// Tiny Houses
Ever since living in NYC, I've been sort of fascinated by "Tiny Houses." My first Summer in NYC I shared a "decent" sized apartment in the East Village with 4 other girls (2 tiny bathrooms, and no living room), and then the second year I lived in Midtown in my own private room. (And "room" is a stretch!) I don't remember what I paid the first Summer, but the second year I paid $1500 a month to live in a tiny box that was maybe 12' x 8'. It had a very very small bathroom (I'd constantly bang my head on the sink) and no kitchen. Just a dorm fridge. I shared a kitchen on the top floor with the entire building... 2 microwaves, 4 stove burners, and one sink. But that was the price you paid to live right at Madison Square Park in Manhattan.
I had never lived in a space so small before. Growing up in Tennessee, the amount of space you get for your dollar is pretty good. Granted I went to college in Franklin, one of the wealthiest towns in the South, so my dollar didn't go quite as far as it does now, but still, overall it's an affordable place to live. At least in comparison to NYC. I didn't think I could do it honestly, but I did, and I actually grew to sort of enjoy it (minus the kitchen sharing thing.) We lost our house and everything we owned right before my second move to NYC, so when I finally came back to Tennessee I was no longer afraid of space restrictions. Mike and I even looked into several studio apartments before settling on a townhouse for my last semester (and then later moving into a studio loft.) Even though these spaces were small, they had nothing on the roughly 96 square feet of living space in the city.
Now you'll see projects and people every single day who are choosing to build homes out of very tiny structures. I used to fantasize about how cool it'd be to convert a shed (with a little front porch!) into a tiny studio apartment, but this was back in high school and I wanted "my own place." haha But folks are actually making real homes for multiple people out of sheds and/or building them on lawnmower/car trailers. My brain could have never come up with some of these amazing designs... the multi-levels, the genius use of space, the portability! Living in a camper like Honeybean is one thing... but to build a functioning house? What?
I came across this very project, The Tiny Project, a couple of weeks ago and I've wanted to write about it ever since. It's just so inspiring to see someone make something out of nothing... and to really do it, ya know? I've seen a lot of really amazing tiny homes, but this one is just breathtakingly beautiful! (And it looks surprisingly roomy, though that could also be the wide-angle lens they probably used to photograph it haha) It's only about 160 square feet and it fits perfectly on a flatbed trailer. Alek shares on his website the restrictions that tiny homes face when they're built on trailers... such as size restrictions. They can be no wider than 8.5 feet and no taller than 13.5 feet. But length is unlimited so many people build on a 16' or 20' trailer. My favorite feature of this tiny house is the incredible natural light let in by the 10 windows!
I mean, it's pretty gorgeous right? I've fallen down the "tiny house rabbit hole" and I'm totally loving it. One of my friends is actually in the process of converting an old bread truck into a tiny home of her own. I'm so inspired and will definitely have to share her progress as she gets the project off the ground! Maybe I'll compile a list of my favorite tiny homes to share, because I can't get enough of it haha! How about you?
Think you could live in such a tiny space with your partner? I'd like to think that after living in such a small space in NYC (and sharing a lot of that time with Mike when he'd come visit every ~2 weeks) that I could totally do it, but I don't know! It'd obviously be harder than it first appears, but the biggest challenge would be paring our possessions down (and you know, having a kid and 4 pets haha!) Maybe it'd be more realistic for us pre-kid and pre-pets! I'm looking forward to The Tiny Project's blog post about how/where to park when they're towing it on the road. We have experience with RV and caravan parking overnight, but it seems like this might pose an interesting new set of obstacles. Feel free to follow along with their journey as they set up camp in their new home. They've already been living in their tiny home full-time for over 6 weeks! I'd love to learn more about their process and the funds it took to create! (And if you're looking to build your own tiny house, TTP will have building plans up on their website soon!) Happy Wednesday! xo
PS: Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on the past 2 posts this week! I'm working to return all of them today!
