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Several years ago John Wells bought 40 acres in this West Texas area called Brewster County for $8,000 after selling his mortgaged home in upstate New York. Then he built his own debt-free tiny home within 9 days for only $1600.

As time has gone on he has created his own solar shower, composting toilet, bicycle-powered washing machine, greenhouse, and more. The property now even has an Airstream trailer guest house, office space and additional housing made out of shipping containers, a solar oven, chicken coop, and a water collection system. His tiny house also features a swamp cooler (also known as an evaporative cooler) which he made himself to cool his cabin for next to nothing. John has the ability to store up to 21,000 gallons of water on his property.

“The main reason I came to this area is because there are no building restrictions whatsoever and that’s really hard to find in this country,” says Wells. “I came out here to get away from debt.” John went from a 2800 sq. ft. house with loads of debt to a 128 sq. ft. tiny house with zero debt and lots of self-sufficiency.

Man Builds 128 Sq. Ft. Tiny Home for $1.6k on Land w/ No Codes

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Images © Faircompanies

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I first showed you this cabin back in 2014 when I first discovered it. Now it’s 2020 and the design seems very relevant. It’s a Kanga cabin and it’s perfectly designed for a live/work lifestyle. The sort of lifestyle that many of us are now living in because of quarantine and covid-19.

I’m excited to share this 504 sq. ft. modern cabin by Kanga Room Systems with you. I know. It’s not exactly tiny (maybe to some of you) but it’s most certainly small. And I’m not sure about you, but to me, something like this would be an absolutely perfect long-term solution. The home consists of two units with a 10′ covered breezeway/porch/outdoor living area connecting the two units.

A 14’x20′ (280 sq. ft.) unit gives you your living area and kitchen while another 14’x16′ unit (224 sq. ft.) features your bedroom, bathroom, and utility closet. Pretty cool, right? And if you don’t like ladders staircases it’s perfect because there are no sleeping lofts. It’s a one-level design.

If you live and work from home and share your home with loved ones, this is absolutely perfect because you have a separate structure for peace and quiet while your significant other can use the other area as they wish without distracting you during periods of focus and concentration. Please enjoy, let me know how you like it in the comments and re-share below!

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504 Sq. Ft. Two-in-One Modern Cabin by Kanga Perfect for the Live/Work Lifestyle (Great Design If You Work From Home and Lived with Others)

504 Sq. Ft. Modern Cabin Perfect for Live/Work Lifestyle

Images © Kanga Room Systems

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The Indian Blanket tiny house has a New York country loft style and was built by students at Northside ISD (Independent School District) in San Antonio, Texas. This is a Construction Careers Academy.

The micro home has a double loft design ideally one so you can read and the other to be used as a bedroom as shown in the photo tour below. In addition, you’ll also find a fully featured micro kitchen inside with a modern design and beautiful backsplash.

There is plenty of open shelving throughout and wood flooring inside. The kitchen countertops are made out of black granite and the open ceiling gives it a spacious feeling inside.

Indian Blanket Tiny House For Sale Built by Students (SOLD)

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Images © nisd.net

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It’s encouraging to see that the small town of Spur, Texas (population 1,088) has announced that they are welcoming tiny houses as supposedly declared by their mayor, Manuel Herrera.

But let’s clear this up right here right now. We are getting somewhere. But you might be a little disappointed to learn the truth here as explored by Andrew Odom of Tiny r(E)volution below. Are tiny houses on trailers easily permitted? We’re not sure.

But it is very clear that creatively simple and safe tiny homes on foundations are welcome with open arms. We’re just not sure about the ones on wheels. Although I personally don’t see why not. But have a read for yourself below. Either way, I’m convinced this is good news for the tiny house movement. What do you think?

Related: Man Legally Living in 84 Sq. Ft. Tiny House in Spur, Texas

City of Spur America’s 1st Tiny House Friendly Town?

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Image © Barclay Gibson

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In this post I’m introducing you to Jay Austin and his ‘Matchbox’ tiny home on wheels in Washington, D.C.’s Boneyard Studios.

According to the video, more than 1000 people decide to move into the area every single month therefore driving the cost of housing up and increasing construction in the area.

And even though they’re building as fast as they can, they still can’t keep up with the demand for housing in the area. So where do tiny houses stand?

Meet Jay Austin and His 140 Sq. Ft. Tiny Home

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Images: YouTube/ReasonTV

Enjoy the rest of the story (in video) below:

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I’ve been covering tiny houses and other smaller and alternative types of housing for the last few years and I can say that it’s easy to find great examples of small homes every day.

What bothers me is that the majority of what I find is the opposite of affordable housing. It’s normally boutique hotels, places to go “glamping”, and/or expensive real estate in highly populated areas.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. I think it’s great that there are all of these ways that people who aren’t in need can explore and discover housing that might one day make their lives better through simplicity.

And all of this helps lead to making our world better (environmentally, socially and economically). But now, more than ever, there seems to be a dire need for truly affordable and smarter housing. And in this area of Austin, Texas, one man is leading the way to accomplishing that right now.

The goal? To help get 200 people back on their feet and out of homelessness.

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Introducing: Community First Village

Tiny House Community for Homeless

Image Credit: Joy Diaz for KUT

It’s a 29 acre property with tiny cottages, teepees, and travel trailers completely dedicated to serving 200 local people who are chronically homeless.

“Allan Graham is the man behind the vision. A former businessman, he took it upon himself to change the life of Austin’s homeless population.”

Listen to the Audio Version of this Story Right Here Below

Learn more about this tiny house community for the homeless below:

Please read the original article over at KUT (part of the NPR network)

I’d like to thank Michael over at Tiny House Living for getting this story out there first.

What ideas do you have on how we can inspire more projects like this in our country and throughout the world?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Who knows, you might inspire the beginning of the next affordable small housing community! Do your part with a “Like”, share or comment below.

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More Like This: Tiny Houses | Tiny House Community for Homeless | THOW | Tiny House Villages

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Kanga Room Systems creates modern prefab tiny houses that I think you might like. They are a housing company in Austin, Texas and their units can be used for working, living, or backyard studios.

In addition, they build playhouses, add-on rooms, and cabins. Customers can assemble the parts themselves or they can pay extra for professional installation. With two of their units which you’ll see below, they were able to create the ultimate backyard pool-side guest compound. I really like the way that they set this up and also like the idea of setting up two tiny houses on wheels in a similar fashion with a shared deck. What do you think of these KANGA tiny homes? Would you consider one?

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Two Poolside Tiny Cabins by KANGA

Kanga Studio Tiny House

Photo Credits Kanga Room Systems

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