Big House, Small House

Are You A Big Or Small House Person?

It’s not always easy. Sometimes (very occasionally), I long for a larger home.

The reason is usually because of some small or short term difficulty such as when I need a little quiet time to concentrate on a task that needs to be done. My husband also works from home; that means that in our small place, we work in close proximity. He is on the phone for work a few times each day. If I have a video to make, I have to wait until he is done his calls.

When I get in that mood, I remind myself of all the work that size of house involves, how expensive it is to live in, and how it ruled my life.

For example, when we lived in a big house, I spent most of my spare time keeping it clean and tidy.

Upkeep took up quite a bit of any spare cash we managed after expenses were paid. We had very little cash left over for anything that we really wanted to do. If we wanted to take a vacation, it took forever to save up for it. In most cases, we didn’t take a vacation. Sometimes we went years without actually going anywhere special; just quick short trips near home.

We spent tons of money keeping up with the necessary renovations and upkeep over the years.

The yard work was always a chore.

Thinking about all those negatives is always enough to get me out of that mood.

Thinking about all the positives that come with living in a small place brings me back to “why” we chose this lifestyle, and how much better things are now than they were before.

It’s funny how our minds try to trick us. Wanting a little more space may be a common theme, but I would say that it comes from people who have not experienced the freedom that a small place gives them.

We’ve had both. We know and have experienced the negatives and the positives that come with both options.

We know that living in a bigger place does not mean you have more freedom. In reality, unless you have lots of money (not money that you work hard to make each and every month), you are a slave to your cost of living.

We have learned through trial and error, that it is much more pleasant to live without the worry of all the expense (time and money) that comes with a big house and a big yard.

Life is much more enjoyable when we don’t have to spend all our time and money maintaining our house.

These days we have the option of going where we want, when we want, without having to worry if we have the time and money to spare because the time and the money ARE there.

I may have the occasional longing for a bigger space, but it doesn’t last for long. All I have to do is think back to the way it was before and that kills the thought. I’ll never go back to living in a big house.

What about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts. You can’t comment on the website, but comments are welcome on the Affordable Housing Facebook page.

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/big-house-small-house/ Joanne

Tiny Homes For Seniors

Tiny As A Solution For Senior Housing

Image courtesy of Next Door Housing

The dilemma of housing for aging adults has been an ongoing issue for many years. It’s very difficult find the perfect solution for everyone.

If you choose a retirement home, there is the issue of making sure that the facilities and care are at a good standard. We’ve all heard the nightmare stories.

That’s not to say that they are all the same; there are good retirement homes, and then there are some that are not so good.

How do you know you’ve chosen the right one?

In addition, with the aging population, lack of senior housing is becoming an issue.

A Good Solution

Building and living in a tiny home has been a good solution for some people, but unfortunately most of the plans and designs for this type of housing include a loft bedroom or two. The problem with this is as people get older, climbing stairs and ladders becomes more difficult.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have your parent(s) living very close? With the suitable home design, they could live in a home where they are able to keep their independence yet be close enough that you can help when needed. I would have loved to have had that solution for my parents…

There is a company in Minnesota that put some thought into the senior housing market and combined the very small housing idea with seniors in mind. They’ve come up with a design that is senior friendly and great for people with disabilities. The homes they design and build are also wheelchair accessible.

These houses can be placed in a yard, in a driveway, in a laneway, or on a street – just about anywhere that regional legalities permit.

They’ve thought of everything from water to utilities, making the house self-sufficient.

You can read all about them here.

Business is booming.

As a testament of the need and popularity of this type of housing, their business has “taken off”. They can’t build the houses fast enough to keep up with the demand.

A tiny house specific for the aging population or for someone with a disability that limits mobility, is exactly what is needed. I applaud the company for coming up with a great solution to an ongoing problem. All that’s left is for more of the municipalities to catch up with their rules and regulations.

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/tiny-homes-for-seniors/ Joanne

Issue #31 Published

The 31st Magazine Issue Is Available

The one and only magazine about tiny houses for enthusiasts, and anyone just starting out has been published.

This issue is 75 pages long.

The cost of each issue is only $4.99. It’s a great value for the price!

Here’s the link to Get Yours Today

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/tiny-houses/issue-31-published/ Joanne

Buy A Tiny Partially Built House

Save Time, Save Money When Building Your Tiny House

Here’s your opportunity to buy a partially built tiny house at a $500 discount.

Barn Raiser Sale
Click the link above, then click the Barn Raiser link in the top menu bar.

You know it takes time to take a project from imagination to completion. There are many stages you have to go through, from the time you begin thinking about it until you can actually live in the house.

Imagine getting a considerable head-start with a barn raiser.

What’s a barn raiser?

If you aren’t familiar with the term “barn raiser”, it is described as:

A barn raising is a community event at which all members of a community cooperate to build a barn or another structure, such as a home or church. Wise Geek

In this case, they’ve applied the term to building tiny houses.

There are many reasons why you may choose this option. Let’s say you don’t have the time, the experience, or are not sure about your abilities, having some of the work done for you may be the solution to your problem.

This is a general idea how it works:

• There are four house designs to choose from. You select the design you want.
• The professionals build the foundations for you – using the design you chose, they build the frame on the trailer, sheath the house, build the roof, and more.
• The partially built house is delivered to you for you to finish exactly the way you imagined.

Doing it this way gives you a big head start. You’ll know that it has been done right – no surprises. Saves you lots of time. And with the savings that is being offered right now, will save you money.

You can get all the details by clicking this link.

If you are interested in taking advantage of their skills, saving some time, and saving money, this is something you’ll want to consider.

It’s only being offered for a limited time. The barn raiser sale
(click the link, then click the Barn Raiser link in the top menu bar) is on until August 31st, 2015. After that, the opportunity to save $500 will be gone.

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/specials/buy-a-tiny-partially-built-house/ Joanne

Life Gets In The Way

Update To Our Life Journey

This past month has been very busy and continues to be busy. It’s been quite a few years since we’ve looked for housing. I had forgotten how stressful and time-consuming it is.

That is some of what we’ve been doing for the past month, and it has consumed a good part of our time.

It’s not very easy to find what we want, where we want, for the price we want.

From

To

I’m not sure I’m liking this too much. I’d much rather be settled and comfortable in a house than spending all my time house hunting.

I know it’ll be better once we find the house we want, but waiting and looking is taking it’s toll.

All we really want is a small house. One that won’t cost a fortune to buy, live in, and to maintain. Not so surprisingly, most of the houses on the market are big and expensive. Houses that would take a huge bite out of our lives (time and money). Certainly not what we want.

We’ve considered buying land and building but the cost of land here is expensive because we are near the ocean.

Patience is the key. The perfect place will eventually come along.

Does anyone actually enjoy house hunting?

Sure, it’s exciting once you’ve found the place and everything is settled. It’s everything up to that point that is not-so-exciting.

Hopefully we’ll be back to our regular routine soon…

http://affordablehousingdesigns.com/the-latest/life-gets-in-the-way/ Joanne