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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 15:22

They work on laptops on their beds or the sofa or we pull out the table and they sit there. I am attempting to work from home atm and work on the pull out table, DS on the other end, DD prefers to sit on the floor at the moment.

We have a septic tank and the nearest farmer empties it for free as the soil is very poor quality here so needs all the fertiliser it can get.
The water is beautiful, I had terrible skin problems till we moved here.
I am from a very very large family, DH and I had a bedsitter when we first lived together and upgraded to a static caravan! We did have a 3 bed semi for a while but I hated having neighbours so much we moved and this was what we could afford. We keep it very clean and everything has a place - that is the key.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 15:28

I think it would be very hard for most people to have 1 room with TV computer piano etc all in- we all consider each others needs all the time and work with each others routines. For example DS regularly gets up at 6am and watches TV for an hour before anyone else is up etc. He also plays piano, guitar and electric guitar so that requires some negotiation but usually it's fine if DD can choose what we all watch later or some other compromise. They are getting on v well at the moment - I think friends cause friction sometimes :)

CanICelebrate · 07/04/2020 15:28

Many people don’t have a choice but to live in a tiny home permanently so it’s not a relevant question for a lot of people. In fact I wonder whether this thread might appear bit a bit goady insensitive to people in small homes during a lockdown

CanICelebrate · 07/04/2020 15:29

Where I used to live the majority of houses were tiny or flats, some with children who (God forbid on MN) shared a room.

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:30

CanICelebrate I think you've misunderstood. The thread isn't about small houses in the sense of a 2 up 2 down mid terrace or a one bedroom flat, it's about the tiny house movement.

CanICelebrate · 07/04/2020 15:33

Oops! Sorry OP! Some of the comments on the thread seemed more about general small houses @anothernotherone which I thought was a bit insensitive.

YangShanPo · 07/04/2020 15:34

Yes they mean those houses about the size of a small mobile home or smaller.

CatBatCat · 07/04/2020 15:34

We live on a narrowboat DP and I, no children. 45ft x 7ft x 6.10ft and that's the outside dimensions. The engine, water tank and gas tanks take up quite a big part of that. Not bothered by the small space anymore although it was a serious declutter and downsize from a 2 bed house. The lockdown is, unfortunately, attracting many people on their daily walks along the towpath so we've had to move to a quieter spot but we don't feel particularly restricted because we have the freedom to just go somewhere else.

PhoneLock · 07/04/2020 15:34

I always end up wondering why the tinyhouse people don't buy a just buy caravan... static or mobile.

Original poster
woodencoffeetable · 07/04/2020 15:38

I always end up wondering why the tinyhouse people don't buy a just buy caravan... static or mobile.

yep, me too. especially as they cost about the same.

OP posts:
anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:43

Tony houses in the sense of the tiny house movement are pretty much always detached buildings of under about 35 square meters and very commonly unique in the sense of being designed and/ or built by the owners. They are often located somewhere idyllic. There is a degree of privilege to it and it's usually a philosophical or environmental choice.

It's a fantasy/ daydream for a lot of people, and really isn't comparable to having to live an urban flat without outdoor space with 3 children during lockdown, which must of course be incredibly difficult.

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:43

Tiny not Tony Grin

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 15:44

Our house is stone built and very well insulated - caravans are often drafty and damp. Also, caravans depreciate in value whereas a house gains value. They are my reasons. I would like in a caravan here rather than with neighbours again.

I have done both tinyhouse (now) and a city centre too small house and there is no comparison. No neighbours is the best thing.

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:46

woodencoffeetable I think it's a different mindset. People often want to design and build their own, want a lift space, want to use sustainable materials etc. Static and mobile caravans aren't usually wooden and individually designed and have a fairly short lifespan.

anothernotherone · 07/04/2020 15:46

LOft not lift argh

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 15:49

Ours was built in 1780 and was a crofters cottage, it is definitely a choice we made for privacy and lifestyle. We could afford a 3 bed-semi or new build town house. We have a sustainable lifestyle, I would argue that we use the fire too much to be truly environmentally friendly and we have a pick up truck which is not at all green!

