Today's headline: Homebuilder Confidence in U.S. Falls to Lowest Level in a Year

Home builder Confidence in U.S. Falls to Lowest Level in a Year. by Business Week, is my choice for today's headline. Why? It gives me a chance to put in my two cents worth about homes and home building.

My two cents worth: When the market was booming, and money was cheap, why were such monstrous home being built? Extra large home made sense if a family had several children, but these extra large homes for one, two, or three people? What was the reasoning behind that? Surely, it was not for need, one person needs a little extra space of course, and shouldn't a private bedroom for everyone take care of that? Aside from that, a kitchen, bathroom, living room, a porch or patio, a garage, seems reasonable. But why all the extras?

Why all the extras when the future homeowners were having to mortgage their future and the future of their children -- or child -- to show off in this way, is questionable. It should have been questionable then. If the builders were rich, then it is simply none of my business how they spend their money, housing, or whatever, but how many of the big home builders were spending money they did not own, nor had any hopes of earning is beyond me.

And to compound that problem, why where they allowed to borrow when they could not afford to borrow? Where were the regulations that prevented that? Not that I am alone in my questioning of that, many other also have such wonderful hind sights about what went wrong. Fortunately, for a few of us, we knew we were poor, did not especially like it, but accepted it without denial. We were not envious, we could hardly believe our eyes -- and our eyes -- at the building boom.

The next problem is, what is to be done about it? People need homes. Should we go to the extremes and start building an elaborate outhouse to live in? That headline also surfaced over the week end: Not called outhouses, but the size is about the size of the average green house or tool shed. These houses actually compact doll house size homes that a few hardy souls are living in. Read all about them.

After reading about these cute little homes, they do make a lot of sense. Of course in no time, one would feel cramped living in a such a small space, but the ones advertised, had all the necessities. In a small, 8 foot by 14 space or there about, one could have a bed, a stove, a bathroom with shower and toilet, a space to eat, closet space, etc.

The idea is to have nothing extra of course. One could not squirrel away all their too small or too large clothes, pack away items of sentimental value, have more than three pairs of shoes, buy sale items and stash away, nor do any of the foolish things regular homeowners do. But they do have shelter, a place to sleep and they are warm. Yet, I ask: Where would one put that occasional visitor, how safe are them in storms, and what would keep some thief from hitching their station wagon to one and stealing it while one is at work one day?

Yet, aside from those unanswered questions, a few more reasons a small tool shed like house may be a good investment. A whole bunch of them placed together on a vacant city lot to house the homeless; they can be moved when one wishes to locate elsewhere; weekly cleaning could be done easier.

If doubters still aren't convinced, consider this: They are probably, inch for inch, every bit as roomy as many efficient apartments, and parked in some family members back yard, much less expensive. They would make excellent nanny houses, or a depository site for an occasional guests, or even as rental property for travelers. Think about it. Even living in one might make one reconsider their hoarding lifestyles.