Could you live (happily) in a micro apartment?

[Liberal_in_LA]

The development firm Panoramic Interests is building about two dozen 'micro-apartments' in San Francisco. The company is poised to offer even smaller units if the city approves a proposed new minimum size of 220 square feet. (Image credit: Artist's Rendering of Smartspace Unit Courtesy of Panoramic Interests)

http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2012/10/24/109998/as_apartment_rents_climb_skyward_san_francisco_considers?category=economy

http://www.sfgate.com/realestate/article/Micro-apartments-next-for-S-F-3706648.php#photo-3192726

As Apartment Rents Climb Skyward, San Francisco Considers Downsizing Apartments

by Stephanie Martin | October 24, 2012 — 7:07 AM

[The development firm Panoramic Interests is building about two dozen 'micro-apartments' in San Francisco. The company is poised to offer even smaller units if the city approves a proposed new minimum size of 220 square feet. (Image credit: Artist's Rendering of Smartspace Unit Courtesy of Panoramic Interests)]

The development firm Panoramic Interests is building about two dozen "micro-apartments" in San Francisco. The company is poised to offer even smaller units if the city approves a proposed new minimum size of 220 square feet.

[neeksgeek]

1. That's bigger than the apartment I rented in graduate school. I could do it.

Not sure what my wife, two dogs, and a cat would think of it, however.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

2. Looks like the perfect place for trysts and nothing more.

To each his own. Maybe suited to a bachelor or single young woman, but only if the rent/cost is really low and you could save for a space that's truly a place to rest, regroup and prepare for the next working day.

[dmallind]

3. Alone? Sure if walls are nicely soundproofed. With anyone else? Hell no. nt

[scheming daemons]

4. I lived in a dorm room smaller than that for three years... so yeah

...no sweat

[WinkyDink]

58. As a say, 50-year-old? With a spouse?

[Michigan Alum]

77. Not as a 50 year old w/a spouse. Not happily.

[Jennicut]

183. Seriously. My dorm room was tiny.

And sometimes with a roommate. I had a bunk bed, a small fridge, a tv, a small desk and a closet.

But now, with a husband and 7 and 8 year olds it would be kind of tough. Their toys alone take up one whole room. I guess the toys would have to be downsized too.

[madaboutharry]

5. "Dining Table converts to bed."

Hmm, It really is only a little bigger than a suite room in a college dorm. Maybe it is ok for one person. I think that two adults living in that space could result in domestic boundary issues.

I could have lived there when I was single. But after age 25, not so much.

[Barack_America]

21. It's a Murphy bed.

With a pull down table built into the exterior.

Quite clever, I think.

[pokerfan]

132. Looking at the floorplan

(because some of the pictures don't match that layout) I would put a loft bed above the desk. That's wasted space anyway and that way you don't have to deal with a Murphy bed. Make the windows floor to ceiling and the full width (or as close as possible) of the unit and I'd be good to go. A balcony would be a bonus.

People live on yachts, small ones even...

[oldtime dfl_er]

6. sure

if i was a college student or somesuch.

the real problem is there are too many people in the world.

[Chan790]

7. Yes, that's all the apartment I want.

When are they coming to DC or NYC? I'll all over that provided the rents are reasonable. Ideally, I'd like to see something like that in cooperative housing. Small units paired with shared community spaces.

[Liberal_in_LA]

24. I'd need windows on at least two sides. I love light and like to grow plants.

[WolverineDG]

53. Make communal kitchens & dining areas

& you could open up more living space in the apartment.

[HiPointDem]

90. communal toilets and showers too. then you could make the apartments even smaller

and more profitable.

[Chan790]

109. I'm not sure I want to go that far...

what I'm talking about is co-housing types of arrangements where each unit has a small studio room that doubles between entertaining and sleeping space, a kitchenette and a bathroom. That's it for private space...300' square or less.

Renters/owners have access to community space including common-rooms, full kitchens, in-building gyms, saunas, building gardens or other amenities; there is likewise the expectation of participation in communal life: you are expected to attend communal meals, help with small building chores (such as sweeping), participate in building events (we might have a Superbowl pot-luck or book-club or whatever the community is organized around.)

It's not for everybody admittedly, it's a very communitarian lifestyle and extremely at-odds with the individualism of American culture. For some people, the concept is appealing.

[HiPointDem]

110. i'm sure someone does, though. my tongue was in cheek & i was harkening back to

the tenements of yore: shared bathroom & cooking outside.

communal kitchens may be fine in some circumstances, but not where you have no control over who you share the kitchen with, i.e. not in a free market world.

cohousing is a little different; there's some control.

[Odin2005]

176. I could never live somewhere with communal toilets and showers.

Hell, I even refuse to use a urinal unless it is in a stall with a door. I am extremely averse to washing and pissing in public.

