About Us

Jay Shafer, Founder and Designer

Jay Shafer is recognized as an expert in small living. He is a designer specializing in sustainable architecture and urban planning. He has lectured extensively on these subjects for such venues as the Eco-Dwelling program at New College, the Boston Architectural Center, and the University of Iowa’s School of Art and Art History where he served as Adjunct Assistant Professor for more than a decade.

Jay’s designs and essays have appeared in a number of periodicals, books, and television shows including “Fine Homebuilding”, “The Wall Street Journal”, “The New York Times”, “CNN”, “Oprah”, and “This Old House”. Awards include selection for the American Institute of Architect’s 2005 Sustainable Design Symposium (Dee Williams, collaborator), and Natural Home’s Home of the Year Award for Innovative Design in 2000.

He currently lives in an 89 square-foot home of his own creation in Sebastopol, California.

Steve Weissmann, President

Steve Weissmann was born in Tiberias, Israel and came to the United States when he was 2. He grew up in Hollywood and Sebastopol, CA. In 1995 he graduated cum laude from the University of California San Diego with a degree in Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences. In 2002, at the age of 29 he went into business for himself and his been an entrepreneur ever since. He has invested in restaurants, real estate and internet businesses. In 2007 Steve joined Tumbleweed as its second employee.

He is a self described “computer nerd”, and is recognized as a bit of on online marketing maven. Steve has been on MSNBC and CBS Business Network. He lives with his wife and two children in Sonoma, California and walks to work every day.