19 truly tiny houses for $20,000 or less

Could you live tiny? The tiny house movement is taking the country by storm, with more and more Americans becoming intrigued by the idea of downsizing to the extreme. Just turn on the TV and watch "Tiny House Hunters" or "Tiny House Nation" to see how living with less has become a big fascination in the past decade.

The average size of the American house is about 2,600 square feet, according to The Tiny Life. Tiny homes, as the name suggests, are a fraction of that size -- about 100 to 400 square feet. Two in five owners of tiny homes are over age 50, research from The Tiny Life shows, suggesting that retirees and empty nesters are taking downsizing seriously. But perhaps the biggest draw for some may be the mortgage factor: 68 percent of tiny homeowners have no mortgage, compared with 29.3 percent of all U.S. homeowners.

No doubt about it, tiny homes cost less. Here are 19 intriguing tiny houses across the country selling for $20,000 or less. Take a peek and start dreaming small.

Southwest Shell.

This 24-foot-long, 7-foot-wide tiny house available in Placitas, New Mexico, is half finished, but for $5,000 there's enough room in the price tag for all the fancy finishing touches a tiny-house hunter may want. The shell features 168 square feet plus loft space.

Compact Cabin.

This cozy cabin in Dennysville, Maine, has 192 square feet to call your own. For $10,000, the buyer gets a cedar exterior, pine floor, loft storage, insulation, and a propane wall heater for chilly nights.

Porch Appeal.

A front porch adds a touch of class (and extra space) to a tiny home in McDonald, Tennessee, that's selling for $10,000. Overall dimensions are 12 by 20 feet, including the attached outdoor space. The home comes prewired for electricity.

Spanking New Yurt.

Many New York City apartments are less than 500 square feet, so spending $10,000 to own a yurt that size doesn't seem such a bad deal. This tan-and brown yurt has never been pitched, is fully insulated, and features four windows and a French door. Vivre grande!

Log Cabin.

A charming pine cabin is just what an outdoorsy person needs for a getaway. At 240 square feet, the price tag for this one is $10,000, which includes plumbing and electrical, but the bathroom and kitchen still need to be installed. The price doesn't include relocation, which requires a trailer or moving company, but there is a woodstove to take the chill off on cool nights.

Custom Yurt.

This yurt offers 483 square feet of living space for $10,000 and is built to withstand wind and snow loads. An alternative to a more traditional tiny house, the yurt features a dome opener at the roof's peak to allow air to flow out and aid circulation. There's also a standard-size door (no stooping), two windows, and a woodstove to keep inhabitants warm and cozy.

Decked Out House.

Don't underestimate the appeal of outdoor space built onto a tiny house. This home available in Kissimmee, Florida, is suited for a lot with an ocean view. For $20,000, the 170-square-foot house features a rooftop deck and big windows, plus a trailer hitch and wheels to move the home to a desirable location.

Your Ship Has Come In.

Strange as it sounds, entire communities are using shipping containers as housing. A 40-foot container selling for $20,000 in Parkin, Arkansas, was converted to a two-bedroom home in 2013, and offers a kitchen, bathroom, water heater, and even a washing machine. The previous occupants were a family of three who parked the container on property where a permanent home was being built, so it needs to be moved from its current location.

Compact Cabin.

This 14-by-24-foot house has a full-size bathtub and shower, a rarity for a tiny home, especially one going for $15,000. The purchasers also get a kitchen, two loft sleeping or storage spaces, and an outdoor porch for when they just need to get out of the house.

Traveling Tiny House.

For $20,000, this roughly 100-square-foot cabin on wheels is 6-feet-2 inches wide by 18 feet long. It has a bedroom that fits a full-size bed, plus an upstairs sleeping loft. The house, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, is designed for use at campgrounds, so there is a kitchen but no bathroom.

House on Wheels.

This tiny house in Waterford, California, can be hitched for travel and offers some other nice features for the $19,000 price tag. The environmentally friendly 162-square-foot home has a reclaimed hardwood interior and composting toilet, and is wired for solar energy.

Neighborhood Home.

Tiny houses aren't only for nomads who want to stay on the move. This 280-square-foot house, going for $18,000, is built on a small lot in Binghamton, New York, and features a tiny fenced yard along with many other basic amenities to make it feel like home.

Connecting Yurts.

Live in a "house" comprising three yurts connected by doorway to add up to a whopping 1,100 square feet of living space. The $18,000 listing has a master bedroom with a bathroom including a tub and laundry machine. It also features plywood interior walls on the inside instead of the usual lattice walls of a yurt. The price includes the walls and roof, but the buyer would need to build a platform and floor.

Fancy Shell.

This 8-by-24-square-foot tiny house shell is listed for $12,900 and built on an 18,000-pound capacity trailer, which means home can be anywhere. It features two lofts, which boost the living space to 312 square feet, along with a covered patio. The floor features unique eco-friendly denim insulation, and the exterior is wrapped in gorgeous ponderosa pine lap siding.

Arched Cabins.

There are numerous tiny house builders to choose from these days. One unique option is Arched Cabins, which creates cabins for virtually any purpose, from full family homes to hunting lodges to animal shelters. Plans range in size, with the largest being 24 by 40 feet and going for just under $15,000 with every upgrade. This size can hold up to four bedrooms and three bathrooms, making it one of the largest options for a custom-built tiny home.

Wheeled House.

The site Tiny House Talk features a few select tiny houses for sale. This quaint wood house, which sits on a trailer platform near Buffalo, New York, is available for $12,000.

Itty-Bitty, Green, and Pretty.

This little (and we do mean little -- it's 72 square feet) lime green house, selling for $15,000, manages to fit a Murphy bed. It also includes a wet room shower with an RV toilet and tankless water heater, air conditioning, and a skylight.

Customizable A-Frame.

This tiny house is a collaboration among students and professionals at a design-themed summer camp called Sawhorse Revolution. For $15,000 buyers get the base frame and the chance to fully customize the interior. Moving fees are included.

Stylish Gypsy Wagon.

This 60-square-foot room on wheels hitches easily to an SUV but offers all the charm of an old-time traveling caravan wagon. The $10,000 price tag doesn't include a bathroom, but there's an AC unit, something the Gypsies likely would've been thrilled to have.

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