[Luminous Animal]

118. I agree.

[DonViejo]

8. I live in a house that is 17'w X 22' long...

the kitchen and living room are on one side of the house (8 1/2' wide) the bedroom and bath on the other side. Again 8 1/2' wide). This was originally a two bedroom home but I renovated it into a one bedroom, just so I had some room to roam around. lol. I have a tough time in this place and cannot wait to move back to the states this Spring. I could not last long in an even tinier apartment.

[Squinch]

9. I did for a couple of years in NYC.

When I moved from 400 square feet to a 650 square foot studio with a bedroom alcove, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Then I moved to a 1000 square foot apartment, and couldn't handle it. I lived primarily in the bedroom, and seldom went to the living room for about a year!

[silverweb]

169. That's how I was in my last place.

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]It was my first time living alone in decades. The bedroom window had the best view, so I put my desk there, and I lived in that room and the kitchen. The living room never got used unless the kids were visiting.

[bluestate10]

10. Yes. On intermediate term business trips, such places would be ideal.

More at home than a hotel room, but I would have freedom to venture out just like at a hotel.

[cbayer]

11. This is just about the size of my living space.

Mine is set up completely differently (boat) but the square footage is about the same. Every inch of space has a purpose, pretty much.

Bit bonus - it's a breeze to clean the whole house!

[Gormy Cuss]

15. In your case, every inch of space probably has

a porpoise.

[cbayer]

23. Lol! Porpoises are always welcome! As an aside, when people ask us how many

the boat sleeps, we reply "2" (even though it actually has sleeping space for 6).

[peacebird]

154. LOL! Thanks!

[freshwest]

127. Same here, but not on the water. I love it.

[cbayer]

160. I do, too. Mine is laid out much differently than this, with two separate

sleeping areas, a kitchen area that is somewhat separate, a desk and a big round table. Every piece of furniture is, of course, built in. I don't need any more space at all.

[Cobalt Violet]

12. No, I couldn't.

Too small. I couldn't even fit my painting into that place.

[sufrommich]

13. It would be hard to live anywhere without an oven. The

kitchen does not look like it's useful for much more than reheating.

[Barack_America]

14. In my younger years I did.

It was fine. The trick is figuring out how to multipurpose and define separate spaces.

In the one shown above, I'd just install a panel curtain to be pulled across the kitchen area when I went to sleep.

[quinnox]

16. for one person, sure

but not for more than one, it would be terribly cramped. I could live in that amount of space personally.

[gollygee]

17. In a big city where there's lots to do within walking distance out of your apartment

And if I didn't have kids. In that case yes. But not in the situation I'm in now. I'm in about as small a place as my family can handle. It was our "starter home" and is only 1200 square feet. When we had more money we were tempted to buy up, as most families do, but we decided to stay put inside as more space wasn't really necessary. I'm glad we did as it's made us very financially stable, but I can't imagine such a small space with them.

But on my own in a big city? Sure.

[RebelOne]

18. I could. That is all the less to clean 'cause I am a lousy housekeeper. n/t

[ohheckyeah]

19. No thanks...

I prefer living rural with plenty of room and open spaces around me.

[Auntie Bush]

100. Me too! I'd get claustrophobia in that place. I like SPACE...inside and out!

[ohheckyeah]

164. Me, too.

The front porch is one of my favorite places - that and my office.

[Jamastiene]

133. Elbow room, I call it.

I can't hear my neighbors breathing and I like it that way. Don't get me wrong, I like all but 2 of my nearest neighbors, but I wouldn't want them 6 or even 10 feet away from me at all times and I'm pretty sure they feel the same. I would be fit to be tied after a few days in a place that tiny.

[ohheckyeah]

165. I seldom even see my neighbors. n/t

[FreeJoe]

20. Could I? Yes

Would I want to? I wouldn't be my preference. I really like my house in the burbs.

[Baitball Blogger]

22. Only if there was a Zombie apocalypse and

there would have to be three secret exits and lots of security camera t.v.s

[Gormy Cuss]

25. If it's this well designed, I'd be happy in the 300 SF model. The 150 SF one, not so much

Last edited Sat Nov 17, 2012, 02:47 AM - Edit history (2)

but as a young single or a senior citizen it'd be plenty of space. I grew up in a small house with a large family.

[cliffordu]

26. Easy peasy.

But I lived in an Airstream travel trailer for 10 years, too...

[PDJane]

27. No. I'd be claustrophobic.

And there's no room for mobility aids. Hell, the bathroom in this place isn't really big enough.

Add to that that the computer is always up and I need space for my embroidery frame.....no.

This is fine if you're able bodied and able to get out, but I rely on people coming to see me. It's not gonna work.

[sakabatou]

28. Here's another concept for a micro-room

[yardwork]

86. That is so cool! Thank you for posting that.

[Hekate]

123. That's wonderful!

Thanks for sharing it.

[nilram]

131. thanks, I remembered this (or something similar) when I saw the OP

Much nicer concept that the example for the SF location.

[TeeYiYi]

163. Excellent. Thank you. ...nt

TYY

[jackbenimble]

178. Wow

Had never thought of that concept. Very cool. I'll have to keep something like that in mind when I design my small retirement home.

