Tumbleweed Tiny House Tour
Saturday I had the privilege of visiting Jay Shafer (Tumbleweed Tiny House Company) at one of his free open house days at his home in Sebastopol, California. I wanted to experience first hand his craftsmanship and see the actual house he lives in and meet him in person.
Jay had just completed a “Vardoâ€, which is a very small space. Which consists mainly of a bed in a very attractive cover. It would be great for camping and weekend excursions.
Jay is very friendly and easy to talk to and I enjoyed a personal tour of his home. It is very small, but for a single person a perfect size if you believe in a simple life and want to live in it full time.
It would also make a great weekend vacation home for a couple, with the ease to move it from place to place.
His work is of the highest quality and I would consider him both an artist and a craftsman.
I live about 15 miles from Jay’s home and have requested to come watch and shoot a few photos of his next project. So stay tuned!
If you would like to visit his house please go to his upcoming events schedule at his website.
Jay is also offering a Building Workshop and a Design Workshop in several cities across the country. If you are interested in building one of his homes, I would highly recommend that you attend one of these workshops.
Here is a video tour of Jay Shafer’s house:
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Amelia on 04 Mar 2008 at 10:39 pm #
I am so completely, and utterly in love with the whole idea of a tiny house. I’ve been looking over the Tumbleweeds website all day, and am seriously considering buying a tiny house after I finish school in a couple of years. I *love* this.
Tango on 06 Apr 2008 at 10:18 am #
I love them too. Next year….when hopefully my townhouse goes back up in value, I’m planing on contacting Jay to build me a Lusby Home.
I have already downsized my living space to one room and have gotten rid of tons of STUFF that I’ve been holding on to since 1998. This was easier than I thought.
Baggers on 15 Apr 2008 at 10:37 am #
I’ve set my heart on the lusby and though I may have to modify the designs slightly to be able to suitably handle English road laws I hope to make this after I finish university.
Any other UK tiny house builders around?
Kent on 15 Apr 2008 at 12:00 pm #
Seems to be quite a few people who like the Lusby. It’s my favorite too. I think my wife and I could get along quite well in it. I’ve only seen Jays Epu and it was great but this is a little larger and I feel two people would be more comfortable in it.
Sabine on 07 May 2008 at 12:29 pm #
Yes, the Lusby will be my choice too. I’m looking for land now, and hopefully can save for the Lusby within a year. Time to start paring down.
Bryan on 13 Jul 2008 at 8:26 pm #
I am just back from day two of the Tumbleweed House tour in Seattle. Wow. So many people with so many great ideas. Jay is so good at sharing his knowledge in a friendly and accessible way. No pretense. Total openess to hear the ideas of others.
We had people come from the Seattle area, of course, but we also had people from Canada, Montana, even someone in Seattle on leave from working in Qatar in the Middle East.
And thanks to Habitat for Humanity, as they let us use their wonderful facility in Seattle.
Thanks Jay and all the classmates.
Bryan
Kent on 13 Jul 2008 at 8:35 pm #
Hey Brian,
Thanks for the report from Seattle. I will be attending Jay’s workshop next weekend in the San Francisco area and am really looking forward to it also. Glad to hear about such a great turnout up north.
Kent
Teardrop Trailer - Additional Bedroom on 01 Aug 2008 at 6:00 am #
[...] might also consider Jay Shafer’s Vardo as an option. Although the Vardo does not have a kitchen, it has storage under the bed that would [...]
Justin on 05 Aug 2008 at 2:22 am #
@Baggers. I’m in the UK, and seriously considering building my own version, a cross between the lusby and the Weebee. The problem is finding somewhere you can park them for extended periods. I’m living in central london now, but possibly moving nearer to kingston, still difficult to find a place. I’d plan to use a composting toilet, rainwater capture and solar panel for power, staying completely off grid so wouldn’t need hookups anywhere, just a place to park.
Currently looking into the laws here and cost of suitable trailers. I’d be doing it on a budget and with as much recycled materials as possible.
J.