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10 of the smallest homes in the world 
 A truly 'eco' abode
From energy expenditure to building materials, living in a smaller house is one of the best ways to reduce your ecological footprint. Giving up the luxury of space and living more minimally isn't always easy, but it does come with a few perks: fewer possessions, bigger skies and open spaces! Plus, a smaller house makes it easier to cozy up to your loved ones. You'll learn more about Paul Elkin's compact cycle home in a few more clicks. Meanwhile, here's a reminder that bigger isn't always better: 10 of the tiniest homes in the world... 

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/green-building-remodeling/photos/10-of-the-smallest-homes-in-the-world/a-truly-eco-abode (http://www.mnn.com/your-home/green-building-remodeling/photos/10-of-the-smallest-homes-in-the-world/a-truly-eco-abode)

I thought of Ulthar when I saw this article; clicking on the pix moves the slideshow along and provides commentary about each pic.  Some interesting ideas, and cool little houses! 

The second one is really cute.

Yeah, that second one is really cool.  My wife really liked it; we went to the designer's site and watched one of the videos.  You buy plans to build yourself, and you can build it as a trailer to tow it around.

Very cool!   :thumbup:

One of the things I liked about his comment was how he did not want to have and maintain a bunch of unused and unusable space.  We were out looking at houses today (we do this occasionally, just to see what's out there) and again were struck by the American phenomenon of living in so much SPACE.  It is truly amazing.

What does a couple or small family do with 3000 sq ft?  We have one fellow here town (though he's very famous, I won't mention his name) that has a 25,000 sq ft house.  Just wow.   :buggedout:


 :cheers:

I guess compared to a couple of those, we are luxuriating!  If you consider the enclosed cabin, we have approximately 20 x 8, but actually a bit less (due to the shape of the hull).  And, a lot of that is taken up by 'furniture' like the settees, the galley, the head, etc.  Being a family of four, that works out to something under 40 sq ft per person, on average.

I had some experience living in a smallish space when I was younger - I spent a non-contiguous year (3-4 months at a time) living in a 19 ft travel trailer.

I strongly encourage folks to consider living like this.  There are challenges, but as that guy said on his website, this lack of extra nothing is an invitation to FREEDOM.

When folks ask us "how can you live in such a small space," we now answer:  "We sleep in such a small space; we live in the whole world."  We are out doing stuff every day (movies, library, hiking, playing at the park, canoing, aquarium, swimming, whatever) - there is little attraction to just sitting at "home."

Don't mean to sound preachy - really, I don't.  I'm just trying to say that living smaller and "more simply" (**) is a VERY rewarding lifestyle (though in all candor, it has its trying moments, too; we spent a few days last week SERIOUSLY looking for an apartment until the impulse passed); so I say, give it a try, for a few months, a year, whatever.

We made the agreement before doing this that we would revisit this periodically and be very open and honest with each other if it was not working for us.  My wife came into it thinking we would not last two weeks, but she wanted to make it a year.  After the first week, she said, "only 51 more to go."  It has now been about 1 year and 8 months, and a few months ago, she said she had no desire to look for a house. 

** "More Simply" is a bit of a misnomer.  In some ways, this is hard work.  For example, we don't have a fridge, so we have to obtain and haul ice for our passive ice box and/or cooler(s).  Rain or shine, hot or cold.  This is a CHORE that we would not have if we just added one modern convenience item.  But there is spiritual gain in not having it.  A friend of mine is much better at explaining that aspect than I am.

Suffice it to say that "more simply" is a matter of philosophy and perspective and does not necessarily reflect "physically easier."

 :teddyr:

If I lived in #5, I would feel like I was living on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  :smile:

As much as I'd kind of like to live in small spaces like that, it's not all that practical for me. I mean, I'm an aspiring artist, and since I can't afford the rent on a seperate building to use as a workshop that means that I need some space at home to use as a workshop and storage for some occassionally large projects (although I usually work pretty small; most of my works are either on paper or can be easily carried around).

Right now I'm forced to do it, though. I'm currently living out of a single bedroom and I could easily fit everything not in the bedroom itself in a closet thanks to my university allowing me to store some of my stuff on campus.

I think these are all adorable and kudos to the people who're living in them. #11 would scare the crap out of me every morning, though. The last thing I was to see and realize when I'm bleary eyed and only just awake is that my house is being supported several stories off the ground by a pole.

That 12 cubed house is really cool and I can also see the appeal of having one of the Tumbleweeds because you can move them around easily.  I admire the people who build these houses and can live in them.  My apartment is about 650 square feet and while I don't feel any need for more space I don't know if I could go much smaller and feel comfortable.  Where would I put all my books?  :buggedout:

I'm not sure if it will be seen as totally relevant, but this thread reminded me of a discussion on another forum:

sailfar.net - a financial rant (http://sailfar.net/forum/index.php/topic,802.0.html)



You might find Pat Henry's story interesting.  She was in her 50's when she set out to solo circumnavigate the earth aboard her 31 ft sail boat.  It took her 7 years to complete the trip, and she paid her way as an artist doing paintings and selling them when she was in port.  Her book, By the Grace of the Sea (http://www.amazon.com/Grace-Sea-Womans-Odyssey-Around/dp/0071435425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279073581&sr=8-1) tells her story, though the last third of the book is rather tedious.

None of this is to say that I think you should try to fit into a smaller space; I just thought you might find it interesting.  Her boat would have given her about 200-ish square feet of TOTAL living space - art supplies, general sailing gear, food, clothing, personal effects, etc, etc.

Hmm.. they look neat, but as a guy who's six foot six, every one of those seems damn claustrophobic and have a "trip and I'd end up going through a wall" feel to them.  :)