What It's Like to Live in a 'Tiny Home'

2012-12-07T20:08:00.000Z

There's been a recent renaissance in small living spaces.

New York City and San Francisco are moving forward with plans to build experimental "micro apartments," and a small tiny-house community has popped up on the outskirts of Washington D.C.

The idea of a "tiny home" is nothing new —Jay Shafer, founder of the Tumblewood Tiny House Company, has been the face of the movement and a major advocate of the concept for more than a decade.

But their recent rise in popularity "could be seen as a denunciation of conspicuous consumption and a rejection of the idea that more is, well, more," writes The Washington Post's Emily Wax.

The homes, often with 200 square feet of living space or less, are brilliant examples of design. For such a small square footage, they can be surprisingly livable.

Shafer took sustainable culture blog *faircompanies inside his own tiny house. Click through to see what life is like in his 89-square-foot residence.

See What It's Like To Live In An 89-Square-Foot 'Tiny Home'

Jay Shafer is the founder of the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. He's been designing tiny houses, and living in them, for more than a decade.

When he gave this tour in 2010, his 89-square-foot home-on-wheels was parked in Sebastopol, California.

"I started living small because it's so wasteful — a personal like me, with minimal needs — to live in a large house," Shafer said.

Shafer called this his "entertainment area." Incredibly, he has had nine people sitting in this space at one time.

There's a lot of storage space per-square-foot, because Shafer didn't want to get rid of all his worldly possessions.

"The hardest part of designing a small house is actually deciding what is necessary — just figuring out what you need to be happy," Shafer said.

The fireplace is actually made to be used on boats. But it works well in the space, Shafer said.

Shafer said he prefers shallow shelves "so you don't have to dig deep" for stuff. They are on nearly every wall of the home.

Let's check out the kitchen. "I allocated only as much space as I need to cook, which isn't much," Shafer said.

The plumbing system in this home is pretty primitive, but Shafer said he usually puts more elaborate systems in homes he designs for others.

The fridge is a mini fridge, of course.

There's room for a toaster on top of it. Looks like this space also serves as the liquor cabinet.

The bathroom is two feet by four feet. It's called a "wet bath," meaning the bathroom is the shower, Shafer explained.

He has to cover the toilet with plastic when he bathes.

The "sleeping loft" is upstairs. It's accessible by a ladder that's normally stowed away.

The bed takes up most of the space. Making the bed is a major challenge, since there's no space on either side.

Shafer spent about $17,000 on building materials, and it took him 500 hours to construct his tiny home. It's actually more expensive per-square-foot to build small, he said.

The home is on wheels, so Shafer can move it at will. In order to comply with building code, it's technically classified as a travel trailer.

The space may be efficient, but it has its limits. With a wife and baby on the way, Shafer bought the 500-square-foot home next to his tiny house.

Now check out the opposite end of the spectrum.

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