Anyone Live in an RV/Tiny House?

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by vskid3

I understand muiti-use areas, but I think the bed is one thing that will have to be single use for us. My wife's back is much happier on our Tempurpedic mattress and I don't think the warranty would be valid if I cut it into couch cushions.

Multi-Use doesn't have to be a folding couch style.

Why not do the large drawer style system for a multi-use bed ??

The whole mattress ( any kind of mattress you want ) ... just slides out of the way when not in use ... I've seen some people even design it so it can slide out partially into a type of sitting area on the smaller part of the exposed bed... so during those other ~16 Hours when you aren't sleeping you don't need it eating up as much living space.

One such Tiny house example of this kind of bed can be seen here:

YouTubeVideoLink

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Of course a loft is also a valid option for those who like sleeping in lofts.

[Cobb]

I havent seen any with the murphy bed. One dude was a hammock nut and wanted to use the loft for storage and swing in his sleep across the living room.

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by Cobb

I havent seen any with the murphy bed.

My guess would be .. many people in tiny houses don't want to give up that much wall space. It could be better used for other things.

[Cobb]

Ive seen a few small apartments with a bed like that. I like the idea, but its hard to believe people really do it or even with a family. Me, I sleep in a queen bed and make like 5 trips a night to the bathroom. Sometimes I start off sleeping in my recliner, then spend the second half of my night in bed or vice versa. I start off in bed, then after a few hours move to the recliner.

IamIan, I find what runs my laundry bill up is the hot water and heat needed. Me, I have a small hot water heater and run it once a week for an hour and Im good. With a load of laundry I need it on for a few hours for each load.

[Cd]

After apartment rent ( $775 ), electricity ( $15 - $ 20 ), water ( about $20 or less ), internet ( $ 22), and gas - propane ( Around $ 20 ), and food ( around $ 250 ) I am left each month with less than twenty dollars to put in the bank ( but sometimes I even spend more per month just on these bills and go in the red.)

I skimp on everything - even heat ( its really cold today ), yet I spend more than i make just on bills to survive.
My only luxury is internet,

I'd love to chip away at that rent payment, but wonder what additional cost that there is with a tiny house.
What about property taxes or whatever ? What are the hidden costs ?

[freebeard]

Cd -- that sounds like a tough row to hoe.

As for my credentials, I live in an R-license park model (these last ten years) that is less than 256sq ft. and was built in 1962. It's probably been on the county tax rolls since then.

I got as far as the 'home office' part of the video. The door swing was wrong! And it looks horrible from the outside. If you build a big brick like that, knock the corners off and make a triangular skylight in each hole. Bringing light into the corners of the box will transform the interior.

Whatever you do for the next year and a half, don't take the trailer to property you control. Shipping containers are the future. Start out with one 20' container and add a second, placing it 16' 4" away and parallel. That will make the long and short sides in the Golden Ratio. Then get an American Steel barn, they're one layer of sheet metal, arched, folded and corrugated for strength. It should be a low arch and overhang the outside edges of the containers. A row of sklights down the center if they have them.

[vskid3]

IamIan, interesting. Looks like it could be difficult to add to an existing structure/design because of the open space needed for the pulled out bed, but it would make tiny houses more accessible to those who can't/won't use a loft for the bed.

Cobb, have you tried using cold water for laundry? We only use hot for stuff like cleaning rags to "disinfect" them (probably isn't hot enough to do much).

Cd, have you considered having roommates either in your current apartment or a new one? That's an easy way to drastically reduce rent if you're already in the cheapest apartment around. Here's a list of ways to make money online, if you have plenty of free time and/or skills. This Graphic Lists Over 200 Resources for Making Money Online I'm not sure about the hidden costs of a tiny house, but I don't think there would be much or any if you're staying at an RV/trailer park.

All the sales staff were gone by the time we got to the RV dealer on Wednesday, with it being New Years Eve. We're going back today to look at that trailer and some others. The rear kitchen seems like it'll be a must-have feature for us, but I would really like to get something cheaper, especially if we're going to make major modifications to it.

[Cobb]

775 for how much sq ft? Id look for a home to rent or room to rent. Its a buyers market for homes or rentals. Maybe put a flyer in your break room where you work to see if you can get a room mate or move in with an existing home?

Originally Posted by Cd

After apartment rent ( $775 ), electricity ( $15 - $ 20 ), water ( about $20 or less ), internet ( $ 22), and gas - propane ( Around $ 20 ), and food ( around $ 250 ) I am left each month with less than twenty dollars to put in the bank ( but sometimes I even spend more per month just on these bills and go in the red.)

[Cd]

Originally Posted by vskid3

Cd, have you considered having roommates either in your current apartment or a new one? That's an easy way to drastically reduce rent if you're already in the cheapest apartment around.

I have extreme social anxiety and several phobias. I wish i could have a room mate.
I live around 600 feet from my job and walk there. There are other cheaper apts around about two to three miles from here, but i have driving anxiety really bad.

Back to the original topic though, what kind of building permit do you need for a house like that, since it could be called a 'mobile' home ( has wheels ), yet isn't really mobile .

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by Cd

Back to the original topic though, what kind of building permit do you need for a house like that, since it could be called a 'mobile' home ( has wheels ), yet isn't really mobile .

The reason most tiny houses are built on trailers is to get around permits. Most areas have limits on the minimum square footage of homes. Having it more like an RV makes finding a city that will allow it much easier. I'm not sure how they are treated for insurance purposes. I believe at least one tiny house builder has their's certified as RVs, so one could even take out an RV loan to buy one. I honestly haven't looked into that part of it much at this point as we're not sure where we want to end up living and the laws may change by then anyway.

Looked at trailers today. The one I linked was a little unimpressive in person, probably due to it smelling weird and being priced about the same as a new one despite some wear. There were a few nice fifth wheels, but they were either pretty beat on or over double our budget. Jayco and Starcraft both have some promising layouts that are about $25k new, but they would still need some stuff ripped out, which I would much rather do with a cheaper trailer.