Living in a smaller home has really worked for us. 14 years ago my husband and I built a 24’x 24’cabin (670 sq.ft.)that I designed for us.There is an upstairs loft under the eaves of the (8:12 pitch) roof that is the “Master Suite”-sleeping area (9’x10’6″), small full bath, closet, sitting area on small balcony (7’x 4′)overlooking the main floor.
The main floor consists of 9’x 8′ bunkroom (formerly for our children, now for grandchildren) and full bath, both placed at the back of the house. The left front is an 11’x 14′ Living Room with built-in book shelves/media storage, while on the right is 8’x 8’6″ dining area separated from the kitchen (10’x 8′) only by a work counter with 4 counter height stools.
When people think about small homes they think cramped quarters with no room to turn around and feeling closed in. This is not true of our home nor of the many other homes I have designed since. I typically utilize a fairly open floor plan to visually expand sense of space.
Over time I have figured out ways to cut even more square footage without losing functionality or sense of spaciousness. Little houses use modest amounts of Earth’s precious resources, and can still live very large despite their small footprints.
Our home is cozy and comfortable, well insulated, easy to heat and cool, easy to clean, attractive with enough room for the people, things and activties we enjoy. Doing much of the work ourselves and helping the professionals we did hire (electrician, plumber), we were able to build our home for less than $20,000 and paid off the loan in 4 years.We recently added a sunroom onto the back of the house because we now have 6 grandchildren under the age of 8 who need more room to play than our 2 kids did. We and our friends did all of the work ourselves and our only cost for 24’x12′ addition was materials, recycled or bought at the cheapest sources.
We unplug the water heater when not in use, turn off lights when not in use, use compact flourescent bulbs, and an EdenPure heating unit. This is our first winter with the EdenPure unit and are hoping it lives up to its reputation as propane gas is getting more and more expensive. In summer, we keep the house cool with a small air conditioner placed in the upstairs window in sleeping area and have ceiling fans to circulate the cool air which is naturally going to go downward to the main floor.
I hope more people will try living in smaller spaces. It can be done very comfortably and affordably. We have had great fun all of our years here and intend to spend the rest of our years here.
You might want to give it a try!
Blessings
Home » Finances » What are some of your frugal tips? »