“Pee-Wee’s” Gypsy Wagon for Sale
This beautiful gypsy wagon, which was used as a prop in the 1988 movie “Big Top Pee-Wee” has been available for sale since the middle of last year. The wagon, restored by Gary Votapka, was originally purchased for his land in Montana, but it is still sitting in a California neighborhood waiting for its next owner.
The vardo was in terrible shape when Gary purchased it for $10,000 and towed it from Barstow to his home in Fallbrook, Calif. The wagon had been sitting in the sun for over 20 years and gallons of desert dust and sand had settled onto the floor. Since the wagon had also been used as a prop in a movie with Pee-Wee Herman and Valeria Golino, none of the drawers opened and the cabinets were facades. Over the course of four years, Gary, his wife and son restored the gypsy wagon (by using a DVD of the movie) to its original colorful state and added a few workable cabinets and a comfortable bed. Continue Reading »
Tumbleweed Giveaways and Holiday Sale
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is expanding their reach via Twitter and Facebook and to encourage you to follow them via one of these methods they are having a giveaway of some of their books and posters every couple of hours till the end of November. To be included in the drawings you need to like them on Facebook and comment when they ask you to or on Twitter they want you to re-tweet certain information to your followers. Here are the links if you want a chance to win: Facebook and Twitter.
Tumbleweed is also having a Holiday Sale and in my opinion the best deal is the workshops. Tumbleweeed is giving 40% off of the usual price and that is a bargain in my humble opinion. Click here to go to the Workshop page and than click on the workshop you would like to attend, the discout is given on that page.
Tumbleweed is also offering 40% off of certain books and plans and if you click on the graphics below you will be taken to the sales page for that item. The sale ends November 30 so if you have been waiting to buy one of these items, now is the time to do it.
Glenn’s Designer Off-Grid Micro-Home
by Glen Grassi
I just finished designing and building my first micro-home. I am a theatrical designer who has taken a detour this year to build something sustainable. It is made almost entirely out of repurposed and recycled materials.
It is 12 ft. X 7 ft. with a 3 ft. tow hitch. The interior is cedar-lined and has a wood burning stove, designer interior, stand-up shower inside the bed, lots of storage, composting toilet hidden in the chair, solar chandelier and gravity water.
It is built simply with simple parts and is easy to care for. It seats 4-6 people inside for dinner.
A wooden rod runs along one edge of the roof for hanging a designer awning. The tires are brand new and it comes with lots of safety features such as carbon monoxide detector, fire alarm, fire extinguisher, LED lights, and a machete which can be very useful outdoors. The 40 Watt portable solar panel, inverter, and lithium ion are battery all included. The door is only 19 inches wide and adds an instant charm along with the curved roof and scalloped flashing. The chimney is triple walled and the stove easily slides out for summer cooking or cleaning.
It is insulated on all 4 walls, ceiling and floor to withstand a blizzard. It is wrapped in Tyvek House Wrap for weatherproofing as well.
The shingles are rated to withstand hurricane winds. Weight- 3,300 lbs. This place is solid! And gorgeous! Ready to move in! $16,500 includes everything.
Tiny Houses without Lofts
There has been a lot of requests lately for tiny houses on wheels that don’t have lofts. Older people do not wish to deal with this issue and it is an idea that should be taken seriously.
Most of the designs we see out there resort to the loft for a bed. This saves precious floor space for living. However, this is not ideal for everyone. Unfortunately, at this time I only know of a few designs that take an alternative route to the loft – so I thought I would do a post to highlight these houses. My goal is to inspire others to design more homes with alternative sleeping quarters other than a loft.
The oldest version of a tiny home on wheels that I am aware of is the vardo or gypsy wagon. These homes were designed with a bed that sits up high and has storage below. You still need to crawl up a little to get in, but it is nothing like climbing a ladder. There are not many plans out there for this type of home. The only one I know that is available the “Don Vardo” by Portland Alternative Dwellings. While it is not a complete house I think the plans could be extended to make it into one with a kitchen and bathroom. Dee Williams from Portland Alternative Dwellings and I once talked about this revision and she may have even completed the plans by now. You can get an idea by looking at the picture of the Don Vardo here and a vardo picture I have included above in this post.
