Finish this tiny house yourself
June 15, 2009

Lusby for Sale
Last year I was inspired Jay’s beautiful Tumbleweed houses and wanted to follow in his footsteps. I attended his workshop and bought plans for the Lusby. Not being handy myself, I hired a professional builder of custom homes to build the exterior of my tiny house. Its home was to be on a perfectly picturesque New Hampshire lake. I put my traditional, 4 bedroom home on the market and waited… and waited…and waited. Not even one offer did I get, even after dropping with price by a third. With three kids in college, I couldn’t afford to keep holding on to both properties. I sold my lakeside lot and am now selling my tiny house.
It is completed on the exterior; the interior is partially done. Here are the specifications:
Dimensions
House width: 8’
House length: 19’
Trailer Size: 7’ x 18’
Road Height: 13’ 5″
Dry Weight: 8,000 to 10,000 lbs (estimated)
Porch: 7 ½’ x 3’
Main Room: 6 ½’ x 6 ½’
Kitchen: In main room
Bathroom: 3’ x 6’
Loft height: 3’ 8″
Ceiling height: 6’ 3″
(All measurements are approximate.)
The following features are currently a part of the tiny house:
1. shingled roof
2. cedar siding (painted)
3. exterior front door (African Mahogany with glass center panel)
4. pet door for cat or small dog
5. 3 windows and screens on each long side
6. loft windows (cannot open)
7. fiberglass shower
8. electric wiring
9. cable TV wiring
These items are included with the house but are not installed. Many are still in original shipping cartons.
1. 2 interior doors (African Mahogany)
2. antique style brass door knobs
3. stained glass inserts for loft windows plus extra piece that could be fastened to the front door
4. tiny toilet
5. bathroom pedestal sink with porcelain faucets
6. living room, bathroom and bedroom
7. handmade Cape Code lantern style porch lights
8. stainless kitchen sink (faucet not included)
9. kitchen sink cabinet
10. recycled jeans batt insulation (more is needed)
11. electric water heater, 10 gallon
12. wood stove, stainless steel enclosure and chimney pipe
What is not finished?
* the interior walls (drywall) and finish trim are not in
* interior doors are included but not installed
* finish flooring is not included
* lighting fixtures need to be installed after drywall is in
* porch lights need to be installed
* outlets and light switches are not included
* wood stove needs to be installed
* plumbing and kitchen fixtures need to be installed
* kitchen cabinet for sink needs to be installed (and more cabinets need to be purchased for rest of kitchen)
* kitchen appliances are not included
* stained glass inserts for loft windows need to be installed
* insulation is not complete
* ladder to loft is not included
* closets have not been built
The tiny house is currently in southern New Hampshire. You are welcome to come and pick it up or I’ll help you find a company to bring it to you.
SOLD
Fencl Coast to Coast Tour
May 29, 2009
Jay left Tuesday on his Coast to Coast tour and is taking the newly built Fencl to show tiny house enthusiasts across the country. This is the first completed Fencl built from Jay’s plans and if you would like to see pictures of the Fencl build you can visit the Tiny House Journal.
Jay is having over 14 open houses and and several workshops along the way. Here is the Open House schedule and you can view the workshop schedule here.
Tue May 26 – Reno, NV 6:00 pm
Wed May 27 – Salt Lake, UT 6:00 pm
Thu May 28 – Cheyenne, WY 6:00 pm
Sat May 30 – Boulder, CO 5:30 pm
Tue June 2 - Omaha, NE 6:00 pm
Wed June 3 - Des Moines, IA 12:00 noon
Wed June 3 - Iowa City, IA 6:00 pm
Sat June 6 – Chicago, IL 5:30 pm
Mon June 8 - Indianapolis, IN 6:00 pm
Tue June 9 – Cinncinati, OH 12:00 noon
Tue June 9 – Columbus, OH 6:00 pm
Wed June 10 - Pittsburgh, PA 6:00 pm
Thu June 11 – Philadelphia, PA 6:00 pm
Sat June 13 – New York, NY 5:30 pm
Get the locations here.
If Jay is stopping in your home town or is close enough to drive to, be sure and go visit him and see this beautiful home.
Kent Griswold publisher of the Tiny House Blog has his readers taking pictures and giving descriptions of the open houses between San Francisco and New York. You can follow the links below to get the full story. Below is a sampling of the pictures from a few of the stops so far.
Hermitage for Sale
May 22, 2009
Mobile Hermitage For Sale!
The Mobile Hermitage, pictured here, is one of the homes that helped start the Small House Movement back in 2003. The Mobile Hermitage is now being offered for sale at a price of $30,000.
This home is owned by Greg Johnson, founder of the Small House Society, and is one of the very first Tumbleweed Houses ever built.
This is the same home that was featured on National Public Radio, Public Television, Better Homes and Gardens, and even the Oprah Winfrey show requested to have it on the show. The sale of the home will help advance the Small House Movement and make way for an exciting new development in smaller, simpler, more sustainable living.
It is approximately 60 square feet, and has a kitchen. For more info, please contact Greg directly.
Fencl Build for Coast to Coast Tour
April 10, 2009
This summer, beginning on May 25, 2009, Jay Shafer will drive a Fencl Tumbleweed Tiny House from San Francisco to New York. Along the way, Jay will stop in 14 different cities, making the house available for you to see. In addition, Jay will host Tiny House Building and Design Workshops in Boulder, Chicago, and New York along the way.
This is a photo journal of the construction of the first Fencl, which is being built on the property where Jay and Tumbleweed Tiny House Company reside.
The picture above is the construction site and shows a lot of the building supplies delivered and covered to protect from the rain.

