http://www.tumbleweedhouses.comWith wheels, traditional proportioning and archetypal form, these little structures are designed to be portable and can, essentially, be sited anywhere you can park a travel trailer.* They range from about 50 to 130 sq ft. Purchase yours ready-made or buy the plans to build it yourself. These homes are stationary designs built as a main house or guest house. Most of the plans have an optional extra bedroom in back. The house sizes range from 261 sq ft up to 874 sq ft. We do not build the Cottages. They are designed to be built on site with a local contractor of your choosing.Tumbleweed Tiny Houses CompanySteve Weissmannsteve@tumbleweedhouses.com
15 West MacArthur St95476SonomaCaliforniaUnited States
Yesterday's open house was a whirlwind. I'll admit that I
spent the morning fairly certain that no one would come- the weather was weird,
Sundays are lazy, and I sometimes lack social confidence.
But you, tiny house people, did not let me down. At exactly 12:58, a throng of
people appeared, trudging through the mud. Children, farmers, urbanites,
college officials- an incredibly kind and interesting crowd filled the house
from start to finish. There was even a line outside!
One lovely lady brought me daffodils; another family brought
me a cake from a favorite bakery. Everyone brought questions, cameras, and
positive reinforcement. I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was so busy
answering questions that I didn't get a chance! Here's a few photos I snapped:
Some of the first attendees- laughs all around
No problem getting up to the loft
Tumbleweed staff member Adam Gurzenski even sent his parents over!
Relaxing after a long day with friends and a delicious cake
If you attended and took more pictures, please send them!
Per my mom's request, I also started a guestbook. It was a great
way to track where people were coming from- I had guests from Connecticut,
New Hampshire, and all over Massachusetts,
including Boston!
Thanks so much to those who made the journey- it was a blast having you all
around!
If you didn't get a chance to make it, or if you did and want to come back, please continue to check in with the Tumbleweed blog- I'll have another open house soon!
Don't miss your golden opportunity to view this Fencl!
Our writer Nara Williams, who is spending her semester living in this Fencl is having an open house this weekend for you to come see a tiny house for yourself.
When: Sunday March 3, 2013
Time: 1:00-4:00pm
Where:
It's been 10 days since I moved several suitcases full of
possessions into the Fencl and called it home. It never fails to amaze me how
quickly humans can adapt to a space: for me, it took about 3 seconds to feel
entirely in my element!
Dream Bench
The tiny house has been a huge hit on campus. I've gotten a number of random visitors who have all been very respectful.
As far as everyday life, I'll run through a few of those beloved classic domestic
categories:
Cleaning
I've never been a consistently organized person. But here, I
find myself coming home from work at 2 am and wanting to tidy. Something about having a place for everything encourages me
to put everything in its place...imagine that.The clever usage of space, rather than small size, might
actually be the most novel thing about Tumbleweeds. I am someone very well
suited to a large quantity of shelving and surfaces to work on. When confronted
with a large empty space, I don't know what to do with my possessions, and find
that I'd rather have none at all.
Cooking
So far, my meal preparation has consisted mostly of my
warming up leftovers in a cast-iron on the stove. I boil water everyday for tea, coffee, and sometimes pasta, and have experimented with popcorn. Once I get my spice
collection going, however, I plan to have a number of semi-elaborate meals and
tiny dinner parties.
Heat
I have a very stylish Newport Dickinson propane fireplace that is
somewhat effective. It looks great, and is certainly inviting, but the illusion
of warmth doesn't quite cut it in the New England
winter. I'm considering adding an efficient electric blanket to the mix. A
space heater would almost certainly blow a fuse, as I only have 20 amps of electricity. But luckily, spring is on its way!
