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ole_dawg

Realy small

ole_dawg
16 years ago

I noticed that the local HD had a two story "Shed" It was about 16 feet square with a staircase to the second floor which made good use of the space. I wonder how hard it would be to make something like livable?

Drawbacks

The ceiling is only about 7 feet tall on the first floor.

Opinions please

Comments (10)

  • zayarayama
    16 years ago

    It is definitely doable! Just check this site out!

    Here is a link that might be useful: tiny houses

  • marys1000
    16 years ago

    Well lots of people do this for rough living in places like deer camps and their future retirement 40 back acres.
    I was recently at a friends who had taken a tall shed with the barn style roof (why can't I remember what that's called right now?) and married it to a regular gable roofed shed. They put a loft in the tall shed for sleeping, 2 doors, a couple of windows, a toilet, utility sink, couple of refrigerators, tv, small table and love seat. Its insulated and has a propane wall heater. No air but you could include another window for a window unit. On a slab. Its on their 40 acres of hunting land and more of a "man camp" for them but they spend all their weekends with the kids out there and one brother has taken to spending even more time out there.
    You can do it sort of rough or if you were a diy'er with some time you could take it to the limit.
    Another perhaps better option for full time living (and higher ceilings) is what many commercial facilities are in - basically a steel "pole"barn like at the farm but they put in more windows, insulate them, run amenities. Some people do these on rural properies utilizing half as the garage and frame out an apt or living space on the inside. Or just do the whole thing as their house. There are some nicer looking exterior steel barn plans now with porches. I recently asked about this on Building a House thread and someone thought it would be roughly 40% of the cost of a "regular" house if you didn't get too wild.

  • toomuchglass
    16 years ago

    There's a house by me that used to be a single car garage . ( You can tell ) but it's fixed up so cute . It looks quaint & cozy !!

  • mrsmarv
    16 years ago

    Check out the link below for Tumbleweed Tiny Homes. Amazing!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tumbleweed

  • toomuchglass
    16 years ago

    I looked at those Tiny homes ...... wow .......100 square feet ??? That might be okay for some people but not me. I'd die without room to do my hobbies & have my dogs.
    If you're wondering about making a small shed livable - I don't see why not . Where there's a will - there's a way !
    You'll probably have to be a jack of all trades to do it ,but I see it as do-able. Are you going to try it ?

  • ole_dawg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    No, not that shed, but it did get me thinking along the small line. I lived for 5 years in a cottage that was 22 x 22 feet square with an added front porch. I never had a space problem. There was never enough LOL. No, I had to leave most of my stuff in boxes unopened. But a small two story house say 20 x 20 WITH a basement for my hobbies would work for me. Cheap to heat and cool and it would force me to get rid of a whole lot of junk I have been carrying around for too many years.

    1eyedJack and the Dawg

  • toomuchglass
    16 years ago

    Go for it ole dawg ! The best thing about doing something like that is the "creative challenge ". I Hate not having alot of space - but it's really satisfying when I think of a creative way to store things.

  • worthy
    16 years ago

    This is the thread that makes this find feel large!


    Single and unattached looking for the right match

    This 300 sf. Toronto home was built in 1912 when the city forgot to do a curb cut for a laneway for the adjacent home (s). The builder and his wife lived there for 20 years. It was recently renovated and is on the market for $179,900. Two-car parking in the rear included!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Toronto's Tiniest Home

  • toomuchglass
    16 years ago

    WOW ........... that is bizarre. I couldn't live in there .

  • amyks
    16 years ago

    Yes, worthy, but does that make the homes on either side of that tiny home mcmansions? LOL!

    Amy