If you lost both your business and your house and were struggling to make ends meet, how far would you go to regain some financial stability for your family? When this couple found themselves in that position a few years ago, they got to work and built a “tiny house” for their family of four.

They were on Anderson Cooper’s talk show this week talking about how the decision to downsize so drastically has changed their lives. In the photo above, they’re standing in front of the house they built to show how small it is.

They also marked out the footprint of the house on his stage–and it’s not much bigger than the couch they’re sitting on:

They built the house for about $12,000, and with the money they’re saving each month, they’re hoping to build a larger, mortgage-free home in the future.

If you missed their segment, here’s a clip (there are more on Anderson’s website):

I also enjoyed the post “Tiny House Reforms a Messy Housekeeper.”

They were featured on the Tiny House Blog, too, that has more photos of the house and details about how they make it work (laundry, food storage, etc.).

I think it’s inspiring to see how creative and resourceful some people can be in tough times. How well do you think your family would meet a challenge like this?

Hooked on Tiny Houses?

• A Family in Arkansas Downsizes from 2,500 sq ft to 320
• Tiny Texas Houses: Pure Salvage Building
• Living in a Tiny House: Marcia’s Cozy Red Caboose
• Toronto’s Littlest House

How would you like to live in a an old train car like this classic red caboose from 1909? Marcia bought it in 1975 and turned it into a little vacation home. After a job loss and a divorce, she decided to move into it full time.

She told the Tiny House Blog that the first winter was tough without indoor plumbing or central heat (she had electricity, at least, but had to use space heaters to stay warm).

I’m always fascinated to see how people make tiny houses like this work. She has since added heat, a bathroom, and indoor plumbing.

It sits on a 5-acre lot in Pennsylvania, so even though there isn’t a lot of space inside, there is plenty outside. Marcia added a deck to the back that functions as an outdoor room in better weather.

Visit Tiny House Blog to read more about Marcia’s home and see the rest of the photos.  (Thanks to Nita for telling me about it!)

Hooked on Tiny Houses?

• Family Downsizes to 320 Sq Ft
• Tumbleweed Tiny Houses
• Toronto’s Little House

Tiny houses are fun to look at because they’re kind of like playhouses for grownups. Not only that, but the people who live in them inspire me to simplify my own life. The truth is that I really don’t need so much space–or so much stuff. When I saw Tiny Texas Houses mentioned in Country Living magazine recently, I had to check them out.

Pure salvage building is how they describe their mission is to build energy-efficient tiny houses that are “unique pieces of house art.” Everything from the doors to the porch posts has been recycled from old buildings, and the results are pretty amazing.

This white house, for example, was built for use as a guest cottage. “The classic tall vertical split sash windows were circa 1890s and most still had their original wavy glass.” Love it.

They call this 12′ x 26′ house “The Painted Lady” because they used 6 colors of paint on the exterior. This is the playhouse I wanted when I was growing up! (Okay, still do.)

The Canyon Lake house is a 12′ x 20′ gingerbread cottage:

The houses start around $35,000 but can go up to $75,000, depending on the size and materials used. Each house is unique and the designs are inspired by the salvaged parts and pieces.

This one’s being used by a bed & breakfast in Texas. How fun would it be to stay here?

It has a rounded-loft bedroom:

And a pretty nice tub, too:

The Bastrop is a 12′ x 28′ house where a young couple and their 3-year old son live full time:

When these photos were taken, it was decorated for Christmas. They have two separate bedroom lofts and another bed downstairs.

There’s a great little bed nook:

This house has both a front porch and a back porch that’s screened in.

Do you have a favorite? The white guest cottage is calling my name. For more photos and information, visit Tiny Texas Houses.

Hooked on Small Houses?

• Tumbleweed Tiny Houses
• Toronto’s Little House
• The Spite House in Virginia

How much would you be willing to shell out for a house that’s only about 8 feet wide? Would $4.3 million be too much to ask? What if it is famous for being New York City’s narrowest house? And Cary Grant supposedly lived here at one time?

The house sold for only $2.175 million in 2010, so the eyebrow-raising price hike a mere year later seems a little shocking. For an explanation, the listing says it has been “meticulously renovated with beautiful modern finishes, yet retains its original character and pedigree.”

When a house is this small, those must be some pretty amazing renovations to warrant an extra $2 million and change, don’t you think?

It was built around 1850. It has 4 wood-burning fireplaces and the original exposed beams.

The townhouse sits on “one of the most picturesque blocks in the West Village.” And it’s not cheap to live on a picturesque block in the Village.

There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. At least one of the bedrooms has a Murphy Bed that pulls down from inside the wall. I think it might be this one:

As I mentioned, they say Cary Grant lived here awhile. (Grant’s former home in Palm Springs, CA, is for sale here.) But it’s known as The Millay House because the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay lived here for a short time in the 1920s, as this plaque explains:

I featured this townhouse when it was on the market last time, so you can compare the newly renovated version here to how it looked in late 2009 here: The Narrowest House in New York City.

Want it? For more information about 75.5 Bedford Street, check the listing.

Click Here to See More X-Small Houses I’ve Featured!

