Tiny Cottage -- Big Life!
Growing up in an era of smallish houses, I was stunned about 25 years ago when houses starting becoming status symbols on a grand scale for ordinary folks like me, not just for the wealthy. Behemoths, even!聽
Small homes -- capes, ranches, whatevers -- were being torn down at a record pace, and replaced with huge homes that looked a lot like hotels.聽
One bathroom in the house? Oh, my, NO! Had to have two, three -- 11!聽
A 1,000 s.f. house was no longer big enough, nor was a 2,000 s.f. house, nor a 3,000 s.f. house. Master bedrooms became sanctuaries, like the kind found it high-end hotels.聽
Master baths became spas. (Seriously?)
Master closets could hold enough stuff for six families . . .聽
It was hard to see when and where it would stop.
Then. THEN. A movement began in the late '90s. A movement toward sanity, toward affordability, toward peace.聽
The Tiny House Movement as we know it today was born.
We saw this on TV, notably on HGTV, which began showing small homes a few years later. And the DIY network. OK, not all were truly tiny, but they were smaller than many we were seeing rise in those once quiet neighborhoods of small capes and ranches.聽
What is a tiny house? Supposedly a house from 85 s.f. to about 400 s.f. Of course, depending on what anyone's used to, it could be as large as 1,000 s.f.聽
But most agree that it's about 500 s.f. or less, a size that is smaller than many master bedrooms these days.
I joined this movement four years ago, without realizing what I was doing. My house is on the larger size for a "tiny house," being 525 s.f. with a full basement. But coming from a 2,200 s.f. house -- with a 1,500 s.f. condo in between -- it sure does feel different!
I bought this little place as a summer home, but quickly realized that my ideas and my budget were out of whack. And I really loved being here, so I sold my nice condo, and moved it. Did a lot of renovating (the cottage, like so many here, was built in the 1930s, and renovated maybe once since then), but in the end it's been totally worth it!
Notice I didn't say it feels small. It doesn't, and there are some good reasons for it.聽
- It has cathedral ceilings, which make the cottage voluminous. There's no feeling of being squashed or smothered or cramped.
- It has windows -- lots of windows -- on all four walls.
- It has outside walls, and one that closes off the bathroom, but no other walls. A curtain聽divides the bedroom from the living room, whch gives me a way to get breezes on hot 聽summer nights. It is basically one big room, with separate zones for cooking, eating (at an island), watching TV, or looking out at the water while trying to read a book.聽
- It is light and bright inside, with a rear screened-in porch facing south and west. It's 聽 聽 聽 like having a deck with no bugs, and there's sunlight from noon on.
- It sits up on a hill, so there's a view to a large bay (I'm in the Cape Cod area of southeast Massachusetts, USA), which sparkles, roils, boils, gets glassy -- it's always changing, but since I'm so often looking out at it, I again feel like this house is huge.
No, it's not a tiny house. It's not just 200 s.f. But for most of my friends and family, it's聽something very, very different. I keep getting asked -- in many oblique -- if I'm happy living here. I don't know why my answer of "YES!" over the last two years isn't good enough for them.聽
But you know, that doesn't matter. It's more than good enough for me (and my two small dogs). We are one happy bunch.
How about you? What's your experience with a small / tiny house? How small do you think is too small, at least for you?
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Comments
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #27
Lisa Gallagher
7 years ago #26
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #25
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #24
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #23
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #22
Yup, Deb Helfrich, that's accurate. It's the book of someone else, or someone else's book. And the spellcheck here is underlining the "else's," but I know it's correct. Surprising that the spellchecks are so slow to pick this one up as right! And just so you know, spellcheck here is hating your last name . . . sheesh!
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #21
Yup, that's accurate. It's the book of someone else, or someone else's book. And the spellcheck here is underlining the "else's," but I know it's correct. Surprising that the spellchecks are so slow to pick this one up as right!
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #20
Thanks, Phil Friedman! Yeah, 500 s.f. sounds and may seem tiny, but when it's all open as mine is, with loads of windows -- it's more than big enough. And I can seat 12 people comfortable -- although not at a table. First husband and I had a 37' cabin cruiser (a wood Egg Harbor) for years, so I know a little about that. I think the way they're configured -- or the way they were configured anyway -- makes that size difficult. Good for you, though!
