Here's a fun thought exercise: for $65K, would you rather buy a luxury tiny home made to order, or a custom shipping container home already equipped with a bathroom, laundry units, Bose entertainment system, and everything else you need? That's right—just like the Portland-based company that makes it easy to indulge in the tiny house craze, a Montana-based company wants to do the same for recycled shipping container homes. Montainer, which recently began taking online orders...

The key to making it work is having lots of windows and removing interior walls.

Tiny homes are a big trend. They are an idea that is more popular with minimalists than with neighborhood associations and zoning boards.

693 square feet studio partially made from scavenged materials and T1-11 plywood siding. Designed by Olson Kundig Architects

Since 1950, the American family home has become two and a half times larger, even as fewer people on average are living in them. Is it time to downsize?

This vacation house with a retractable glass facade is located on the Vlieland Island and it was designed by Bloem en Lemstra Architecten.

Thinking about tiny houses always prompts the question of whether I myself could live in a tiny house. Part of me thinks I could, because I love the idea of minimal living, getting by on the essentials, and spending more time outdoors. But another part of me thinks I couldn't, because my home is my sanctuary and I want that sanctuary to have certain things in it, including personal space and lots of storage!

Attractive and stylish, this tiny recreational house is an invitation to relaxation, retrieval and peace in the middle of the nature.

The architect Leo Qvarsebo has projected this summer house for himself and his children, trying to take full advantage of the scenic place.

A 96 square feet guest home that previously served as a laundry boiler room in San Francisco, California.

For many, tiny homes can represent more financial freedom and a smaller environmental footprint, due to their smaller size, lower maintenance costs and the possibility of towing it onto cheap land (though any kind of mobile living can potentially have some or all of these benefits). While one can build a great tiny home for a few thousand dollars, there will always tiny homes on the other end of the scale, such as this well-appointed and pretty luxurious tiny house measuring 280 square feet...

When their application for a senior's apartment fell through, this daughter decided that a tiny home was the most affordable and least impactful way to provide a living space for her and her mother.

The caboose train car you see below was renovated into the beautiful caboose tiny house that it is today. Pretty cool, right? It’s called the Great Northern X215 and is available as one of many caboose tiny house vacations in Essex, Montana at the Izaak Walton Inn.

Jenna Spesard and Guillaume Dutilh wanted to live and travel on their own terms, so they saved up some money, built a tiny house on wheels and hit the road with their dog, Salies. The couple of two-and-a-half years have now been travelling around the US for six months, funding their nomadic lifestyle through photography and writing.

A 350 square feet home with reclaimed pine interior in Niles, Michigan. Designed by Northworks Architects and Planners.

The Vipp Shelter is delivered fully equipped for a total design experience and an easy escape. The only choice left to the customer is where to place it.

While still a bit of an oddity, there is no doubt that the tiny house is becoming increasingly popular. Whether you crave more financial freedom, wish to reduce your impact on the environment or want to live a simpler life, tiny homes have a lot to offer — but they are not without tradeoffs. If you are enchanted by the idea of a tiny home but aren’t sure if it’s for you, here are 10 things to consider before diving in.

Tiny homes are often the best homes -- many of us know this to be true. And this little gem may just be the best tiny house of them all. The triangle-shaped marvel is located beside a river in Japan -- while it looks small from the outside, it seems to feel spacious when you step inside.

Jay Shafer has been designing and building tiny houses since the late 90s. Through his company, Four Lights Houses, he sells tiny-house plans, from a 98-square-foot miniature Craftsman called the Zinn to the 288-square-foot Marie Colvin, whose pint-sized columns are embellished with stonework. Shafer, who also leads workshops and offers his services as a builder, has been written up in the New Yorker and even once welcomed Oprah into his 96-square-foot home for a video tour, in which he...

Mike and Laura decided to build this tiny home in their back yard, renting out the main house for extra income. Yes, the home is extremely small, but every inch of space is functional. And the home is designed to appear open and roomier. They are able to comfortably cook, eat, sleep and bathe–and here’s the best part–it only takes 15 minutes to clean the entire home! It’s even got its own deck off the living area.