Downsize? Try a Shoebox Home (But Don't Expect Room for Your Shoes)

Frankly, I just don't get it, these people choosing (even wanting) to live in 200 square feet or less.

I had a studio apartment back in the day that was 800 square feet and I could barely fit all my stuff in it.  So what's up with this idea?

I believe it came from Asia, where businessmen squeeze themselves into compartments about 5 feet by 5 feet so they can be near their offices during the week, and there's no place else to live, though Singapore has cracked down on them.

But New York?  Really?  Yesterday's New York Times ran a story about this trend, and while I suppose an advantage is that it's cheaper (I think), it seems to be catching on.  The young man interviewed for the story was excited because he even had his own bathroom (wouldn't the sink take up most of the apartment?).

They're called shoebox homes, but I bet I have some that hold shoes that are bigger.

An architect and her husband, a builder, put together a 204-square-foot house in New Mexico, according to smartplanet.com, reducing their mortgage payments from $1,500 to $350.  But would you really want to live where your feet touch the shower when you're sitting on the toilet? The bedroom looked to be the largest room in the house, according to a youtube video, but the videographer couldn't get in there to shoot with the builder standing in the doorway. The story did note that the house can be picked up and put on a trailer and moved anywhere.  Whoopee.

So what's the attraction?  Got me!  Maybe you feel more in control in a tiny home?  Maybe you like being able to see all your stuff any time.  But you can't have a lot of stuff because there's nowhere to put it.

The architect proudly showed off wooden ledges, with pillows, (that serve, I guess as couches), that she just lifted to stow her gear.  But she really didn't have much.  I doubt too many women could store all their clothes (and shoes)  in something that's only a tiny bit bigger than a laptop.




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