[Nye Bevan]

29. I could and I did.

Living in NYC in the 80s a studio was all I could afford. And it was not as nice as the apartment in the pictures above. However, I was single, and would only ever want to live in such a place if it was by myself.

[Cleita]

30. I already do. It's called a trailer. Many others live on their boats.

The trick is, you only keep stuff you need and use. You can't accumulate stuff.

[RebelOne]

38. Unfortunately, I have accumulated a lot of stuff in my trailer.

I am running out of closet space. I have 2 bedrooms, and the 2nd one of full of stuff I have accumulated. I am a pack rat.

[Cleita]

48. Time to have a yard sale.

Once you go through the stuff you never use and will never use, you might be surprised that there could be some money in it too.

[RebelOne]

61. Good idea. I end up giving a lot of stuff away for charity.

I guess I could probably make some money.

[Cleita]

64. You will still end up giving some to charity.

One of my neighbors actually does a "free" table for the stuff he knows he can't sell but doesn't want around anymore either.

[Marrah_G]

74. I get motivated to declutter by watching "Hoarders"

[Liberal_in_LA]

114. me too! lol

[Jamastiene]

134. I'm not the pack rat in my family.

My mother is. What does she do with her overflow? Sends it down to my house. Then, at any time later when she wants it, I had better still be storing it for her. It just kills me. When I was a kid, my closet was not really mine. It was full of her stuff. Now, my trailer/hovel (everyone I know calls my little trailer a hovel, so I do too now, but I love this place, it has potential, as I see it) is full of my mother's stuff. I'm saving up to build a largish shed in the backyard to store all her crap, while her huge metal building at her house sits empty except for her van. It just kills me.

I do have a small collection of rocks and Japanese stuff, but if this place had only my stuff, it would fit nicely with no problems. It would actually look really nice if I could actually put it up on the wall in shadow boxes. As of nowadays, I don't really collect any more stuff, at least not physical stuff.

The computer helps a lot with the accumulation of stuff nowadays. Now, my hard drive and how quickly I can fill a hard drive is another story. I'm a full on hoarder when it comes to files. Hell, I even make computer art and leave it the highest quality and the size to make into wallpaper. I can't help it. There is a whole world of fun inside this little machine. I love it!

[Cleita]

159. Tell your mother to rent a storage unit if she can't part with her possessions.

Tell her you need your space for your own things.

[Jamastiene]

166. No one tells my mother anything.

Seriously, she rules this family with an iron fist. It would be nice if that could happen though.

[Zorra]

31. I have lived happily in a motorhome for at least half the year almost every year

for the past 13 years.

Sometimes I live here:



but it's not called a micro apartment, it's called a cabaña, and I pretty much live outside there unless I'm sleeping or it's raining.

And sometimes I live here:



And pretty much the rest of the time I live in my motorhome somewhere.

I don't do civilization well, but could live happily in a micro apartment if it was in a beautiful, sparsely populated area.

[RebelOne]

37. Yes, I live in a mobile home.

It is a single wide, but it is 10 feet wide and 40 feet long, just enough room for me and my Chihuahua, though I did also have a Rottweiler (who is now in doggie heaven), but there was room for her also.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. I could do it, I suppose, but not happily.

[marlakay]

33. If it was that cool and new yes

not just a small place squished but this looks well planned out for storage and has double uses like table and bed.

Also would be nice to have view like that, if small place overlooked parking lot or close to another building i might feel claustrophobic.

[Shankapotomus]

34. yep

if i had to. but i would prefer a hut an at least an acre or more of land with water.

[Gregorian]

35. I could literally fit eight of those in my bedroom. Granted, I live in a huge room.

edit- two thing:

1- I lived in a 500 square foot cabin for 4 years, and loved it.
2- I'm looking for a new place to live, and am going through massive emotional difficulty over the "monstrosities to materialism" that I am encountering. Americans have serious issues I am discovering. No one needs 4000-10,000 square foot houses. Some super rich guy down the street from me is selling his 17,000 square foot house because he's tired of paying the property tax.

I can't find a place that isn't HUGE. And I'm disgusted.

My room serves as a machine shop, garage, bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

[MineralMan]

36. I'd prefer a larger space, but would do fine there.

At one time, I designed a living space that was only 120 sq. feet, but it had a sleeping loft of 48 sq. feet which added to the space. It was solar heated, had a skylight for additional daytime lighting, and was heavily insulated. Every single furnishing in it was custom-designed and built-in, and everything that a person sat on or laid on was also a storage space.

I built it as a standalone building in the backyard of my house and rented it to a college student for about three years. Then I converted it into an office for myself. The student liked it very much, and made excellent use of its design features.

Today, with flat-screen TVs and computer monitors it would have been even more convenient. For me, the only real inconvenience that was required was the shower, which was one of those camper-style showers. The bathroom and shower were the most difficult thing to deal with, but the solution worked out fairly well, and the student who lived there never complained about that feature.

