One man's solution to San Francisco's overheated property market - living in a box

By Rob Crilly, New York
29 Mar 2016

What do you when a housing bubble prices you out of the market?

If you are Peter Berkowitz, a 25-year-old illustrator and cook, you build your own bubble.

Or more precisely a pod – a 4.5-foot wide wooden box, complete with bed, a fold-out desk, lights and storage for his clothing.

He said he would rather pay a friend $400 to host the unconventional contraption in his sitting room than pay the $3,500 a month it costs to rent a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco's red hot market.

“If pods can provide an attractive way to add a bedroom to an apartment, I think they could help a lot of people out: people with the extra space wanting to bring in more money by subletting, people looking for cheap and simple housing, or people wanting to add another bedroom so their friend can move in,” he wrote in a blog post.

It is just the latest solution to the area's high cost of living as young professionals try to find a way of surviving in a fashionable city. Tents, garages and trucks have all been used as make-shift accommodation.

The latest innovation is modelled on Japanese capsule hotels, said Mr Berkowitz, who bills it as a creative solution rather than a last resort.

“It seems silly, and people have this dystopian take on it, like, ‘Is this what it’s come to?'” he told the Washington Post. “But I firmly believe that it makes a lot of sense.

“There should be some kind of middle ground between having a bedroom and sleeping on a couch.”

There remain untested aspects of living in a box, however.

Mr Berkowitz said he was single and so had not yet tried to entertain overnight.

Nor has he yet worked out a satisfactory method for putting on his trousers without standing up.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/12206981/One-mans-solution-to-San-Franciscos-overheated-property-market-living-in-a-box.html/
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Living in a Pod in a San Francisco Living Room

http://medium.com/@peteberk/living-in-a-pod-in-a-san-francisco-living-room-202700e8ac77#.hdcd0tir9/
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Do you live in the world's most expensive city?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/11344918/Do-you-live-in-the-worlds-most-expensive-city.html/
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Facebook to pay workers up to $15,000 to live within 10 miles of office

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/12057635/Facebook-to-pay-workers-up-to-15000-to-live-within-10-miles-of-office.html/
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Man moves to San Francisco, pays $400 a month to sleep in wooden box in friends’ living room

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/29/man-moves-to-san-francisco-pays-400-a-month-to-sleep-in-wooden-box-inside-friends-living-room/
* VIDEO 00:01:08 *

Don't think I could go that far but... There was a tv show "Tiny House Nation" that I could do . Although I would like to retain my garage space

I would think renting a storage locker would be roomier and possibly cheaper. I had one with electricity so cooking wouldn't be a problem. Would just need to bring in water and a potra-potty or composting toilet.

Know a cpl people who use shipping storage containers...if thats what you mean.... as hunting camps...works great. Theyve cut windows in them, added electricity, a septic tank, wood burning camp stove, bunks, etc....very cozy.

Who knows, perhaps someone paid him to build it & blog about it. ?

Land & home ownership, (as well as cars), will soon be a thing of the past.
Even 'single family' living is being discouraged.
California is the perfect example. ' Stack & Pack ' apartment buildings with small parking garages or none at all. And lots & lots of bike lanes.


'Mico Apartments': (100-500 ft) .
I have a thread on it somewhere.

Topic: MIcroapartments Are The Future
http://m.mingle2.com/topic/show/464074/

And the latest... Pre fab modular housing or 'Cubes'

http://www.curbed.com/2016/3/31/11340722/prefab-modular-housing-multigenerational-families-spain/

some are pretty cool...
just hook up to your vehicle and go...
now not sure of the bath ...
to small... would rather have a outside shower ...
connected to the house some how ...
but built the way you like some... of them are ...
oh right... I should go see what blew off my house this time...

could become illegal!

http://www.regulations.gov/?_escaped_fragment_=documentDetail;D%3DHUD-2016-0013-0001#!documentDetail;D=HUD-2016-0013-0001

http://timbertrails.tv/Government-HUD-Rule-Could-Prohibit-Use-of-Tiny-House-as-Dwelling-Domicile-Primary-Residence

Good links

I agree with HUD on this.
Each state sets standards & has it's own ' fire safety laws'& HUD can add even more. If there is no back door or alternative exit or requires a gas tank etc. it is a fire trap.

I also agree, if it has wheels it is an RV.

And I doubt most people who buy or build them realize they are 'illegally camping '

I live near San Fran honestly the prices are ludicrous and greedy apartments and others are starting to price out even the tech workers. To JUST pay rent (outside of the city. .in a suburb) requires 54,000/yr. That's not including gas/food/electric etc..that's just rent.

Part of the issue is taxes here approximately 40% of an average tech workers salary is gone to taxes.

One of the guys I went to school with is in tech making ok money in indiana, and turned down a job here that would have increased his salary by 20/hr...he turned it down because of the cost of livjng here he would actually be making less, only be able to afford a one-bed apartment. ..and general quality of life woud be worse.

we have Dr's here who are living in one bed apartments because they cant afford a home on a 190,000 salary. Well...theu could but they'd be eating ramen.

To be 'middle class' here requires a salary if 225,000 or more. ...even senior people in tech don't make that much...some may but not the majority.

Restaurants are closing all over, because they can't afford to pay a waitress/waiter what would be required for them to even share a room in someones house.

We havr EXCEEDED the prices that were at the height of the .dot com boom....it will crumble shortly. ...there is no choice