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PKM, you in on this trend yet?

Duck Rodgers

Duck Rodgers

Well-Known Member
Since I mentioned micro apartments in the last post I made.....

https://money.cnn.com/2013/06/21/real_estate/micro-apartments/index.html

Typically ranging between 180 and 300 square-feet, these tiny apartments are becoming increasingly popular among the young-and-single set and even some retirees, seeking affordable places to live in the nation's costliest cities.
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There has been about 100 of these articles floating around on business websites the past few months. I realize there have been small places for a long time and there are a lot of crap holes around the world equally as small, but now it's getting trendier in the US apparently.

So lets see...you build a new building...convince people that living in a closet benefits the environment/saves them money/whatever else you need to throw in there to make them bite. You save space, which means you get to cram more units in there.....and then you get to charge more per sq. foot than the average prices in the area for a rat hole? It's genius. Not only do the scabbers get to take $50,000 in debt with them home when they leave college, they get to pay through their noses for a new equally cramped Dorm room in the city.
 
Don't know what's goin on in here but I'ma poke my head in... Speaking of micro apartments, I don't plan on having kids and I don't plan on marrying a woman that wants kids, I've always liked small spaces because I just feel like large houses/rooms are a waste of space, I've also always been interested in building my own house, so in the future I'd really like to build a 250 sq ft house, two floors, loft style. It'd be pretty cheap and leave a small footprint.

If you were to build a small community of these types of houses/apartments, say in Portland, and use green materials, make them eco friendly and energy efficient using solar panels and the whole shebang, you could make a killing off, like that article said, young people or retirees..
 
Tony said:
Don't know what's goin on in here but I'ma poke my head in... Speaking of micro apartments, I don't plan on having kids and I don't plan on marrying a woman that wants kids, I've always liked small spaces because I just feel like large houses/rooms are a waste of space, I've also always been interested in building my own house, so in the future I'd really like to build a 250 sq ft house, two floors, loft style. It'd be pretty cheap and leave a small footprint.

If you were to build a small community of these types of houses/apartments, say in Portland, and use green materials, make them eco friendly and energy efficient using solar panels and the whole shebang, you could make a killing off, like that article said, young people or retirees..
Click to expand...

Per square feet INCREDIBLY expensive to build. Kitchen, bathroom, and solar panels.. in 250sq/ft, ouch. Expanding to more room that is just floor and ceiling costs.. VERY efficient dollars. Most people find a little bigger and very cheap too irresistible to pass on. You would better off making this condominiums and share wall/roof costs with other units.. have a co-op solar program rather individually owned and maintained..
 
Tony said:
Don't know what's goin on in here but I'ma poke my head in... Speaking of micro apartments, I don't plan on having kids and I don't plan on marrying a woman that wants kids, I've always liked small spaces because I just feel like large houses/rooms are a waste of space, I've also always been interested in building my own house, so in the future I'd really like to build a 250 sq ft house, two floors, loft style. It'd be pretty cheap and leave a small footprint.

If you were to build a small community of these types of houses/apartments, say in Portland, and use green materials, make them eco friendly and energy efficient using solar panels and the whole shebang, you could make a killing off, like that article said, young people or retirees..
Click to expand...

I think if you go for a smaller footprint, like may be a 150 sq ft house, and like build it yourself, etc, I think yeah it would be cheap and a worthwhile thing to do (if the sustainable lifestyle is your thing). Cos you don't pay for labor, you also learn necessary skills for fixing up the house yourself as well. Plus when you're living in it, the smaller footprint means it won't take a lot to heat up, especially if you're gonna be living by yourself, it can get really cold in a bigger house.

But if you're waiting for a developer to do the building for you, for that size, yeah it's gonna be too expensive per square feet as PKM has said. I would imagined there to be certain fixed costs involved, such as your kitchen, your toilet, so it would be worthwhile adding those extra space and pay a bit more for an upgrade.

I do like the sustainable lifestyle though, I think people should do it more. Grow your own vegetables, live off the land type thing. I think it's very good for both the body and the mind.
 
Hotttnickkk said:
I think if you go for a smaller footprint, like may be a 150 sq ft house, and like build it yourself, etc, I think yeah it would be cheap and a worthwhile thing to do (if the sustainable lifestyle is your thing). Cos you don't pay for labor, you also learn necessary skills for fixing up the house yourself as well. Plus when you're living in it, the smaller footprint means it won't take a lot to heat up, especially if you're gonna be living by yourself, it can get really cold in a bigger house.

