I have an acquaintance who, with her husband, lived in their boat during the warm weather. They’d go back to their condo on the weekend to swap out their clothes, but during the spring/'summer/fall, the boat was their home.
For a boat, it had a lot of space – two bedrooms, if I recall.
They’ve since retired and have sailed down to Florida, where they live year-round. I don’t know if they’re still on the boat or not.
There are some in HI who live on their boats as well. I believe it can be financially significantly cheaper than a larger home on land, but it is tough to get a boat slip here & I believe there is a waiting list.
My husband’s ex boss sold his million dollars plus home in California and bought a big boat, last I’ve heard he is in Florida living on that big boat for most of the time. It sounds very exciting.
I think it takes a certain type of person to live on a boat 24/7 for prolonged periods of time. H gets seasick, so I don’t think he’s one of those people. I think i like being on land too much, but there is a comradiere that can develop among those living on a marina. One does have to pay attention to weather advisories, especially hurricane watches and such.
I didn’t think of that, but you’re right that a tiny house isn’t much different than living on a boat. My dad lives on his large sailboat part-time. It has two bedrooms, a full bath, kitchen, etc. He still maintains a regular home when he wants to escape boat life, but he loves living on that boat. He sails around and meets people from all over the world. One of the keys to tiny living, in whatever form, is probably making use of outdoor space.
My dad/several of us lived on a boat for years off the San Diego pier. Headaches were doing laundry and getting groceries…as both required rowing out/back.
Anyone watching tiny house tonight? The one where the couple from Boston is building their own tiny house?
That house has NO insulation! It’s going to be blistering hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.
I just don’t see tiny houses working in New England between the weather and months of cabin fever in the winter. Maybe for a summer shack or fishing/mountain cabin.
I can’t understand people who SHOULD know better to build without insulation when they can afford to put insulation in. It doesn’t take up that much space and makes a WORLD of difference, even in balmy HI. It must have lowered the indoor temperature about 10 degrees when H and S put mylar bubble wrap insulation throughout our attic. I’m SO glad they did!
When I watched this couple from Boston build their tiny house, I felt like I was watching two kids playing house after throwing a blanket over a couple of chairs to create a tent. The whole concept is so romanticized.
This couple also had a pet rabbit that they built an indoor house for. I can just imagine the smell in that tiny house after a few days.
In fact, I find myself holding my breath at the point in the show when people step inside the tiny house, because I imagine the odors from the bathroom permeating the whole space. Ewwww!
I’m a guy so I don’t really care about my house size. My only requirements is that it comes with everything a regular house comes with, minus a garage, and that it’s planted into the ground with fences around it.
Some of the young couples featured on these shows seem touchingly, comically naive. It’s often so obvious they haven’t a clue as to the practicalities of living in what is, many times, less than 300sq.ft, full time and long term. They walk into these cute little spaces that look for all the world like playhouses, and think, “How fun! So cozy!” I don’t think they comprehend just how little they will be able to keep in those spaces without it becoming cluttered, cramped, and virtually impossible to move around in. I would love to see HGTV do follow-up shows on these participants 1 year later. I’m interested in hearing them talk honestly about how the experience differed from their expectations, and what, if anything, they would do differently if they knew then what they know now.
It’s like living in Suite Hotel, full time, except it’s generally a stand alone, detached building, correct? I can’t imagine that I’d enjoy such a situation. College dorm was long enough to live in VERY small quarters. Many consider the 1250 square feet we live in with our 3 bedroom, 2 bath home small. H grew up in a 800 square foot 3 bedroom 1 bath home. That’s about as small as we’re comfortable with (I know we’re spoiled).
It would be cool if they did a one-year, where are they now and HONESTLY how are they doing for a lot of these shows. Not sure how much they’d get of honesty.
Here’s an article about a writer who spent 3 days in a tiny house with her mom. it has a nice slide show and good info to consider.
http://www.businessinsider.com/i-lived-in-a-tiny-house-2014-8#
^^Interesting article. I don’t think I could do it.
Slide 18 is what I’m talking about! LOL
Well said, lol. I’ve observed the same thing…
From the link provided by HImom:
Ermmm…Yeah. 8-}
Speaking of tiny houses, did anyone see the article about the Ecocapsule on CNN.com? It looks really cool, and seems like there are situations for which it would be great to have available. Still wonder about safety though, what happens in a hurricane or flood?
Eco Capsule also seems like something that only works for short periods of time, as eco tourism accomodations, as a novel experience you can regale your friends with over cocktails. It is not, however, a permanent housing solution for most people. Certainly not for whole families. There are aspects of it that are indeed intriguing, like the energy self-sustainability it offers. The rainwater collection and filtration system is genius. To make it a viable solution for affordable urban housing, they will need to seriously go back to the drawing board, though.