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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 Helman students illustrate kindness, love Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Education Helman students illustrate kindness, love SOU's 'Count Me In' campaign raises $210,000 Fun, fundraising and art at Helman Elementary School Ashland mourns death of former coach Stan Gida Goal not reached, but don't count out 'Count Me In' yet Environment Rite Aid cub well, could come back to southern Oregon Report: Smaller streams need further protection Bear cub wanders into Rite Aid Kalmiopsis' future at stake if mining goes forward Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix Business Newly renovated Ashland Hills hosts open house Hot Stuff Espresso Blue Toba erupts onto dining scene Interim president leads in a different direction Silvio Calabi: Acura’s 2015 TLX is two cars in one Politics and elections Aquatics backer announces write-in candidacy for Parks & Rec board Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Stricker steps down from Talent council Merkley-Wehby to debate in Medford Ashland land use rule review continues State News Nation - World Obituaries Ronald J. 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Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... Calendar: Saturday, Oct. 25 ... Our View: Fix the 'free speech zone' ... Teaching the First Amendment ... How to live and work in a tiny home By Laura Firszt DailyTidings.com By Laura Firszt Posted Oct. 22, 2014 @ 8:26 am Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 8:40 AM By Laura Firszt Posted Oct. 22, 2014 @ 8:26 am Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 8:40 AM » Social News Tiny homes are the wave of the future. After the housing bubble burst in the early 21st century, Americans became cautious about taking out mega-mortgages and committing themselves to paying off debt for years to come. “Small is big” has emerged as the new slogan for homeowners. In fact, that might be better stated as “Tiny is big.” Purchasing an affordable tiny home allows would-be homeowners to live free of the burden of a hefty monthly mortgage payment. True, it can take some adjustment to live in a space that’s a mere fraction of the size of a typical suburban dwelling. And it takes even more adjustment when you live and work in your mini mansion. Exactly how tiny is tiny? The precise specification for a tiny home varies, but usually the term covers houses of 600 square feet or less. As a reference, 600 square feet is just enough for a very compact two-bedroom layout. After that point, the burning question seems to resemble the limbo dancers’ theme song, “How Low Can You Go?” We’ve heard of tiny homes — or make that tiny condos — as small as a microscopic 80 square feet, but in general the minimum bottoms out somewhere around 120. At this lower end of the tiny house spectrum, many property owners are tempted to “cheat” and stretch their space by constructing a sleeping loft or a deck. This still means that the interior living/dining/kitchen/bath (er — make that shower) area is extremely small. Add a home office setup to the mix and you're looking at extremely close quarters. By the way, if you've caught tiny house fever and are considering constructing one yourself, read up on your local building code's minimum size requirements before you pound your first nail. Ditto for zoning laws, should you want to run a business from your home sweet minuscule home. A different concept of space Living and working in a square footage so much smaller than the norm goes more smoothly if you are willing to rethink your concept of space. See every inch as valuable and avoid filling it up with extraneous items. For example, do you really need a bed and a couch? If you can make one piece of furniture do double duty for both sleeping and sitting, you've successfully saved yourself some 13 square feet of floor space. In fact, the concept of household items which can multitask is an extremely useful one when you're living the tiny house life. Think desk-dining table or seating bench-linen cabinet. “Office” furniture can be placed outdoors on a terrace or patio if you live in a sunny city like Los Angeles. Carpentry skills will stand you in good stead, since custom furniture is the most practical for a tiny living/working space. Smart storage More room for storing stuff is the quest of some bloggers on house and home topics. However, the tiny house ideal might not be additional room for storage, but simply smarter solutions. Decluttering your home and your life is an honorable principle, which makes even more sense in a minuscule abode. Once you've decluttered, don't add possessions to your home slash workplace but instead replace. This means if you bring home a shiny new thingamajig, you need to get rid of another object of similar size. Be creative in claiming unused “real estate” like your walls and the space under your bed for storage. Keep as much as you can online — photos, children's artwork, music and more. For sensitive business items like contracts and bank statements, be vigilant about finding a secure, reliable online storage service. Laura Firszt writes for networx.com. This post originally appeared here: bit.ly/1DACuMT. By Laura Firszt DailyTidings.com By Laura Firszt Posted Oct. 22, 2014 @ 8:26 am Updated Oct 22, 2014 at 8:40 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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