by Kent Griswold
Last week my wife Janelle and I took a mini vacation across the Healdsburg, California valley at the Tumbleweed Tiny House Linden home. Though less then ten miles from our own home this short one night vacation was a lot of fun and relaxing.
The Linden is a new Tumbleweed Tiny House designed by Meg Stevens an architect for the company. We found it to be perfect for a tiny house getaway. The goal of Tumbleweed is to give those interested in living the tiny life a chance to spend some time in actual tiny home so that they can get the feel of what it might be like to live in something this small.
We started our evening by eating out at a local Healdsburg restaurant and spending a little time on the square looking at the shops etc. Playing the tourist in our own town. Then we drove the few miles out to the house which is located in a redwood grove with a pond out a windy road. You really feel like you are out in the boondocks.
We arrived and unpacked and toured the home. We had seen it briefly at the Sonoma County fair but it had been crowded with visitors so did not get a true feeling for the home. The house has a nice porch with some chairs overlooking a small pond. Another little home sits across on the other side of the pond.
Inside the door is the great room with an easy chair, a table with a couple of smaller chairs, and entry into the kitchen. The bathroom with toilet and shower are off to the left as you go into the kitchen area.
The sleeping quarters are a loft above the kitchen with a moveable ladder accessing it. We settled in and played some table games and did some reading before climbing into the loft and going to sleep. The most challenging aspect of staying in this tiny home is the loft. Though well designed and with an extremely comfortable bed you do still have to climb up and down a ladder to get into it. The loft is roomy and light with two big windows behind the bed and another facing the pond. We had a full moon so light streamed in through the windows as we went to bed. We slept fairly well, though as most people know the first night is usually an adjustment to any sleeping quarters.
In the morning we fixed a light breakfast using the supplied cooking utensils and found the kitchen to be a very nice place to work in. We then went on to try out the shower. The Linden is hooked up to a septic system has good water pressure and uses a instant hot water heater so you don’t feel like you are roughing it.
We then took a walk on a trail on the property which was about a half mile up a creek bed through the redwoods. When we got back we relaxed in the main living area in the house. I really felt relaxed and like I was on vacation.
I would highly recommend staying here if you have a chance. You really get the idea of what living in a tiny house is all about. To reserve time in the Linden go to the Airbnb site to this link. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1287779
I hope this type of vacation becomes more available across the country.
Looks like fun! Congrats to getting Janell to stay, heard she would never do a ladder bedroom. I’m gonna look into staying there when I come out to see the kids. Great campmeeting rig! Decided to build a very tiny one first, to travel with, then the real deal.
She did not mind it to much for one night, but living with it full time would be different. We would prefer a ground level bed and Tumbleweed and others have plans for this type of house.
GREAT to hear about plans for ground floor bedroom! Seems like a natural customer base for this type of home would be downsizing retirees; but climbing up and down that ladder (especially in the middle of the night) is a real deal breaker. The first designer/builder to come with an attractive, comfortable solution (sorry, futons are NOT in this category) will OWN the market, IMO …
I don’t know. There seems to be more younger people into these tiny houses, and the ladders are not a big deal. You want to utilize your space. The top parts of houses are often not well-utilized. It seems the ladder would be good exercise, but then I’m not a retiree. I may feel completely different 20 years from now.
Older people are just as interested in these tiny homes as younger people, because we want to simplify our lives… I personally need to have a downstairs bed, because a ladder would be a deal-breaker for me.Twenty years ago, it would have been fine, but at 52, with health challenges and the need to visit the bathroom more at night, and a broken back from being thrown off of a horse, I really need something comfy.I am thinking if they did a day bed with an underneath pop-up Trundle, and move the front door to the side,this would be possible.Are you listening Jay? LOL…I think it’s a great design idea….
I designed my tiny house on wheels which you can see at my website – http://www.gypsyturtlejournal.com It is a bit bigger than the Tumbleweed houses on wheels and is built on a fifth wheel trailer. The advantage is that the 5th wheel is more stable in towing (a big plus since my house is pretty heavy) and also I have the area over the gooseneck for my bedroom. It’s five steps up to the bedroom and I have a handrail. I can stand easily in the bedroom too. A taller person can’t though (I’m 5’4″). I still have a loft over my kitchen for the “grandkids”. I’m a musician so wanted to be able to play music in my house and have other musicians too. I have an electric piano. Anyway, check it out.
