Tiny houses have been increasing in popularity for years now. I don’t know anyone who lives in one, but I know several who fantasize about getting one. Whenever they’re written up in the media, they seem to capture folks curiosity. So when Elon Musk suggested a tiny house was his main residence, the market flooded. Back in November, the company Boxabl, who produces a 19.5 x19.5 Casita starting at $49,500, said they’d installed one for a “top secret customer” in Boca Chica, Texas. Last June, someone was lauding Musk for living a reasonable lifestyle (for a billionaire) citing the fact that he only had one home and an event house. Musk responded to the tweet with this:
My primary home is literally a ~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though.
Only house I own is the events house in the Bay Area. If I sold it, the house would see less use, unless bought by a big family, which might happen some day.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2021
According to Business Insider, the model to which Musk is referring is a 375 Casita that includes a double sink, refrigerator, combo washer/dryer, tub/shower, toilet, dining space, media dock to separate the bed from the living area and can fit a couch, coffee table and bed. The mockups for these things are fantastic. If I was single or had a little vacation spot I wanted to run away to, I’d love one. They come folded up for travel and are simply unfolded into position on their foundation. They’re supposedly incredibly sturdy because, “instead of the classic “lumber, hammer, and nails” construction method, the Casitas are built using steel, concrete, foam insulation, and laminated paneling.” The company claims they can handle a hurricanes, mold, floods and snow.
So there’s no question that these are impressive little abodes. But are they Elon Musk’s primary residence? The 7,000 orders that flooded in after he tweeted about it are banking on it, I reckon. I don’t doubt he does sleep there while on important Space X business. But his only home? That’s hard to swallow. And I’m not sure why it’s important to Musk that we think he lives in a shoebox. It’s not as if we’ll forget he has billions of dollars just because he doesn’t invest in real estate. He’s working on commercial flights to space, for crying out loud. – we know you’re rich, pal. Plus, if this is his full-time residence, then he’s telling on himself again. Because I’m sure none of his six children are living with him in his 375 sq. ft. SpaceX pad. I doubt Grimes is even spending time that close to her intellectual boo. But if the only place he owns is an events house (because that’s not a rich person thing), where are Grimes and X Æ A-Xii living? I guess they’re living wherever Grimes’s label contract can afford. So he’s holed up in a tiny space in Texas coming up with misinformation about COVID while his event house sits unused, and all the Musk kids text each other asking, “Have you seen him?” I’d suggest maybe Musk is surprising each kid with their own tiny house in one big Musk Compound X, but the waitlist for these Casitas, of which only three have been built so far, is 47,000 orders long. That’s where Musk probably spent his money, moving up to the top of that thing.
Photo credit: Avalon Red, Twitter and Instagram
I’m just looking at that wondering where do you store stuff? your shoes, clothes, makeup, skincare? I can’t even imagine? I’m sorry I’m so shallow, I really am.
@darla
Most people who live tiny lifestyles are very minimalist- maybe even more so than most minimalists.
We live in a small house by choice (1000 sq ft with 4 people and a dog) and live very minimally. I do capsule wardrobe for clothing, skincare is super minimal (all my getting ready/night routine fits in one small compartment of our bathroom drawer. We love it but it’s not for everyone. We are cut throat when it comes to what can stay in our place and what we truly need.
Note: I think Musk is full of himself and such a sketch bag. He seems super super fake and performative
Oh I see, that makes sense then. I was trying to imagine fitting just my boots into that space, lol. I admire this. I don’t know if it could ever be me. But it’s admirable.
@darla I recall years ago a couple–I think it was the apartment therapy couple–touted their tiny West Village apartment minimalist lifestyle–until it came out that one of their parents had a huge house in the hamptons and they spent a lot of time there and stored stuff there.
Also, recall that Grimes is apparently on her own financially and this statement from him indicates he is living alone. Getting a miser vibe here.
As illustrated in their mockup, I can’t get over having to see the back of the TV from the bed. My TV has cords to attach it to the wifi & cable box, plus an electrical cord. That’s just visual clutter & I don’t want to see it. For me, this place would make a great vacation home, but not my primary home.
As for Musk, well, it’s hard to believe a word he says. Plus, he rents from SpaceX & therefore pats himself on the back for ‘only’ owning one home? He owns SpaceX! So he rents from himself, which somehow or other no doubt helps him out on his taxes. Billionaires know all the angles.
Me thinks this is a big advertisement for the company. Ultimately this company is planning to sell several small houses to building bigger houses, so there is no mission towards affordable houses, or anything like that here.