I had sketched out the plans for a village of such living spaces, where they were clustered in groups and built as modular structures with varying numbers of individual spaces. Working with a developer, I attempted to create a small development of 36 units near the local university, but were never able to get approval, despite having one test unit that was occupied full time for a couple of years.

Another idea, another time. It would have been fun, though.

[jackbenimble]

182. I think it's a great idea. n/t

[librechik]

39. of course. I once lived in a tipi for several months--over the winter--at about 8000 ft elev.

it was heavenly, I'm told. Don't remember much of those years myself!

Ah, the 70s.

[DonRedwood]

105. Holy Cow!

I'm cold just thinking about it! Did you do it for love?

[lalalu]

153. LOL, the seventies were a happy blur.

[Hoyt]

158. My brother lived in a tipi he built for a year in early 70s. It was quite roomy actually.

He too, does not remember a whole lot of the period.

[Le Taz Hot]

40. Nope.

My macrame board and chair would take up half of that.

[Thegonagle]

41. Sure, if I had another one just like it across the hall.

And a garage/workshop for my tools and hobbies.

Dining table that converts to a bed? No thanks, unless I'm living in an RV or travel trailer.

[EC]

42. If I lived in an over-populated city, sure.

And if multi-units can go up fast or even prefabs, I could see it being used for emergency housing.

[rrneck]

43. Yep. But I'd still need a studio/shop the size of a house. nt

[Initech]

44. As long as I have a TV, internet access, and a working shower space doesn't matter.

[geek tragedy]

45. Thousands of people do in NYC. 300 square foot studios are not unusual. nt

[WinkyDink]

60. This implies that "300 sq. ft." is relatively new, with Bloomberg:

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-07-09/nyc-small-apartments/56117852/1

[obamanut2012]

170. That is officially

[eShirl]

46. slap some wheels on it and you've got an RV/camper

I could live in an RV, wandering the Earth...

[Arcanetrance]

47. I live in nyc

I think I'm already living in one lol

[CaliforniaPeggy]

49. Nope, I could not.

Hell, my study is 440 square feet.

And where would my husband's parlor grand piano go?

It just wouldn't work for us.

[XemaSab]

102. My whole house is 900 sf

[CaliforniaPeggy]

104. Good for you! That's bigger than my study, LOL!

[RobertBlue]

107. What's so funny?

You sound very pretentious IMHO.

[mentalsolstice]

167. Oh no you didn't!

[gkhouston]

50. I've done it, but I was single then. Wouldn't be much fun with a kid. n/t

[Raine]

51. NO way in hell. I have claustrophobia and would go nutz in a place like that. :-( nt

[HereSince1628]

52. No. I have a modest life, but living in such an apartment obviously in a large city would be fatal

[bunnies]

54. I couldnt even fit all my plants in there!

No way!

[slackmaster]

55. Not at this stage of my life. I have hobbies and pets that take up a whole lot of space.

I can't imagine not having a detached home with some space around it right now.

[Blue_In_AK]

56. If I were alone I could be

I've lived in very small spaces before totally happy, 144 sq. feet.

[WinkyDink]

57. BT, DT. Called it a "dorm room." TPTB want to see us literally squeezed.

[Matariki]

68. Exactly. There have been WAY too many articles pushing the micro-housing thing.

[Matariki]

59. That looks like a prison cell.

And imagine sharing it with a partner. Ugh.

I hate this push to get people to embrace the idea of 'micro apartments'.

[Matariki]

62. And the bed is essentially in the kitchen

who wants to sleep in their kitchen? Not me anyway.

I guess if you commuted to a city and needed a place to crash occasionally. Or if you were college age and it was a temporary thing. I've actually lived in worse places - art studios without a kitchen at all, a shared bathroom, and no heat. But that gets pretty old after a while.

'micro apartments' as a place to live? No. No thank you.

I actually find the barrage of articles about them kind of offensive.

[XemaSab]

63. That apartment doesn't have enough space for books, dogs, and plants

Were it not for those three factors, if it was cheap I could do it.

[Honeycombe8]

71. Sure it does! Need to add shelving that goes vertical.

Books galore, plants galore (shelving in front of windows, off the ground so as not to take up valuable floor space).

Dogs? Two toy dogs would be totally at home there. But not cats...no space for litter boxes.

[XemaSab]

79. I've got a LOT of books

Like, 9 bookshelves full plus about 6 more boxes.

Maybe if the apartment had rolling shelves it would work.

[MineralMan]

80. Books are always a problem, especially for old farts who have

kept all their books. When my wife and I moved from California to Minnesota, I had roughly 5000 books in my library. I sold almost all of them to a second hand bookstore before we moved. Now, I have maybe 400 books and a Kindle. I can't remember the last time I pulled any of the books off the shelves in the basement, but I add new books to the Kindle all the time, mostly from Gutenberg.org. I'm a big fan of 18th and 19th century non-fiction, and it's all free now. I never cared about the physical books. All of mine were reading copies, not collector books.

The second hand bookstore paid pretty well for all those old books. I'm glad to be free of them, to tell the truth. Now, my set of Pepy's Diaries takes up a megabyte or so of Kindle space, and is always there for me if I want to read in them. And so on, and so on.