Robin, I looked at your site, subscribed also. I’d like to know the length and width of your home? Thanks
Hi Robin, I would enjoy covering your home here on the Tiny House Blog. I will contact you soon! -Kent
Great use of barn door hardware for the loft access ladder. A few detail tweaks could make the ladder safer and better while not detracting from the smart concept.
One thing that would really help is if it could be angled out more like steps. I think with added length and a little different hardware it could be made to work this way. The ability to move it around was very helpful.
Extending the side rails of the ladder a bit above the loft floor so you could safely enter and exit the top of the ladder in a standing or near-standing position would help greatly. It appears from the photo that there is sufficient height to do so here.
I’m wondering if there’s a reason (other than aesthetics)why people don’t use those folding attic access type ladders. Some are almost as good as stairs but tuck away when not needed. Some are a lot nicer looking than others. You can have a lot less steep stairs if they don’t have to be out all the time. Another option would be a staircase with a counterweight that stores up against the ceiling when not needed. Also ran across an interesting stairway for entry stairs http://www.walketroll.com/
Looks like the wheels have to be an exact distance apart for the walketroll steps. Nice idea if you have the right wheels.
Hard to tell from the video, sure would like to see it in real life. It looks like there’s a range that each version works with, based on where the wheels fall on the sloped sides. They used steps on one side for one wheel distance and on the other for another, smaller distance. I don’t think you could really get it totally smooth but I drag rollators, shopping buggies and strollers up steps regularly and can see where it might work. To install a proper ramp it has to be ridiculously long and sometimes there isn’t the space.
I also wonder how trip-proof the flip up stairs might be as you ascend, being a klutz that has trouble lifting my feet at times.
murphy bed!
Lovely but like other posters . . . I don’t do ladders or stairs. I need a ground floor bedroom.
Our full time house has a barn ladder to a sleeping and reading loft. Does get a bit tiresome climbing several times a night, and the queen bed is a bugger to make, but it IS home, until we can build anew.
Ours is 16 x16, with a 7 x16 loft over the kitchen, pantry, and entrance.
Kent, thanks for the posting, I’d definitely consider spending a night or two there on my next visit West. I love the setting too.
It was fun Joe and I highly recommend it if you can do it!
Great pictures – lovely site. However there seems to be just one comfy chair in the living room. Who gets to sit there?
Yes, we had to take turns, I have suggested to Tumbleweed that they need to have at least two comfy chairs in the house. Hopefully they will listen to that suggestion.
“Great Room” sounds kind of funny when it’s so tiny! ;-]
From the text it sounds like the chairs are on the porch, but the photo tells the true story.
I could easily live with sleeping in a loft bed, but what really bothers me is the making of the bed every day. I suppose one could hire a maid with all the money saved with tiny living.
I wouldn’t bother making the bed daily, nobody can see it up there anyway. Or you could just use a duvet that flips over easily enough. The real problem comes when it’s time to change the sheets.
Yup those lofts are challenging.
The ladders are a pain.
Yes. this house is great for an overnight.
For longer term?
Hey Kent. You drove right past my tiny house and didn’t stop in to say hi. I;m crushed! A lot has changed and it is much more cozy than it was last time you were here. Come on by for some homemade pickles. I’m a fermenting freak now and even have chickens. Tiny homesteading full speed ahead! Hope to see you soon.
Hey Kent, so cool you got to stay here. That’s awesome. Hope Andrea and I can do it someday soon.
Hi–Hope to someday get out on the road in a little house/trailer of some sort—these are so cute—gotta get out of my big house first!! Concerned as when I was on Tumblewood site clicked the little trailer pic to look at it and when clicking back a note appeared that I had ordered their hollyhock poster order f8ydmwvpr97re62n4n9z I DID NOT ORDER THIS FROM YOU AND GAVE NO ORDER INFO SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE!! Keep building/ creating–but please fix!!
Hi Deb. Please contact Tumbleweed about that issue. Tiny House Blog is not part of Tumbleweed so I can’t fix that problem. Sorry!
Hi Kent,
I am trying to get info on how to start to build a tiny house in Los Angeles. Can you email me and possibly I can contact via phone? You seem like a very busy person, any time you could spare would be great.
its glam