Also see: Tiny House Design and Tiny House Map
More extreme downsizing stories hitting the main stream media. Be sure to cast your vote in the survey at the bottom of the linked article.
“A Calgary family is building a tiny new abode on wheels that holds roughly 300 square feet of living space.
Kirsten Shaw and Michael Hunt plan to pull up stakes in Calgary in the spring and drive with one son through the United States for a year.”
via Calgary family trades in spacious home for tiny house – Calgary – CBC News.
Here’s a short article with tips for downsizing into smaller kitchens.
“Kitchens come in sizes big and small and often, kitchen size doesnt always correlate with how large or small the rest of the house is. Here are some of the most important elements that every kitchen needs to keep organized and functional.”
via Downsizing Design: Tips for Moving to a Smart Stylish Smaller Kitchen | Apartment Therapy.
Catch an extreme downsizing story early.
“We decided that it absolutely would be possible to live in the camper as long as we had some sort of office. We would figure it out. We could make it work.
We started the process of shedding our belongings in mid January. We started dividing our stuff into categories.”
via Massive Tiny Dreams | Big dreams of tiny living.
The Guardian reports on cabin fever and the increasing popularity of tiny homes.
“Kill for a cabin? Yearn for a yurt? You are not alone. Oliver Burkeman joins the tiny-home appreciation society.”
via Cabin fever: I want a tiny home | Life and style | The Guardian.
A story of extreme downsizing under duress… with a happy ending.
“I had two weeks to make this 450 square foot aluminum tube livable. My wonderful friends helped me around the clock – sorting, organizing and selling my things, painting every interior surface of the trailer, replacing all the flooring, and moving me in.”
Read more about Deciding to Make a Trailer My Home.
A fellow named Newton Wells is building a 425 square-foot house in Vermont. He’s sold his big house and is nearing completion of this simple home. Read the about Newton’s downsizing story and watch this tiny house news video.
Here’s another story of people finding happiness is a small space. Sasha and John live in this 480 square foot home in Toronto. After living in a small apartment for 10 years they were ready to buy a home and resisted the natural temptation to buy more. Now they are reaping the rewards of living simply. Read Sasha and John’s story. I first spotted this on RowdyKittens and Tiny House Blog.
This is an incredible story about the Long family who lives a two-day walk off-the-grid. By every measure this is an extreme example of how off the beaten track one could choose to live. I’m not suggesting that this family’s lifestyle is ideal but their example does stretch the imagination. Watch the Bush Babes – New Zealand video. Also be sure to read about the Long family on Frigal Dad.
This is a model of a house currently under construction in Colorado by Ann Holley, an Alfred University graduate student. Alfred University is located in upstate New York and has a great graduate art program. The house has been built with sustainability in mind and will be off-the-grid and powered by wind and solar. Read more about it on Tiny House Blog, RowdyKittens, and the ProtoHaus Project website.
This is a clever way to reuse an old shipping container. The original wall panels have been cut out and replaced with windows. I suspect this would not work in all climates but is definitely in innovate way to break free of the metal box aesthetic most shipping container homes seem stuck with.