Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Can't fit a cat, let alone swing one...

Have any of you read about the trend at the moment to have really teeny living spaces?  And by teeny I don't mean a studio apartment in a pre-war brick fire trap, I'm talking about houses of Lilliputian dimensions.  Wee little houses that people are buying so they can get rid of their mortgages and live a simpler "uncluttered" life.

Maybe not quite as small as this, but close!
I'm pretty lucky as far as house size goes.  My fibro shack is on the large side at about 800 square feet, with two large bedrooms, a huge lounge and only five minutes from the city.  Not a bad score considering what I pay in rent.  But even so there are days when I wish I had more room to spread out it.  More places to go and more wall space to put furniture against.  I could really use a proper desk, but I'd have to sacrifice a couch for it and I'm just not willing to.  It's the cat's couch and she'd never forgive me.

Yes, my cat has her own couch.  Don't judge, you haven't seen her death glare!

But some people are actually choosing to downgrade their living spaces and are moving into places that are as small as 200 square feet.  Seriously!  That's the size of a one car garage!  The couple in the article moved themselves, their two kids, and their dog and cat into a space smaller than my lounge room.

If you were on your own I could see it potentially working as long as you didn't have too many possessions, but it must be ridiculously cramped for a family of four.  And I don't even want to think about issues of privacy and what they do when they want a bit of "grown up" time.  I just hope to god they have some sort of wall put up in their shoebox so they don't traumatise the kids too much.

Therapist:  So, Dan, tell me more about your parents. 
Dan:  It would happen at night ... always at night... 
Therapist:  Go on. 
Dan:  They thought we were asleep.  We weren't asleep!  The moaning!  The groaning!  Some nights, I can still hear the banging! 
Therapist:  ... um...
Dan:  I still have flashbacks whenever anyone says "Who's your daddy"!
Therapist:  ... you know, I think it might be best if we met twice a week from now on.  Or daily!  Would daily work for you?

 Oh well, I suppose they have to have SOMETHING to tell their therapist about.

48 comments:

  1. LAWD, and just imagine the bathroom issues. The first time Mom cooks Mexican the entire house is engulfed in gastric flames.

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  2. That seems like a TERRIBLE idea for a family with children! Sometimes no matter how much you love each other, there are moments you need to not be able to see or hear the other person. Especially when that person is having a temper tantrum.

    As someone whose book collection will have to be pried from my cold, dead hands, I think this is my destined house style: http://morita-arch.com/selected-works/houses/shelf-pod

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    1. They're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, but I'm not sure which.

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  3. I think I could do 1000 square feet, or even 750. Anything less than that would drive me nuts!

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    1. There's only one of me (two if you count the cat), but there are days I'd kill got an extra room!

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  4. I think someone would end up gagged and tied to a tree if I had to live with others in a space that small.....and not in a fun way either.

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    1. Lol! Fair point. I think in that situation it's every man for himself!

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  5. It's your title that's priceless Kellie, you wouldn't be game to swing 'death glare' cat - oh, there'd be no room :)))

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    1. Oh, you are so right! She'd take me down with a surly look at fifty paces!

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  6. Ha ha ha ha ha! So good. I want more "tiny living space therapist theater". Once Dan hits 13, though, he'll pay his parents back by burying them all in an endless fountain of pubescent curiosity. So to speak.

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  7. I sometimes fantasize about living in a really small space, but I don't think I'm organized enough to pull it off. But it's probably easier to leave the toilet seat down if it's in the middle of the living room and the only seat in the place.

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    1. Yeah, any house that has a toilet in the lounge room is definitely too small!

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    1. I think if I was in their position, I'd prefer to be committed! A mental hospital has to be better than living in a one car garage!

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  9. Thankfully, this trend will never, ever hit the midwest. We have plenty of space, and we're going to use it, by golly. I'm all for no mortgage and simple living, but four people in a teeny tiny space is anything but simple. They are going to kill each other before that kid ever makes it to the therapist's couch.

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    1. I know I'd be driven to homicide if I had to live in such close quarters!

