Tiny House Phenomenon

When Tiny Houses became a thing, I was interested only because it fascinated me how small a space could be that contained all a person needs to live in. Well, how well that kind of life would be, always was a question mark for me. Then came floor plans that placed sleeping quarters in lofts above kitchens, bathrooms and whatnot.

The flaw was immediately apparent to me – older, heavier or disabled people could not navigate a ladder or narrow staircase to the loft area.

The answer of course was convertible sleeping space on the ground floor. Murphy bed installations were the answer. Bedroom by night converted to living space by day, perhaps an office. Such designs were available in space squeezed Manhattan.

Other conveniences were engineered into Tiny Houses at this point including compact washer/dryers, thin silhouette refrigerators that were taller than normal. Fold down shelves served as computer workspaces and TV’s that rose up from cabinets or tables. Fold down decks provided accessible daytime space but removed wall space where the sliding door/window now was needed. Comfortable lounging space seemed to be eliminated. I need a recliner. A sofa that converts to guest sleeping is always a nice feature. But space? Not readily available for every nicety.

One thing remained missing: a garbage disposal. Evidently sealed containers stacked outside the entryway was the only way to handle that issue.

In the back of my mind, I accepted this tiny space as livable for one person. Then the thought occurred that living alone in a small space would be unbearably lonesome. Room for two was needed. The problem? Space for separation of function. That enlarged the kitchen, bathroom and sleeping arrangements. Suddenly the tiny was expanding. Still, the concept of living in ever smaller spaces was intriguing to me.

One positive: tiny means walls and things are close by to hang onto as we age and need such support to limit falls. But then we would have trouble getting up the steps to the tiny house in the first place.

One solution I thought of was an attached garage that could convert to daytime living space. Oh, and another thing, 400 square feet seemed ideal for tiny house living, you know a square floor space with a concrete floor. Wait! Aren’t Tiny Houses supposed to be portable, towable?

Oh well, perhaps a tiny house isn’t the answer. Unless we could convert unused shipping containers to build permanent housing containing the space and conveniences real people need? Well, let’s think about this. Maybe over there……

One final note. Tiny Houses are almost always eliminated by land-use ordinances in most municipalities. Well, that solves a lot of things. Maybe the shipping containers pose a worthwhile possibility?

August 30, 2022

 

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