Scaled-down dwellings are all the rage

I've been fascinated with the tiny home movement. These dwellings are adorable and quite the contrast compared to massive square footage homes. Why work just to pay a huge monthly mortgage payment when you can live small and have lots of dough left over for lots of other things.
And, tiny homes sure make house cleaning a simple chore. That's pretty alluring to me.


Photo credit: wallyir from morguefile.com

Take a look at these small homes- ranging from under 100 square feet to 370 square feet.

I couldn't help but think of the shotgun houses I've seen. They are compact and make full use of interior footage because of the the lack of a hallway.

Then there are the micro-homes which can be made in whatever shape you prefer.

Garage homes with 250 square feet actually looks pretty spacious.

 For those who like being near the water, you might consider small homes on or near the water, like these.  And, many of these house boats are priced in the $20s. Wow!


And, this man made a dwelling out of a garbage dumpster. See video.




All in all, I can see some manufacturers coming out with all sorts of combined fixtures/appliances/furniture  to give the most bang for the square feet in these scaled down dwellings where space is a premium.

For the most part, I think making the most of every inch of living space is a great design for  dwellings, eliminating empty, unused space and leads one to not accumulate and unnecessary stuff.

American Indians were at the forefront of compact dwellings with their teepees, longhouses and such, and they didn't have to climb up a ladder to get to the bedroom or the bed.  And climbing a ladder might be the only draw back that I see in most of the designs to access the bedroom overhead. This could be no problem for the young but it might be dangerous for anyone with a knee problem or not too steady holding onto a ladder after just waking up needing to get to the bathroom in a hurry.

My experience with small living space was twenty years ago when I moved a storage shed out to the country and began moving my belonging out of a rented two-bedroom apartment. I placed all my furniture and belongings inside a 12'X16' storage shed with a wooden floor, a metal roof, two windows, a door, an overhead light and two wall sockets. It was Springtime and when it rained I slept so good! Everything was within arms reach and I was so happy living in that little space with my dog. I really didn't want to move out of it.

So, whatever size dwelling suits your lifestyle, in whatever material you want it constructed of, go on and live it up large in your small dwelling.

 The size of a home doesn't matter. It's home as long as your heart is there.