the minimum space

After dwindling my belongings to 55, I realized we'd have to get rid of this monstrosity of a house, trade it in for something a little... littler. And that called for a sequel to my post the bare minimum.

I discovered the Small House Society, an organization that encourages people to trade in their spaces for something more economically and environmentally responsible. They started up in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, after seeing so many homes ravished in the waters. The shed-sized houses the society promotes are often built on a trailer, so the owner can just pull out when they want (and avoid paying property taxes).

I think I could do without the trailer, but if we could sell this house, I'd be game right now for a little place -- one you can see from one end to the other and clean in less than an hour. I'm just not sure if my future children are ready for growing up in a 100-square foot space. Or maybe it's Kyle and I who wouldn't be up to the... closeness with them.

However, something smaller could still respect our individual privacy and chip away at our current excess of space, and we wouldn't be paying to heat and cool over 2,000 square feet of space when we use less than 1,000.

I'm still torn about how to live in a minimum amount of space while still being available to entertain guests. I guess you just have to be creative; taking more frequent advantage of your limitless outdoor space is an easy solution.

Well, I'm off to design my miniature house. BlueSky MOD and Alchemy Architects have some designs that really float my boat.