My wife and I love these shows. The folks who build the houses are really talented in coming up with creative ways of utilizing space. There is one carpenter/designer on Tiny House Nation, Zack Giffin, who is a veritable Rube Goldberg of tiny house design. He has made a dining table that was lowered by cable from the ceiling, a wine cellar under plexiglass in the kitchen floor, hidden bookcases, all sorts of convertible furniture. Amazing. The people who are featured on these shows seem sincere about having smaller spaces, owning fewer things, and leaving a smaller carbon footprint. But some of these houses seem too small for my size 10 1/2 footprint.
A tiny house (pronounced, for no discernible reason, with the first word stressed - TINYhouse) is generally from 100 to 400 square feet. In my day, we called that a studio apartment. Or if it is mobile, an RV.
What I really love about these programs is making fun of the people who think they can move from 3000 square foot to 300 square feet with three kids and two dogs, continue throwing weekly dinner parties for all their friends, while not relinquishing the baby grand piano that has been in the family for generations.
I wonder if I could find a producer for my idea for a "tiny house" show: "I Didn't Think They Really Meant 'Tiny'". Host Leah Remini, fresh from exposing the Scientology cult, takes on the task of saving people from their claustrophobic nightmares. She visits a couple with their German Shepherd during a thunderstorm, all of whom are suffering PTSD from having a tin roof on their 290 square foot cracker box. Leah comforts a family whose 15-year-old daughter is in juvenile detention after attempting to kill her 12-year old brother because he was taking too long in the 4 by 3 foot bathroom/shower/family room. A special feature of the show is Leah meeting with families who have moved back to normal accommodations, helping them to get over their pasts, usually with the help of kerosene. How about it, TLC?
