"It's very un-American"

Well, it's perfect for empty nesters if you don't want the kids moving back home

They mostly appeal to single people who don't want a big mortgage and overhead. They are very popular to use as guest houses, studio/office space, or temporary housing for workers at schools, camps and farms. They now have ones called Granny Pods that are specifically designed for older people who still want independence but without the work of a house. Granny pods can be set up on the property of a younger relative and both parties still have their privacy. They appeal to "tree-huggers" because they tend to be environmentally low impact and they appeal to "tree-haters" as hunting shacks and homes that are ether low taxed or not taxed because they are often built up on wheels. Here's a picture of a Granny Pod interior:

I don't think they are being trendy. I've a snappy architect friend who used to design 400 sq foot houses. This was while ex and I lived in a 700 foot sq ft house for a great many years, sq. footage depending if you added the shack on. (I cringe re what that is worth now, even in a down market). And he lived in a bitty bitty house himself. Before you dismiss the architect, he's up there after time.

This is not schlock trendy. The question is what is too confining vs what is commercial.

I just saw a link, somewhere, with a photo of a guy living in an allocated cage.

This is all a little painful - I started many threads about this sort of subject early on a2k. Even getting the links took me a long time. Only a couple of people answered, so I stopped.

I could snap back to architectural and land use - eco interests, if I saw a mere feather of interest (and ask for comments/arguments).

Maybe you were just ahead of your time. The Tiny House Blog has thousands of followers and I see real interest from young people watching an older generation deal with foreclosures after buying more house than they could afford.

As could Green Witch.

The question might be if we would want to get involved, we have a certain weariness.

I'm rattled by the lack of general interest in small houses. My own present one, which seems large to me, is about 1100 sq. ft. I lived for near 25 years in a bungalow of 750 sq. feet, many of those years with a husband.

When I was shopping for a house I told my real estate agent I wanted something under 1500 sq ft. and preferably made by hand (thus pre-1920). She thought I was crazy and kept showing me much larger homes made like crap in 60's and 70's. She would say "but you can afford three bedrooms" or "look at this great den with the cathedral ceiling". I eventually found my house on my own by driving around looking for For Sale signs (this was pre-internet). My house is circa 1820 and a little over 1200' and my husband and I have plenty of space. We could probably drop a couple hundred feet and not even notice.

Yeh, I started a lot of them, not all about small houses, but land use, architecture, etc. I gave the **** up.

Linking to my sources took forever for me back then, plus learning to link photos, and many of the threads had no responses but by me. It could take an hour for me to post. There were a few stalwarts interested.

Maybe it was me, my lack of charm, that I somehow didn't spark discussions. This is even probable, though I meant to get people talking. It's like I spent years talking to myself. (I do remember ehBeth posting, and walter popped up.)

Anyway, it took a lot of time. I'm sure I had more than one thread on small houses or particularly interesting prefabs.

Oh, and I wasn't ahead of my time. A lot of people were interested in land use and urban issues back then, just almost no one at a2k at the time.

I was early on piazzas, may still be, but at this point, I don't give a damn. (Still have my long research and personal notes).

personally I find the "tiny house" concept fascinating. architecturally innovative, utility/multiple use of space, technological creativity, less is more, energy use, land use, community organization, transportation solutions, social interaction. Hopefully, pursuit of these ideas will improve quality of life for many people. My understanding of the small in size but high in quality can be a goal for our near future. Last year when I was really studying various plans I came across one that was about 750 sq feet I thought would be ideal.

I'm in only about 400 square feet, but I gutted it before I started, and made the floorplan work for me. I am really starting to appreciate the minimalist layout.

I don't miss the extra space, or the clutter that came with it...