Photo used under Creative Commons from Tammy Strobel

I always wanted to build a tiny house to live in. It would be just to say I did it!! Actually, I did build a small bird-watching cubical or shelter a few years ago. It was 6' long, 4' wide and 5-6' high with a slant roof. The bench to sit on was 2' deep across the length of it. It was screened in all the way around and it really looked nice. It was located on the side of a hill about 150' up into the woods. There were no close neighbors.

One night I decided to take my sleeping bag and cat and sleep overnight in it. It was a warm, beautiful evening. About l:00 AM I awoke and heard foot steps a few yards away. I literally froze with fear. I had never felt that kind of fear before. I got up enough courage to quietly get up and place my sleeping bag under the seat so no one would see me. I laid there almost too afraid to breathe. Then I heard a snort and knew it was a deer.

Needless to say, I packed up and I and my cat slept the rest of the night in the house.

The "small house movement" is becoming popular in the United States. This is a backlash against the increasing supersized homes, which is credited to increased income. From 1978 to 2007 single family homes have gradually increased in size from about l,780 square feet to 2,479 square feet respectively.

The Not so Big House published in 1997 by Sarah Susanka started the counter movement toward smaller homes. After the Katrina Hurricane in 2005, Marianne Cusato developed the Katrina Cottages that were the alternative to FEMA's trailers. As a result of these smaller houses, the developers of resorts were interested in her designs. The "small houses" attracted even more attention during the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010. The small houses were much more affordable and required little maintenance.

During this same time, Japan, Spain and England developed small homes also and all had functional spaces for sleeping, working/dining, cooking and hygiene.

Japan developed the House to Catch the Sky in Tokyo, which was a 458 square foot home for four. Eva Prats and Ricardo Flores in Barcelona, Spain presented a 300 square foot house referred to as the House in a Suitcase. In England, Abito created apartments of 353 square feet in Manchester. The Micro-Compact Home (M-CH) is a high-end small house developed by British architect, Richard Horton and the Technical University of Munich. The M-CH is a 76 square foot cube designed for 1-2 persons with functional space for sleeping, dining, cooking and hygiene.

Small houses are designed to utilize dual-purpose features and incorporate technological advances for space-saving equipment and appliances. The small houses are especially attractive as a second home and also may lead to the development of more land.

It would be difficult to downsize due to accumulated "stuff" that is generally stored away and never used, but one hates to get rid of. Actually, small houses help people to live more conservatively and economically. It also leads to less shopping for "things" and can help a person's organizational ability. A person can save a lot of money living in a "tiny house". It's time for a garage sale!!

On this page you will find Tiny Houses for sale. Plus DIY Tiny Houses, Tumbleweed Company, tiny house floor plans, tiny house on trailer, plan and designs, shipping container, ideas, complete Teeny Tiny House kits, how to build a Tiny House, very small house floor plans, creative plan, design, kit and little Small House on wheels. Tiny homes floorplans.

Susan Dietel
Web Programmer
Email: susansdesign@yahoo.com