Mobile Hermitages: The anti-McMansion

Filed in archive Wired Home General on April 22, 2007

Bucking the trend of bigger is better, now some folks have taken to going smaller...MUCH smaller. Gregory Johnson's entire house -- an attractive chalet with a bed, bathroom, dining room table and kitchen -- measures a teeny 7 feet wide and 10 feet long.

According to the National Association of Homebuilders, the average American house in 1950 had a total floor area of 983 square feet. By 2004, the average size for a home was a monstrous 2,314 square feet, almost 2.5 times larger than just 50 years previously. You can read all about this interesting trend at AZ Central.

So for eco-conscious folks who don't want to waste any space, these "mobile hermitages" as they are called are taking just the opposite approach. I don't know if I could live in such a small space, as I'd barely have room for my laptop, much less a fridge, a stove or a microwave. Still, it's cool to think about folks living smaller instead of larger.

I wonder which celebrity will be the first to embrace THIS trend?

Originally found at BoingBoing, with photo credit going to VickyTH.