I couldn’t do the tiny house thing full time, but I do follow someone on IG who bought a shuttle bus (the kind that might shuttle you around a college campus or something) and redid it so its more like a RV and they sold their house and that’s their home now and they just travel the country in it and I’m sort of jealous, lol. But I could never do it, because I cannot throw things away. I’m always like “well maybe I’ll need that in 3 years.”
See Becks1 that’s my exact problem with minimalist lifestyle, I too keep things that I might (maybe) need one day, because I cannot afford to get rid of something to then just buy another one in a year or two, I just don’t have that disposable cash always on hand. I think minimalist lifestyle would rely heavily on having a certain amount of cash always on hand, just in case.
Minimalists can go without spares because their bank account is their backup plan. The great toilet paper shortage was tough on minimalists.
@zapp
I think the problem is that everyone assumes there is one type of minimalism- there isn’t. I have tonnes of cash flow because I am a minimalist.
Minimalism isn’t about the number of things but more the mindset.
The idea of minimalism is to live with less (which looks different for everyone) for eco reasons, declutter if reasons, $ reasons ect.
I love minimalism as it’s saved me sooo much money over the years and brings us peace in our home, and we’ve gained soooo much time.
Minimalism for my family means I’m very intentional about what we actually need. I can live with less stuff such as kitchen and cleaning products, make up, clothes, kids toys, office supplies. I’ve had times where I was like darn that would be nice to have right now BUY I’ve never needed to go buy something to replace what I’ve let go.
I always consider WHEN I will use something vs IF. If it’s a when, even in future, then I’ll keep it. But if it’s an IF then I really think if I’ll need it (and if I truly love it enough that when that IF happens that I’ll use it vs buying a whole new thing)
But another family may have a different way they apply minimalism and systems. Most minimalism families I know aren’t the white walls, stark houses, limited stock of items type of minimalism. I’ve seen them on Instagram but I don’t think it translates to real life. Lots and lots of great minimalism that’s applicable to real life can be found on insta
I live in a 460 sqft studio condo. Anyone who wants to live in a tiny house is insane.
Well that’s a bit closed minded… It might be how you feel, but I know plenty of people (myself included) who can live in a small place, without much stuff and storage and are perfectly happy and sane. There are so many different lifestyles on this planet.
We can shit on his bad takes on covid, but having a tiny home? Large homes are an environmental nightmare.
+1
My issue is he claims to live in this tiny home but has a giant mansion in California for “entertaining.”
Don’t say that too loudly on this site, I made the same point about a certain 19,000 square foot home in Montecito and it was not well-received.
Oh snap 😀
I don’t believe him.
This also leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. My mother lives in a very small space because it’s all she can afford. I know it’s not his responsibility to deal with social inequalities but it’s a reminder that the system is broken, no one needs to be a billionaire.
Honestly I believe him, but it’s likely that he’s working 16+ hour days (+ traveling frequently) and is really only using that house for sleeping. So his needs for living space are way, way different than most people who are at home more.
I know about five older, single women like me, 60 plus, who live in tiny homes. Not from actual choice but necessity. And I assure you they’re like trailers, either in a trailer park, in someone’s yard or if you’re lucky your own land. none of this is glamorous. It’s perfect if that’s what you want. But it’s a trailer. It’s called a tiny home, sounds, cute, but they all find it stressful
Agree re decisions made by choice versus necessity. Living in a tiny space by choice because it frees up additional money to be able to afford better food, healthcare, travel etc is a completely different experience than living somewhere and feeling trapped by it.
That header photo says it all. His face is hmmmm… like maybe I do maybe I don’t. He likes that people are talking about him period. He is such an attention-seeking narcissist.
Whenever anything regarding Musk hits the news, I’m reminded of a pearl of wisdom from Sid and Nancy. “Never trust a junkie.”
Trust me, when I say this man has shares in the company making these casitas. He is making a killing from this.
You know, I forgot about his older kids…. So he doesn’t parent at all?
I’m all for folks wanting to live in tiny homes but for some reason this reminds me of the Matt Foley sketch about living in a van down by the river.
He lives in Boca Chica when his ex has custody (they’ve had a 50/50 split since their divorce). The rest of the time he’s in Austin or LA or SF staying in rentals, and he has the older kids then.
His oldest 2 are in college though, so they’ve got their own stuff going on now. His triplets are currently on vacation with him in Italy for their birthday, so he’s close to them.
Wow that’s a lot of traveling around. Thanks for the info Huma!
I don’t believe this is his only/main house.
