Homes are shrinking in America. After doubling in size since 1960, the national average dropped for the first time in nearly 15 years (by 9%, the size of an average room). But far from this new average of 2,000 plus square feet are the so-called tiny houses. Also called wee homes, mini dwellings, or microhomes, their definition is not exact, but they run as small as 65 square feet.

And yes, people really live in them. Why? Those at the Small House Society- calling themselves a voice for the Small House Movement- explain the reasons range from economic to environmental to psychological. “The movement is the result of concerns about what we are doing to the environment, and what the environment is doing to us (wild fires, flooding, hurricanes), as well as a shifting economy. Some people just desire to live simply so that others can simply live”.

Jay Shafer builds and designs small houses ranging in size from 65 to 837 square feet for his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. He’s also spent the past decade living in his tiny creations.

In this video, he gives us a tour of his 96-square-foot home on wheels parked in Sebastopol, California. Surprisingly, there’s plenty to see: living room, kitchen, bathroom, sleeping loft and some decent storage.

Learn more about microhouses and the newest big designs for small spaces at Faircompanies.com.

Kirsten is a co-founder of faircompanies.com, a news/blog/video site focused on environmental sustainability, and is an experienced tv producer/shooter/editor for MTV, Oxgyen, Sundance Channel and Travel Channel.

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