But if you're waiting for a developer to do the building for you, for that size, yeah it's gonna be too expensive per square feet as PKM has said. I would imagined there to be certain fixed costs involved, such as your kitchen, your toilet, so it would be worthwhile adding those extra space and pay a bit more for an upgrade.

I do like the sustainable lifestyle though, I think people should do it more. Grow your own vegetables, live off the land type thing. I think it's very good for both the body and the mind.
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When I was in Singapore I was talking to a woman who lived in a tiny government provided apt. She had a government appointed roommate in there, too. But she was explaining the shower stall contained not just the shower, but the sink and the toilet as well, all in one compact little space.

Sounded like a little piece of heaven.
 
Gameface said:
When I was in Singapore I was talking to a woman who lived in a tiny government provided apt. She had a government appointed roommate in there, too. But she was explaining the shower stall contained not just the shower, but the sink and the toilet as well, all in one compact little space.

Sounded like a little piece of heaven.
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sounds like the head on a boat!
 
Gameface said:
When I was in Singapore I was talking to a woman who lived in a tiny government provided apt. She had a government appointed roommate in there, too. But she was explaining the shower stall contained not just the shower, but the sink and the toilet as well, all in one compact little space.

Sounded like a little piece of heaven.
Click to expand...

Yep.. I'm currently living in this house which is approx. 1,500 sq ft, just me and my brother, and I'll tell ya, we only really use 20% most of the time. Seems like a real waste of energy to heat especially in winter.

This video is probably an extreme example, but it does get you thinking about what you really need in a house, when you reduced it to just the bare essential. I have a feeling that whole house isn't much bigger than my bedroom floor area wise...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QqdMODrSs8
 
Gameface said:
All the fun of being underway with none of the benefits!
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I don't know why, but this made me cackle out loud.

As for the tiny houses, if I were a single guy, I would certainly be down with something like the youtube video above. The fact that it's portable just screams "extended road trip" -- as in, I could just pack up my crap and head to Alaska for a summer, Southern California for the winter, or Florida, or Seattle, or... wherever the hell the wind blew me. That sounds like an awesome mid-life crisis kind of thing that I would jump at.
 
I've always preferred party pads with bikini-clad damsels littering the back yard.. to each their own.
 
There's a difference in using this as an investment vehicle and actually desiring to live in one of these shoe boxes. I could do it, if single and kidless... for a little while.. and if I had awesome outdoors.. be it metro or nature.
 
Saw this micro a few months back... Admittedly, I would love to have it as a permanent big city residence.


[video=vimeo;55389782]https://vimeo.com/55389782
 
^Cool if in a great city and live alone... and can't afford a party pad with lots of hoes doe.
 
Here's another interesting one.. at 144 sq ft... Apparently the couple is quite well off but they deliberately chose to live this way.. It's not for everyone obviously, but it does question what is important in life.

Is it having a large house? Is it having as many TVs as possible?

Or is it more about the conversation we have, the time we spend with each other, enjoying the outdoors, time for reflections, etc..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDbrUk2xYBo
 
PKM said:
Per square feet INCREDIBLY expensive to build. Kitchen, bathroom, and solar panels.. in 250sq/ft, ouch. Expanding to more room that is just floor and ceiling costs.. VERY efficient dollars. Most people find a little bigger and very cheap too irresistible to pass on. You would better off making this condominiums and share wall/roof costs with other units.. have a co-op solar program rather individually owned and maintained..
Click to expand...

have you heard of any of these being built out of shipping containers? donno how that changes production costs, but everywhere i see recommends it

shipping-container-tiny-house.jpg
 
Hotttnickkk said:
Here's another interesting one.. at 144 sq ft... Apparently the couple is quite well off but they deliberate chose to live this way.. It's not for everyone obviously, but it does question what is important in life.

Is it having a large house? Is it having as many TVs as possible?

Or is it more about the conversation we have, the time we spend with each other, enjoying the outdoors, time for reflections, etc..
Click to expand...

For me what's important is having enough room for my poker tables, my fermentation chambers, my keggorator and my brewing equipment, as well as a back yard well suited to making beer.

I don't get any of that in a micro apt.
 
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