Get Housing’s Hottest New Trend: Wearable Tiny Homes!

H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images; Samuel de Roman/Getty Images

Unless you’ve had your head buried in some massive McMansion for the past decade, you’re probably aware that tiny houses are just about the biggest trend around. These miniature abodes—which rarely exceed 500 square feet—are cheap, eco-friendly, and oh so cute. Which explains why folks ranging from NFL star Deion Sanders to hipsters to corporate bigwigs are rushing to downsize.

But guess what? Some people think tiny houses are still too big. As a result, they’ve come up with a way to make them even smaller, cheaper, more eco-friendly and yes, even more adorable than ever before.

Behold the next big thing: wearable homes.

Why live in a home when you can wear one?

Here’s how they work: Rather than opening a door and entering your house, you wiggle into it. An oversized skylight or chimney allows your head to poke out the roof, while your arms extend out windows and your legs out the floor (there’s a trap door for bathroom trips).

Then at night, you curl up—tight—to fit inside and go to sleep.

Sound uncomfortable? Truth told, it takes some getting used to, early adapters say. But hey, so did tiny houses, and look how those caught on! And if you look around, wearable homes aren’t actually new … in the animal kingdom.

“Turtles do it. Snails do it. Why not humans?” points out Tony Timmons, a tiny house builder in Boulder, CO,  who pioneered the idea of wearable abodes to meet his clients’ demand for radically reduced living spaces.

“We were already were building homes that our clients could barely squeeze into,” Timmons explains. “We eliminated the loft, the living rooms, even the bathroom. But even that wasn’t enough. They wanted less, less, less.”

Once Timmons outfitted his first satisfied customer in a wearable ranch, his phone started ringing nonstop. Since then, other tiny house builders have followed suit and shrunk their floor plans, offering an array of architectural styles from elaborate Victorians to daring Mid-Century Moderns with floor-to-ceiling windows perfect for showing off your home and your abs all at once.

And in case you meet that special someone and need more space, you’re in luck: Manufacturers have just started offering wearable duplexes (if you part ways, they’re detachable).

Not surprisingly, celebs are hopping on board. Kim Kardashian was recently snapped by paparazzi on the red carpet wearing a stunning Mediterranean with an extra-large basement. And globetrotting do-gooder Angelina Jolie was spotted in Namibia swathed in a rustic, traditional mud hut, with miniature versions for her six kids—by most accounts, the world’s first wearable-home community.

Imagine: Wherever you go, you’re always home

The benefits of wearable houses abound. For one, they’re highly energy efficient, since your body heats the whole thing. There’s no need for pricey security systems, since anyone who tries to break in will be within punching or macing distance. Plus, travel is a breeze—no need to worry about finding a hotel room or Airbnb!

Fitting onto a commercial flight, on the other hand, is still an issue. Jet Blue is the first carrier so far to accommodate the trend, with its premium “Extra Extra Extra Room” seats.

Yet challenges remain with wearable home design. For one, although there’s some cabinet space for snacks, cooking can be a challenge. In one recent case near Seattle, WA, a wearable-house fire erupted that left its owner, Ike Rivers, suffering from second-degree burns.

“I was just really craving a grilled Gruyère sandwich,” Rivers says. “And things got out of hand.”

Another problem with wearable homes is one that has long plagued traditional “tiny” homes: You can’t just park them anywhere. Just ask Sherry Robbins, who had found a nice patch of land on the outskirts of San Francisco to put down roots in her wearable Tudor. Within hours, she was apprehended by the police.

“They called me homeless,” says Robbins. “They just don’t get it. I am home. I am always home. And I love it.”

Honestly guys, how can you resist? Maybe it’s time to downsize into a wearable home of your own. But before you do, check the date on this article first.

The post Get Housing’s Hottest New Trend: Wearable Tiny Homes! appeared first on Real Estate News & Advice | realtor.com®.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2mXZ4Av