Where should we go next?
September 2, 2009 · Print This Article
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52 Responses to “Where should we go next?”
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52 Responses to “Where should we go next?”
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It’s so cool that you’re promoting conservation by driving a gas guzzling truck hauling a 10 foot tall brick around North America!
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Brian Zeiner reply on September 2nd, 2009 5:03 pm:
Mr. Monkey- How do you think 100′ wind turbines, monstrous photovoltaic arrays, and geothermal drilling equipment make their way to the jobsite? As of yet, your Prius is not yet capable of hauling these items (or the demo Fencl) where they need to go. Judging by the amount of media attention, education, and general interest generated by his trip, I’d say Jay has offset much of the carbon emitted during his tour. Some 18,000 people are on his mailing list and another 3000 view this site daily. Changing minds and attitudes about our wasteful building and hoarding habits does, at this time, require some concessions to Big Oil. Rome was not built in a day. If it had been, Jay, myself, and the rest of the Tiny House movement would be employing their contractors.
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Jay Shafer reply on September 4th, 2009 1:44 pm:
I can’t tell if you’re boastfully uninformed or backhandedly smart, Mr. Monkey, but I’m just going to assume the latter. By burning some fuel to take this house to others, we saved our planet the grater expense of thousands driving and flying out to see us.
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Mike Troy reply on September 6th, 2009 5:26 am:
1. Throw it straight up.
2. Look up.
3. Don’t move.
Smiles
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Manhattan! Manhattan! Please bring the Tiny House to Manhattan!
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Thought you were going to get in touch coming East…I live in Manhattan but am thinking of building a little house on my son’s property in St. Helena, Calif. ….small rather than tiny would be my hope….I do not drive…..
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I didn’t see Nashville, Tennessee in the “Where Should We Go Next.” Even though I am older, there’s a lot of young green folks here, also check out East Nashville, open minded people there.
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Here’s another reason to come to Tennessee, a lot of lakes, have thought of a small lake home for our on enjoyment. Thanks and good luck!
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I am up for Nashville location. Very central, rolling hills! I even have friends at the local paper The Nashville Scene!
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Steve with Tumbleweed reply on September 4th, 2009 10:16 am:
Keep the Nashville comments coming. Your feedback is great. We picked our current list based on feedback I’ve received over the years.
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Could you come to Portland, Oregon again? I know you came before, but I missed it.
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Hi -
I’m a retiree living in Mexico (renting, at present). I’d love to have a home I could take with me and live in various parts of Mexico (or elsewhere) until I find my permanent home. I want to explore, and yet have a “home.”
If you come to the San Diego or Los Angeles areas next year, I’d love to see the homes. I’ve been on your mailing list for a while, but I need to see if I could actually manage on such small square footage before making a commitment.
Thanks, Julie
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Please come to Michigan!
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ann arbor michigan please! im an environmental professional working in the ohio/michigan area. id grab all my cronies and bring them out. im very seriously considering downsizing from my 1000 sq ft home (of which i only use maybe about a third anyhow). i bet some of my friends/coworkers would consider purchasing a tiny home as well! id totally pay for a chance at an overnight stay to try it out!!
sara
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Please come to St. Louis, MO. It seems everyone passes us by and opts for Kansas City or Chicago. SO, please come to St. Louis. We may be more conservative, but we are the home of ScottTrade, the Cardinals, and St. Louis Bread Co. What better combination could there be than money, baseball and great coffee? Do you feel obligated yet? Anyway, please consider St. Louis, and please bring the Fencl with you!! Cindy
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Any chance of a visit to the Los Angeles area?
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Constance reply on September 3rd, 2009 9:57 am:
Please, Tiny House, as you will be in LA it’s just a tiny jump to the Joshua Tree / Pioneertown area in the high desert. Lots of weekenders would love a tiny house. Great spots to show it.
Thanks for the best thing ever.
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Come on down to Nashville!
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Halifax would be great for me. I live in Maine and that choice would be fine.
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The houses are very nice, except….. is it possible to personalize them some more? like I like to decorate, I like colors on my walls, so the wood wall thing, not so much, but the idea of cute cozy cottage, nice for a small family, or a single person and some pets. Would be nice to show that these houses can be made with some variations. Like how about change the porch to 1 side and have it fold up for travel, or have a pop out bedroom on the other side or something, and how about a little dog house hitched to the very back for the family pets? Not every one likes to count their belongings on 1 hand. How about something to display stuff on or in? The bare bones approach works if you like the minimalist approach., not so much if you are an eclectic country buff who loves color. Variety is the spice of life kind of stuff. And, how about those price tags? how about doing things in steps and building on as you go? if these homes really are reachable for that kid who just won’t leave home, students, retired folk, etc. etc. how about some kind of tax break or budget thing or ?? like maybe get a basics and then have add things as things get better along the way. From a design point, it is nice to see some variety, like cottage type or colonial type or gingerbread type, or whatever, and different colors. The thing is, it is really up to the smaller companies to show customization can be affordable and preferable. Otherwise, keep up the good work.