This story fascinates me, about a family of 3 in Arkansas that was struggling to make ends meet, so they sold their 2,500 square-foot home and built a “shotgun shack” to live in instead. Now they don’t have a mortgage and only have to pay $145/month for the lot it’s sitting on.

Did I mention they homeschool their 13-year old son here, too? They also have a small building next door that serves as their home office.

I’m impressed by their resourcefulness and creativity. Mom Debra gives a tour of their tiny home and explains why they decided to go to extremes when it came to simplifying their lives in this video (if it doesn’t work for you, you can watch it–and read more about it– at The Daily Mail).

I love my family, but I’m not sure I could handle this much togetherness–could you? It would feel pretty good not to have a mortgage payment, though!

They had this home custom built for about $25,000, but it reminds me of the Tumbleweed Tiny Houses.

“A tree house should never overpower the tree in which it is built. It should sit lightly in the branches.” –Jeanie Stiles

Have you ever dreamed of having a treehouse in your backyard? Jeanie Stiles and her husband David did, so they designed one for their children, beginning with this sketch. They say it was inspired by The Hobbit, but it reminded me of Winnie-the-Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood. Can’t you picture Owl peeking out from one of those windows?

I wrote about this treehouse back when I first started blogging and liked it so much that I wanted to share it again now that I actually have some readers who will see it! It was featured in Architectural Digest (with photos by Billy Cunningham), which explains:

Protected from weather and adults, the kid-size interior forms a cozy hide-away, inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, a favorite of the children’s.

My kids would love this. So would I! I’d be sneaking up into that treehouse every summer afternoon with a book in one hand and a glass of lemonade in the other.

“Where did Mom go?”

“Did you check the treehouse?”

P.S. Thanks for all of your sweet birthday wishes yesterday! It was fun reading them all last night when I got home. You made my day!

Welcome to Fig Tree Cottage. This charming little home, with its white picket fence and diamond-paned windows, looks like something out of a fairy tale. When Alison sent me these photos of her house, I assumed it was in England. Turns out it’s actually in Australia, in a scenic mountain area near Queensland.

Alison’s cottage has two bedrooms and two baths.  And–lucky for anyone traveling in the Queensland area–you can rent it when you’re on holiday.

Anyone else imagining themselves having a Cameron Diaz (Holiday) moment here?

The description on the website says:

This exquisitely captivating Cotswold Cottage was lovingly hand-crafted to replicate all the most enthralling features of Old World living. Quaint little doorways, heavy timber beams and dreamy upstairs dormer windows combine with the timber stairway and huge old brick fireplace to create an enveloping sense of cosiness and warmth. Polished timber floors on the upper level and quarry tiles on the ground level are perfect with the English cottage decor.

I love this windowseat, piled with pillows:

You can see the rest of the photos and get more information about Fig Tree Cottage here. Thanks to Alison for sharing it with us!

*5/12 UPDATE: Fig Tree Cottage For Sale (White Picket Fence Included).

If you love cottages:

• A Charming Beach Cottage Remodel
• Mary Kay Andrews’ Breeze Inn on Tybee Island
• The Ivy-Covered Cottage from “Howards End”

Lookiloos featured a fun tour of this 360 square-foot cottage in Los Gatos, California. A family of four is living here while their main house is undergoing a major remodel. It may be small, but it’s big on personality!

Homeowner Lisa Murray has a gift for mixing modern and vintage. Lookiloos’ Julia writes, “Lisa is nothing if not whimsical and avante garde. And the cottage reflects that.”

Take a tour of the cottage at Lookiloos.

See this skinny little townhouse in Greenwich Village? It was built in 1873 in what was once just an alley. It’s a tight squeeze inside with living space that’s just 8 1/2 feet wide and 42 feet long. The photo above was taken of it in 1939 (I love old pics), and here’s how it looks today (via VirtualTourist.com):

It’s on the market for $2.7 million. According to the listing by Corcoran agent Alex Nicholas, the house has a parlor, kitchen, and dining area on the first floor, a double living room on the second floor, and a master bedroom suite on the third. The kitchen floor has a trapdoor that leads to a finished basement.

Its narrow dimensions aren’t its only claim to fame, however. Plenty of famous people have lived here over the years, including Cary Grant, John Barrymore, and the poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.

You can read more about the house in articles here, here, and here.

It really seems like they’ve made the most of the space they’ve got with this house, even extending to balconies in back:

You can see more photos and get more information from the listing. Many thanks to all of the people who sent me links about this house–but especially to Kelly from Design Ties!

Now check out Toronto’s Littlest House, Tumbleweed Tiny Houses, and The Spite House in Virginia.

It’s hard to believe, but this charming garden cottage used to be referred to as “the haunted shed” by the family who owns it.

It has since been transformed into a lovely work studio for Rebecca, the landscape designer behind Harmony in the Garden.

Head over to Lookiloos to take the tour of both this adorable cottage and the surrounding gardens. (Do you think Rebecca would mind if I took my computer over and worked in her studio today? I’d be as quiet as a mouse. She wouldn’t even know I was there!)

Just a reminder that tomorrow is my weekly Hooked on Fridays blog party. If you’re a blogger and want to participate, write a post about something you’re “hooked on.” I’ll have Mister Linky ready by 10:00 tonight (ET) so you can link up. See you then!