Question regarding tiny house

Just takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch.

Our building in these past 13-14 years is rathr quiet, we just had the luck to have a mob memeber living next door. ( A heavy inforcer who later became a LT. and gave the orders)

He really didn't pull anything big off in the house and in many ways it was nice to have him as a neighbor.

At least you knew the place was safe from outsiders.

He retired , got his teeth fixed( punched out being a heavy in the past) and moved away to the countryside.

We were even friendly with he and his wife, even went fishing with them and met his family.

His BIL was a ballet/Hungarian folk dancer with a famous HU rock/folk group, NOX.

On the outside everything was dandy, expect the few times he beat the heck out of people in the building for offences he didn't approve of.

Someone called his MIL a name and he got it.

The very day we moved into our flat he and one of his grown sons were actually sitting in the yard on top of 2 Gypsy men who didn't belong in the building.

They called the cops on them in fact. I swaer it was sureal moving in and seeing them sitting on two grown men. I almost had second doubts about moving in at all!

He was the eyes and ears for the house, great as long as you stay on his goood side.

Once we made the mistake of paying one of his sons to store in his garage our then nice bright red BMW for over 6 months.

The deal was we paid to have it indoors and took of the driving plates.

Well, go to pick up the now sun damaged red car with it's muffler hanging off...

Turns out his son was driivng the car around, probably put on some fake plates!!

How could we get too upset with his father  living right next door?

We just fixed the car and chalked it up to a learning experience.

My BIL lived in Erd. Over the 30 odd years she lived there several of her pets were murdered by poison.

Everyone in the area thought it was the old ,angry ,mean widow living near by.

The stroy was this women's husband died after suffering a stomach issue!

I can't speak Hungarian well at all but one day when she was in her yard and I happened to walk by. I called her a cat murderer.

I'm sure she got my point with my running a finger over my throat and saying cat in Hungarian.

Some crazy stuff can happen even in a nice neighborhod if the wrong people live near by.

@Marilyn Tassy Sounds horrible, better to live in quiet village in Hungary (even without amenities)? But with curioous neighbours (but friendly) and I have to repeat one or two serious dogs. And cheap, but distance from everything could be an issue.

We lived in aparment buildings in Netherlands, Luxembourg (for a short time), UK, no problems like this.

@Marilyn Tassy Sounds horrible, better to live in quiet village in Hungary (even without amenities)? But with curioous neighbours (but friendly) and I have to repeat one or two serious dogs. And cheap, but distance from everything could be an issue.
We lived in aparment buildings in Netherlands, Luxembourg (for a short time), UK, no problems like this.
-@cdw057

Yes, it seems we are always the ,"lucky" ones.

The strangest things seem to happen to us.

He has moved away and now a single 60 something year old dentist women moved in.

My husband thinks by her last name that her mother was some well known actress in Hungary.

IDK, dislike the women and won't say more then grunt her a hello if I'm forced to see her face to face.

I just have a 6th sense about people and can tell she is a self -centered ,old hag and a waste of time to talk to.

She seems to ahve a short person complex... Shouts when she speaks,like otherwise she won't be noticed. Never heard a human speak as fast and loud as her in my life. No wonder she is single!

When she moved in her repairman was so rough he knocked a brick almost through our side of the wall.

Nothing to get excited about but her attitude about repairing his damage was stupid.

Then she knocked on our door asking for the keys to the cellar.

My husband loaned her our keys, she could of made a copy sooner then the 3 weeks it took her to return our keys. He even went down to the cellar with her to make sure she found the right door etc. Spent a good 20 mins helping her out. Not even a thank you.

No explaination just her's your keys back.

Waste of limited time to talk about her even.

I like humble people not ego maniacs.

Just because someone has Dr. in front of their name, they take themselves too seriously.

I'd live in a tiny house IF it was located on the beach. ( Tropical beach only)

Some look really cute and are practical.

@Marilyn Tassy I do not know about prices in Hungary (Budapest), they do not sound to bad (irrespective of country), just a cheap complex 100m2 with good protection and all is good. Safety and comfort is needed, contact with neighbours? (limited at the most)

Healthcare, good in most countries if you pay, and with you do with company quality might be challenged.

Again, I am simple, I will die, just smoking, my whicky, restaurants and my wife good cooking is good. (Having said that I miss the convenience of the property in our Hungarian village (especially space inside and out and the animals (a few cats and dog (s)

Also warmth of neighbours (I have to add INCLUDING Hungarians was good (you were just not lucky I think)

In Erd our MIL had a house which we lived in for abut 18 months before buying our own flat.

