Monday, August 25, 2008

Live Small and Prosper: The 1,000 Sq. Ft. home - where is it?

Part 1

I think we’d enjoy countless physical, environmental and social benefits if more individuals, couples and families lived in smaller homes, even smaller than 1,000 sq. ft. including all levels.

But I don’t know if any exist in our city. Or in Canada.

Do you live in a 1,000 sq. ft. home or is there such a home in your neighbourhood?

If you do, or if there is, please send a picture of it to me.

And owners of small spaces, be prepared to answer the following questions:

Do you have to stack things on top of one another?

Is your TV in a closet?

If you’re married do you sleep in bunk beds? (You’d have to wouldn’t you?)

Where do you store all your stuff?

What benefits do you appreciate related to your small home?

I think, in general, the bigger the house the bigger the lifestyle and some associated problems.


More furniture, more building materials, more heating fuel costs, more toys, more debt, more production, more fossil fuels to drive the economy.

Am I right?

Stay tuned.

.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

To better understand your question I think you need to define the word "Home". Do you actually mean home, or do you mean house? Does it include condos, apartments etc? Is the question more of a theoretical question?

G. Harrison said...

very astute, kvl.

I would certainly include apts. and condos and should have said as much.

good eye.

Cheers,

gord h.

Unknown said...

http://cabins.ca/html/plans.html
I originally built the Banff layout (768 main floor with half upper story as a loft, the rest open) for my son and myself to live in. It's on a crawl space, so we have storage down stairs. I remarried and acquired 2 more kids plus a husband, so we now have built a large addition, but we are 'future proofed' for having another whole family live with us if things should turn out that way. Living in the small space was reasonably workable for two of us, and with a few more interior walls, or a full second storey, this could've worked well for four.
Regardless, there are a number of really nice small square footage designs on the cabins.ca site which I thought your readers might be interested in.

G. Harrison said...

thanks to ajc or apple jack creek for link to small cabins.

i'll compare to Tumbleweed site.

cheers,

gord h.