Topic: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company makes tiny, 65 sq ft build-it-yourself homes for 99USD/61GBP
Voice of !WisdomHsuU started this discussion 15 years ago #11,414
http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/The-61-house-yahoofinanceuk-197431321.html> Living room, fully functioning kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom that fits a queen-sized bed: All this can be yours for just $99 (£61) from an American company. As long as you're willing to build it yourself.
> And the man behind the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Jay Shafer, believes in his mini-homes so much that he'd lived in one for more than 10 years.
> The idea of living in such a small space might not appeal to all, but with the average deposit for a first-time buyer in the UK running at £27,127 along with a mortgage of almost £110,000, according to the latest figures from Halifax, buying and building your own home for a fraction of this could appeal to many on this side of the Atlantic too.
> What you get in the basic house
> The smallest house on offer from Tumbleweed is just 65 square feet in size, but manages to cram in a living room with a couch and a built-in desk.
> There's no room for a dishwasher or washing machine in the kitchen (pictured right), but you do get a sink, fridge, water heater, a hot-plate for cooking, a stainless-steel counter and storage space.
> There's a stainless-steel fireplace in the kitchen/living room that is enough to keep your house warm in temperatures as low as -37°C and you can add in air conditioning to keep it cool in summer.
> The bathroom is a wet-room that turns into one big shower and the loft doubles as a bedroom — which has enough room for a queen-sized bed (but not a lot else).
> While the plans are available online for £61 for you to build one yourself, the building materials aren't free.
> The company estimates it costs about £10,000 in materials and takes up to 850 hours to complete your home.
> Why make houses so small?
> "My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space," explained Shafer.
> "How each house gets used depends on the occupant's particular needs. What one person would enjoy as a quiet studio in their backyard, another couple might choose to inhabit as a full-time residence …[others can use them] for accommodating an elderly parent, an adult child, guests, or as office space."
> But there are other benefits as well. "[Why live here?] Mostly just because I don't like vacuuming and dusting and taking care of stuff I'm not using," he added.
> Shafer's house is a little bigger than the basic model, although still just eight feet wide, it has two gas hobs in the kitchen, room for a washing machine and even space for a pull-out 'dining table' in the living room (pictured left) that he has had four people seated and eating around.
> The largest house on offer from Tumbleweed has three double bedrooms, two bathrooms and even a walk-in closet - but still only costs £51,000 for the plans and the materials to build it.
Killer Lettuce !!iNo3FkiZx joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 14 minutes later[^] [v] #205,493
These actually look pretty neat. I probably wouldn't like the really small one described in the OP, but a slightly bigger one would be nice.
Voice of !WisdomHsuU (OP) replied with this 15 years ago, 4 minutes later, 19 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #205,500
Looks like I should've read the comments, because they don't sell $99 houses - they sell $99 house PLANS. The house itself would likely cost at least 5k to build, let alone the cost of land. What a disappointment.
(Edited 14 seconds later.)
sluggy joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 1 minute later, 20 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #205,502
$10100 and you have to build it yourself? I'd go for a dome house instead. Close in price, more pleasing to the eye, and that shit is sturdy as fuck.
Voice of !WisdomHsuU (OP) replied with this 15 years ago, 20 seconds later, 21 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #205,503
@205,493 (Killer Lettuce !!iNo3FkiZx)
I quite like this one: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/popomo/
I quite like this one: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/popomo/
Nexus !jNexusRe/. joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 3 minutes later, 24 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #205,507
Broseph !!fxnDb+Ve4 joined in and replied with this 15 years ago, 19 minutes later, 43 minutes after the original post[^] [v] #205,519
Someone needs to pirate the plans and upload them here.