(Dee just sent word that she has the 12 foot vardo available which features a bathroom and kitchen. The plans are now available here for only $30. They are in the process of having one built out in Florida and I will share photos, etc. as soon as it is completed.)
12 foot Don Vardo Floor Plan
Hornby’s Sandpiper Caravan
Hi, I’m Michelle Wilson and my company is Hornby Island Caravans located on…yup, Hornby Island which is in British Columbia, Canada. So far my crew consists of me and occasionally my husband Lawrence Nyberg who is also a very fine luthier (builder of guitars and other stringed instruments).
We have just recently completed our 2nd caravan, the Sandpiper (named after our neighbourhood), which is 8’ by 16’ and was commissioned by a very lovely and talented couple-one is a well known double bassist and the other is a fabulous graphics designer. Continue Reading »
Sale on Tumbleweed Vardo Plans
Jay Shafer from Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is offering their Vardo Construction plans for sale for 10 days only. Starting today, the plans for the Vardo are $15.95. Normally, $29.95 so almost half off. The Sale ends July 8, 2011.
Tumbleweed Vardo Plans – $15.95
The Vardo is not officially a tiny house but more of a sleeping camper, great for getaways to the mountains or the beach or as a guest room for your tiny home. There is no bathroom or kitchen, just a sleeping area and storage.
If you are unsure of your building skills this little project would be a great way to learn the basic carpentry skills and come out with a wonderful little project you could show off to your friends and family. Tumbleweed estimates the cost to build the Vardo to be around $2,500 (minus the optional heater).
The vardo can be placed on a small trailer and towed or put on the back of a pickup such as the Ford F-150.
The plans include 14 pages:
- Elevation Drawings: The exterior view from all 4 sides is included showing you heights relative to the truck bed, window and door openings, and finish materials.
- Floor Plans: Floor plans are included for both the storage area, and the sleeping area.
- Roof Plan: Shown from above, you see the overhang of the roof compared to the truck and structure.
- Wall Framing: Two pages of wall framing show you how to frame each wall, front, back and sides so that you have the rounded roof and slight angle of side walls. Additionally, floor framing is included.
- Door Detail: The Vardo requires a custom made door, and the door detail gives you the dimensions, and types of wood to use.
- Section Drawings: These drawings cut the Vardo in half both the long way and the short way. They show you where to insulate, what types of wood studs to use, how to properly insulate, which materials to use, how to secure the structure to the truck, and much more.
- Basic Components: Suggestions on specific windows for the structure and the door including the manufacturer and glass type. Also included is a heater suggestion.
Get the details about the Tumbleweed Vardo Plans – $15.95
Looking for a Carpenter/Builder
Looking for a carpenter/builder to work with a chemically sensitive professiional author/journalist and her partner, who want to build a vardo travel trailer for traveling/living. I will have construction plans made and ready. Will probably be on an 8 by 12 or 14 trailer, with 2-3 by 8 porch.
Need to be on site for the entire build to test nontoxic materials for tolerance. Vardo will have compost toilet, outdoor shower on porch, simple sink setup inside with grey water tank and hose hookup, very small hot water tank, wired with shielded wiring for both 12 volt and 110, curved metal or very thin ceramic roof, tile floors, either dragon board or very low terpene wood walls.
If wood walls, they will be tongue and groove. Denim or wool insulation, a breathable wall system to minimize mold, and good ventilation including built in fans. No plywood, formaldehyde, laminates, styrofoam, vinyl, urethane, fiberglass, etc. Possibly some other features adapted from small rv’s I’ve seen. Take a look at Portland Alternative Dwellings’ Don Vardo for an example of a beautiful simple vardo.
I need to keep costs down as I have set aside funds but am planning to be frugal where possible. If someone has time and interest, please write me with your fees for such a project, previous experience etc., where you live, if you have land where we can build and a good metal shed to store construction materials, your schedule, and any other relevanr information.
Prefer southeast, Texas, or possibly southwest for the build, ie a climate that is warm and sunny, and hoping to start late spring. Don’t want to build up north. If you want to travel to live on site for the build I can possibly find us a spot. I’ve been told it can take 400-500 hours for the total build. Both some experience in carpentry/construction and patience, as well as willingness to work with all nontoxic materials, is important. Thanks!
Please email [email protected] if interested.
