America at Home: Small Houses and Quirky Homes

Yahoo News ^ | 6/29/08 | Betty Udesen

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Olympia, Washington: Dee Williams wanted a simpler, greener life -- so she built her dream house, an 84-square-foot cottage on wheels, which is currently parked in a friend's backyard. Not only did she save money using salvaged materials (the front door came from a dumpster, for instance), but the entire house is small enough to fit into a standard parking spot. Says Williams, 'Right now, there's nowhere else I want to be.'

Williams’ trailer cottage is surprisingly roomy inside, largely thanks to its clever use of height. For example, Williams’ bed is in a loft above her kitchen. Williams is proud to have fulfilled her goal of minimizing her ecological footprint. Her monthly heating bill is $6 and, thanks to solar panels, her electricity is free. Her approach goes against the national trend: Americans consume 40 percent of the world’s oil and 23 percent of its coal.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I understand that Obama will mandate this as the standard house for all Americans. And you will have to keep your thermostat no higher than 65 in the winter.

[Crazieman]

Nut. She’s not efficient enough. Thats a CFL, not an LED lamp. Tsk tsk.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Evergreen College Grad I would wager!

[Philly Nomad]

Her house looks more aesthetically pleasing than every McMansion built in the last 10 years.

Ain’t nobody going to foreclose on her.

[meyer]

With all that money she's saving, you'd think she could afford shoes!

Really, while I think that we often buy much larger homes than we might need (not that need is superior to free will), this house is just way too narrow. My bathroom is wider, and I think my bed rivals the width as well.

[sionnsar]

And you will have to keep your thermostat no higher than 65 in the winter.

We're quite comfy with winter daytime temp of 64F. Leaves more money to spend on other things -- including conservative candidates. YMMV

[blu]

Asking the most important female question:
Where’s the bathroom? Or is she sponging that also from her friend?

[TangoLimaSierra]

which is currently parked in a friend's backyard.

Yeah, her monthly expenses are $6 because her friend is paying the mortgage on the land she is parked. What a clueless idiot.

[NewHampshireDuo]

I suppose the bathroom is behind the bush to the right.

[sionnsar]

Say WA? Evergreen State ping

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.

Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.

[2banana]

Americans consume 40 percent of the world’s oil and 23 percent of its coal.

And produce how much of the world's goods and services???? These stats are meaningless.

[Vigilanteman]

There will be a lot of localities where the local building nazis wouldn’t even park, much less put that down on a foundation.

[fella]

What’s this place going to look like when she has kids?

[Clemenza]

I will say this, housing in general has gotten bigger over the past 50 years. If you look at older suburbs (Union, NJ and Levittown, NY come to mind) the houses were "cozy" Cape Cods on postage-stamp sized lots, where you could hear everything your neighbor did. Now, everyone wants more space and privacy, even if they have no kids.

I was in Spain in November, and was amazed at "suburban" living there. Essentially small townhomes similar to what finds in Staten Island or Queens. Same goes for France.

[American Infidel]

It's actually a pretty cool looking place. Not my cup of tea, but if you are really gung-ho about reducing your "carbon footprint", etc. this may be something you should consider (Al Gore, hypocrite celebs and the like). I appluad her for walking the walk, even though it won't mean squat in terms affecting "climate change" (that has been occuring for billions of years).

As long as this isn't being forced upon the rest of us, I have no problem with it.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

‘zackly. A pointless comparision if you exclude what we produce.

[Aut Pax Aut Bellum]

living on her EX-husband’s property (he must love that) and they have two daughters: “Meadow” and “Cedar”. Her business/job? Weaving baskets. Al Gore’s love child...

[kalee]

Probably won’t have any. It’s the latest trend among the greenies. No kids. There was a thread about it recently here on FR.

[Philly Nomad]

Well considering we are in a trade deficit, not nearly enough.

[shorty_harris]

I lived in a motorhome near Flagstaff for a while some years ago. I liked it fine, but the Forest Service was constantly after me to get off “public” land.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Actually, there is a whole genre of housing called "Park Model that includes small cottages on wheels. There are some very good looking and economical homes in the collections at the link. Think upscale and compact mobile home.

[Bobalu]

[Keith Brown]

Sorry the everqueeners would mandate that she has hemp insulation....

Live in WA?

[Clemenza]

Reminds me of the old Sears bungalows one sees all over the south and west sides of Chicago.

[Keith Brown]

WA State Ping!

[RJL]

As long as this isn't being forced upon the rest of us, I have no problem with it.

That's the problem, you and I are happy to let her live as she wishes.

A liberal's greatest desire is to make laws requiring us to live our lives as they want us to, not as we want to live.

[am452]

I think it looks kinda neat. Takes me back to the tree house day’s of my youth.

Easy to clean.

[VanShuyten]

That looks bigger than my first apartment in Japan, and most Japanese homes don’t HAVE thermostats. I wonder if she has a privy pig living under her bathroom?

[kalee]

Weren’t those marketed as Katrina homes?

