Ryan Mitchell over at The Tiny Life blog is taking a tiny house survey and he asked if I would help him gather the information. If you live in a tiny house please take a few minutes and fill out the form below.
After the information is gathered Ryan will share the results with us and I will report back to you. The survey starts below the picture.
Thank you for your help!
Sorry. My fat fingers found the submit button.
I fear this survey will disclose that the tiny house movement is just a hobby for the more well off among us, than a cheap way to live for the not so well off. I hope I’m proven wrong.
Ahhh… but those with money, hobbyists, the early adopters are always the trailblazers that set the stage for all that follows. Those in immediate dire need don’t typically have the time or talent that is required to work out the design or the bugs or have the resources for research required for a new idea to become a movement.
i think you will be…..eventually:) i live in a tiny house(85sqft) that i built myself and furnished for a total of $1,500. i agree that many people so far have bought/built high end tumbleweed models, but i think my cheap demographic is catching up. also a good size group like Dee Williams and the folks over at Rowdy Kittens and my friend Matt in NC have built nicer 10k models that they really live in….not just an RV alternative. i know a few people who live tiny and off the grid but would never participate in an online community for fear of govt interference in their sweet set up, lol. like you, i’m curious to see!
I wish our tiny house was finished. I would love to be able to take the survey!
I filled out part of the survey before thinking that way to much info about funds, debt, CC, mortage, retirement & assets required.
Yup. That’s the point when I stopped completing the survey as well.
Oh they have the talent, just not the money to go forward.To prove out their thoughts for real.
Bryan, you are most likely right. However, there are some people of modest means that are into tiny houses as necessity. I’m copying a post from a earlier post on Ryan’s blog.
“My first tiny house cost me $650. I was homeless at the time. I then moved, but, 6 years later, somebody else is still living in that house.
My point is that you can still manage to built a comfortable tiny house on a budget. It might not be one of those fancy RVs but it can be good enough to live comfortably.” http://www.thetinylife.com/the-fallacy-of-a-tiny-house/
The fact that so much personal financial information is “required” keeps me from filling out this survey. Sorry.
Agreed. Not sure what my savings, assets, or any of this other information has to do with this survey. Not gonna fill that in, sorry.
I love having a tiny home! I am doing mine for a grand total of $10,000 and that’s stretching it! I didnt get financed through a bank, I make approx. 12k a year, but was able to find a local company that builds small buildings with the money up front or monthly payments. My payment is $230/mo and that is a third of what I would pay for rent of a small apartment! I secured electrical for $1,200 and am doing all the sheet rock and mudding myself, with the help of my dad. I will show you all the pictures when its finished. It is possible, sometimes you have to just think outside the box of even the norm of a tiny house. Mine will cost a quarter of what an actual tiny home is, and mine is bigger (12×16)
THBH… Can not wait to see the pictures….. good luck on the build…Glenn
Good luck on your build. You are making it work. Sometimes you just need to start. Building a house is not that hard and only as costly as you make it. Congrats.
The fact that so much personal financial information is “required” and not knowing WHO has access to it and for what reason keeps me from filling out this survey. Sorry. I am surprised he did not want the combination to our safe and the keys to our car and our bank account pin number…..:0 :):);)
The financial questions did not bother me. They seemed pretty vague. I guess I have nothing to hide either.
It was hard for me to pick the main interest I have in Tiny Houses. I would like to build and live in one, so I want to see pictures of what others are doing with them, floor plans, decorating, landscaping, storage, the whole nine yards.
It’s a survey people, not the census. It is voluntary. If you think it’s too much info obviously pass. But interested in thoughts on the census long form. Asks all sorts of personal data. How much you pay in utilities, what route you take to work, etc… 23 pages in total. After several attempts by the census worker to obtain the info, I thanked them for their time and politely uninvited them from my porch. (she really wanted in the house) I gave her a headcount and ages that is all. Later my wife and I were at an eatery where several census workers gathered for orders from their commanders. What I heard them say was chilling. talk to their neighbors, get as much info as you can and LOOK IN THEIR MAILBOX FOR NAMES..? REALLY?? The field supervisor noticed I was listening and watching. She quickly took the conversation to a level I could not hear and dismissed the staffers. She took a long stare at me and went back to her work. I continued to watch her to make her a little uncomfortable. Then we left.
