Micro Cabins
In the many cycles of boom and bust, the boom that started around the year 2000 was a doozy! So it makes perfect sense that the bust which followed was also a doozy! It appears as if housing prices in the United States peaked some time in the 2006-2007 timeframe, and by 2008 they were in a freefall. The crash was so severe that it brought down the financial markets of countries around the world. It was a truly epic crash!
I am writing this in early 2011 and things seem to have bottomed out, but the patient is in a coma. Foreclosure sales are still at a record pace, although new foreclosure filings seem to have leveled off. Prices haven’t moved much, and new home building hasn’t been this low in decades.
I think this makes it a good time for people to re-evaluate the entire concept of home ownership. But if you have your heart set on a home, perhaps you should reconsider tying up all of your net worth with a box in the suburbs, surrounded by millions of other boxes. Maybe this would be a good time for you to look into micro cabins!
Now the wife and I just got out of our albatross of a house and are getting ready to hit the road for some traveling. But if and when we decide to finally settle down I really do love the whole concept of owning a small cabin out in the woods somewhere! Micro cabins are small (as you may be able to tell by the word ‘micro’ in the name) but are designed so efficiently that you might never notice. Claustrophobia is offset with spacious lofts and windows and roomy porches. But all this comes with a price — a CHEAP price! I just saw a set of plans to build a 16×20 cabin for $4000! Good grief, my last home builder charged me twice that much just to add room for an extra car in the garage.
If you want to find out more about these wonderful little homes here are a few places you can do some more research:
* Tumbleweed Tiny House Company – This company can do it all for you. They have a book, they have workshops, and they have lots and lots of tiny house plans.
* Tiny House Designs – This is a leading source for all things tiny – they may not use the term ‘micro cabins’ specifically, but they have everything under the sun when it comes to living in small, inexpensive spaces. I especially like their Solar SaltBox Plans!
* Penny Pincher Barns – These folks sell all-inclusive kits for every kind of small living structure you can imagine. They call their cabins ‘mini’ but I think we’re in the ballpark…
And here are the two extremes in this particular category:
* House In Montana - These people are pushing the limit of the word Micro with these behemoth cabins. 1024 Square Feet! Hardly anything micro about that! They also come with one acre of land and cost $189,000.
* Nine Tiny Feet – Yes, you read that right – nine square feet! Several different design ideas here, including one on wheels and an actual by-god MICRO cabin!