That being said, this kind of tiny house appeals to me. So many have the sleeping area in a loft, which would annoy me. I don’t want to have to climb a ladder when I’m tired or before I’ve had my first cup of coffee!
I like that this one is one level.
and it looks like it has decent HVAC, so it would have that pervasive dampness that some campers, houses on wheels seem to have (and some solar panels could still keep it energy efficient)
I’ve stayed in a couple of tiny houses in a campground while traveling. I HIGHLY encourage anyone considering the idea of owning one to do the same. They’re charming but they’re just too limiting for me. I’m not claustrophobic and I’m average height and the loft beds felt suffocating even with a skylight. I’d have to have a bed and a sofa on the main level plus a decent kitchen. At that point you’re moving out of the tiny house on wheels size limits. Once you’re talking about a permanent structure then you’re right back to many of the problems that tiny homes are supposed to solve. Small homes are desperately needed in this country but they’re not what developers are building.
Is this his “only” house when he likely pays for multiple homes to house his children?
As a fellow aspie- he is probably being literal. This is the only home he OWNS. He lives there while working because less space = less distraction, more manageable. Aspies can be brilliant intellectuals yet struggle with basic executive functioning.
Grimes is a successful artist and she probably owns or rents her own place where he also stays. I’m not positive this is what he means of course but that’s my take.
+1
This might be his residence but keep in mind he owns a giant house in LA for “entertaining.”
And it’s not terribly unusual for super wealthy folks to have their main residence in Florida or Texas where there is zero income tax.
My sister designed and built one. It is really cute, unfortunately she had a really difficult time finding a place that would let her park it. She finally moved it to Arkansas but had to buy a plot of land. She was required by the local municipality to built a permanent foundation. I suspect the west coast is more open to mobile tiny homes. She should have moved there instead of Arkansas- which she hated.
THIS is the (hidden) issue with tiny houses.
They are touted as a lower cost, more flexible housing for people who want to live with less stuff, can’t afford or don’t want to spend on traditional housing, like the idea of taking their home with them wherever they want to live, can find work.
But they are, in many cases, essentially modern trailers / trailer homes and many places have ordinances that limit where trailers, trailer homes can be parked and what kind of structures people can live in as permanent residences. And there are some good (safety, including waste, electricity, fire, zoning sanity, ability to tax to fund necessary local services) and bad (snob zoning, excessive fees) reasons for those ordinances, and many are outdated.
It’s not often as simple as finding a piece of empty land in a remote area, or someone willing to let you park it in their driveway, backyard, unused field. And sometimes even if it is, there may be a time limit to how long the municipality’ will let you stay in one place without (or even with) a foundation, hook ups, permanent address. Campsites often require advance bookings, or fill up or cater to a clientele that is not “tiny house owners” or even limit the type of vehicles/units they allow.
IMO Anyone who is thinking of going this route for housing should first ID, secure *where* they are going to put the thing before taking ownership of a TH. If they want to avoid a lot of hassle.
I actually think these tiny houses are awesome. They are affordable, modern, and probably very easy to take care of. The thing I’m worried about is due to climate change and worsening weather, how does one protect themselves in a home like that? Where would you go if there was a tornado approaching? What about flooding? Are they thinking of these things?
Trailer parks and campgrounds face the same issue. Many parks have community storm shelters.
If he still owns a big mansion for entertaining, then that’s part of his home. If he sleeps in this tiny house when a rocket goes off, he’s basically bought his own motel room. But he still has a freaking big house, so this tiny one doesn’t count as “Oh, I live in a tiny house.”
I’d have to buy 3. One for my husband and me, another for the cats, the third as a walk in closet. And sadly, it would still be cheaper to do that, plus buy the land, than it is to buy a house in the Bay Area (San Francisco/San Jose area).
So do his kids stay with him in the event space, or does he not have shared physical custody? I bet he lives in the tiny house, a small space that he controls fully, when he is alone.
So where does Grimes and the baby live? I’m assuming his other children reside with their mom.
I think I remember reading somewhere in the early days of Tesla that he ate the same thing every day because food was just fuel and he didn’t want to be distracted. So this kinda fits with that.
It is very common for aspies to eat the same thing every day – either due to food aversions or just not caring. I have Aspergers and if it weren’t for my husband and kids (whom I enjoy cooking for), I would eat peanut butter and jelly every day, every meal. Plus bananas, lots of bananas.
Maybe he’s afraid his six other baby mamas and six other sons will want to move in. This way, they can’t.
If I recall correctly FEMA trailers cost $65,000 each and they were nowhere near as nice as this. For temporary housing for disasters or refugees these things would be a godsend.