by wildcherry on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 | News, World

Would you move to a home this small?

CALISTOGA, California (CNN) — Bill and Sharon Kastrinos practice the ultimate in minimalism. They’ve squeezed into a 154-square-foot home that looks more like a kid’s playhouse than their previous 1,800-square-foot home.

With the economy crashing, the Kastrinos traded in their spacious kitchen for one that stretches barely an arm’s length.

It hasn’t been without its challenges, but Sharon Kastrinos says it’s exhilarating to no longer feel compelled to keep up with the Joneses. “There’s a tremendous burden that’s off your shoulders,” she says. “Small is OK, and it might even be better.”

Her husband adds that most Americans “want to be seen in their big house with a big car.” But not them, not anymore.

“I don’t think bigger is better,” he says.

Bill Kastrinos had been in the construction business in Southern California. But when the real estate market went bust, it forced the couple to reconsider their lifestyle.

Now, they live in a place so small, he and his wife use a ladder to climb into their bed every night. The downstairs has a sitting area, tiny kitchen and bathroom in a space that’s 98 square feet. The upstairs loft has a bed in 56 square feet of space. They keep extra clothes in their car.

“It’s a very simple lifestyle,” he says. “The downside of it is it takes a readjustment. You can’t have 100 pairs of shoes in the closet or 50 outfits.”

The upside?

The house cost them $15,000, and the utilities are a mere $15 a month. The couple now live on property owned by their daughter in California wine country, where the average home in 2007 cost $725,000. If they want to leave, the home has wheels and can be pulled behind their vehicle and plugged into any RV park in the nation.

The family still has their 1,800-square-foot home, but they will probably sell it. The house is too expensive, they say, costing them about $1,500 a month in mortgage payments, plus another $160 in utilities.

The change to their shed-like home has been so dramatic that Bill Kastrinos is now building the tiny homes to sell. He’s sold 11 in six months, most of them in the range of $15,000 to $20,000. Clients range from people on welfare to retirees on fixed income, he says. Inquiries about the homes are on the rise, he adds.

Full story here

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