I have had a longstanding interest in small dwellings. Over the years I have lived in Europe, Africa and the USA. While houses in Europe tended to be smaller than the USA, we are still spoiled by the amount of space we have. Living in developed locations in Africa many homes were still moderately large, built mainly for European expatriates. But seeing how the locals live is a very different experience.
A few years ago when I lived in Oregon I was trying to find something small to live in, even though I lived in a house that was ‘only’ 700 SF. Every day I walked past a deserted cabin that had been an information kiosk for the town, and was now empty. It was about 12 x 12 Ft, with a small loft space for storage. I wondered, endlessly, whether someone could live comfortably in it. I never quite had the courage to buy it and move it somewhere.
My next dream was an old 1945 landing craft that had been (badly) converted to a boat house. It was on sale for $1,500 (1995) and could have been moored in the harbor or moved upriver to a sheltered location. Again I didn’t. I feared that I lacked the necessary skills to convert it.
Since then I have devoured everything I can find about living in small spaces, I have looked at many a boat and RV looking for ideas. One of the best implementations I have seen is Jay Shafer’s portable homes, often built on standard 8 by 16 ft trailers that can be towed behind a car. He’s even lived in one, as have other people, including Gregory Paul Johnson, who wrote a book
" rel="external">book about it. One advantage of living in these trailer homes is that most US zoning ordinances do not prohibit you from living in them on your own property. This means that as a temporary structure (in theory/practice) you could move the building. Some CCR’s may prohibit you from keeping an RV (recreational vehicle) on your property.So what can you use these homes for?
- As a real home to reduce expenses
- As a vacation home
- To live in while you build your ‘real’ house on your land
- As a guest cottage
- As a studio or workspace
- As affordable housing
- As worker accommodation on a farm
- Indigenous people lived in these small houses for millennia, and many still do.