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  10. "Whose your daddy!" That's a good one! HA!! When the boys were youngen's we went from a tiny house to one that would accommodate our family more comfortably. The kids were so used to a small space they didn't know how to spread out. The actually took turns sleeping in each others rooms for the first year still staying together. They finally got used to being in their own rooms.

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    1. LOL! I suppose I can understand that. I vaguely remember when my parents moved my brother out of our shared room and into a room of his own when we were toddlers, and I remember missing him being around something awful.

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  11. I could never live in my prayer closet... It's where I keep all my Keanu Reeves stuff.

    Hugs!

    Valerie

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    1. You pray to Keanu Reeves? If you do, could you please ask him to do something for me? Never do Shakespeare again! Seriously, never again!

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  12. You made me snort. Really hard and it kind of hurt, but it was totally worth it. My house is over 1500 sqft and I still feel like i live too close to my kids.

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    1. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to injure your nose. No one ever thinks of the noses!

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  13. I certainly can't see it working with kids, particularly as they grew into teens... That said, we're looking at a rural property at the moment which still has the original homestead on site. It's a rundown old shed now but it's TINY. Children must have been born and raised in those walls and it's smaller than my bedroom now. Times and our expectations have changed.

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    1. It always surprises me when I see old worker cottages and how small they are. I can't imagine a family of six or seven living in those teeny little places!

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  14. I am always in awe of those spaces. Just saw one online today that was as small as a parking space... I think a little over 100 sqft.

    I admire their organization (though I did see one person in NYC on a show that was really a hoarder in a small space). I love that they are free to not have much.

    The one thing they don't usually mention is that you have to either use the bathroom in a nearby house or hook up your plumbing and electricity from a nearby house.

    I could do the houses that are former truck containers... some of those are really cool and even have padios.

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    1. I could probably do a camper van ... but it'd have to be one of those luxury two hundred thousand dollar camper vans. I'm not a roughing it kind of gal :)

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    2. Some of those campers are really fancy!!

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  15. Is this legit???

    And to think I am looking for a bigger apartment just to have my boyfriend move in... LOL

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    1. I think there should be a minimum square foot rule. Each person gets so many square feet.

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  16. I saw in news the other day about this small space apartments becoming trend in Newyork and SFO- San Francisco.

    I would like to blame ikea though, they are kinda luring people to live in cramped space.

    Someone blamed in my blog that Indians shouldnt be allowed to migrate because they change the culture. Looks like he is true afterall.

    FACT : In Mumbhai you have houses that have houses and beds like you have in trains.

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    1. If we're blaming Ikea, I guess that means we're blaming the Swedes!

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  17. That last bit was classic! Thanks, Kellie. My husband and I could never do that. Our 1200 sq ft seems plenty small enough with our four kids and the hamster.

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    1. Let me guess, the hamster takes up the most room? Damned room hogging hamsters...

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  18. As cute as the teeny house craze is, I can't see how it works for more than a single person. Two people in 200 square feet? Yikes! And a family of four? Jeesh! And what if one of them has a hobby...like model trains?

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    1. Or bagpipes? Or exotic pole dancing? It could get awkward ... I mean, more awkward.

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  19. Small homes are just another form of birth control.

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  20. Someone in my teeny house would probly die...just sayin

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    1. I doubt I'd last a week before I'd be dragged off yelling "He was asking for it! He wouldn't stop breathing loudly!"

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  21. Hi-larious! I guess looking at it that way--a family of four crammed together in 200 square feet would make for excellent birth control. Plus it's a way to make sure you don't have any overnight guests.

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    1. Well that's true. A place that small, probably doesn't have a couch. I suppose you could offer guests a tent in the yard.

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  22. Can't stop giggling..."or daily...would daily work for you?". Love your blog!!!

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    1. I'd guess that kid would need daily therapy if he had to live in a place that small with his parents!

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  23. This makes me want to go out and buy a really, REALLY big house. Cuz I have three kids. And the therapy that would entail ... well, really. A big house would be cheaper.

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  24. I wouldn't mind having one of these little "houses" in my back yard and making it a writing retreat. :) The thing about "no mortgage" baffles me. --I know the price is fairly low...but if you don't own your own lot, you have to at least pay lot rent. But I guess that isn't as much $...

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