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.