Freedom in 704 square feet

[cypher1]

Very good article on a couple who built an interesting 704 sq ft home. While it isn't a home for everyone it's still a great perspective of people's priorities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/garden/freedom-in-704-square-feet.html

[Like2Plan]

I like the design. It seems to have everything they need with a lot of attention to details--like placing the washer/dryer in the closet.

[hamchan]

I've never lived in a place that big.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I wonder what was wrong with the $190,000 house they bought and tore down to build the $135,000 one. I also wonder if the man had really lived in houses where he had to duck to go through doorways; the article says the man wanted to assure he would not have to duck through doorways. I've seen pictures of low doorways in old houses in the UK, but even the oldest houses I've been in in the US have had plenty of head clearance for 6'1".

[KTP]

Meh, we are currently building a 136 square foot home. 704 is huge.

[97guns]

i have 5 acres on the big island hawaii and have always wanted to throw something like this on it, 384 sq ft for 10K, you can slap 2 or 3 together, dont need no insulation in hawaii

http://www.tuffshed.com/products_prices.cfm?ModelID=SBPTR&TabID=Prices

[Petunia 100]

I like the house very much, and would be happy with one myself. However, it is a lot less expensive to just buy a condo.

Meh, we are currently building a 136 square foot home. 704 is huge.

Is it portable? Stationary?

[figuringmoneyout]

A friend shared that story on facebook and I really enjoyed it. I really love places that big and almost bought a house that was only 800 sq ft (deal fell through but I loooooved the house). You really don't need a ton of space to be happy!

[HappySaver]

I own this book called The Very Small Home:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Very-Small-Home-Japanese/dp/1568364342/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390790119&sr=8-2&keywords=the+very+small+house

It has pictures of very similarly designed and sized homes from Japan.

Beautiful to look at - I love the aesthetics. In fact, we own the very same rug (IKEA) they have in their living room. Also, the IKEA bookcase. But we definitely would need more space. And privacy.
I don't understand making a decision around the vacuum cleaner cord though. That makes no sense. Get a Roomba. Or an extension cord. I hope they're happy 10 years from now and good at not accumulating stuff.

[cypher1]

I couldn't remember if they mentioned but, I was kind of wondering if the idea of having children was or wasn't factor in this design for down the road. I like the concept a lot, and while I don't plan on getting married anytime soon, I gotta have a garage to work on projects.

[hamchan]

I do have a child and still have never lived in a place bigger than 600 sq ft, even while married. When I was a single mom we sometimes lived in studios of around 250. But their house doesn't really seem to be set up for that.

[snafu]

Living in small spaces needs a different mind set. There are millions of people who travel around in an RV for most of the summer or SnoBirds who escape winter and live in RVs for four months. Just because the area is designated 'kitchen' during the day, doesn't mean it can't be re-configured for sleep with a couple of flips around 11 PM.

It's pleasant to have just what is used and needed and no more as Rig's weight is always an issue. Tiny quarters necessitates team work and co operation.

[hamchan]

The problem with DD isn't where she will sleep, it's where she will put all her stuff. I do not really buy her much stuff at all, and I make her pare it down often, but my god, it just multiplies.

[JoeP]

I admire the logic of having less, because it means that there is less to maintain. In my area, we spend upwards of $300/mo for heating in the winter months; a smaller house would require less. And consider the concept of maintenance: a smaller house has fewer things to maintain, and the overall repair/replace costs would be much less.

Might be hard to do if they had kids (assume they don't, didn't see any reference).

Our next house will be much smaller, and we hope to enjoy less ownership overhead costs, as well as using less energy.

[Dylansmom]

WoW

Good for them! I couldn't do it though. I would feel claustraphobic.