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Jay Shafer reply on September 4th, 2009 1:49 pm:
They are like a blank canvas for you, Jane.
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Have you had any thoughts on visiting Friendy Manitoba. If so, I live in Winnipeg a city of 780,000 people. The fifth largest in Canada. I think a tiny home might be well received in this area. I’d be interested in attending a workshop also that is close by. Last weekend I purchased a 1981 GMC Step Van [17,000 Miles on it] that has a box 16′ X 7′ 6″ that I plan to make into a tiny home instead of a normal RV. I have ordered your book, and hope to get some good ideas from it. If you have any ideas that could assist me, I’d appreciate listening to them. I plan to retire in 12 to 18 months and would be honored to have a tiny home by then.
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Vancouver, BC, Canada!
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For the last 3 (!) years I have been building a modified version of your “Mulfinger” plan just north of Durham NC. I’ve been talking about your beautiful work to folks for some time, so I would love for people to have the opportunity to meet you!
And Jane, it’s always possible to personalize- I have done quite a bit. Victorian paint theme on the front door, pictures and art work on the walls, stuff hanging from the high ceiling. The only limitations for me are those that would affect the structural integrity of the home.
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Please, please, please come to Burlington, VT. We have a a huge student population and a terribly tight housing market (even predatory in many cases): http://www.7dvt.com/2009unfair-market.
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i would like to suggest that u come to singapore. do you think that is possible lots of people will be coming next year for the youth olympic games i m sure lots of people will be interested
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when are you coming to New York City? New Yorker would LOVE to have you here!!!!
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Ithaca, New York, would be a good place to visit. Lots of green building and sustainability folks, plus three institutions of higher education (Ithaca College, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Cornell University).
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I would like to see you visit somewhere in the midwest , possibly Ohio or PA. Thanks, Teressa
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You are missing a great opportunity by not putting Alaska on your list! The environment here (and the cost of living!) are driving all of us to consider smaller spaces and smaller footprints.
If you want to head this directions, Fairbanks is a great place to head… “central” (for such a large state!) and definitely the place for small living types!
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I would like to second Maura’s request that you visit Ithaca, NY. There are indeed a lot of green building and sustainability folks in Ithaca. And with the cold climate, the fact that the tiny house is easy to heat would be a plus. The tiny house might also be appealing to college students who are about to graduate and are considering their housing options; as Maura has pointed out, there are a LOT of college students in Ithaca.
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I would like to third Maura’s and Mary S’s request to come on over to Ithaca, NY. I know of several other folks in the Ithaca area that would be interested in seeing a Tumbleweed live and in person. I’m planning to order the plans very soon and start the building process but it would be really nice to get an idea of what I’m getting into! Ithaca would be the perfect place to start a tiny home revolution.
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Err, wait. Most, if not all of those guys up there are voting for some part of the North or Middle American continent.
But there are other small/tiny/whatever house enthusiasts out there, especially in Europe, I assume. Well, matter of fact I live here by myself. But sadly I don’t know how much effort it would be for you in CA to tune these houses in to some kind of european, or even German, kind of laws. I assume there is some differencet, but I don’t know how much.
Well, to make a long story short: Get to one of the biggest markets today, get to Europe! (Or at least Germany, UK and France. And get to tell the people there how to get the legal limbo done most quickly when building small houses would be a very valuable counsel)
That’s my two cents to this challenging question.
Andy
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Jay Shafer reply on September 22nd, 2009 9:14 am:
I’ll take any excuse I can get to Europe.
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Please come to Vermont or New York, or somewhere in between ASAP. Where are you right now in Hartford??????? !!
I wish to see the house.
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I vote for Flagstaff Arizona!! Please!! I can’t afford anything in this town.
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It’s time for Canada Jay! Toronto actually. Real estate is through the roof here. You will blow minds with your houses
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Dear Jay,
Please come to Central Australia.
There is a severe housing crisis here.
Remote Aboriginal communities suffer extreme overcrowding and there is a rental availability of about 1% in Alice Springs.
It’s becoming common for people here to live in tents because the rents are unregulated so they’re stupidly high and there is nothing available. House prices are also formidable, again, because it’s remote and the market has a captive audience, so to speak. The biggest employer in the Centre is the government so prices keep being driven up.
I cannot afford to buy a place of my own on a decent salary.
Public housing is limited and generally bad quality and sometimes unlivable.
Much of the land here is Aboriginal owned and also features many sacred trees and other sites which can’t be developed.
With all this space, it’s a terribly irony that there are no places to live.
Please, come to Central Australia. I have introduced a number of people to your houses, having been a fan for some years, so there is a receptive audience here.
