Nate and Lisa’s Tortoise Shell Home
Guest post by Lisa
When my husband and I first moved to the country after 20 years of living in the big city, we talked a lot about the different possibilities for housing. We were both sick of apartments. We fantasized about the different natural building techniques like cob and straw bale, but worried about exorbitant land prices here in California.
About five or six years ago we stumbled upon Jay Shafer’s Tumbleweed website and were completely charmed. This was pre-Oprah, before he was so famous. We had a free private consultation with him within the first few weeks after he moved out to California. A couple years later we went to one of his open houses, and recently went to his first showing of his new Craftsman style cottage. We love his work, but his prices were too high for our budget. Building it ourselves seemed too difficult, though I’m sure it is possible for some people.
The tiny house bug had us. We now knew how we could own our own home without land or a mortgage, but we needed a place to put the house. Continue Reading »
Home Care Cottages
Last week, I made a trip down to visit with Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer. He is introducing his new line of little houses and going after a new need in the area. It is called Home Care Cottages, Solutions for Independent Living. These homes are built specifically for the elderly with requirements such as wheel chair access and maneuverability. Stephen agreed to let me do a video walkthrough with him and take some still photographs.
This Home Care Cottage is 400 square feet in size and has a downstairs bedroom and a loft bedroom. This home is mobile but at 12 foot wide by 33 feet long you need a special permit to move it. It felt very roomy with standard room width. Stephen says that this home is priced at $65,000.
I hope you enjoy the video walkthrough and the photo gallery. You can learn more about the Home Care Cottages by going to Stephens new website Home Care Cottages.
A Truly Mobile Office
Tiny Art Studio on Wheels
Even if you don’t own land, you can own your own workspace, provided it’s got wheels. Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer sells a tiny office- or in this case, a mobile art studio- that can be moved as a wide load for $1000.
In this video, Marshall shows us his art studio on wheels and talks about how to make a small space feel bigger they keep it monochrome (and white) and decorate with color.
Little House on a Trailer
It’s a 12 foot wide home on wheels, but Stephen Marshall says his original house on a trailer isn’t a tiny home, but simply a little house.
The main living/working space feels more full-sized than the wee houses, but the kitchen is outfitted with a mini-sink and refrigerator and the bathroom uses an incinerating toilet ($2,000, no septic nor sewage hookup needed).
In this video, Marshall of Little House on the Trailer house company gives us a tour of his original small home on wheels.
Stephen’s Guest House
Update below
Stephen Marshall from the Little House on the Trailer has been really busy this year with orders for spare rooms, guest houses and sound studios among other things. He has also been involved in setting up his tiny structures with solar for off grid use.
Stephen just posted some pictures of a guest house he completed recently and I thought it came out beautifully and I figured you would enjoy seeing it too. Nice work Stephen, thanks for sharing.
I just got off the phone with Stephen and the size of the Guest House is 12 x 24, and the completed price as shown is $60,000. Not including furniture, etc. The little red stove is electrical bought by the owner, most likely at Lowes or Home Depot, he was not sure. Stephen says there is a huge amount of interest in this one, so if you are considering it get in touch with him. His contact information is on his website. Click Here. Be sure and mention you heard about it from the Tiny House Blog.
Guest House Exterior
Little Cottage on Wheels for Sale
*** No Longer for Sale *** Yesterday, I was down visiting Stephen Marshall who owns Little House on the Trailer and he asked me to list one of his homes for sale on the Tiny House Blog.
You probably have noticed a few tiny houses for sale in the sidebar and I am excited that this is becoming a rather popular item and hopefully we will be showing more and more tiny houses as they become available. Unlike the other listings right now, this home is not a shell to be completed by you, but a ready to move in and live in cottage.
This cottage has beautiful reclaimed wood floors, and if you notice below the trim is missing in the photo it is because I shot this photo previous to Stephen having finished that little detail. It is completed now, I just did not get a photograph of it. Continue Reading »
Mini-spaces Fill Many Needs
Stephen Marshall of Little House on the Trailer who helped me develop the Sonoma Shanty Plans was recently featured in the Santa Rosa, Press Democrat.
The article Mini-spaces Fill Many Needs: Backyard getaway, office, playhouse, explains how Stephen has entered the world of mini-spaces and has created a business to fill this need.
Meg McConahey says Stephen builds heirloom-quality buildings that look like miniature houses, set on a foundation or on wheels. If you ever want to move, you can take it with you.
You imagine it and Marshall will build it. Just make sure your dreams are small — 120 square feet, to be exact. Marshall, a Petaluma-based veteran cabinetmaker and builder with 40 years’ experience, has turned his talents to making tiny houses. Continue Reading »
