Their website said:
“It's not a movement about people claiming to be "tinier than thou" but rather people making their own choices toward simpler and smaller living however they feel best fits their life.”
[Cartoon by GAH: Do you do more with less or less with more?]
I support their intentions fully and hope levels of government soon do more to encourage such movements.
Because finding or building small homes in many places ain’t easy.
Recently, mojo contributed the following:
“Honestly I could do quite well with under 1000 sq ft. The "dream house" I'll build one day is a converted "garage-in-a-box" that may include a sleeping loft...”
“Assuming, of course, that I can find a place to build it.”
“This is not always the easiest of tasks. You'd think that you could simply buy a piece of land, and build what you want on your land, but it doesn't work that way.
“Between restrictive covenants, local ordinances, zoning restrictions and all manner of other red tape, you have to look pretty hard for a place you could build something that small on. “Added to that, most such places are outside the city proper, meaning no city services -- and probably a longer commute.”
Challenges abound.
Will governments assist in removing barriers?
Stay tuned for a success story.
.
2 comments:
I would hasten to add that all municipalities may not have the same roadblocks in place to make things difficult on the small-home builder. My experiences are based on what I've encountered here (Raleigh, NC, USA) in researching the feasibility of building or buying a small single family home. Your Mileage May Vary...Greatly depending on where you live.
There's another "roadblock" to this movement that has nothing to do with government regulations though. And one that's many times tougher to overcome. It's called prejudice. Communities composed of smaller homes will attract people with smaller budgets. And fair or not (I vote for the latter) people equate "smaller budget" with "lower class". (As if you can buy class, but that's another rant.) It won't matter the reasons for these smaller budgets, the communities in this model will be viewed as ones that attract an "undesirable element". Because after all, if they were truly decent people they could afford a bigger house, right?
So it will take much more than just simple common sense to make the small home movement workable on a large scale. It will take a dedicated and courageous lot of home buyers willing to stand on the principle. And unfortunately, such courage of conviction is a rare commodity these days.
That said, condos and townhouses offer an alternative if they're suited to your lifestyle. You can spend a whole lot of money on a small townhouse in the right community. It's spendy enough to keep the riffraff out, but small enough to be efficient. (I shake my head in wonder that I wrote that out loud...)
But I shudder to think of the cars people would buy if they had a house that wasn't costing them half their income every month.
your right, mojo, re how restrictions might vary across a country or continent.
your thoughts about prejudice are certainly true in my opinion and "as if you can buy class" bears repeating here and elsewhere.
smart, creative, highly-energy efficient and at the same time small design might counter-act some prejudice, especially if placed in premium settings e.g. near a park, close to the downtown etc.
i think what also helps is public education and positive messages from powerful city planners and government officials re "modern, unique communities that are purposefully designed on a small scale to preserve green space, conserve energy and valuable resources" etc.
you touched a nerve when you inadvertently reminded me about some new, small-ish communities built recently near our own downtown; great location, small enclave, too expensive for renters - those seedy buggers! i too shake my head at what we consider to be the right kind of community.
i never thought about 'bigger cars' as a consequence to 'smaller homes'. it could happen.
time for a bike ride to sort thoughts re next column.
cheers,
gord h.
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