Living room, fully functioning kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom that fits a queen-sized bed: All this can be yours for just $99 (£61) from an American company. As long as you're willing to build it yourself. And the man behind the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, Jay Shafer, believes in his mini-homes so much that he'd lived in one for more than 10 years. The idea of living in such a small space might not appeal to all, but with the average deposit for a first-time buyer in the UK running at £27,127 along with a mortgage of almost £110,000, according to the latest figures from Halifax, buying and building your own home for a fraction of this could appeal to many on this side of the Atlantic too. The smallest house on offer from Tumbleweed is just 65 square feet in size, but manages to cram in a living room with a couch and a built-in desk. There's no room for a dishwasher or washing machine in the kitchen (pictured right), but you do get a sink, fridge, water heater, a hot-plate for cooking, a stainless-steel counter and storage space. There's a stainless-steel fireplace in the kitchen/living room that is enough to keep your house warm in temperatures as low as -37°C and you can add in air conditioning to keep it cool in summer. The bathroom is a wet-room that turns into one big shower and the loft doubles as a bedroom — which has enough room for a queen-sized bed (but not a lot else). While the plans are available online for £61 for you to build one yourself, the building materials aren't free. The company estimates it costs about £10,000 in materials and takes up to 850 hours to complete your home. [See also: Britain's cheapest house sells for £10,000] Why make houses so small? "My decision to inhabit just 89 square feet arose from some concerns I had about the impact a larger house would have on the environment, and because I do not want to maintain a lot of unused or unusable space," explained Shafer. A view of the living/dining room in a house like Shafer's (Image © Tumbleweed Tiny House Company) "How each house gets used depends on the occupant's particular needs. What one person would enjoy as a quiet studio in their backyard, another couple might choose to inhabit as a full-time residence …[others can use them] for accommodating an elderly parent, an adult child, guests, or as office space." But there are other benefits as well. "[Why live here?] Mostly just because I don't like vacuuming and dusting and taking care of stuff I'm not using," he added. Shafer's house is a little bigger than the basic model, although still just eight feet wide, it has two gas hobs in the kitchen, room for a washing machine and even space for a pull-out 'dining table' in the living room (pictured left) that he has had four people seated and eating around. The largest house on offer from Tumbleweed has three double bedrooms, two bathrooms and even a walk-in closet - but still only costs £51,000 for the plans and the materials to build it.
its small... but not as small as this guy's place. Sucks to be claustrophobic in these situations. [video=youtube;juWaO5TJS00]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juWaO5TJS00[/video] http://www.homedsgn.com/2011/05/02/lego-style-tiny-apartment-in-barcelona-by-barbara-appolloni/
That's not too bad, cheaper than living at an accomodation (halls) for uni lol. Yes it's long to build but it's CHEAP!
the issue is where do u build it =P it's not like u can just pick any random spot and go, aha... that's where i'll build its the land that's expensive more often than not
this is actually pretty awesome.. wouldn't mind having a bachelor pad like this.. all hidden james bond style.
that is true, even if you buy a house it doesn't mean it's fully yours since in UK the land belongs to the queen, you are paying to 'rent' it.
depends on where you build it etc it can be hard to get internet service etc lol, if you can build it near people then you will be standing out hahhaa...but a mobile home would be cheaper no? lol since you do have to build this shit!
Wow, Like this ideal but the materials are so expensive too!, they company + the government can start another business selling land just for there little houses.
lmaoooo unless there are many dwarfs that are single i dont see how that can be a successful business...
yeah but you wouldnt be able to live in it or have someone live in it, it would basically be a shed or a play house. you need all the permissions and checks done first, would be cool though if you got that stuff done. Im just wondering if spiders can get in easily cus if they can ill give it a miss or the building has to be on stilts that spiders cant climb.
^ sharing the place with 3 guys who are far from clean... well one of em is but i think he gay... that explains it!
