

Without DC, yes.

With DC, no!

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:09

fuckinghellthisshit your house sounds nice though I must admit I'd find it hard with the children doing homework/ schoolwork if there wasn't space for them to have a desk in their rooms. How does that work? Do they work on their beds or in the living/ dining room?

Being self sufficient with your own spring and solar panels sounds really reassuring. Do you have reedbed sewage treatment or a septic tank?

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