Today, the kids don't have all those physical books. They don't need that space. It's a changing world.

[XemaSab]

85. I vastly prefer physical books

Part of it is that I spend half the day looking at a screen anyway, and sometimes I just want to unplug.

[MineralMan]

87. I understand, and felt the same way, until I unloaded my library.

Now, I prefer being more unencumbered. Very much. The knowledge is still there for me to peruse. The weight is less.

[Honeycombe8]

88. Me, too. Yeah, for that many, would have to get rid of some of 'em.

Kindle would help. But of course, there's no replacement for a real book.

I probably have about 7 full bookshelves of 'em. 30" by 7 feet tall. I recycled some in the last years. I need to recycle more.

[WinkyDink]

143. Your definition of "galore" must not be mine, with my 13 major bookcases.

[Honeycombe8]

147. Oh, no...there's a tv show about that. It's called "hoarders." :) nt

[hobbit709]

65. My books take up that much space.

[MadrasT]

66. No. Claustrophobic.

And I need at least an acre of space around my dwelling.

[Illinoischick]

67. Yes, I could, so I can reduce my carbon footprint

Think of how many resources we could save by not having extra space!!

[Pisces]

69. No way!!

[Matariki]

70. "He won’t have to cook, we’ll condition him to eat at the factory"

Last edited Sat Nov 17, 2012, 01:59 AM - Edit history (1)

This reminds me of Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain

I wish I could find a photo of the scene. The design the character is selling is basically row upon row of coffin shaped 'housing units'. (You could call them 'micro-apartments' and add a 'sustainability' selling point if you want.)

Here's a description:

Lut, an architect. After building a multi-family complex explains how he realized he made a mistake: “We lost money.”

Giving the residents small gardens, windows, water, and lighting and heating systems was a “wrong concept.” At a large dinner gathering, presumably comprised of shareholders or other members of industry, Lut claims that:

A man doesn’t need a home, all he needs is a shelter. If we can sell him on the idea of a shelter, we can make millions. A worker will come here only to sleep, he won’t need electricity or water. He won’t have to cook, we’ll condition him to eat at the factory. These are communal latrine trucks for the entire building.

[Marrah_G]

72. Yes, if I lived alone.

[Incitatus]

73. No

I couldn't as a permanent residence. I could for a period of time if it was near a cool place.

[Bad_Ronald]

75. Yes. I've had less living space in the past.

When I was in college, I shared a one bedroom pad with three other people. We had no privacy. Provided you're single & living alone, this amount of space is adequate.

[LanternWaste]

76. I think to myself about the squallid living conditions currently enjoyed

I think to myself about the squallid living conditions currently enjoyed by three-quarters of the world's population-- sleeping on dirt floors, no electricity, no clean water, etc., and am fored to admit to myself how complacent, how decadent, how indulgent, and how royal my own small "modest" apartment would seem to them.

We've set so high a standard for our subjective definitions of happiness, that we often balk at that which swo many others would see as kingly.

[cmf]

78. By myself, heck yeah...

with Mr. cmf, no freaking way.

[CreekDog]

81. My first apartment in Tucson was 380 sq feet and it was very livable so...maybe

The 220 sq ft one looks difficult because things need to be converted from one thing to another --just a little too cramped.

But the 300 sq ft example with the bed already out, a living room that doesn't need to be set up (who eats at the table anymore?) and a separate bathroom, the tub/shower combo is better than the shower in the middle of the bathroom. That setup looks do-able.

If it was the difference between living somewhere interesting and not having to commute, the tradeoff might be nice.

[RedCappedBandit]

82. Gladly, especially if it was affordable.

[Ruby the Liberal]

83. 30x10? Sure.

The 150sf would be a challenge, but my place now is 30x40 and there is plenty of unused space. I am a minimalist, so that works, but (!) I am also very lazy. Not having an oven and washer/dryer would be an issue. Don't suppose they could work those in?

[CreekDog]

84. At first I was horrified, but then realized this was for the servants

[HiPointDem]

89. easily as a single. lived in such places all my life. several times with a partner.

i don't have a lot of crap or a big wardrobe.

the only problems with it are 1) no garden; 2) little space for any craft you might do such as sewing.

[cecilfirefox]

91. Actually, yes- I would love that apartment. And enough cupboards for the cat to adore it!! nt

[cecilfirefox]

92. Hmmmm... Needs an oven and place to cook. nt

[silverweb]

93. K&R for later.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

94. That is too depressing to even contemplate

Maybe, hypothetically if it were a spectacularly affordable pied-à-terre. Otherwise it is just another way to fleece pretentious dickheads too stupid to leave San Francisco.

[Luminous Animal]

116. I'd move there if I were to lose the apartment that I live in now. But what do I know...

I'm just a pretentious dickhead who loves the city in which I live.

[Le Taz Hot]

142. ROFLMAO!!!

"Otherwise it is just another way to fleece pretentious dickheads too stupid to leave San Francisco."

