With a growing demand for city life, micro-apartments have proven to be a successful way to cram many people into a small space. But just because these apartments are small doesn’t mean they can’t be luxurious. The units often include upscale features such as hardwood floors, storage lofts, and balconies.
These micro-apartments have been particularly popular in Manhattan, where space is becoming an increasingly precious commodity. An upcoming micro-apartment complex called Carmel Place will feature units that range from just 250 to 350 square feet. Despite their tiny size, market rate units will rent for up to $3,000 per month.
The practice is starting to thrive, as there are currently at least 11 different micro-apartment complexes being created throughout the country. And as long as people are willing to sacrifice space for prime location, the practice will most likely continue.
However, not everyone is pleased with the trend. Many individuals are fearful that micro-housing will displace family housing as larger units become more costly. And other people are afraid that micro-housing represents a serious health risk.
That being said, don’t expect the practice to go away any time soon. It appears that people in big cities are content with smaller spaces and less privacy. For instance, in San Francisco people have taken the idea of group houses into the even more extreme measure of group bedrooms. People are willing to share a bunk bed in order to find affordable housing. If the demand is there, it will continue to be offered.
Another practice involves taking a large mansion that was previously the home of one wealthy individual and their family and converting it into a series of micro-apartments for cash-strapped individuals. In Washington DC, what was once the personal home of the editor of the Chicago Tribune will soon be the homes of 90 different micro-apartment renters. It really doesn’t get much more extreme than that.
And of course, there’s also the growing practice of shipping container houses. This involves taking shipping containers and converting them into cheap houses. Still, there’s quite a bit that goes into this process, as converting a shipping container into a liveable house is easier said than done. Not to mention, it’s an awfully tiny space for a person to live in.
Regardless, micro-housing has proven to be extremely trendy, and it appears that people are going to continue the practice in the foreseeable future. With the growing ideology that “less is more”, expect the popularity of micro-housing units to become even more popular over time.
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