She died and my SIL and BIL who live next to each other and just a couple sts away from their mom's home just couldn't be bothered getting it together and selling the house.

It took my husband and I quitting our jobs in Vegas, flying to Hungary and fixing the house up a bit to sell it. ( One reason we don't really talk to my in-laws these days.)

It was a double sized lot so it wasn't as easy to find smeone who could afford it or want a very large property.

The neighbors next door were simple country people and nice enough.

The man was a heavy, heavy drinker.

He loved my FIL's wine. We had at the time about 200 liters in barrells in our cellar.

I hardly drank back then. ( Didn't tkae long to figure out drinking was one way of dealing with issues with my in-laws and the wine was excellent)

The man next door used to make us laugh. He stayed home all day while his younger wife worked.

He cooked and cleaned a bit.

He'd often call us on the phone and say he had soemthing for us between the 2 homes. He'd hang it on a tree limb.

Often it was a roasted whole chicken!

In exchange he's also hang up a 2 liter empty bottle.

He wanted us to fill it up from our stash so his wife wouldn't know how much he was boozing it all day long!

He once slipped when washing his kitchn floor. All drunk.

He came knocking on our door with his shoulder 100% dislocated.

We drove him to the small clinic in town to have it set. His wife refused to take him because she was too embarrassed to be with a drunk.

Well, I swear in the clinic everyone was looking at my husband and I with this old drunk country fellow like we were crazy. No matter he got his shoulder fixed, we drove him home and the next day he wa soff drunk again , arm in sling riding his bicycle.

We are crazy magnets!

@Saint Coemgen in my view 70 m2 is not a tiny house at all. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, ...How can you say 70m2 tiny? -@cdw057

I did not say our house was tiny. I said it was small.And I also provided a link that different legal jurisdictions define a "tiny" house differently. Up to 93 sq m.Or as @fluffy said, there are many opinions. :-)

@cdw057 And I have to say, Hungarian, German, Swedish, Austrian and even English neighbours were in general (not all) very lets say neighbourly. (again, could be good, but also bad, but curious good intending neigbours have their plus as well)
-@cdw057

I find our immediate neighbours (all Hungarian) are exceptionally interested in the goings-on at Fluffy Towers.  There are four of us six with the dog and cat so we create a lot of in and out traffic.  And we have visitors quite a lot - relatives and the kids' friends.   But that's OK, the neighbours are excellent security guards and they all have dogs so we can hear people coming down the street as the dogs bark in sequence.  The neighbours know who is supposed to be around and who isn't.  But generally it's all about Mrs F, she's a human magnet for attracting them to confess the latest gossip.

Around the village we have some fairly well known people.  The health minister lived here and so do some others from political parties.  I think it's because it's close to Budapest and an easy commute.  The health minister used to have a cop car outside his house 24x7.  We also had the Gambian consulate but it burnt down.

Tiny houses in Hungary is more a question of principle rather than anything else, all the hassle, bureaucracy.

You make some very good points. There is a lot of bureacracy in Hungary. If one is unable or unwilling to do this, then I agree with you, a tiny house in Hungary may be a bad idea.

But some people do put principle first. And are willing to go through the bureacracy. Again, simply maybe a difference of world view.

People are dying in Hungary (quite a bit) a very solid (but old) house is I think easy to get (lower than going to a big project).

Typically very well built and isolated (admittedly no floor heating, gas is a question, and of course interior might be to your liking). However a big garden is possible I think,

If one is buying in rural Hungary, one may find it is actually extreemely difficult to find a solid old house that is liveable to the standards one wants to live, compareable to a new build tiny house, which is plug and play -- that is one only need park it, plug it into on site utilities* and you are up and living in hours. Not months or years needed today to find competent craftsmen to renovate an old existing structure. And yes, that is really a problem these days to get tradesmen in to renovate a house. Trying to find a plumber or electrician in rural Hungary can take months... if ever.

*One of those bureacratic issues you correctly pointed out -- many places in Hungary require power, water and some type of one site .sewage treatment, which will add to the cost. But that can be mitigated, as it depends on the property papers if the site is allowed to be lived in all year or not, etc. etc. etc. So it can be complicated. It may be easy to simply park a tiny house, or extreemly difficult.

Hope this helps.

SC

@Saint Coemgen Clearly Hungary is not as cheap as it was, moving here does not mean you can live comfortably with EUR 1000. These times are over. What is good for EU retirees is that public transport is (still) for free, on a comparable basis property prices are still fine.