No truer words have ever been spoken.

[nolabear]

95. You ever see a FEMA trailer?

Familes spent years in about that much space. Personally, I need four rooms at least.

[InsultComicDog]

121. I spent a lot of days in a trailer

about the size of a FEMA trailer, though it wasn't from FEMA.

But there was actually more living space if you count the covered area outside the trailer where I spent more time than inside. Usually cooked outside too. And sometimes used a kerosene heater if it was cold.

It was cheap and not too bad of a way to live for a while. Wouldn't want to do it for too long, or during major storms.

[Earth_First]

96. Apartment, no. Cabin. Awww hell yeah!

I'd feel institutionalized in one of those, too rigid, too bleh!

Give me the soothing feeling of windows and reclaimed wood, handbuilt by yours truely...

In fact, the wife and I have something very similar (maybe a touch larger) in mind after we become empty nesters in the next 5 years.

[Jamastiene]

138. I do like the cabin idea.

You can keep it rather small as far as how much space it takes up at ground level and have a loft area too. I have seriously been thinking about saving up for one of those barn shaped sheds I have seen. Some insulation and plumbing and a small root cellar below it and it would be doable. I'd certainly like it. My only stipulation would be no pressed board for the walls or roofing material. That stuff gets wet and you find yourself living in glue and sawdust with problems galore. I'm a stickler for old timey plywood. If I ever get to remodel this place I live now (if I ever get it paid off), I'm going to redo the floors and at least get rid of the pressed board. That stuff has already messed up and made me have to rebuild the floors in two rooms. That pressed board crap turns any place into a money pit. Add high southern humidity at all times and it is a recipe for disaster.

But, the cabin idea, with a few modifications on the type of wood used, I like that idea. I had a friend who was given a thick beam from an old church that partially burned. He took that and built a guitar out of it. It was beautiful too. I like plain old pine and there are zillions of them around where I live. They grow fast and can be replanted to grow right back to the size they were in just a few short years. Plus, as pine wood ages, it hardens. The only problem is, the sap never leaves the wood and it becomes what we call lider wood down here. It is highly flammable and burns to a crisp at severely high temperatures. Makes great firestarting wood, but you would not want to use it as the regular logs for constant burning, because it pops and sends out super hot embers too much. Still, if there was a way to work around the resin becoming flammable and keep the fact that it gets super hard and sturdy with time, pine would be a good easily sustainable building material for green living.

[Jack Sprat]

97. Yes, yes, yes.

The older I get, the more sense it makes to downsize. I like the economy of both space and energy costs. I would like a micro house or a micro apartment.

I'm thinking right now that I always have more living space than I want or need.

[theKed]

98. Definitely.

I'm never one for big spaces. I like my apartments cozy and close (granted, it's living for one, I'm sure these are more geared towards single life) and bigger space just encourages me to get more stuff, which I don't need. And the cost might be lower.

[bluedigger]

99. Yes, and I have in the past.

I'm in a small place now, three rooms and a bath (too lazy to get out the tape measure, which is 4' from me as I type ). Location is more important to me than excessive space, but it would be nice to have a two bay garage/shop.

[shanti]

101. that's like living in a hotel room

could i do it, yeah. would i want to, no. never with another person, though. it's way too cramped for more than one person.

also, i do a lot of crafts, so would need room to store my "stuff", so that would be an added expense. and having cats and a catbox.....just no.

it seems so cell-like with that one window. skylights would help.

[obamanut2012]

103. I could easily

But would only do it if I didn't have my kitties. I have lived in spaces as small as 200-400 square feet, and been fine.

I think most of us have too much stuff and too much space. I love the "apartments" set up in IKEAs, and how they show what you can do with just a few hundred square feet.

I would like a small over/stove and combo front loader w/d by the windows. Then, perfect.

[msanthrope]

106. My books wouldn't fit. nt

[Luminous Animal]

117. One of the nice things about living in San Francisco, there is usually a library within a few

blocks of where one lives.

[Matariki]

119. You clearly don't understand the heart of a book collector.

[Luminous Animal]

122. Quite honestly, I don't understand the heart of any kind of collector.

[msanthrope]

150. I have the type of books libraries don't have, but wish they do. I've made several donations

to the Library of Congress, and from time to time, scholars contact me to see the collections.

I inheirted a collection of monographs in my teens, and have been building it ever since.

[Coyotl]

155. Indeed. If I had an office twice this size next door, yeah sure!

[MNBrewer]

108. Looks like a nice apartment, so yes, probably

[REP]

111. I lived in one about that size for 10 years

It was laid out a little better, but it flooded three times.

[TheKentuckian]

112. Probably a bit tight even just for me but not far from tolerable solo with custom layouts

I need a real kitchen, some storage space, my preference is to be able to run a projector so I need some throw space and a big wall for the screen. I don't have one right now but the capability has value to me.

[highplainsdem]

113. No. The photos alone make me feel claustrophobic. My bedroom's larger than that apartment,

which honestly looks more like a walk-in closet converted to an apartment.