ADreamOfGood · 07/04/2020 15:49

I have been looking at yachts as escapism during the lockdown. (FWIW, I'm in a 3-bed flat, no outdoor space/balcon atm, with 2 tween DC and a husband)

I reckon I could live in a 30ft cruiser ok...once I've got rid of the others Wink

I was seriously considering getting a motorhome this year, but the kibosh has been put firmly on that! At least I'm not stuck having already bought/insured it and unable to use.

Original poster
woodencoffeetable · 07/04/2020 15:50

and if they do have children, then I'm always concerned about safety. those lofts seem not very secure in many cases. no or very low railings etc.

OP posts:
Nearlyalmost50 · 07/04/2020 15:52

Without children, of course. I loved living in bedsits and university accommodation, the best ones had a sink in the room, a bed, chair, desk possibly but not always, used to sit on the bed with my books spread out. Good storage is everything, huge wardrobes. I never had a garden til I was in my thirties and had children, don't think it would bother me tbh.

OhCaptain · 07/04/2020 15:52

@fuckinghellthisshit I’m fascinated!

Do you mind if I ask - how did you end up moving there or did you build it? When you say it’s practically free, do you own it outright?

Do you only have an electric bill and that’s it?

How old are your dc? Do they never want friends over?

Sorry! Just really interested! Smile

safariboot · 07/04/2020 15:53

No. Too much of a hoarder.

Also, from a little looking around, a lot of them look flimsy, jumped up caravans basically. I like my houses built to last and I'd doubtful these "tiny homes" are.

minipie · 07/04/2020 16:05

Hmm I don’t know. I could live in one of those Parisian architect designed studios - one room with lots of clever solutions, beds that roll away, kitchen in a cupboard etc. I don’t need much stuff. But that is a large, light, high ceilinged, beautiful room. I would struggle with living somewhere like a caravan or boat where the ceilings are low, even though those options have more outside space and can be moved.

fuckinghellthisshit · 07/04/2020 16:07

@OhCaptain. We moved here and have a mortgage - approx £350 a month - but almost no bills. Council tax, sometimes we use mains electric in the middle of winter but we have a few electricity poles on our land that they pay us ground rent on so it offsets most of it. We buy coal but if we have no money we have plenty of wood we've cured when we cut 3 damaged trees down last year. I like to buy nice fruit etc but we can live on what we produce if need be, so very low costs when need be.

We bought it off the people who converted it from a basic croft in the 60s - they installed all the services etc. We are still friends with the last - the gentleman sadly passed away 6 months after they moved out. I know their daughters and they are very pleased we have kept their DM and DFs way of life alive - they both live in towns with their families :)

DC have friends over a lot - we use the firepit a lot - bonfires and BBQ's. DS has a GF he spends time in his room with but otherwise they mostly sit in the main room and I will leave them to the TV or whatever. The only tension is when there is a long running sports thing - say the world cup - that some are watching and some don't like the screaming, when DH wants to listen to especially challenging music or when musical instruments are involved. hahaha. Sound is definitely more problematic than space iyswim?

AmICrazyorWhat2 · 07/04/2020 16:13

@minipie Hmm I don’t know. I could live in one of those Parisian architect designed studios - one room with lots of clever solutions, beds that roll away, kitchen in a cupboard etc. I don’t need much stuff.

Me too! My dream is to live in a flat with minimal clutter...perhaps in 10 years or so when the DC have moved out. Grin

TeaAddict235 · 07/04/2020 16:25

I know of someone who did this. A Three bedroom house with a side room, means a 4 bed London house. A tiny kitchen and a dining room. No other living space, and no garden. Two parents and two children. There wasn't space to swing a cat, no joke. They stayed in the house forever as far as i know of and are still there, minus the now adult children. The postcode was the deal breaker for them. They could have bought a much larger and more comfortable property with maybe 6+ bedroom. But again, the postcode was what they wanted and what they still have.

Each to their own.