Little Houses  − 18 April, 2008

I love little houses. I guess it’s because I am petite myself, but I think they are so cozy and cute – not to mention easy to clean and maintain in comparison to the opposite end of the spectrum – the McMansions.
I was just perusing a story on the internet about the new move towards small houses and mini- and micro-condos and apartments. Partly it is due to the lack of space in some urban areas, but I also think it makes people think about their space more – paring down to just the necessities and getting rid of the “clutter.”
Some friends of ours purchased was used to be a “vacation bungalow” – a two-story “mini-Victorian” in a quaint community. It can’t be more than 1,000 square feet, but had 3 teeny bedrooms and an adorable wrap-around porch – it is the cutest little house I have ever seen. The seaside bungalows of the ‘20s and ‘30s in my old hometown of Bradley Beach were just adorable, too, and now that I am in Florida, I love the little homes circa 1950’s. Just adorable.
Of course, I have a ton of crap, and if we were to move into a tiny house I would have to either get rid of said crap (which I have been tackling little by little – no pun intended) or get storage space for it. A lot of the crap is my packrat husband’s too – he just can’t throw anything out. Our current home is not huge at about 1300 square feet. It’s a 2 bedroom, 1 ½ bath townhouse, so I have been trying to pare down to necessities there, as we don’t have a ton of storage space. It’s pet supplies and books that I am guilty of hoarding, and I really have to work on that.
There are some companies that can build and ship your little house to you for about the price of a mid-sized car. Some of these have been sold to Katrina folks, hence the new “Katrina cottage” craze. A lot of those folks lost everything, so there isn’t much clutter, so it works out perfectly. They are inexpensive, sturdy and easy to heat/cool and maintain. And you don’t need to plug in your vacuum cleaner but once.
They are just adorable – with mini-porches and a loft. The kind of place I would love to live in. Some folks are buying them for their backyards to accommodate a renter or a kid who’s moved back to the nest.
Some are designed to be able to add-on to them in the future – a “starter” cottage. As it’s just my husband and I – well, and all our critters – it would be perfect. I just don’t want to have to throw out my favorite books – that is my biggest “mess” – my shelves and shelves of beloved books. Oh, and dog stuff – I have a lot of that, too. And we like to shop in bulk, as it is cheaper – where are we going to put the excess until we use it?
So there are some practical considerations, too. We would likely need a shed in the back just for storage. And if we wanted to host an event? Impossible in a tea-cup-sized abode. We’d have to rent space or have it outside (which, in Florida, isn’t impossible).
I do like cozy, though. And how much space do we really need? I mean, really, how much time do people spend in places in their house? I know I spend the bulk of my time in my bedroom and in the living room/kitchen – only 2 rooms – do I really need the other rooms? 2,500 square feet is nice – I would love it, but right now I can only afford a little house… and that’s OK with me.