As silly as McMansions are, micro homes are just as silly, IMO. But I can see why developers in expensive cities would love to be able to convince people that shoebox-size apartments are acceptable. Much more money for them that way.

[InsultComicDog]

115. lots of people live in trailers

about that size

[Hekate]

120. Hello, Claustrophobia

Okay -- they will shelter you from the storm. They will provide that pied-a-terre for the out of towner (one at a time). They would be okay for transitional housing of some sort (college dorm room to career or something). Kids? a mate? a pet? ANY companionship? Uh -- no.

But permanently? Nuns, monks, hermits, maybe. People who want no personal possessions beyond a rice bowl, chopsticks, and an extra saffron robe while one is in the wash.

Me? I am a book collector. I am also an indoor person, not someone who spends all her life outdoors and only comes in to sleep.

>sigh< But I bet there is a market for these things....

Hekate

[liberal_at_heart]

124. I lived in a mobile home when I was a kid

The size didn't bother me. Everybody is different. Some people are perfectly fine with small spaces. Other people feel more comfortable with more space. To each his own.

[Jamastiene]

139. Best attitude in the entire thread.

To each their own. I'm a firm believer in that. If others are fine in something that small, more power to them. It's just not something I would want to do.

[RebelOne]

161. I live in a mobile home which is about the same width

but 14 feet longer. I am perfectly comfortable. The only problem is I don't have enough storage. Fortunately, there is an attached garage with no room to park my car since I have to use that for storage.

[Cha]

125. Hey Cool, thanks, Liberal _in_LA.. That seems actually bigger

than my studio except I have a loft(like going up into a tree house to sleep) on Kaua'i and I am happy. It had only a hot plate and a mini fridge when I moved in.. I replaced those with a Waring Hot Burner, a convection oven, and a GE Energy Star Fridge. I decided I didn't need a lot of space and pared down by belongings to fit.

Excellent location is a deciding factor... by the Ocean, bike trail, library, bank, health food co-op, bus stop..

I saw these Micro Apts on youtube awhile ago.. in Hong Kong from
Architect Gary Chong who uses sliding walls to create the ultimate compact living apartment."

[Warpy]

126. I've actually lived in quite a bit less

but it wasn't for long and it was in the middle of a fascinating city with plenty to do outside the tiny room.

There's a lot to be said for compact living spaces, mostly the ease of keeping them tidy as long as they're well planned.

[VanillaRhapsody]

128. I believe I can answer that yes...

Lived in travel trailers for 12 yrs (with a spouse)....does that count?

Lived in a 20 ft'r for 6 yrs....then got a 30 ft fifth wheel. Learned ALOT about how to use every inch of storage space (much I learned I still use today). But I am saying that yes it's very doable...but it's not for everybody that is for sure!

[BeyondGeography]

129. I'm quite certain that view of the sink would wear me down

I spent a decade living with someone in a railroad apt. in New York. That was about 500 square feet or so and just fine. Discreet spaces are good; we had four small but separate environments and almost as many cats. Very cozy. If the landlord hadn't engaged in a terror campaign to empty the building we might still be there.

[donheld]

130. Easily.

[BainsBane]

135. I don't like sleeping in the kitchen

They have the bed right next to the sink and the fridge. I wouldn't like that. This particularly apt is badly set up.

[Jamastiene]

136. No, especially considering I could have tons more room for way less

where I live now, if I wanted it. There is no way I would pay those prices for that tiny little space. I like my 980 sq. ft. that I have right now, but that's small enough for me. I'd like to have one more room, but that's it. So, I don't exactly need a huge mansion, just enough space to not feel claustrophobic...

Other than the price, living in a tiny little room like that would be pure hell for my poor pitiful toes. I'm as clumsy as they come. It's one thing I have in common with my cat. We are both incredibly clumsy. I think that it why he understands when I trip over him and I understand when he just up and falls off whatever he is standing on. I've done that too. Even growing up in a regular sized house, I already had toes that went every which way by the time I was a teenager from hitting them and sometimes breaking them on the furniture. It was that heavy wooden furniture made with 2x6s. I could not simply sit down without either bumping my knees, hip, arms, legs, and most especially my toes. I have no heavy duty furniture now, except my bed, but I build the frame for it to leave some of the mattress over the edge. My toes thanked me. So far, I have not hurt myself on the bed...yet.

I've even wrapped my toes around the stand of an oscillating fan, not one of the tall ones, a short one! I cried and cussed over that for a good 10 minutes. See Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Yeah, that. It really hurt that bad. Poor toes. RIP toes.

In a place that small and that near tons of other people, I would be knocking lamps over and tripping over everything all night long. I would end up getting evicted for waking the neighbors with all the cussing while I held my toes on one foot and hopped around on the other foot every night. Never mind the possible broken bones and broken furniture from trying to maneuver through there.

There is just no way. I need a modest size house with very little furniture and padded carpet throughout. Padded walls wouldn't hurt either considering how many times I bump into door frames on the way in and out of the room. And, yes, I can even trip over the tiny little spaces between hardwood floor boards. Been there, done that.