Sleeping
Luckily, the loft space remains warm enough to keep me
asleep through the night. Last Friday, the first night in my house, I found out that my placement has a serious
drawback- it's in prime campus party zone. Like most drunk 21 year olds,
Hampshire students like to make a TON of noise when they're out in public. To
be fair, I went to bed at 10 pm and had just brought a tiny house to campus
without much notice, so some of the noise was to be expected. Anyway, easy
fix- industrial earplugs. Otherwise, I LOVE being in the loft. It's the perfect place to read when I want to block out the world and surround myself with blankets
So it's been 10 wonderful days, and it's looking like it will be 3 wonderful months. Please ask me any questions you can think of, and stay tuned!
Recently, I wrote about my plans to live in a tiny house for my last semester of college. In a week's time, my Fencl will finally be arriving on my campus! You could say I'm excited- I've gained some serious calf muscles jumping
through hoops for the last two
months to make this happen. For those who are curious, especially
college students who are interested in trying something similar, here's what my
process looked like:
The Proposal
It began with a fairly lengthy proposal that I drafted at
home in early December. I outlined all of the reasons why my school would
benefit from the presence of a tiny house, given our emphasis on sustainability
and alternative lifestyles. I emphasized that I would not need the school's
money or resources, just their permission and support.
My beautiful view-to-be
I sent this proposal to my college's president. I never
heard back from him! Luckily, someone else in the office intercepted my
proposal and directed me towards a newfangled student project approval system.
Through this system, I was able to communicate with all of the individual staff
members on campus that would need to personally approve my project
The Conversation
We had a lengthy back-and-forth regarding zoning, utilities, placement, and
everything else imaginable. The staff members were interested and supportive,
but still committed to doing a very thorough job- naturally, I found this
frustrating. Even when it seemed like everyone was on board, there was no clear
sense of approval. I wanted a giant stamp of my proposal that said
"yes!"
The Plan
I made a chart of my proposed off-grid utility usage plans,
including back-up solutions and alternate ideas. The biggest issue was, big
surprise, dealing with my own waste. Turns out this is tricky territory on a college campus.
I'd originally hoped to use a composting toilet, but health people gave that a
raised eyebrow.
My generous friend- thanks Hazel!
I'm going to start the semester using a nearby friend's toilet (above), and work with
interested students throughout the semester to develop an alternative that
everyone can feel comfortable with.
Scouting it Out
The spot!
Last week, I met with the guys who run facilities and
grounds. We discussed some potential solutions to my utility woes, and took a
field trip to some potential house sites. Finally, we found the perfect site- I can hook up to the school's electricity while I work on getting solar panel donations. I
did a little dance on it to mark my territory.
Waiting (Is the Hardest Part)
Squatting in the living room
Now, I'm waiting patiently. I've been squatting with three
of my friends in their bachelor pad. I thought I packed light this time around, but my possessions seem to be traveling around the apartment a bit. My scruffy friends have mentioned that they're growing tired of me. I think they'll make it one more week, as long as I do some dishes.
Stay tuned, folks in the Western Mass area- I'll be having a housewarming gathering/open house late next week!
Don’t hesitate to jump on this opportunity to see a perfectly built Tumbleweed! Our talented builders in Colorado Springs have a freshly finished Fencl available for potential buyers to tour and view. To make arrangements weekdays between 8am and 5pm, just call first to make sure someone is there.
The location is 2108 Victor Place, Colorado Springs,Colorado 80915, and they can be reached at (855) 590-7433.
This Tumbleweed is ready to roll, with conduit prepared for your solar wiring, propane tanks, and a 30 gallon fresh water holding tank. The floor is finished in cork, and the RV furnace and spray in polyurethane insulation are ready to take on the coldest weather. Please enjoy touring this beautifully made Fencl - even if you’re interested in a differentTumbleweed model. It's so beautiful it probably won't be available to the public all that long, and seeing a tiny house in real life can do wonders in terms of helping fans figure out which model they prefer and how they’d like to use their space.
Some of the first attendees- laughs all around
No problem getting up to the loft 
Tumbleweed staff member Adam Gurzenski even sent his parents over! 
Relaxing after a long day with friends and a delicious cake 
Dream Bench 
My beautiful view-to-be 
My generous friend- thanks Hazel!
The spot! 
Squatting in the living room 