There's a grassroots movement in tiny homes these days. The real
estate collapse, the economic downturn, burning out on 12-hour
workdays - many people are rethinking their ideas about shelter -
seeking an alternative to high rents, or a lifelong mortgage debt to a
bank on an overpriced home. Homes on land, homes on wheels, homes on the
road, homes on water, even homes in the trees. There are also studios,
saunas, garden sheds, and greenhouses.
There are 1,300 photos, showing a rich variety of small homemade
shelters, and there are stories (and thoughts and inspirations) of the
owner-builders who are on the forefront of this new trend in downsizing
and self-sufficiency. You can buy a ready-made tiny home, build your
own, get a kit or pre-fab, or live in a bus, houseboat, or other movable
shelter. Some cities have special ordinances for building "in-law" or
"granny flats" in the back yard. There are innovative solutions in
cities, such as the "capsules" in Tokyo.
If you're thinking of scaling back, you'll find plenty of inspiration
shown by builders, designers, architects, dreamers, artists, road
gypsies, and water dwellers who've achieved a measure of freedom and
independence by taking shelter into their own hands.