But for me I will NEVER buy a tiny house, living in Budapest or alike no way. Villiage life has its pluses, definitely, but you have to have your car I think.

For me it is more extreme, either village life (with a car, no real hassle with authorities, big garden, animals, nice terrace to sit, ...) or a city life, comforts, supermarkets, normal markets, restaurants, also quiet have to say (at night people adhere to being quiet (after 10PM, even if I go to bed at 7.00 PM), cheap (in ALanya/Turkey), no insects (In a village ants, mosquitos, stinking bugs, wasps and bees can be annoying)

If you come to Hungary as a couple for a comfortable life (without alcohol and cigarettes) EUR 2000 is the minimum, but having your own comfortable house is important, honestly I think very good houses can be bought under EUR 150.000 (better then EU (or UK))

Please forget about easy and cheap life, other country is needed. 

@Saint Coemgen Clearly Hungary is not as cheap as it was,

I agree.

moving here does not mean you can live comfortably with EUR 1000.

For many people, I would say you are correct. But I disagree in some cases, as it depends on what one considers "comfortable".

The entire tiny house movement is about reducing external needs and doing more for yourself.

That is, someone in a tiny house will grow their own food and tend their own land, go shopping by bus or with a bicycle rather than a car, heat with wood (maybe harvested from their own land so reduces costs) rather than gas or electricty. Etc. Etc. Etc.

That is your standard of living is simply different than for someone who wants to live in a tiny house. Nobody is "correct" here, simply different. You may indeed represent the majority of people and views, but the tiny house people simply see things differently and can do quite well with a different standard and less money.

Side note: My wife and I live on less than EUR 1000 a month in a village. And we still have things like internet, dish washer, etc. But no car. I am 55 years old do a 17 km round trip shopping tip with my byclcle and trailer. Even in winter. Simply a different life style. Yes, we are in the minority. But someone coming here asking about tiny houses and help on this topic are also in the minority, and are clearly not interested in buying a house here or living the traditional lifestyle. Suggesting they do, kind of misses their point. Saying you will never buy a tiny house is of course okay, and suggesting alternatives is very helpful. But it might not help other expats, or the OP, who came here for help in how they can live here in a tiny house as their fixed ideal.

Hope this helps.

@Saint Coemgen We had a car (when living in Hungary) but we tried to use as little as possible. During Corona period I went once per 3 or 4 weeks to buy (decadent I admit for example sparkling water). But at the start of Corona we even asked our gardener to take 1000 bottles of 1.5 lt each, we also ordered meat minimum 50 kg per time (via internet (they will miss us), also wine 120 bottles per time and whisky 24 litres per time. Smoking I took myself, but 300 packages per time (and a lighter as a bonus per 10 packages). We had a big veg garden (my wife taking care of that (tomatoes, potatoes, salad, carrots, strawberries, ....) From the fruit trees apples, cherries, nuts and from neighbours also apricots, .. (changing)

I was VERY responsible with environment I think, car only sometimes...

Still you can buy huge land for a small amount without being tiny and still being able to take bus or bike...

First example on Felsopahok (where I lived)

https://ingatlan.com/33195701

As a side note, now no car, no animals, ...

@Saint Coemgen I really like your post

However people get older, I can drive my bike (still),, but this will finish quite soon I think. My mom also thinks she could do this, but too many accidents in my view. Staying in your garden is already dangereous enough, but perhaps all is fine until 65/70 , but getting older is not so nice (and dangereous I have to say (co-ordination, balance)

Home delivery will cost you a bit, but it is safe and could be lasting for a long time.

Now I have a different situation (cheap supermarket 25 m away), restaurants are already difficult, easiest 3 restaurants 100 m away, but best I have to walk 500 m

Things can change quickly (I was fine with walking 2 months ago, now it is a problem (I would say the same for cycling (you are still 5 years younger, but things change))

@Saint Coemgen I really like your post
However people get older, I can drive my bike (still),

You are again correct. As us ---- old folks --- getting up in years means peddling a bike gets more difficult.

But the Tiny house people, the Van live people, etc. the.... whatever.... are part of the next generation.

In my youth I lived in a trailer, and loved every minute of it. For some months I lived out of my my car. Or in a tent. Again loved it.

I now have a house in Hungary. A nice house. Love it also. I would not go back to a trailer if I could avoid it. Call it age. Call it experience. Call it whatever. As we age our needs change. But I woiuld not hinder a 20 or 30 somethingish person who wants to tiny house to try it for awhile. Each generation needs some space to experiement. IMHO.

