Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Small World: The Tiny House Trend

believermag.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 344 posts

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#101

Post by CydeWeys »

avgDev wrote: post #97
CydeWeys wrote: post #14

There's definitely an appeal to engineers in building your own house from scratch. As an example, I built an 8x12' shed (details here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/2kof5x/i_built_an_8x12... ) several years back. All it took was a few months' worth of weekends and a few trips with a borrowed full-size pickup and I had it together. Obviously you'd put more effort than that into making a house (you need insulat…

I have been remodeling a house for the past 7 months. It is a pain. However, I feel like I could start a construction company with my knowledge. I had to purchase several books describing different concepts and work is done up to code. Now, when I visit newly renovated homes, I see so much corner cutting, work that does not meet codes and sometimes is unsafe. Plus, the stuff does not change as quickly as software. If…

Seriously. I bought several books too, checked out more from the library, and also watched a ton of YouTube tutorials. It's all pretty easy if you pay attention, and makes intuitive sense, e.g., king studs carry the weight of the top plate (and thus roof/second floor), jack studs carry the weight of the header above the opening, and cripple studs carry the weight of the header below the opening, i.e. carry the weight of the window itself. Incidentally, cripple studs need a better name ...

The building inspector was impressed with my shed when he examined it. He said it was really sturdy, and superior in construction quality to off-the-shelf purchased sheds (which also cost a lot more than I paid for materials!).

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#102

Post by CydeWeys »

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…

Shared walls also mean that if they burn their home down there's a good chance yours burns down too.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#103

Post by fefehern »

dwater wrote: post #37
CydeWeys wrote: post #14

There's definitely an appeal to engineers in building your own house from scratch. As an example, I built an 8x12' shed (details here: https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/2kof5x/i_built_an_8x12... ) several years back. All it took was a few months' worth of weekends and a few trips with a borrowed full-size pickup and I had it together. Obviously you'd put more effort than that into making a house (you need insulat…

You probably know that you can find longer dimensional lumber at a lumber yard instead of a big box store. I am building my own 2-story 2-car garage, and was surprised at how many independent lumber yards there are tucked away around town. I needed long 2x8s for my rafters, no problem finding them up to 20'. And engineered lumber comes even longer. I'm making the upstairs into a finished living space with kitchen and…

What links have you looked into for these projects? They seem really interesting.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#104

Post by WalterSear »

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.

It's a fad. It's neither about efficiency nor simplicity of living.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#105

Post by thisisweirdok »

I think the tiny house trend is the symptom of growing wealth gaps in many places (especially the US).

People are finding themselves unable to afford traditional housing, and therefore want something that doesn't require a large amount of debt (on top of an already likely student debt).

My grandparents for example, could afford a traditional ranch style house on a single apprentice plumber salary back in the 60s. Good luck finding that today.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#106

Post by megaman8 »

I don't mind living in a small house (maybe not that small). But, the problem with most houses I see today, is that they're designed incredibly Ugly. I'm talking about the classic 2 car garage in front with an enormous concrete slab in-front (3 or 4 cars wide!!), and a little L shape next to it on a lot that's too small to accomodate such a layout and as a result, the neighbors house is 2 feet on each side.

Why can't they simply build a smaller footprint at the bottom, say half the size. make it two stories that way the neighbors house is further away and place the garage in the back somewhere and put a nice stone paved driveway (not too wide) leading to the back where the garage is.

The key to making these houses look nice whether it's small or large, is the ratio of height to width and length, as wells the features: such as a small tower, the slope of the roof, etc.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#107

Post by driverdan »

BlameKaneda wrote: post #91
driverdan wrote: post #89

I've been living in a shuttle bus I converted for about 20 months. I built it to be like a high end RV, with everything you'd expect in an RV but with lithium batteries and a solar array. I did it for two reasons, so I could own a home with minimal expenses and so I could take my home and dog when I travel. My cost of living is significantly lower than living in conventional housing. I estimate I've spent around $50k…

Hey! 1. Is it weird inviting guests over? What extra steps do you do to make them feel more comfortable, especially if they're not used to the limited space? 2. How do you store your food, specifically perishables? 3. About how much do you spend on gas per month? 4. Do you ever feel unsafe, such as when you park the bus in a public lot? Do you carry a baseball bat/etc onboard? 5. How do you wash your clothes? Do you…

> Is it weird inviting guests over?

A few people are fine but more than that and it's crowded. I usually visit others or meet friends other places, like at a restaurant. Going to a park or campground and having a cookout works great.

> How do you store your food, specifically perishables?

I have a fridge.

> About how much do you spend on gas per month?

It varies. If I'm not traveling it's in the range of $150-275/m. If I travel it's 10mpg so roughly $0.28/mi.

> Do you ever feel unsafe, such as when you park the bus in a public lot? Do you carry a baseball bat/etc onboard?

No. I don't park places I'd feel unsafe. I typically park on the street. I avoid bad areas. I have pepper spray, a stun gun, knives, and blunt objects I could use for personal defense if necessary.

> How do you wash your clothes? Do you take them to a laundromat or wash them yourself?

Laundromat. I may add a washer / drier combo at some point. I'd have to give up a decent amount of space for it though.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#108

Post by galfarragem »

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #90
galfarragem wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This house will have only a small bedroom, a wc and a living/kitchen/dining room. However I'll assure the possibility of easily extending 1 or 2 small bedrooms and a garage if/when I get kids. For now I just plan to use it on weekends and holydays. And no lawns. Maybe a vegetable garden.

Is the expansion a matter of tearing the connecting walls down to the studs and building back up? The idea of a truly modular home, where you can expand or shrink it with relatively little effort (I'm thinking requiring no contractors - hookups are all plug and play) really intrigues me. Of course, that's a nightmare when considering any sort of centralized heat source or utility, but that's a really fun idea.

Is the expansion a matter of tearing the connecting walls down to the studs and building back up?

Making it as a 'lego' would require a lot of research. That would only pay if I would open a business based on that. So, for now, I'm only making the main entrance near a corner. This door will connect with the second module (if I ever build it). The heat source will be near this corner also.

I'm slowly making the project and planning to build it myself as much as possible. It helps that I'm originally an architect (buildings not IT) and used to help my father on trades.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#109

Post by WalterSear »

stu2010 wrote: post #78

I don't understand why these are so chic, but manufactured housing isn't. For these quoted build costs, you could do a pretty highly upgraded singlewide, and it would age better than any of these and can actually be permanently installed onto a foundation.

Manufactured housing comes without the desired social signaling.

Re: Small World: The Tiny House Trend

#110

Post by meritt »

driverdan wrote: post #89

I've been living in a shuttle bus I converted for about 20 months. I built it to be like a high end RV, with everything you'd expect in an RV but with lithium batteries and a solar array. I did it for two reasons, so I could own a home with minimal expenses and so I could take my home and dog when I travel. My cost of living is significantly lower than living in conventional housing. I estimate I've spent around $50k…

Unless it was for the sheer joy of doing the work yourself, is there any particular reason you didn't buy a gently used motorhome for $15-20k and upgrade as necessary (e.g. the solar array and lithium batteries)? You cite the $50k cost but that sounds excessive to me with considerably less work.
Post reply on HN