Tiny Homes



We recently moved from Dallas, TX to Hendersonville TN, a city about 25 minutes northeast of Nashville.  While living in Dallas we had the opportunity to live in two very different styles of homes. The first was a center hall colonial 2 story,  which is a somewhat unique style to find in Texas, as is the snow! :-)


The second was a loft located in downtown Dallas, 2 blocks from Gilley's.  These lofts were built in the old Sears warehouse and featured 15 foot ceilings,  brick walls, open floor plans and an industrial vibe. 



Both of our homes were over 2000 square feet and would definitely not qualify as a "tiny" home.   

When we decided to move to Tennessee,  I wanted to find a loft similar to our loft in Dallas.   None were to be found.  The ones we found were small in square footage and built more like an apartment than the open loft style we desired. Some of the spaces were between 1000 and 1200 square feet, which is not very small until you try to pack 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and an office into the space. We knew we would often have out-of-town guests and we needed home office space. So we chose to move back to the suburbs and into a house. We were looking for a smaller house but were unable to find one in a good neighborhood. So once again we are in a home with a lot of square footage. It is not a bad thing, but it is more than we need.

According to the Census Bureau, the average size of American homes has increased from approximately 1660 square feet in 1973 to 2,679 square feet in 2013. However, there has been a new trend in downsizing living spaces and adopting the "less is more" concept.  Recently, my husband and I have started watching some of the "tiny" home shows. I admire the people who can pack their lives and families into 400 square feet of living space.  Look at a few of these gorgeous spaces.  

tinyhouseliving.com
thehomesteadingboards.com
countryliving.com
tinyhouseblog.com

The shabby chic Victorian-style is my favorite!! I find it fascinating and inspiring that such elegant design styles can be found in such small spaces.  While more square footage definitely has its advantages,  I think the other end of the spectrum is very appealing!  My concern with these small spaces is where to put everyone when you entertain, which we like to do.  How do you squeeze 20 people into less than 400 square feet of space without feeling as though you are trying to win your page in the Guinness Book of World Records? One option is to take the party outside.  An easy solution, right?  But what about when you live in a colder climate and want to host Christmas dinner and it is 12 degrees?  And there is 2 feet of snow on the ground?  See the conundrum? 

During one of these shows my husband asked me if I could see myself living in 400 square feet of space.  I vigorously shook my head no.  500 square feet? 700?  I told him that I could probably do 1000 square feet but it would have to be a totally open floor plan and he would need to live next door in his own space. :-)  Although, it has started me thinking about our next home (we do move around due to my husband's job) and how much space we actually NEED as opposed to how much space we actually WANT.  What about you?  Could you live in 400 square feet of space and not feel claustrophobic or cramped? 

If you want to see some adorable "tiny" homes, please check out these links!



6 comments

  1. Found our tiny home:
    http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/4834506743.html

    -Edward.

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  2. Benita! I'm so glad I was curious enough to come back to your first post! You mentioned before that you'd looked for a loft in Nashville. I hadn't realized that there weren't that many true lofts to choose from. But I loved seeing the picture of your Dallas house and loft.

    I love the little blue house with deck. I believe I would welcome a move into a tiny house here on our 24 acres and sell our house to a family member. I would love paring down, having less to take care of.

    Sometime I'm going to start with your February posts and work my way forward!

    Dewena

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    Replies
    1. Dewena, you are such a sweetheart! And thank you so much! I wrote this post while we were on one of our many trips back to Texas. :-) And we are here now...LOL. I still hadn't found the "blog vibe" I was looking for...LOL. At our house in Texas, I find it odd that there is snow on the ground, but the trees are still in "fall" status. Texas is sometimes very confusing in the weather department.

      I love the little blue house also. I too would enjoy downsizing, that is part of why we are still renting. We want to find a smaller home that doesn't cost several arms and a few legs. The housing market is crazy in the Nashville area because of the growth of the city and outlying areas.

      Thank you again for coming all the way back. I cringe at some of these early posts, so I'm asking your forgiveness now. :-)

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  3. No need to cringe at these posts Benita! You hit the ground running! Heck, if you want to cringe, look at some of my earlier posts lol.

    The blue house is adorable, but as much as I like the concept of tiny houses, I think I would start to feel claustrophobic. The only way it would work for me would be to have an out building. I really need my craft space and I hate clutter. Our house is by no means large (just under 1700 sq ft.), but 500 sq.ft. or less is a bit too extreme for me.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much and I will definitely be reading those this week! :-) I suppose it just takes a while to get into a groove...LOL.

      We love the idea of tiny houses also, but I don't know how long I could take it....like you, I would feel claustrophobic.

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