Solar power is big on the agenda here, as are innovative housing options due to the terrible conditions in which some people are forced to live.
We need you.
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Jay Shafer reply on September 22nd, 2009 9:46 am:
Wow! I had no idea. I guess housing problems are far from localized.
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I have been following Tumbleweed Homes for about a year now and have followed Jeff Hemsley’s build. I have been thinking f building one to replace my travel trailer. I have made some repairs to m Coachman trailer and can’t believe how poorly constructed it is and I have no intentions of ever buying another one. On the other hand, I built my home, a log house 24 years ago and I am getting the itch to build something again. A Tumbleweed looks like the perfect thing for me. I would use it as a camp for a few years moving it twice a year to a from a lot overlooking a river, then, who knows, in a few years it could become a full time home.
In general I like the floorplans, and am thinking of a cross of a Lusby and a Fencl.
On a safety note, I recommend a egress window or skylight in the loft area. A quick mean of escape is needed should there ba a fire when you are sleeping in the loft.
Denny
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Hey Jay,
It would be a really good idea to host a workshop weekend in upstate NY. Not Syracuse like you have on your list but somewhere like Albany or Saratoga, NY. This is for a very good reason. Location. The Capital Region of New York is a crossroads for many places and communities such as the Adirondacks, Western Mass, all parts of NY, Western CT.
As you may know the Adirondack Region of NY is a region known for its cozy cabins and simple lifestyle. Couple that with the cultural and intellectual centers that surround the capital it makes a perfect spot to share your knowledge.
I mean if President Obama will visit Albany maybe you could too!
Thanks!
~J
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Frank reply on September 25th, 2009 4:58 am:
I must say, I think Syracuse would be a fine Upstate NY location, thank you for including us as a possible site on your poll. Syracuse is itself a crossroads of Upstate NY, which is why it gained prominence at one time. We are central to Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Albany, and the Adirondacks.
Syracuse is also one of those many cities undergoing an evolution from industrial menace of a city, to a green centered, technological, and forward thinking future. Our housing stock is old, and I think that some of the current efforts to restore housing are noble but could use an influx of thought such as the small house movement.
My nonprofit is of itself of the mission to develop an urban ecovillage in Syracuse, we know it will be a long-term effort and we are working on the systems that would be the foundation of a progressive village-based economy and community. One possible project that we have considered is the creation of a “single lot village” – a grouping of small houses on a single city lot that would show the benefits of cooperative living, small house living, and natural building materials. I’ll keep an eye out to see if you’ll be in our area, and feel free to contact me for assistance in the Syracuse area if you are ever coming into town.
Cheers, Frank
http://www.alchemicalnursery.org
info@alchemicalnursery.org
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Jay Shafer reply on September 29th, 2009 1:41 pm:
I’ve been passionately designing just that, Frank. This is a great idea.
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Frank reply on September 29th, 2009 3:10 pm:
Hey Jay, did you know that Sarah Susanka is speaking next Spring at the SUNY-ESF Green Building Conference?
http://www.esf.edu/greenbuilding/2010/speakers.htm
Jay Shafer reply on October 7th, 2009 2:29 pm:
It seems that folks are starting to see that keeping things small (or at least, not so big) is the greenest thing you can do.
SOUTH Florida! Hello? No place other than Jacksonville was even on the vote list. FL is a big state and Jacksonville is just too far for most living in the southern part of the state.
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go to syracuse! theres people there that want to meet you
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Valerie Dawnstar reply on October 11th, 2009 5:41 pm:
Yes! Syracuse! I’ll be there.
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Valerie Dawnstar reply on October 11th, 2009 5:55 pm:
Oh, and I would bring more folks with me, too!
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Syracuse, for sure, I’ll show up with others!
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a bit pricey there guys. don’t you think?
i am all for people using less and being able to have something u can live with and less stress to live. yup
someday i hope to see a starter mans special.. errr ya . l’s
keep thinkin green
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chesapeake reply on January 8th, 2010 7:42 am:
Bill,
Jay addresses those concerns here:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/faq/cost/
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/build-it-yourself/the-cost-of-frugality/
These houses can be built for much less than they are sold on the website, which is why Jay gives away so much information on this site and in his fantastic book. He is all about individual freedom and empowerment; a true teacher. If the plans are too costly for you right now, the XS House, which is perfect for one person, are on sale for $99, which is a steal and exactly the “starter-man’s special” you describe. This also comes with consulting time over the phone with Jay, I believe, just like the more expensive plans. Here’s the link:
http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/houses/xs-house/
This house could be built very inexpensively if you are willing to do some searching for recycled materials on Craigslist. Google “Dee Williams tiny house” for a great example of an inexpensive, but quality, hand-built home. I hope these links help you out in your quest toward roaming freedom. Welcome to the tiny house world!
Best,
chesapeake
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