Tiny Houses Big With U.S. Owners Seeking Economic Freedom

Doug Immel recently completed his custom-built dream home, sparing no expense on details like cherry-wood floors, cathedral ceilings and stained-glass windows -- in just 164 square feet of living space including a loft.

The 57-year-old schoolteacher’s tiny house near Providence, Rhode Island, cost $28,000 -- a seventh of the median price of single-family residences in his state.