Its sort of crazy that this style of living isn't allowed by many local ordinances. There are tons of folks who could put these up as guest houses or detached offices and be super happy with them. Hell put one up and stick your obnoxious teen ager in it.

To your point they do seem pretty expensive. If you were building in your area what is the price per sq/ft. I understand that it is a terrible metric, but it is the only one that I can think of.

My wife and I are kicking around the idea of building one as a detached office. haven't looked into local laws yet, but it seems like it shouldn't be regulated as more than a shed (if no one is sleeping in it).