My Real Dream Houses: Part One, Tumbleweed Houses

I've been looking into various options for small, affordable, non-toxic house construction.

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses  www.tumbleweedhouses.com 

The company will build one for you and deliver it. It runs about $40,000 and up depending on the features and designs. One can also buy the plans and build it yourself. I read a recently article about a woman who did just that and spent $16,000 on supplies. Fortunately, she had friends and relatives in construction to help. She now has it parked on the ranch property of a friend. Nice. I also saw a post on Craigslist of a man who is experimenting with building tiny houses. He's thinking he can sell the finished product for $20,000. We'll see. Unfortunately for me I have bad construction karma so I would have to have someone build it for me.

These plans don't include non-toxic materials so I'm guessing costs would run higher to build it chemical-free and healthy enough for someone with MCS.

Tumbleweed has many different style plans. Here are my favorites:

This is a Weebee House. I would love a Weebee. So adorable.

This is a Walden House. I'd take a Walden, too.

This is a Whidbey House. In the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, most people built little houses. Why did everyone give up that trend? Now all we see are enormous six bedroom houses with four-car garages. I prefer a smaller house. Tumbleweed has a variety of cottage plans, still small, but a little bigger than the ones on wheels.

I was expressing my tiny house desire to a friend of mine who was in construction and currently is building his own house. I explained the tiny house plan and asked him how much he would charge to build it for me. He said there is no way I could live in a tiny, ten by ten foot house. He said my computers alone would take up ten by ten feet. I argued.

This got me thinking. In the last couple weeks I've been cleaning closets and re-organize my stuff to sell this house. How did I accumulate so much junk in eight years?  Currently to live in a ten by ten foot space, I'd need to get rid of about 90% of it.  How do I do that? He's right: my computers do take up ten by ten feet of my office space and my library takes up another ten by ten feet more! (Don't tell him I said he's right. I'll never hear the end of it!) Hmmm...How do I downsize and still function like I do now? Am I being rational? Do I need to wait to retire? It'll definitely be a lifestyle adjustment.

Well, I've reinvented my life once, I can do it again.