Are Tiny Houses The Solution To Boston's Housing Crunch?

LOWELL (CBS) - Do you think you could live in a tiny house? This may be your weekend to find out.

A festival of these small homes is opening Friday at the Marshfield Fair.

One of the structures on display is Miranda Aisling's home, all 160 square feet.

"It's not very romantic. I did it for economic reasons," she told WBZ-TV.

An artist trying to build a non-profit, Miranda simply couldn't afford traditional housing so, with no construction experience, she built it herself with the help of friends and family. She spent about $30,000 in savings on materials.

"I now live rent and mortgage-free and that's how I am able to work at a non-profit," she explained.

It's a carefully designed home with a place for just about everything. There is a kitchen outfitted with everything you would need to whip up a gourmet meal. A table with two attached benches tucks away into a cabinet on the wall, much like a Murphy bed.

"I have dinner parties for four all the time," she said.

There is a reading nook with pullout storage units that transform the space into a bed for guests. Her own bed is in a loft above the kitchen and bathroom. A former NASA engineer designed the stairs that fold away when not in use.

Miranda says the longer she's lived here, the bigger it feels.

"I think people can live with a lot less than they think they can," she said.

Finding a place to put your tiny house can be tricky because some communities have zoning laws against mobile homes, other towns have minimum square foot requirements. She was lucky to find someone willing to let her live in their backyard in the greater Lowell area.

Miranda believes living small is not for everyone, but we can all learn from it.

"The point of the tiny house movement is not to get everyone living in 160 square feet. The point is to get people to think about how they are living," she said.

For more information, visit the United Tiny House Association.