Tiny houses

Tiny houses are a new, fast growing segment of the real estate market. A tiny house can range from 100 to 800 square feet. Most have lofts. They come with a bathroom sink, toilet and tub, a kitchen with full-sized range and a built-in microwave, a dishwasher, electric wiring, and insulation. You build the foundation or they can sit on basements. The smallest ones fit on a trailer and you can haul it around. The houses are finished on the inside.

There are many builders of these houses, and the styles and square footage varies a great deal. A Google search on "tiny houses" found 1 million hits. There's even a Tiny House Journal magazine and several forums to discuss them.

You can download the architectural drawings online for $300. You can buy a do-it-yourself kit for $10- $25,000. Or you can have them made and delivered for around $45,000 or less, depending on the size.

The houses are coveted by people who want to downsize, save energy, save resources, reduce yard work, and really go Green by reducing their footprint. It seems that people are excited to live on what they really need. Purging one's old life has a practicality and a spirituality about it.

There are neighborhoods of these houses being built, with sidewalks, a bank, a grocery store, a post office, a park, etc. Are these the future of retirement living? I'd love to have one. But my house is already 1,000 square feet, so I guess I'm ahead of my time.

My brother-in-law is a builder — I should tell him about this.