Do you dream of living in a MINI-mansion?

We’re talking homes as small as 65 square feet, that you can mount on a trailer bed, and drive around like an RV! This winter, a series of new books are promoting the “tiny home” trend. They have titles like Living In A Nutshell, Handmade Houses and Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter. That last one preaches the benefits of building your own tiny home – out of things like driftwood, or even old wine vats. And it’s already sold enough copies this year to be described as “a genuine hit”.

Why all the interest in tiny homes? Patricia Bostelman is an executive at Barnes And Noble who says the trend reflects an interest in living more simply. Her thinking is that in today’s economy, people are looking for ways to downsize, and live a simpler, cheaper lifestyle. And tiny homes help you do that because you can build your own home for as little as $15,000! Experts say that’s perfect for people who want the freedom of not paying a mortgage, and not going into debt. Plus, tiny homes give you the peace of mind of knowing you’re being kind to the environment – since they cost about $10 a month to heat.

Want to go further? You can read all about this trend at Tinyhouseblog.com.