Here you see the framing of the sub floor, foam insulation is installed next and then plywood completes the sub floor.
The plywood has been installed and the sub floor completed. The house is now ready to be framed for the walls and the roof.
The walls are up, and the sheathing is attached, the roof has been framed and the loft constructed. Tyvek is being installed and roofing is the next step.
The underside of the loft above the kitchen and bathroom.
Roofing almost completed.
The electrical wiring is in and basic plumbing in the bathroom has been installed. The roof has been insulated and the walls will be insulated next. The shower will be put into position and the framing of the bathroom wall will be completed. Plumbing for the bathroom and kitchen has yet to be completed.
Jay has the Thetsford Aqua Magic Style II toilet, shower, and Surburban RV 6 gallon hot water heater available to install, plus the Dickinson stove has arrived for the heating of the Fencl.
Awaiting sunny weather to complete the exterior.
Jay is looking for a buyer so, if you are interested, please contact him. Check back often for updates on the progress and completed pictures of the Fencl before the tour.
Will’s Tarleton
March 23, 2009
Will Pedersen from Abbotsford, BC, Canada is just finishing his Tumbleweed Tarleton.
It has taken Will about 5 months, working mostly by himself, to construct this masterpiece. Will has mostly adhered to the Tumbleweed plans and used materials that are available and in stock at local lumber/hardware stores. The windows, door and countertop are all custom made. Will says that he just loves the feel and design of the house.
Will has done most of the work himself, except for the hookup of the water and drain lines where a plumber friend assisted him. He also hired someone to do the electrical work and install the lights and outlets and hook the house up to the grid. You can view some pictures of the construction on the Tiny House Blog.
Will kept track of his expenses and lists them here: (Click on image to enlarge)
Approximate cost U.S. Dollars is $13,500. Of course this will vary across the country, but gives you a good idea of what to expect here in the U.S.
Will took lots of pictures during his construction and you can view pictures of the process at Will’s project on Flickr.
Will lives and works at Glen Valley Organic Farm, a cooperatively owned farm in Abbotsford, BC. The co-op wants people to work and live here, but only one single family house (already housing 5 people) is permitted on the 50 acre farm. So, a small mobile house is a perfect solution to farmer housing. The co-op sells at farmer’s markets in the greater Vancouver area (carrots, potatoes, beets, strawberries, raspberries and more).

























Categories