In the financial markets housing was considered a “safe” investment by some, while others considered your home as a liability or dead money.  The dead money guru may have been right in his thinking, however the majority of homeowners and investors considered housing as a safe investment as the housing market was experiencing a rapid and seemingly sustained growth. A majority of people, including myself, figured it was an additional piggy back or nest egg for retirement. We were so wrong!

And this egg broke, just like Humpty Dumpty, it fell of the wall and as much as the government tried to minimize its fall by gluing it back together with unprecedented infusions of money to prop up this segment and protect homeowners from losing their homes.  I saw an ad on the Oscars by Chase that said they helped 200,000 families keep their homes. Looking at the statistics for all homeowners in the US, there are 130,599,000. So Chase helped .015% (that is not a typo-less than 0%) of homeowners. Some have been saying that banks really did not want to help, as there were no incentives for them. They actually made money by foreclosing! And this is a different topic also.

The housing market and housing sizes grew as people used to consider homes as a safe investment, so naturally the larger the house, the more money invested, and it was safe. Since the housing bubble burst and subsequent crash, housing is now not considered a “safe” investment. With this, housing is still needed, and now many are starting to view smaller is better!  Even tiny is good.

Mike Janzen, over at Tiny House Design has a nice article on the real value of tiny houses. He makes some very good points and we would like to add that tiny houses have a sense of security built in. Most tiny houses, are not mortgaged, so they are owned free and clear. No one can ever take them away from you, unless you borrow against them and default. For the person or small family that experiences a lot of moves, career changes, etc. a tiny house that is transportable gives people the freedom to relocate easily, and the knowledge that they will always have a roof over their head and their own bed to sleep in.

Home » Home, Stuff, Technology » Sustainable Tiny House Living

Tiny Green Cabins

Tiny house living is not a new concept, but it is a relatively recent arrival to the spotlight of mass media attention it currently enjoys. This scaled-down form of green living is not for everyone, but if the sizable curiosity of people searching the web for tiny house plans is an indicator, it appears the world is ready to explore more sustainable lifestyles during this global economic downturn. A thriving community of tiny house supporters can be found online by doing a quick search, and the message boards are brimming with conversation about everything from small house gardening tips to finding a reputable tiny house builder.

Tiny houses, also called small houses, come in a variety of sizes ranging from around 40 square feet to 400 square feet. Many designs incorporate solar panels for harnessing energy from the sun, and most rely on rain water collection systems and composting toilets. Building permits and regulations vary greatly from state to state and depend on the size of each structure and the means of obtaining water, heating, and electricity.

These miniature dwellings don’t come cheap, but many of their owners consider them to be a personal investment in our planet. The plans and materials for a tiny house can cost between $14,000 and $22,000 for the do-it-yourself crowd, but if you want yours put together by a builder or a pre-fabricated tiny house, be prepared to pay between $45,000 and $75,000.

Some benefits of living the small life include the ability to move to new locations with ease, enormous savings on (and sometimes the complete elimination of) utility bills, and the pleasant lack of monthly rent or a mortgage payment. Since tiny houses consume little energy and handle waste organically, they make a small carbon footprint.

On the other hand, there are some drawbacks as well. These houses can be far too small for a dinner throwing a dinner party (or even a chess match,) and zoning restrictions requiring dwellings to be of a specific minimal size may prevent their placement in certain locations. These are all considerations for anyone thinking of building a tiny house.

As tiny house living gains momentum, expect to hear more about this sustainable and green lifestyle.

I recommend visiting Tumbleweed Tiny Houses (http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/) Tiny Green Cabins (http://www.tinygreencabins.com/) and Tiny Texas Houses (http://www.tinytexashouses.com/) to learn more.

Melonie

Melonie McLaurin usually writes for directsattv.com. She enjoys spending time with her pets and family when not writing about the environment, going green, an