Tiny House Blog

Sandi Wheaton of Windsor, Ontario recently lost her job in Detroit. Instead of looking for a new job, she decided to use the  time to fulfill one of her dreams: traveling and photographing Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. Sandi is living this dream in an Aliner pop-up trailer. She decided to document the famous highway using a digital camera, a camera with infared film and another camera which follows her route with a shot every few seconds. She hopes to have her photos published in a book and a DVD or website.

Sandi Wheaton, her Aliner and her Campfire in a Can

Her trailer is a 1998 Aliner which she bought specifically for the trip. She initially wanted to travel in a T@B, but her Jeep could only tow a low-profile pop-up design. She is thrilled that she does not have to unhitch every time she sets it up. She also mentioned that she likes the Oliver trailer, like the one owned by Cherie and Chris of Technomadia.

“I love this trailer, especially for this purpose,” Sandi said. “Since I am traveling alone, unhitching is a pain. With the Aliner, I don’t need to unhitch in order to put it up. Plus it is up literally in a minute!” Continue Reading »

Let’s hold onto summer for a bit longer, shall we? Actually, many of these tiny fiberglass trailers can probably insulate you pretty well from the impending winter.

Fiberglass trailers first became popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but since then several dozen companies and manufacturers of fiberglass trailers have been developed.

A fiberglass trailer is usually built out of two parts. A top part and a bottom part. Each created from a mold or form and then attached together. The benefits of this is there are fewer parts to create and replace and the insulation is more effective. Continue Reading »

My hometown of Reno was the first stop in Jay Shafer’s Fencl cross-country tour. I counted about two dozen people who stopped to visit Jay’s newest build, some who were visiting from other Western states.

I was impressed with how many of us could fit into the 120 square foot house. It smelled like freshly cut wood and let in lots of afternoon light and air from the numerous open windows. The great room was a nice place to hang out and chat.

I think what Jay does best with his tiny homes is the space planning. I mentally began to fill the numerous shelves, closets and cubby holes with my own things and kept coming up with spaces to store stuff. I was really impressed with the space below the kitchen sink and the depth of the two great room closets.

The window seating area was my favorite part. It was large enough for a puffy chair and even a small table or bookshelf. The placement of the fireplace was right next to the seating alcove, which I like better than right in the middle of one of the walls the great room. This gives you more wall space for additional seating or a dining table.

Two ladders on each side of the entrance to the kitchen/bathroom area are used to reach the loft. Some people found them a little difficult to maneuver, but they seemed safer and more utilitarian than a moveable ladder.

The loft housed a fairly large bed, more than enough for two people. There is a small cupboard at the foot of the bed. The Fencl loft seems to have more privacy than other tiny house lofts I have seen.

Jay answered numerous construction, space and living questions and was very approachable and gracious. He seemed to enjoy meeting people from all over the area and was impressed with the visitors who had come from long distances.

How much fun would it be to be able to take your house on a tour, to show it off and meet interesting people along the way? It just goes to show that the smaller your house is, the bigger your world becomes.

By Christina Nellemann

The great room, loft and peak of the kitchen

The seating alcove and detail of the loft ladder

View from the loft

View of great room from loft

View of loft

Kitchen sink

Two-burner stove and refrigerator

Kitchen shelves

RV toilet

The shower

Storage area above the alcove and front door

Alcove seating area

Jay and one of the Fencl visitors

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Now seems to be the time of year for suffering from Spring Fever, road trip ache and travel woes. Maybe the only way to remedy these ailments is to live vicariously through other travelers.

I have recently fallen in love with Kristy and Sean Michael who are living part time out of their 25-foot Airstream trailer. They recently got married and spent their honeymoon in the Airstream, and are documenting it on their Long Long Honeymoon website. The videos of their life on the road are amusing but also informative.

Albeit they still have a house that they are living in and the trailer right now is temporary, but their journey and their love for each other and the road is an encouragement to others to take advantage of what life has to offer. I found the website to be a love letter to the simpler life, and a classic American icon.

By Christina Nellemann

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