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Small World: The Tiny House Trend

believermag.com

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Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#41

Post by justaguyhere »

tjr225 wrote: post #12

The Tiny Home trend and the "Van Life" trend are slightly unsettling to me - I wonder which forces are at play who intend to convince us that lowering our standards of living is cool? No judgement from me if you do choose to do these things, though. I do see the appeal. Maybe there is no conspiracy, maybe it is a coping mechanism. Edited "deeply" to "slightly" upon further reflection.

If you watch interviews of people who went the tiny house route, a lot of them started with "why do I need to be in debt (mortgage) for 30-40 years of my life?". There is a growing movement of people rejecting being in debt for decades and that is really a good thing. And if moving into a tiny house is carefully done, then it doesn't need to be lower standards of living.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#42

Post by pxndx »

pxndx wrote: post #2

Tiny houses are just gentrified trailers.

I want to clarify that I don't necessarily think that this is a bad thing. The "american dream" where everyone owns a 4000sq ft home, a wife, 3 kids, a car for each person and a backyard with a pool and a trampoline is not sustainable even in the short term. It's important to make the sustainable choices cool.

As an European I find it weird that these people decided to go live in a place with a backyard and no public transport though.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#43

Post by beamatronic »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #29
igneo676 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems to me that the core ethos is upping our standards of living. Sort of like a whole-life kon-mari tidying method. Tiny houses help focus specifically on things like: 1. Owning high quality and purpose built possessions 2. Becoming debt free and allowing yourself to take on tasks of great risk (regular world travel, start your own business, etc) 3. Removing things from your life that aren't useful or clutter yo…

I agree with all of these points, but also believe this is a reactive response to a culture younger generations can’t afford (as well as overloaded consumerism/materialism). I know plenty of 25-40 year olds who would love a detached single family home with a two car garage and a yard near their work, but it’s out of their financial grasp, as is other components of “The American Dream”, hence embracing experiences and…

Where do they work though? Is it still out of their grasp in Sacramento, Philadelphia, Portland, Reno, Columbus, etc?

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#44

Post by alistairSH »

rb808 wrote: post #20

"Tiny house" AKA a normal house in the rest of the world.

Is that really true?

Most of the trendy tiny homes are 200-300sqft with a loft bedroom.

My townhouse is modest by US standards at 1500sqft and 3 bedrooms. I believe this was about average in the early-70s (when the home was constructed).

The average new home in the US is now about 2600sqft and 4-5 bedrooms.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#45

Post by [deleted] »

beamatronic wrote: post #43
toomuchtodo wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with all of these points, but also believe this is a reactive response to a culture younger generations can’t afford (as well as overloaded consumerism/materialism). I know plenty of 25-40 year olds who would love a detached single family home with a two car garage and a yard near their work, but it’s out of their financial grasp, as is other components of “The American Dream”, hence embracing experiences and…

Where do they work though? Is it still out of their grasp in Sacramento, Philadelphia, Portland, Reno, Columbus, etc?

[deleted]

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#46

Post by jessaustin »

tomatotomato37 wrote: post #11
zachrose wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But where does that put manufactured homes?

As the economical choice being squeezed out by landlords who can make more money off of hipsters living in over-engineered sheds.

Has that happened, like, anywhere?

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#47

Post by rimliu »

moosey wrote: post #39
NeedMoreTea wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shared walls often mean you know when your neighbours are in, when they're watching TV, when they argue and what they're arguing about, when the dog is barking or the toddler having a tantrum, and even when they're walking to the other room. Even insulation benefits can't be relied on as shared walls are often uninsulated and overall insulation in apartment blocks often bare minimum to code rather than adequate. Last…

As we blunder our way into the Anthropocene, discussions like this will be looked upon in terror by people living in far more cramped and efficient conditions. Why didn't you live in more efficient housing, they might ask. Oh, because I was mildly inconvenienced by my neighbors. Because I wanted a garden to grow my own food. The insulation might not be perfect. These things are not important or, in the case of the in…

There will be nothing of the sort.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#48

Post by vertex-four »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #28
organsnyder wrote: post #18

I can understand the benefits of building tiny houses in spaces that wouldn't accommodate larger buildings (such as as accessory dwelling units [ADUs] in traditional single-family neighborhoods). But I don't understand the benefits of building clusters of them: why not build a standard apartment building instead? Construction costs will be cheaper, and shared walls reduce heating/cooling costs.

Shared walls often mean you know when your neighbours are in, when they're watching TV, when they argue and what they're arguing about, when the dog is barking or the toddler having a tantrum, and even when they're walking to the other room. Even insulation benefits can't be relied on as shared walls are often uninsulated and overall insulation in apartment blocks often bare minimum to code rather than adequate. Last…

I live in an apartment in the U.K. and this is just not the case - I have absolutely no idea what anyone else is doing. Proper construction goes a long way. There’s something about America that makes proper construction of apartment buildings impossible, apparently - whether that’s building codes or cost-saving exercises I don’t know.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#49

Post by skosch »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #29
igneo676 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems to me that the core ethos is upping our standards of living. Sort of like a whole-life kon-mari tidying method. Tiny houses help focus specifically on things like: 1. Owning high quality and purpose built possessions 2. Becoming debt free and allowing yourself to take on tasks of great risk (regular world travel, start your own business, etc) 3. Removing things from your life that aren't useful or clutter yo…

I agree with all of these points, but also believe this is a reactive response to a culture younger generations can’t afford (as well as overloaded consumerism/materialism). I know plenty of 25-40 year olds who would love a detached single family home with a two car garage and a yard near their work, but it’s out of their financial grasp, as is other components of “The American Dream”, hence embracing experiences and…

... and why not celebrate that as a healthy development? Living small and mindfully doesn't mean living poorly.

"Embracing experiences and minimalism over material possessions" is precisely what philosophers and spiritual teachers have been advocating for millennia. The material excesses of our parents' generation are a historical anomaly. Earth Overshoot Day is on August 1st – we shouldn't be able to afford that culture in the first place.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#50

Post by organsnyder »

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #28
organsnyder wrote: post #18

I can understand the benefits of building tiny houses in spaces that wouldn't accommodate larger buildings (such as as accessory dwelling units [ADUs] in traditional single-family neighborhoods). But I don't understand the benefits of building clusters of them: why not build a standard apartment building instead? Construction costs will be cheaper, and shared walls reduce heating/cooling costs.

Shared walls often mean you know when your neighbours are in, when they're watching TV, when they argue and what they're arguing about, when the dog is barking or the toddler having a tantrum, and even when they're walking to the other room. Even insulation benefits can't be relied on as shared walls are often uninsulated and overall insulation in apartment blocks often bare minimum to code rather than adequate. Last…

Why should we assume that tiny houses would be insulated beyond the bare minimum? Yes, the current trendsetters care about the environment, but nothing is preventing them from building well-insulated apartment blocks.

Soundproofing techniques are well-understood and not horrendously expensive (of course, many builders don't bother because it's not worth the cost, from their short-term perspective). And separate buildings in close proximity still allow plenty of opportunity for sound to carry—again, unless soundproofing has been performed.

You seem to be making the assumption that tiny houses will always be built well above minimum code requirements, while apartment buildings will not. If tiny houses really go mainstream, that will no longer be the case.

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