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #19
Phil Friedman
7 years ago #18
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #17
Let's start with the stuff, Deb Helfrich. Yes. Rehoming it is wonderful! Do you have any homeless shelters in the area? The folks in them who are trying to find a way to get a place to live often have nothing to take with them. Do you have a Flea Market FB page in your local area? We have one here on the Cape, and folks are always snapping things up for themselves. Sometimes there's a small price; other times the stuff is free. Second, I cannot imagine moving that far, even with my few possessions. That's a whole other kind of downsizing/right-sizing/decision making. Ugh. But, of course, you have a terrific reason for doing it . . . don't you. :-) Third, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by others' things being possessive. Talk to me, OK? Have a great day!
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #16
Irene Hackett, I feel your pain over the winters! But I'm a New Englander born and bred, and I'm planning to stay put. Good for you to have done the downsizing and found out how gratifying it is to not have STUFF everywhere. And no, I had no idea that Amour Setter existed, but I shall check the posts out. Thanks so much!
Mohammed Abdul Jawad
7 years ago #15
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #14
And one last thought for you, David Grinberg: I do feel claustrophobic in some friends' tiny homes here in the Village because they're a warren of small rooms with dark walls and low ceilings. I can't get out those places fast enough! They feel like hobbit homes sometimes, and I'm only 5'3". You're exactly the kind of person I love showing this place to! Everyone (OK, except for my mom) has walked in, stopped cold, and just beamed. The inside really is a marvel: bright, clean, and light. Maybe they wouldn't want to live in such a small space, but with the high ceilings, no walls, and that killer view -- what's not to love? The most often-repeated comment is: OMG! It's huge! So. If you're ever in this area -- come see!
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #13
It's truly a home, Ken Boddie! It was built in the '30s, rehabbed once maybe in the '60s, so I had a free hand in complete redoing it to my own style. I didn't have to consult with anyone else who might live here; everything is personal to me. First time ever, and it feels sooooooooo good! Downsizing is a state of mind, I think. If we can wrap our heads and hearts around what is really important, it becomes much easier. Of course I do have a few things still in my basement . . . just can't part with them yet. But what I truly need is here in my one-room place, and I love it. Who knows? Maybe you and your wife will actually downsize someday -- what would that look like for you? What size house do you have now? What could you imagine for yourselves? I know that although this little place is great for me, its only negative is the lack of another space for another individual to call his own. My basement is only accessible on outside stairs, and there's really place to put an inside staircase.
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #12
Thanks so much, Shubhanshu Garg! Yes, it's home. And it's home in a more personal way than any other has been for me.
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #11
I am such a loner, Sarah Elkins, that it works for me just fine. It's also totally open -- one big room -- and I do have seating for 12, although not at a table. One 4' island with three stools, six storage ottomans, three chairs. For a single woman such as I am, it's perfect in every way! And thanks for sharing the post!
Ken Boddie
7 years ago #10
Sarah Elkins
7 years ago #9
Sarah Elkins
7 years ago #8
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #7
Aha! A true believer! Good to know, Charlene Burke! 300 s.f. is approaching tiny for sure. And yes. We are alike on knowing what we need and what we don't. I could live in a smaller space than my 525 s.f., but it's small enough to make me happy. Takes about 15 minutes to clean, and I mean CLEAN! Easy to heat, insure, and clean. Heck, it's about perfect. And if I can get some interior pictures that actually show anything, I'll post them. Thanks for your vote of confidence!
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #6
Laurent BOSCHERINI, yes. Cape Cod is wonderful. What is more wonderful is that I do not have to use any rotaries (roundabouts) or bridges to get here. I am on the land side of the bridges.
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #5
Franci Eugenia Hoffman, if Ihad a significant other, this house would not work. Although it has a full basement, there's no inside access. It works because it's just me and my two small Chihuahua mixes. I have to admit: I LOVE IT HERE! And I had to be ruthless about my stuff. You know there's that Japanese woman who talks about stuff that makes you laugh/grin/love? And there's stuff that doesn't. I kind of used that principle in looking at the 30+ dress shirts I had . . . I am down to about 10, a huge improvement. And it continues. My basement still has a few things I just can't part with, but each week one thing goes. And since I'm on my own, it's only my decisions that count! Very freeing overall.
Susan 馃悵 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess
7 years ago #4
And it's always to each his/her own, David Grinberg, isn't it! You're good with heights; I'm fine with an open 525 s.f. cottage. Life is such fun!
David B. Grinberg
7 years ago #3
Larry Boyer
7 years ago #2
Laurent Boscherini
7 years ago #1