My answer is a firm no. My toes thank me and approve of this message.

[Fire Walk With Me]

137. Decades ago, my then local 70MM screen movie theatre put a wall down the center and began showing

35MM films in each of the two new spaces, charging the same amount as they had for the 70MM single-screen.

Things haven't changed much, it seems.

[MrScorpio]

140. The Fifth Element's living standards are here today

If you throw in a LeeLoo with her Multipass, it might not seem so bad

[StarryNite]

141. I have too much stuff.

That's for people with little to no stuff.

[cemaphonic]

144. For $1500 per month? I think not.

Leaving aside the whole "family plus pets plus stuff" issues.

Both these and the detached micro-houses always seem to have totally insane $-per-sqft ratios, though I suppose these at least have the excuse of the San Francisco rental market.

[Douglas Carpenter]

145. as long as my dog doesn't mind

[Phentex]

146. Now? No.

Young and single, i would love it!

[Comrade_McKenzie]

148. That'd be fucking awesome. I LOVE enclosed spaces. nt

[Squinch]

172. Have you ever seen those teeny Tumbleweeds houses? You'd love them.

[Heywood J]

149. Claustrophobia mode: on.

What's the next step, capsule hotels for everyone when only the rich can afford the American dream?

[liberal N proud]

151. I have lived in smaller

[RebelOne]

162. So have I.

I once lived on a houseboat just a big larger than that apartment.

[Liberal_in_LA]

179. Me too. Lived in a one room efficiency right out of college. $325 a month, I think

I think it was a bathroom/1 bedroom conversion.

[lalalu]

152. I think these would be great for an aging population.

They just have to give up their beanie dolls and other hideous statuettes. Unfortunately in New Jersey they would sill cost a quarter of a million and up to buy one.

[RKP5637]

156. Could be the ultimate ripoff. Less for more $$$ same for more $$$ = more $$$. I've watched people

settle for less and less while $$$ stay flat or increase. Now a builder/developer could build lots of these in a small area, price per sq. ft. return could be phenomenal. ... modularize these in a factory in China, ship them here, assemble them into a framed building/shell and the profit margins could be exceptional. Meanwhile the Lemmings squeeze in while being told how great it is ... and in the big picture are screwed ... and future generations find living in matchboxes exceptional.

[woo me with science]

174. Thank you.

These aren't the new, cool design trend. They are a new profit opportunity at the expense of the 99 percent.

What a scam. Just imagine that windowless shoebox after a few years of use, with smudged walls and cheap, battered furniture.

[RKP5637]

157. And here's the look for future generations!

[woo me with science]

175. [phone]

[silverweb]

168. I already do.

Last edited Sun Nov 18, 2012, 04:25 AM - Edit history (1)

[font color="navy" face="Verdana"]And I love it.

It's more square-shaped than the one shown above and is overall 270 sq ft with an 8-ft ceiling. It has a large, west-facing picture window facing a tiny "yard" with a tall wooden fence that I hang plants on for a pretty view. My cats have 24-hour access to the outside through an adapted side panel of the picture window, and they're perfectly happy.

The #1 priority in small-space living is to not allow a bed to hog the room. I use a futon with "click-clack technology," which is very practical and perfectly comfortable. When it's being a sofa, the apartment is a comfortable living room with a kitchenette.

My only problem is insufficient closet/storage space, but I'm working on that. One project I've sketched out is a shelving/cabinet/loft area at one end of the room (similar to the diagrams above, but smaller). As soon as I've finished my current yard project, I'll be starting on that.

There are 3 couples in the building that I know of, who seem to be doing fine living in units this size. I'd have a problem with it if I had to live with another person, but it's perfect for just me and my fur kids.

Just outside this building of cozy nests is a lovely, green, walkable city, complete with buses and light rail. I couldn't ask for more.

[BlueMan Votes]

171. add a fireplace and some solar panels, put it in remote mountain forest and i'm there.

in an urban setting however- no way.

[Rhythm]

173. I've lived in smaller places... and not alone.

I'd have no problem, providing i didn't let things get cluttered.

[jackbenimble]

177. Yes

In fact I am planning to live in a very small place when I retire. Aside from lower costs, I don't want to leave 50 years of accumulated junk for my family to dispose of. I'll give away heirloom stuff to the family member who wants it and sell everything else that I don't need or wont fit. I don't need much to live a good life. Probably my place will be a mostly kitchen, decently sized bathroom and small but accessible bedroom/living area.

I'm kinda looking forward to it.

[tabasco]

180. If it was in the middle of the wilderness, hell yeah.

I live in a small cabin.

I'd put a little wood stove in the middle of that thing and save a lot of wood.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

181. Yes, if I were single. Would need 1 more room if married.

[GreenPartyVoter]

184. I lived in a trailer, but to be honest I am happier now in a bigger house. Of course, there

are 4 people and 2 cats here. If it was just me, I could probably live in a small place again.