In defense of the Federal Census (and forms – such as the survey here – that ask ‘personal’ questions that bother some people more than others), I must disagree with the notion that ‘too much information’ is asked.
It is all ‘basic’ data. The names and ages of ALL people in the household is IMPORTANT, for many reasons (NONE OF THEM intended to invade one’s privacy or set up for burglary, scam or home invasion!).
As a longtime genealogist, not a search goes by (whether for my long lost relatives/ancestors, or for others who are trying to put together an accurate ‘tree’/pedigree of THEIR family history) that I don’t think, ‘thank God!’ , usually because it might be the ONLY EVIDENCE great-grandfather Tate ever existed! And from there, having an approximate age, brthplace of that person, and of that person’s parents, I can further track back and seek out other vital data on the family tree (such as reason for death – and place living just beforehand – and in various notes might discover diabetes has been in our family since before 1760! All important information… And the sad truth is, many people even then AVOIDED being counted by the census takers… or deliberately misled them (different names, birthdates, etc.)… for the same reasons people dislike ‘sharing personal information’ even today!
So it behooves us to understand the reason behind the questions, what the data will be used for, who will (or will not) have access to it, etc.
Here, it is obvious a tiny-house person is wanting to compile data (note they mention one can be ANONYMOUS?) in order to have a better idea as to what kind of information is desired by visitors, how the web/blog owner might better serve visitor’s popular searches, requests, yada yada.
Again, no needs to really be too concerned with forms like these as it is ‘anonymous’ data, a demographics-gleaning/building tool, with the more people contrubuting data, the MORE ACCURATE it will be of any given area for future generations to reference… just sayig. 😉
However our name & email is required to respond.
This info can be sold to marketing firms, stock brokers, banks.
Hear! Hear! As long as the information is separate from your identity there is no issue. I filled the survey out completely and honestly. The only thing I didn’t like was the student loan range including zero. Should have had a selection similar to credit card debt where you could select no loan.
would knowing what route your grandfather took to work make any difference in your family tree search? How about how much he pays for his water bill? That is a bit much IMHO.
If persons are interested in the publication and it’s relevancy to their life, they will subscribe.
If they are unable to build their own small(er) dwelling, they will use whatever resources they have or can qualify for to buy or build one.
The information requested is demographic modelling, pure and simple, and along with the other info online from the site CAN be sold or used for marketing and/or advertisor rating.
Run with what you have and if it is GOOD, they will come. Small dwelling interest does not equate to gullible and small minded.
Statistics are important to know who, what and where people want/live in Tiny houses. If many report they are 63 years have $200k savings and earnings of $75k, that tells a different story than 25, $10k in bank and earnings less than $20k. And if kids live in small houses, then that is important as well. Without statistics, planners, developers and mfg. do not know if what is made will sell.
For people afraid to participate, I suggest you not log on to any site..intruders don’t care what questions you answer, you already logged in with your email address. So you don’t want to share..but your willing to read what others have posted. This type of site is for sharing not just for a voyeur.
EXCELLENT POINTS!
And I am glad you mentioned what I failed (in an earlier missive), that just having their cookies set to ‘remember’ them (and the data ‘attached’ to their member account: full name, email addy, home state, birth date, etc) when visiting, makes this ‘private info’ available to the public (although most of the ‘public’ do not have the gee-wiz skills to script-source that data into anything useable).
Hello,
I was wondering if you have the results to this survey available.
Thanks in advance,
Pamela
Hi,
I am very interested in the results of that survey. Are you going to send us an email when it is available ?
Thank you!
Francoise
Hi,
We are planning in the future to have a tiny house. I am a painter and handy man, so I plan to do most of the work. It would be interesting to know how many people are building their own tiny house vs buying one all made.
Thank you,
Brad
Hi,
We are disappointed that we never saw the results of your survey. Any chance that it will be published soon?
Thank you so much!
Hi Brad, Ryan never gave me the results. I’ll see if I can find out as that was 5 years ago…
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