Gene sent me some pictures from his Wildwood Cottage Shop based in Indiana. He is considering building a tiny house on wheels but has not made a final decision. What do you think of his structures? I personally think they are really cool!
Gene says: “These are some of the structures I have built in the past four years. I only finished the first one on the inside, thought I was never going to sell it and when I did I didn`t make wages. I`m a 66 year old one man and wandering whether to hire some help or just relax. Gene Wallen, from Indiana.” Gene’s website is down for some unknown reason but you can contact him via email at genewallen@yahoo.com.
I’d love one of those!! They are really nice!
I love your buildings. So far I haven’t seen a “house on wheels” on the market that I thought was worth the asking price (aside from the most recent post featuring a new builder), even though I’ve seen several amazing structures. It appears that the exponential increase in cost for placing one of these on a trailer pushes the value proposition over the edge.
Are any of your structures built to ship in a “broken down” format? I’d like to see your website but it appears to be down.
Re: 2-7-10
There are fixed costs that do not scale down with the square footage. The basic fixtures for a bath, kitchen, and heating system cost essentially the same for a 100sf cabin as for an 800sf cabin. However, reduction in size does lower ‘overall’ cost of construction, meaning that you can afford much higher quality components, creating greater end value per square foot than a larger structure. Also, in the end, long term costs of maintenance will be significantly reduced due to scale.
Your homes are artistically designed and are very cozy looking. I especially like your rounded entry doors. I am sure there is a market for your homes. Hopefully, this posting on the tiny house blog will do the trick. Good luck!
Your small houses have more variety than most and are appealing to look at. The different roof profiles are especially nice when space is at a premium. You would do well to take the next step and get in the business for real.
Great design and hand craftsmanship. These are some of the beast and balanced designs I’ve seen so far. Keep up the good work.
WOW!!!!!!! The last one with the red roof folded down & deck folded up is what I have designed for the rear “porch” of mine for travel!!!!
Another WOW. Looks like you used maybe Barn door track for the bathroom door? (like a Pocket door, there is NO “swingroom needed” for the door to open. I designed using the old bypass closet door track hardware. I like your designs/thoughts.
I would like to thank everyone for the nice comments I`m not sure what`s up with my websight, you can reach me at genewallen@yahoo.com. At this time I`m not interested in traveling to far from Indiana,but I do have a friend in the trucking business. Carolyn have you ever considered putting your entry-porch on the front so you could use the trailer tongue to hold up the deck?
It is a good idea. I think it depends on WHAT “it” will be used for. Having built & repaired(tells you the most) homes on Martha’s Vineyard for over 25 yrs. We tended to see alot of just WHAT high wind & rain can do. I had a tiny leak where mudroom connected to my house, a few drops showed up like once every 7 yrs? Even after changing siding over to cedar shingles???? When the wind hit JJJJJJUST right…….
I think there are two basic Tiny House “Trailers” types being designed/built here. From reading I’d say 95+% are “really” not going far, IF anywhere? like for property Tax reasons or only resale. So it doesn’t matter too much what is all hung outside where(I’d just try not to move them on the highway in rain). I’m designing two, one small V-nose for dogs shows & so travel & also may stay Hitched up the whole time(need rear entry), no windows, vents up front for rain & travel to get into.
The other one which I plan on living in for a few years. I NEED storage. So have a “Shed” up front on the tougue. Bulk dogfood(5+ dogs), 2 chickens(convert garbage into eggs), gas tanks,etc. Whether I use 2 more scissor jacks on the folding deck too, or just block it up. I haven’t gotten to that stage yet.
Hi Carolyn,
Are you building on MV? My sister lives there and I’ve been trying to convince her that building such a home on MV is practical and possible. Would love to know if that’s where you are and if yes, how you’ve gone about the design/build process.
Cheers!
Beautiful! I love the look of the wood and the colorful metal roofs and well-thought-out architectural details such as the curved doors, etc.
66 is young today. My dh is 66 and I am 61 and our attitude is, we will have enough time to rest when were dead.
When it stops being fun is when it’s time to stop.
Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
Can’t help but chime in with the rest. There is something about these cottages that speak “from-the-heart” of an artist/craftsman. There were two designs that I said to myself, “I want that one”, and I don’t even have a place to put one at this time.
What is the price range of these classic pieces?