Hope this helps.

SC

In my youth I wanted the best. Best clothing, best vacations, best home.

Now I really couldn't care less about most of those things.

Just having enough is fine with us.

We live cheap in Hungary overall and really don't notice we are living below our means.

We have everything we could possibley need for the most part.

Our car is a 1998, we are fine with it, runs great looks so eveyday that we never worry about break-ins or it getting stolen.

Hardly use it, just nice to have it for big shopping and trips to the lake. In the winter we sometimes don't use it for weeks on end, have to disconnect the battery.

I stopped officially working at all at age 52.

My husband did that at age 62.

We never could afford to do that if we had stayed in the US.

I would say needing 2,000 Euros per month in HUngary is if you live in a city, pay high rent in a good area and go out eating and drinking all the time.

We live on less then half that amount per month.

We pay no rent however.

We used to be able to save more every month then now though. Inflation.

Still I know people in the US who get more SS then we do and can't save a dime.

I personally would never move to Hungary if I needed to work.

Just seems a bit too tough and dog eat dog here.

If at any point Hungary gets too expensive for us I wouldn't think twice about moving away.

It's best to never get emotionally attached to any place or home.

I would probably never buy any property again either.

We like the freedom to move when we wish to and not worry about getting a profit on a building.

I see no need for a large home if one doesn't have a large family to fill it up.

I would love to ride a bike to the markets.

Just living in the city and riding isn't for me.

In Vegas I bought a used beach bike and rode all around to the markets and put everything in a backback.

Left the car at home.

Just not a great idea in the summertime.

One has to adapt to new things. Nothing ever stays the same in life.

Even if I was 80, I'd consider riding a bike if the conditons were right, Maybe a 3 wheeled one with a basket on it.

Driving eveywhere is overrated.

@Marilyn Tassy Sounds horrible, better to live in quiet village in Hungary (even without amenities)? But with curioous neighbours (but friendly) and I have to repeat one or two serious dogs. And cheap, but distance from everything could be an issue.
We lived in aparment buildings in Netherlands, Luxembourg (for a short time), UK, no problems like this.
-@cdw057

No, it's not horible at all.

I tend to exaggerate at times.

With our front door closed we don't even know the comings and goings of anyone in the house.

We see new faces every once in awhile and say to each other, who are they? When did they move in and what floor are they on?

We mind our own business really.

Our flat is off a main blvd. no noise from the blvd. but close to a bus stop and train station, walking distance away.Shops are close by but not so close that foot traffic is all by us.

It's basically quiet and peaceful. Only once in awhile we have a film crew on our st. or sme drunk in the tank is screaming for awhile. We have a hospital across the st. and when the windows ar eopen sometimes we get a serenade of a person going through the DT's.

@Marilyn Tassy I assume that people like you simply don't feel "entitled" to anything and this is why you are happy with what you have. Also it appears that you don't have many "Johnses" (spelling?) to keep up with. Both to me sound really good.

However, this has nothing to do with tiny houses, which in my opinion are not very suited for the Hungarian environment.

@Saint Coemgen I really like your post
However people get older, I can drive my bike (still),

You are again correct. As us ---- old folks --- getting up in years means peddling a bike gets more difficult.

You can say that again. It's the knees and hips. It's still possible but quite hard work and a bit uncomfortable. Walking is easier.  Dog's happy about that.

@Marilyn Tassy I assume that people like you simply don't feel "entitled" to anything and this is why you are happy with what you have. Also it appears that you don't have many "Johnses" (spelling?) to keep up with. Both to me sound really good.
However, this has nothing to do with tiny houses, which in my opinion are not very suited for the Hungarian environment.
-@nz7521137

Years ago we looked out of curiosity at a few properties as a investment for a holiday palce in Hungary. This was before we ever planned on living here full time.

Many were what I'd call tiny houses. like one room shacks.

I suppose if it's just a weekend house it wuld matter to much if the palce was small. Being on a lake or river is a good trade off for having a tiny house.

Just before Covid we went to a small village about 3 hours out of Budapest.

My husband spoke with the owner of a tiny vaction place. It was super cheap but nly set up for being a weekend house. Cost was uner 2 million with a large clean neat yard.

Cute little village, had a fishing lake, a river and a nice spa. We attened a viallage event with rides set up, food stalls etc. just to get a feel of the palce. I like it, simple and friendly.

We saw the prperty but my husband didn't let the owners know we were cming and they weren't around that weekend t show us the inside of the place. We just loked from the st.

Not sure why but we declined on buying it.

