From Homescape

Do you like homes that are simple, small and steeped in modernism? Well then you would fit perfectly in a microhome. A micro what? Don’t worry, I had no idea what they were either, until a friend sent me a Wall Street Journal article on these unique homes. Microhomes may not have gotten all the trend-setting buzz that McMansions enjoyed a few years back, but for the environmentally conscious anti-materialist, hype is immaterial.

According to the Wall Street Journal article, microhomes or “weehouses” are typically dwellings spanning from a few hundred to a little more than a 1,000 square feet. One-third the size of the average 2,400 square-foot home in the United States, these microhomes contain most of the amenities of larger dwellings, including kitchens and bathrooms. Many occupy just two rooms, or sometimes two rooms plus a living area. Some microhomes compensate for the small layout by capitalizing on vertical space, custom-designing cabinets and furniture, raising ceilings to build in sleeping lofts, or even using flat-roof space as a deck or patio area. 

Designers say microhome buyers tend to fall into one of two groups: The majority are looking for a secondary space, either a vacation home or a building near or attached to a primary residence. A minority of buyers are hoping to dwell full time into a smaller home, motivated by a desire to simplify their lives or by social and environmental concerns about the amount of living space people need. For those residents who have settled in more compact living quarters like a studio apartment or high-rise condo, the amount of space in a microhome feels the same. Another added bonus: Owners can cut their utility bills in half when they downsize into one of these dwellings. An average microhome can go for less than $150,000, complete with furniture and appliances.

The Small House Society, which promotes small housing solutions, says about 1,000 new homes measuring less than 50 square meters have been built since the group was founded in 2002. And the Wall Street Journal reports: “While the market for tiny houses is still tiny itself, architects say they have seen interest from buyers jump significantly in the past five years.”

Do you think these microhomes are practical living spaces or claustrophobic traps?