[sodpoodle]

Important to look at all dozen or so pictures. Personal hygeine would seem to be the missing element - not to mention food preparation, laundry and daily living essentials.

The $10K child’s playhouse is a great example of excess consumption compared to the other minimalists’ obsessions.

[RoadKingSE]

And here's an idea for a FEMA solution for those idiots who insist on returning to the low side of the Mississippi levees.

[Baynative]

"With all that money she's saving, you'd think she could afford shoes!"

I'm gonna wager she also saves by not buying razor blades and I'll bet her overalls haven't seen the inside of a washing machine in a while.

[Shooter 2.5]

No different than the retirees who sell the house and buy a recreational vehicle. They chase the seasons and live as economically as they can.

My son asked me to buy some land adjacent to his property as I get older. The only way that would work is if I had to ask permission to visit them. It was my idea because my grandmother lived next door to us so the system worked.

[ottbmare]

I will say this, housing in general has gotten bigger over the past 50 years. . . Now, everyone wants more space and privacy, even if they have no kids.

What's interesting is that as the houses get bigger and bigger, everybody in the family ends up in the kitchen anyway. The other rooms tend to be used less and less, even those gigantic, high-ceilinged, glass-walled "family rooms" that are increasingly formal and cold. The kitchens are getting bigger and having sitting areas attached to them, and, wait a minute! We're back to having a keeping room, a large kitchen with seating and dining areas for family togetherness, just like our colonial forebears with their cabins.

Bottom line is that most people don't want to live in 7000 square feet, even if they can afford it; it spreads the family out too much.

[Kirkwood]

We would call that a (fishing) camp in my neck of the woods. We have them here much cheaper and much nicer. They are a status symbol amongst the hunting and fishing crowd.

[fella]

It’s the latest trend among the greenies. No kids.

If they intend to leave nothing of a prosperity then their entire life is a total waste of resources. Then the most resource efficient and carbon neutral thing that they can do is to .............. uh .................. you know ......................uh ......... leave as soon as possible. That would leave more resources for the future generations wouldn't it.

[Last Dakotan]

What’s this place going to look like when she has kids?

A shoe.

[Baynative]

[tflabo]

her friend is paying the mortgage on the land she is parked.

Just wait until the liberals she votes for in the municipalities start taxing her humble abode...not by the square foot but by the square inch. She has plenty of money saved now for the involuntary 'sharing' with the common good of the village!

[armymarinemom]

Her house looks more aesthetically pleasing than every McMansion built in the last 10 years.

Yeah but she will not look so good if she falls out of bed.

[whipitgood]

Not only are they meaningless, but “the world” doesn’t own any oil or coal. They belong to someone.

[Think free or die]

"We're back to having a keeping room, a large kitchen with seating and dining areas for family togetherness, just like our colonial forebears with their cabins."

I have to chuckle at your description. Our house has a small family room beside our generous sized kitchen. There's a small table with chairs in the middle of it all. Probably 90% of family time takes place in those two rooms. My husband would love to expand the house, but I see a lot of space that is seldom used and collects dust. If anything, I'd prefer a smaller house and less stuff.

[1066AD]

She'll upgrade to a Wee House, no doubt.

[dalereed]

“I lived in a motorhome near Flagstaff for a while some years ago.”

We lived in a 38’ motorhome I borrowed from a friend for 3 days while the house was getting fumigated and that was 3 days too many.

[ottbmare]

One thing I’ve noticed is that the larger “great rooms” or family rooms with high ceilings and large glass doors and windows are hard to furnish and tend to have poor acoustics and lighting. They may be great for impressing friends or watching a game on the huge plasma TV, but they’re not warm, inviting, and intimate. We have such a room in our house and I just gave up and turned it into a formal living room/parlor. We too, like you, spend most of our time in the kitchen, where the warmth is.

It’s natural to want a larger house—I look at a larger house as an opportunity to have more rooms to decorate, and there can never be enough of those!—but more square footage does tend to spread people out and alienate them. Healthy families that have large houses tend to end up together in one or two rooms anyway.

[proud_yank]

thanks to solar panels, her electricity is free.

Her electricity is not free. What is the cost to install solar panels on something that size?

Her approach goes against the national trend: Americans consume 40 percent of the world’s oil and 23 percent of its coal.

This statement says absolutely nothing (aside from anti-American sentiment), there is no 'trend' noted.

Aside from that, its her money and she can do as she pleases with it. Personally, I think there is nothing novel here- miners, trappers and those who lived remotely did so in log/earth cabins or small shantys. Some now even have small solar panels and wind.

[shorty_harris]

Mine was a 24’, but it was just myself, so it wasn’t so bad. The worst part, besides playing hide-and-seek with the forest service, was that it got dang cold up there.

[Kevmo]

bmflr, looks amusing

[windcliff]

Your first home.

[Straight Vermonter]

you will have to keep your thermostat no higher than 65 in the winter.

Mine stays at 62 during the day and 55 at night so that would be toasty!