Posted on 09/01/2011 7:17:13 AM PDT by SanFranDan
For those who are too broke to get on the housing ladder, an American firm is here to help.
Jay Shafer's Tumbleweed Tiny House Company makes cute little homes that start from the bargain price of $99.
The cheapest home is a flat-pack to be built by the owner but, if you're not very handy, there are ready-made versions for $38,997.
The teeny homes, which start at just 65 square feet are kitted out with fully functioning kitchens, bathrooms complete with composting toilets and sleeping areas.
Some models even come on wheels.
As well as being environmentally friendly the homes are affordable for people on meagre incomes.
As the debt problem in the U.S. reaches tipping point Mr Shafer, who lives in one of his houses in Sebastapol, California, says that less can be more.
'People are starting to get a clue I think,' he said.
'People are starting to understand that excess is not necessarily a luxury. It can be a burden, a liability. People are living in 4,000 and 6,000 square foot debtors prisons.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
“Our house is much smaller than our garage which is 2,400 sq. ft.”
Same as a friend of mine, his house is 3700 sq. ft. and his garage is 5,000 sq. ft. to house his 4 wheeled toys!
Yep, I’ve seen those. They’re cute too. They’d make great hunting camps, and cheaper than this shyster’s “kits”.
In most places, it would require a permit if you put it on a foundation.
I think that model comes with the en suite moonshine still!
My RV is between 350-400 sq ft when I have all four slides out. It has full kitchen, full bath, satellite and a fake fireplace. It can be moved anywhere. Its packed with supplies in case we have to hook up quick and run. The only limiting factor is diesel. Havent quite figured that out yet. Maybe we should tow a tanker truck and get even less gas mileage :)
I read an article a few years ago about people putting up such tiny cottages on their property, making them look nice, landscaping etc. and then renting them out to individuals, usually as a fairly short-term situation, say for a student, etc.
The cottages looked very nice and the people interviewed who lived in them liked them, liked living in a nice neighborhood on someone else’s land, and liked the price. The homeowners liked the extra income and sometimes they bartered for work in the garden, watching their dogs when they went away and so on.
As far as I’m concerned, I congratulate them for using capitalism and free markets! (BTW, in Seattle, IIRC, people had to get special permits to put “rental properties” on their single family lots — BUT, to Seattle’s credit, these permits were approved.)
I like this better.
A teenager taking matters into his own hands and building his own small house (on wheels). Would that more young people had as much gumption and drive.
16 year old builds tiny home to guarantee mortgage-free future
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXDu2U-CmkI
Would that people learn to live withing their means as this young man is doing. He can always “move up” once he is established and has saved money.
It should be.
This would be an inexpensive way for young people to start out. Zoning boards are mostly protecting the real estate and home building industry
Exactly.
Here is a 16 year old building his own home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXDu2U-CmkI
Why can’t less well off people do a similar kind of thing and then move up from there? You could buy a small piece of land and have a small community of t hese small homes.
What’s “shyster” about him?
There’s nothing inexpensive about these kits. Read the fine print.
Haven’t any of you actually checked out the site?
I figured that was a missile silo with built in protection.
Gonna need a lot of air conditioning, though.
I’d need one for myself and one for my dogs.
The Democrat’s dream home with a Chevy Volt in the driveway. Wait, I meant a bicycle in the driveway. By the time Obama is done a dugout may be in order.
I agree the Tumbleweed houses are expensive ... but then you get top of the line materials and things in it.
Check out the video I posted about the 16 year old building his own tiny house. He is using a lot of discount items, cast offs, etc. Still a nice place ... he estimates it will cost around $24,000 when done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXDu2U-CmkI
You don’t get anything in it. It says so right on the site. You buy 4 walls, a roof and a door. Everything elase is extra, including windows and doors. For a third the price, I can buy a prebuilt one from Home Depot, with a higher loft AND windows.
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