My husband said he wasn't sure he'd like driving 3 hours just to basiclaly camp in a shack.

Later I found a nice house for sale there, really cute, a roommate style set up. 2 kitches, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and  alarge cmmon area,2 inclsed patio with a clean neat yar and even a picket fence. Really resonable in price too.

Again too slow t take action and purchase it.

I thought it was a perfect home if our son ever wanted to move here.

I always believe if things were meant to be, they will happen. Guess it just wasn't in the cards.

@Marilyn Tassy I assume that people like you simply don't feel "entitled" to anything and this is why you are happy with what you have. Also it appears that you don't have many "Johnses" (spelling?) to keep up with. Both to me sound really good.
However, this has nothing to do with tiny houses, which in my opinion are not very suited for the Hungarian environment.
-@nz7521137
....
My husband said he wasn't sure he'd like driving 3 hours just to basiclaly camp in a shack.
Later I found a nice house for sale there, really cute, a roommate style set up. 2 kitches, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and alarge cmmon area,2 inclsed patio with a clean neat yar and even a picket fence. Really resonable in price too.
Again too slow t take action and purchase it.
I thought it was a perfect home if our son ever wanted to move here.
I always believe if things were meant to be, they will happen. Guess it just wasn't in the cards.
-@Marilyn Tassy

I'd like to keep up with the Joneses.

As I said before, we have the same situation down in Balaton. It's a place that I think is verging on being condemned.  Just no way to get the other owners to agree to demolish it and build anew. I don't know how long it can go on before some catastrophe befalls it.  None of the owners can agree any plan to even do maintenance.

Nothing wrong with camping. I used to go camping all the time with my parents. They did it as it was super cheap. My oldest is also into camping and outdoor pursuits and does that all the time during the summer.

It has been the case at Balaton I've preferred to sleep in a tent in the garden. We used to put the tent up so the kids could "play at camping".  We're still putting up the tent but not always sleeping in there but so long as it's not too hot and my back isn't playing up, it's OK really in there.

But anyway, I also cannot see the point of tiny houses in Hungary. It's easier just to buy a place and renovate it.

I swear by an simple air mattess for the back.

In Vegas my son had a nice queen size bed set up for us but I bought a cheap $10. air mattress from Walmart and slept in the clouds.

I also liked it because I could put it away druing the day and have more room too enjoy.

I am surprised they don't make more of those Murphy beds.

In Hungary they would be perfect for small apts and homes.

In Colorado we rented a samll apt in a old bulding, really cute little place in a brick building.

Full kitchen and bath with one large room. It had a Murphy bed.

Just the most cozy place during the winter. It was also,"young love" and we didn't notice how tiny our apt. was.

@Marilyn Tassy I assume that people like you simply don't feel "entitled" to anything and this is why you are happy with what you have. Also it appears that you don't have many "Johnses" (spelling?) to keep up with. Both to me sound really good.
However, this has nothing to do with tiny houses, which in my opinion are not very suited for the Hungarian environment.
-@nz7521137
....
My husband said he wasn't sure he'd like driving 3 hours just to basiclaly camp in a shack.
Later I found a nice house for sale there, really cute, a roommate style set up. 2 kitches, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and alarge cmmon area,2 inclsed patio with a clean neat yar and even a picket fence. Really resonable in price too.
Again too slow t take action and purchase it.
I thought it was a perfect home if our son ever wanted to move here.
I always believe if things were meant to be, they will happen. Guess it just wasn't in the cards.
-@Marilyn Tassy

I'd like to keep up with the Joneses.

As I said before, we have the same situation down in Balaton. It's a place that I think is verging on being condemned. Just no way to get the other owners to agree to demolish it and build anew. I don't know how long it can go on before some catastrophe befalls it. None of the owners can agree any plan to even do maintenance.

Nothing wrong with camping. I used to go camping all the time with my parents. They did it as it was super cheap. My oldest is also into camping and outdoor pursuits and does that all the time during the summer.

It has been the case at Balaton I've preferred to sleep in a tent in the garden. We used to put the tent up so the kids could "play at camping". We're still putting up the tent but not always sleeping in there but so long as it's not too hot and my back isn't playing up, it's OK really in there.

But anyway, I also cannot see the point of tiny houses in Hungary. It's easier just to buy a place and renovate it.
-@fluffy2560

Go in the middle of the night and blow it up

Go in the middle of the night and blow it up
-@SimCityAT

Be OK if they could agree to buy some insurance.

If it did burn down, I wouldn't be complaining.