Isn't it darling? It's one of the tiny houses designed by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. I've been intrigued by their houses since I saw a story about them on TV a week or two ago. The one profiled on TV was really tiny, around 100 square feet. The itty bitty ones are on wheels and can be hauled anywhere. The one above, called The Whidbey, is quite a bit bigger at 461 to 557 square feet, depending on the exact model, and is stationary. But the principles of tiny house living are still applied. What I like about this design is that it's clean and compact, but still has a lot of old fashioned charm. And on the practical side, the bedroom is on the first floor instead of a sleeping loft accessed by a ladder or a full bedroom up a flight of stairs. (A ladder or stairs aren't the best choices for me.) The larger, two bedroom model would be absolutely perfect. The windows on the front surround bedroom number one, which would be an ideal office. The second bedroom, on the back of the house, has a small bench seat under a window between two closets, and I've always wanted a window seat.
The Loring, with it's sweet little porch, is also cute enough to stick in your pocket. It's quite a bit smaller than The Whidbey at 261 to 356 square feet. But the larger model would still be a practical choice for me, with the bump out bedroom on the first floor. The only drawback for this style is that there is no separate space for an office- I'd have to set up a desk either in the main room or bedroom. But it still has the window seat in the bedroom.
This is all just a fantasy, of course. I have no money to build a house, tiny or otherwise. Although at an estimated materials cost of $31,000 for the larger Loring and $41,500 for the larger Whidbey, these homes would be very economical to build. And while I'm dreaming, I'd check into adding solar panels. The company advertises utility costs of as little as $65 per year, although I'm sure that is for the smaller wheeled houses. (Can you imagine? My electric bill due next week is $168, and that's for one month!)
I might be the only person in the world who, if she won the lottery, would rush out and build a smaller house. But can you blame me when the designs are so adorable and perfect?
I love it! I can see why you'd want one. My house isn't anywhere near THAT tiny--1,200 square feet, more or less. But it is compact and kinda cute. If you don't mind 100+ years of previous owners' bad carpentry, drywall and wiring skills :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely idea!
ReplyDeleteMr.X and I hope to buy land. A small home like this would be perfect for the few years it'll take to build the final home. And it'd be a lovely guest house after.