Tumbleweed

Reclaimed Wood for Tiny Houses

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Pat Crowe of Echo Reclamation recently sent some photos of a modified Tumbleweed Lusby he completed using reclaimed materials. He wanted to let me know that he is offering the materials for sale to tiny home builders interested in completing their homes in this way.

Pat is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The client who contracted the Lusby contraction wanted all reclaimed wood, so the interior ceiling, loft floors, walls, doors, cabinets, closets and shelves are all made of antique pine (pre-1930) that Pat brought from Texas, his home state. The exterior is of pine siding salvaged in Texas from a c. 1915 house that was slated for demolition. This is southern pine, much of it longleaf, and is beautiful material.

Pat says that using this type of material is more expensive to purchase and requires more labor to use, so it’s not a money-saving deal. But, if someone is looking for character and the satisfaction of participating in the salvage of wonderful old wood, it’s worth the extra cost.

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Dee’s Open House February 18

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I just wanted to get a quick note up in case you were not following over at Tumbleweed. Dee Williams is opening her house to share it with you this weekend. If I lived closer and could make it up I would be the first in line to see it. … Read more

Nate and Lisa’s Tortoise Shell Home

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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.

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Starry Nights

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Guest Post by Craig MacDonald

I have been a follower of the Tiny House Blog for a few years and was really intrigued by what it might be like to live in a small home. My wife and I searched for land for a few years, but could never find the right piece of ground. She was convinced that she wanted a place on the water and I was convinced that the only piece of land that we could afford near water would be the size of a postage stamp.

We finally found the perfect spot while exploring a part of our state that we had never seen before. While it is only 85 miles as the crow flies from our home in the city, and about 150 miles by road, it feels like we are in another country. It turns out we didn’t by land near water, but found 30 acres of heaven on earth of highland pasture.

I was at first determined that I wanted to build a tiny house like the Tumbleweed, but was convinced (coerced) by my wife and daughter that 100 square feet just wasn’t going to keep us all happy. I’m glad that I listened! We also bought property in a “development” which requires that homes be a minimum of 500 square feet. With some creative math we were just able to sneak over the 500 square foot threshold. The main part of the cabin is 320 square feet with a 100 square foot bedroom on the back of the cabin. We have two lofts which are connected by a “catwalk” which adds about another 100 square feet. We use a ladder to get up to the lofts and when not in use the ladder retracts into the bottom of the catwalk to give the main cabin more room.

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Built by Friends: Evan and Gabby’s Tiny House

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Like an Amish barn raising, Evan and Gabby’s tiny Tarleton house is going up piece by piece with the help of friends and family. The Illinois couple were inspired by the Tumbleweed houses and decided to downsize their already sustainable lifestyle even more. With no prior construction experience, they have been working on their tiny home for just over a year and plan to move in (along with their two cats) soon.

The couple also plan to move around the country, staying in campgrounds that offer year-round rates. They then want to purchase some land where tiny house living is more acceptable.

Their 117 square foot Tarleton, built on a car hauler trailer, will have a great room, a sleeping loft above the bathroom and kitchen, another storage loft above the door and a bathroom with a custom shower and composting toilet that vents to the outdoors. The kitchen has four feet of stainless steel countertop, a two-burner stove, a bar sink, a toaster oven, a small fridge and – rare for a tiny house – a combination washer and dryer that they got from a family member for free.

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Popomo on Fox Business News

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Fox Business News recently ran a video featuring Tumbleweed’s Jay Shafer and his tiny Popomo house which was parked in the middle of Manhattan. The 172 square foot Popomo was on its way to the East Coast of the U.S. and Jay was interviewed about it and his other tiny … Read more