Comments on: Downsizing the Carbon Footprint with ‘Tiny Texas Houses’

By: mhersh

mhersh — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:40:45 +0000

This clearly strikes a very irrational nerve with some people. You would think that anti-progressives would be the very folks embracing a choice of housing without people telling them how/where to live. Alas, any mention of environmental sensitivity sets off cries of dictatorial liberals telling us to live in dog houses.

If you want to live in a small house, you can — and a nice side effect is that they use very little energy, and, in this case, use recycled materials. I don’t see how this is a problem.

By: employee clockin clockout

employee clockin clockout — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:21:32 +0000

Up next, environmentalists dictate how often you can take a **** in order to conserve water and paper.

By: meta search engine

meta search engine — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:39:36 +0000

Yes folks, this is what passes for being progressive nowadays living in a dog house.

By: buy blog links

buy blog links — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:00:34 +0000

How the hell does not needing a mud room, guest bedroom, 2. 5 bathrooms, and a finished basement equate to a preindustrial lifestyle?

By: keyword tool

keyword tool — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:03:21 +0000

No way in hell. No corporate profits in salvaged material, DIY, or minimalism of any kind.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:56:11 +0000

I think we have become to attached to large buildings. It would be nice if we could use less and be happy with it. There are many people who can do this. There are just as many who could not. I am taking classes for architechture…I get to see just how badly people want more and more space. It will take something drastic to convince the McMansion owners that they need to downsize. Maybe not as much as the tiny houses, but at least some.

By: money blog

money blog — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:48:23 +0000

The invention of the subwoofer made that idea unfeasable for any sane person.

By: Kaid at NRDC

Kaid at NRDC — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:32:28 +0000

Some of y’all are really getting carried away here. No one is arguing that these are for everybody, or that people who like a lot of space *should* move to small cottages. But, for people who don’t mind or can’t afford large spaces – and folks have been living in dorm rooms, efficiency apartments, garage apartments, and in-law suites for a very long time – it’s interesting that they can be well-designed and built with recycled materials. Nothing more or less than that.

By: Lonnie

Lonnie — Fri, 08 May 2009 03:37:12 +0000

There were actually SMALLER apartments than what you are living in now Chris-in-DC. They were called TENEMENTS. The TENEMENTS were all located in SLUMS. Families (Two Adults who hated each other and four or more brats) were crammed into them. It could be said that they lived a GREEN lifestyle.
Those bygone people were probably your Great Grandparents. When the 40’s and the 50’s brought Suburbs– they RAN and never looked back.
NOWADAYS, people like you are taking the shaft from the Real Estate Industry and accepting piecemeal cut-ups of what used to be Pre-War Apartments that have been chopped into an average of two to three smaller units, you’re charged 10 times what the rent used to be, and you settle in like a cozy little gerbil and are content.
What this guy is building are cute little dollhouses. Eco-Green or NOT, Humans NEED SPACE. You need MORE THAN ONE ROOM for sanity. People who DON’T have this little bit of luxury are called POVERTY-STRICKEN.
In Fact, they ALREADY live in one room homes: They’re called HUTS.
Last time I looked, they were very ecological– Low energy, Low maintenance. Aaahh, how happy their grimy little faces look.

By: Jane

Jane — Thu, 07 May 2009 23:31:00 +0000

Definately an interesting concept that someone will go for I suppose. I like “cozy” but just not sure I could do it to be honest. Might just feel a bit too confined. But, as one of the readers pointed out, I think I’ve lived in smaller apartments and actually loved it. Less housework, more time for other things. Wasn’t thinking about reducing carbon at the time in those days though. I think it may take very special people to truly commit. Great idea to use what you can find or recycle to build.