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I live on a boat, which has quite a lot of similarities to this. I have even less livingspace than these houses, but I've managed to fit everything I need and m
by mixmax 13y ago
I live on a boat, which has quite a lot of similarities to this. I have even less livingspace than these houses, but I've managed to fit everything I need and more into it. The marina I live in has a clubhouse which is the social hub, much like the common space that's talked about in the article.
Although the circumstances are very different (I live where I do entirely by choice, and don't suffer any of the other problems that I presume homeless people might) the physical living space is comparable, so I'll offer an opinion:
- Living in a small space is much less of a problem than people think. You quickly get used to it. You tend to be outside more though (which I think is a good thing)
- If you do live in a small space light is important. Small spaces without natural light don't work. I suspect that's one of the architectural reasons why the houses are seperate. The same goes for having a semi-private outdoor area.
- A common space is great because you meet other people. Again, the circumstances are very different but I've really enjoyed meeting people I can now call friends in our clubhouse.
- When living in a small space you have less belongings for obvious reasons. This is a good thing, which surprised me. Tyler Durden from Fight Club is spot on when he says "The things you own end up owning you"
This is a great project, and I hope it succeeds and spreads.
- Crito 13y agoHow is that style of living, expense wise? Would you estimate the cost of boat/maintenance/marina fees to be roughly comparable to renting, or does it cost much more? That is the sort of thing that appeals to me, but I haven't really looked into it because it seems out of reach.
- mixmax 13y agoIt's incredibly cheap, but you need to spend some time doing boat-things like painting fixing rust, etc. Timewise it's probably comparable to a house. I bought the boat in Holland for around $50.000 in cash and spent around $10.000 fixing it up with insulation, heating, toilet etc. So basically all I pay now is marina rent ($100 a month) and diesel for heating and electricity. This is in Copenhagen btw.
- Crito 13y agoOh wow, that is extremely reasonable. I'll have to spend some more time researching this.
- mixmax 13y agosend me a mail if you have any questions - it's in my profile.
- _delirium 13y agoConsidering the cost of a room in a shared apartment in Copenhagen is nearing $800 these days, that's pretty impressive, and relevant to my interests.
- zyxley 13y agoIs this a houseboat, power boat, sailboat? I've heard benchmarks of general maintenance for sailboats (even freshwater, ignoring the additional corrosive effects of salt air) that add up to several thousand dollars a year even when brand new (hull cleaning, paint, dockline replacements, the many many small parts that need to be replaced every few years to stay in seaworthy condition, etc). I'm curious how your experience compares.